My Day with the K..D

[benjikan]

I really don't know where to start. This is a camera that is almost too quiet, if there is such a thing. Smooth and buttery response. The images shot at the mid iso settings are as clean as 100-160 on the K10D. The colour is magnificent. The noise levels at the top iso end of this camera are about the same as 640 to 1000 on the K10D. As I will not get in to specifics until the embargo has been lifted, I will say this. As an ex-Canon user and sponsored by them, I had an opportunity to use all of their products. This camera is as good or better than the Canon products. The noise shown in the upper iso area looks more like fine film grain than digital noise.

I am using a pre-production version and being firmware 0.39 there will be some upgrades. I have already sent my impressions to Pentax.

This is the best camera on the market today in the mid to upper mid price range. It will compete with the top of the line Nikon and Canon and will do so with no excuses. It won't be fair to compare this camera to the Canon 40D & Nikon D90 as this camera is out of their league and swims comfortably in the waters of the Canon 1D mk lll and Nikon D300...

None the less, if you have any questions feel free to ask. Oh and by the way. Better get a huge 4 Gig SD card as this baby produces files that are almost 50 percent larger than the K10D

Ben

[Jesus]

How many wheels does it have on the back ?

Is it larger or smaller than the K10D ??

[jscoby05]

How is this camera going to be for shooting hockey??? If a camera can shoot hockey well, I say it can used to photograph pretty much anything.

[SuperAkuma]

You said feel free to ask, but will you answer them before the 24th?

Well, might as well give it a shot. I've seen the "pre-specs" of the camera and so far everything looks good except the speed of the camera. Please tell me if it is faster then 3fps. I don't need to know the how fast it is right now, I just want to know that it is faster then the 3fps that has been quoted on the other site.

[JMS]

You said feel free to ask, but will you answer them before the 24th?

Well, might as well give it a shot. I've seen the "pre-specs" of the camera and so far everything looks good except the speed of the camera. Please tell me if it is faster then 3fps. I don't need to know the how fast it is right now, I just want to know that it is faster then the 3fps that has been quoted on the other site.

Dangit, that was my question.

[roentarre]

Sounds good, Ben!

The camera does not produce smooth out skin texture as Canon does, right?

Does the camera clip corners even more than k10d?

Thanks

[Jesus]

When you drop it from 3 feet from the ground ,

how high does it bounce ??

[m8o]

Thank you for the offer Ben and congratulations for the honor bestode upon you for the upcoming event. I think you can answer this as I don't believe it is directly related to the embargo, and not devulging anything not already known if one reads the public patent filings...

But in regards to one of those new features described as truely revolutionary, say the one active when the photographer looks through the viewfinder which we have seen described in publicly accessible patents ... how well does it actually work?! Is said viewfinder's brightness diminished any by the extra active element the light must pass through? Is it actually more HUD [head's up display] then a layer the light must pass through?

Much Thanx!

[JMS]

When you drop it from 3 feet from the ground ,

how high does it bounce ??

87 miles in the air, baby! It's magic!

[Jesus]

If it's really as quiet as it is hoped to be , ,,,,, then,,,,, finally a camera comapny heard the many complaints and gripes about the sound of the shutter slap , it's a simple engineering fix .


3 FPS is more than enough for 99% of shooters

[jbcampbell]

...As an ex-Canon user and sponsored by them, I had an opportunity to use all of their products. This camera is as good or better than the Canon products. The noise shown in the upper iso area looks more like fine film grain than digital noise.


Ben

Ben, As a current Canon (1DmkII & 5D) & Pentax (K10D) user you have got me on the edge of my seat. I love Pentax glass but have used Canon for most of my professional work because of the speed & responsiveness of their bodies. I have been patiently waiting to get my next camera body, ready for the next 5D or the next KxxD and I am honestly hoping Pentax will deliver on something that motivates me add to my Pentax arsenal.

[kskjon]

Is it faster than the K10D? (In terms of frames per second)

[Tom Lusk]

"swims comfortably in the waters of the Canon 1D mk lll"

Not sure what this means. The new Pentax has the capabilities of this $4000. + camera?

Why do I have my doubts?

I sure hope you're not, uh, slightly exaggerating...

[Ishpuini]

Hello Ben,

Nice to see some things I heard confirmed... One thing I do wonder about concerning the new sensor... (Not filesize as that's logical with 14MP at 14bits.)

I wonder about how sensitive this baby will be for Near IR photography. The K10D is relatively insensitive, but can still yield unworldy images at long exposures in the Near IR. The *istD series was much better though. Any idea or opportunity to test and check what the new sensor is like?

Have fun!!

Wim

[HermanLee]

Hi Ben,

I'm new in DSLR world and just got K100D last year. I realized that K100D & K10 are kind of slow in auto focusing in low light condition. So how is this new K---D's auto focus speed and accuracy compared to Cn or Nk ?
Thanks in advance.