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Pentax K200D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
Price: $699.95
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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| 10.2-megapixel resolution captures enough detail for poster-sized prints |
| Includes 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 lens |
| Large, 2.7-inch wide-view LCD monitor |
| Dust-proof, water-resistant construction; comprehensive Dust Removal system |
| Capture images to SD/SDHC cards (not included) |
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Accessories
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Customers Reviews
2009-09-15
New to photography
If you're a beginner to photography, this is the perfect camera. I absolutely love it. You have to get the WR lens to match - it's ALL weather resistant. That means you don't have to worry about getting caught in bad conditions. It also runs on batteries. I love that, because I plan on taking it everywhere on trips and don't have to worry about recharging batteries. You can pick them up anywhere. The pictures I've taken so far are exceptional and the features are going to take me into the my passion for taking them for quite some time. I've taken up a photography class and we went on a field trip for morning close ups...Many people had more expensive cameras like the D90 or Canons. They where all so afraid of getting a little morning dew on them...hahaha...not me. I snapped away getting as close to the ground as needed. Pentax rules. This is a perfect camera to start learning the ins and outs of how cameras work; outside the point and shoot selections. Get it, use it and enjoy it - ANYWHERE!!!!
Have fun at the sandy beach and rainy days...Also, this thing feels like a little tank compared to the competition in its class. Plus, what a great price. I have ordered everything from Amazon so far and have had absolutely no problems. NEW merchandise and they are FAST!!!
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2009-09-06
Great camera. Was able to use my old lenses easily
I purchased this camera for two reasons: [...] recommended it; and because I have a number of lenses for my Pentax ME Super. I did some research on the use of the older lenses with the K200 and the message was that you needed to do a lot of things to get a good picture with the combo of the camera and old lenses. This was not my experience! I was able to connect my lenses and by simply selecting the camera into manual mode was able to take great pictures without any hassle. The camera itsself is extremely robust albeit a bit heavy. I was recently at the OshKosh air show and with my camera and 80-200 (legacy lens) was able to take some awesome photos where I was able to see the expressions on pilots faces while flying by at great speed. Highly recommended.
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2009-07-27
My One Year Experience
In the last year, twice the auto focus has completely failed to work. I'm currently ready to send the camera off to Pentax for warranty repair, for the second time for the same problem. When I first purchased the camera, the auto focus sporadically stopped working for brief moments with the symptoms progressively worse over time and eventually (auto focus) stopped working all together. I sent the camera off for warranty repair. Upon receiving the camera back, the auto focus symptoms immediately started to happen again and then again (auto focus) died.
The colors are pleasantly inaccurate -- that's correct, the colors are off but with a nice interpretation that tend to skew on the saturated side. That's the charm of the K200d I learned to like. Also, unless you are shooting in ideal lighting the pictures are on the underexposed side - not much of an issue since I shoot in RAW.
I'm thoroughly impressed with the customer service department; I've spoken to them over the phone and through the "live chat" many times. Each time, I've received a conclusion and each time the representatives are knowledgeable and friendly.
When the camera works, I love it. It takes great pictures and it's a joy to use with a solid build and small footprint. I own the 10-17mm, 21mm and 40mm lenses (all DA) -- the unusual lens lineup is the main reason for my purchase. My favorite setup: couple the K200d with the 40mm lens and you have a setup that doesn't attract too much attention in public with decent image quality.
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2009-07-24
Traded K100D for K200D
I started out with a K100D and when the K10D came out, I was immediately green with envy. A few years later, the K200D came out, it was competitively priced and had most of the great K10D features. I cut my losses and traded the K100D in for the K200D. I am very pleased with it. The reasons for the trade were for the following features:
+ Remote flash: I've always wanted this feature that Nikon users take for granted, it doesn't work as great and sometimes doesn't detect the controlling flash. But when within range and everything, it works and am very happy to finally have it.
+ Weather seals: sure, it's not bullet proof and doesn't help the lenses at all. But I used to not take my camera out when weather conditions were not fair. The same goes for my friends with canons and nikons. With the K200D, I have no fears of taking it out and actually USING it. I know, it's totally a psychological thing, but the peace of mind is still a feature to me.
+ Sensor cleaner: The anti shake feature is also used to shake off the dust in the K200D, it doesn't really work, I never notice it shaking anything off. But I also set it to shake upon power up. I also have a Giottos rocket blower, the combination seems to keep the K200D relatively dust free. Much more so than my K100D. I know it's not just the weather seals because I know the dust is getting in when I change lenses.
+ Better WB & PRIME engine: the color control is much better in the K200D, an immense improvement and main reason for the upgrade.
+ Shoots in DNG format: I am no longer tied to Pentax's photolab SW. I can now use photoshop without any plugins or upgrades. Very good feature.
The things I miss on the K100D:
- Battery power seems more finicky on the K200D, I had to switch to Eneloops, which allows me to get 1000+ images per charge. AMAZING, but sad that it only performs with Eneloops.
- The images look under exposed and overly contrasted. These features can be offset easily, but it does take some time to get used to and learn to work around. Once you learn its behavior, it is very predictable and linear.
