Durability of the Pentax K10D

By PF Staff in Influential Photo Gear on Jan 21, 2013

No other device has had a larger impact on my photography than my old friend, the Pentax K10D.  My K10D was my first DSLR after going through three different film SLRs in four years.  I the past five years I have shot over 20,000 pictures with it, including sports, landscapes, candids, portraits, and studio still life work.  It's combination of rugged charm and instant review ability have allowed me to expand my photographic talents without worrying about the weather or the price of film development.

By it's nature as a digital camera my K10D has given me the ability to experiment, an opportunity unrivaled by film cameras.  Of the aforementioned 20,000 shots, more than a few are complete junk: blurry pictures of ultimate Frisbee games, product shots with horrible lighting, and out of focus pictures of nieces and nephews.  The ability to instantly review and redo the shot right then and there without any of the costs associated with film development has allowed me to make the mistakes necessry to advance my skills at a pace far quicker than film would allow.  Besides offering great image quality and instant feedback, the K10D has proven it's ruggedness over the course of the last five years.  From desert slot canyons to winter snowstorms, from sea level at the beach to ten thousand foot high mountain peaks, it just keeps on clicking.  It's been slammed into a canyon wall, dropped in the mud, and even bounced around in a car crash and it still gives me great results.

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While any digital SLR could have given me the same flexibility, I don't know that any other camera at the price level could have survived the abuse I've put my K10D through and kept on trucking.  It is has given me the experience to take great pictures no matter the conditions.

- clawhammer