- My external flash no longer gets perfect exposure every time in any condition. For some reason, the K200D works terribly with the FGZ540. It is very easy to under or over expose an image. I am not sure if this is because I shoot in ISO100 vs K100D's ISO200. But the end result is I can no longer turn on the FGZ and just shoot. I have to manually set the flash zoom. The flash exposure setting doesn't seem to do anything either. I've gone on forums to see if I have a defective K200D, but in the end, I've moved on and have accepted the issue.
I am very very happy with the K200D, as the DSLR market gets more and more competitive, I still find the K200D completely usable for all my needs. If you want a DSLR that just works out of the box, you should stick with canons and nikons. Pentax is really for the dedicated and people with a pentax lens collection. Feature for feature, pentax always loses to canons and nikons, but it is still more than enough for anyone who is serious about photography. Especially if you've done film photography, I feel that Pentax replicates the film camera experience better than all other brands. Its simplicity and attention to detail gives it that classic feeling. While other brands focus on speed, specs and little functions that make it completely and totally feel... digital. I do envy those features some times. When I see my friends shoot in 800 or 1600ISO with no noise at all, I am jealous. But then, you really can't do that with film either. So I've come to terms with Pentax's short comings. I hope Pentax will turn things around with their full frame DSLRs.
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2009-07-23
Good, but not as good
Firstly, I wanted to give it 3.5 stars, not 4.
I have mentioned below the main camera features, it's rating and a bgjustification. These are the most important points to be considered with respect to the other cameras in competition (Canon XSi and Nikon D60).
1.Weather proof body(4/5):Excellent feature for the price. But, it is of no use without a weather-ressistant lens. But Pentax has recently (May 2009) released 2 weather ressistant lenses (18-55 and 50-200mm) under $250 each. These lenses were not available when I purchased the camera.
2. Image stabilization (4/5): The Pentax shifts it's sensor to compensate for the shake, unlike Canon and Nikon (they shift the lens elements). Since the shake reduction is in the body, any kind of lens (cheap ones, old ones, etc.) can be attached to the camera body and IS can be acheived. Hence, lenses are cheaper for the Pentax. Whereas in Canon and Nikon, the IS (or VR=Vibration Reduction as Nikon calls it)lenses are costly. But the quality of IS is a little better in Canon (no idea about Nikon).
3. Picture quality (4/5): The picture quality is just like any other camera. The contrast is on the higher end and I like it that way. It makes the pictures ready for printing. I went out with my friend who had a Canon XSi. My pictures looked far better than his when we compared them. The Canon pictures looked dull because they are more natural and the contrast is well balanced. The Canon pictures are a bit (about 10%) sharper than the Pentax.
Overall, no regrets with the picture quality. It is almost "awesome"!
4. Lens compatibility (5/5): If you are planning to use a varitey of lenses, then you are in luck! The K200D is compatible with every single Pentax lens produced till date (some older lenses require an additional mount) Also, the lenses are cheaper compared to Canon and Nikon. There are also third party manufacturers like Sigma and Tamron.
5. Other features: There is no need to review the other features like RAW, LCD, Menu, Modes, etc. since they are pretty much the same in all the cameras.
Although, please note that this camera does not come with "live view", i.e., the LCD does not show the image while you try to capture it. You need to use the viewfinder to see what you are capturing. You may review your picture in the LCD only after capturing it.
It feels like a pro camera, but with the feel comes the weight. It also has a small LCD display on the top of the body which are usually present in pro and semi-pro cams. But this LCD cannot be used in situations with low lights since the LCD is not back-lit.
CONCLUSION: I would recommend this camera if first 4 features are very important for you(Weather resistant, lens compatibility, cheap lenses and ready to print pics). The bad part is that it lacks "live view" and video capture. I can live without these. Overall, I am extremely happy with the output (pictures). Great camera!
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Product Details
Batteries Included: 1
Binding: Electronics
Brand: Pentax
Color:
EAN: 0027075139855
Floppy Disk Drive Description: None
Has Red Eye Reduction:
Is Autographed: 0
Is Memorabilia: 0
Label: Pentax
Legal Disclaimer:
Manufacturer: Pentax
Model: 19554
Publisher: Pentax
Release Date: 2008-03-06
Special Features:
Studio: Pentax
System Memory Size: |
Pentax Cameras HistoryPENTAX Corporation (before 2000 known as Asahi Optical Joint Stock Co.) was founded in 1919.
 In 1952 they manufactured first Japanese 35mm SLR camera with a cloth curtain focal plain shutter and shutter speeds range from 1/20 to 1/500 sec. It was called Asahiflex I. But even more revolutionary was their Asahiflex II (1954), having has the world's first instant return mirror system. Before that a photographer had to manually bring down mirror after having taken a picture. This system made rapid shooting possible with a SLR.
In 1957 Asahi Optical Joint Stock Co. carried out another coup - they used of a pentaprism in the viewfinder of the Asahi Pentax SLR. The pentaprism made eye-level viewing possible and provided correct images. It was also the first time that the name Pentax was used on a camera. The very name, as you might have guessed, is derived from “PENTAprism reflex.”
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