[kenyee]

Wow..thanks for the clarification. For some reason, I swear I read a review way back that mentioned ISO200 was native ISO like in most other CMOS sensors.

[thibs]

Wow..thanks for the clarification. For some reason, I swear I read a review way back that mentioned ISO200 was native ISO like in most other CMOS sensors.

Which is wrong. In fact, manufacturers would be killed if a lower ISO was noisier so what they do if base ISO is e.g. 200 ISO, they put the Iso100 as "extended". You can use it but it is noisier than base Iso: Canon does that as well (I think 7D does it but I'm not sure).

Note that Pentax ist-D/DS/DL/K100D used older 6MPx CCD which has ISO200 as minimum. It is up to the manufacturer to decide if they want to develop an ISO100 setting which is noisier than an ISO200 setting.

[benjikan]

Base sensitivity of the K20D is 100 iso. When using the enhancement of the the dynamic range setting, it resides at 200 iso and cannot be set below. However, I do see more noise at 200 iso.

[yyyzzz]

Fantastic. We should have more Pentax users like you working in the industry. Big Thumb Up!

[kenyee]

This puzzled me enough to dig a bit more...there's base ISO vs. native ISO.
Base (i.e., lowest the camera supports) is ISO100 without a doubt. Native ISO is the lowest ISO the sensor supports w/o using an overexposure technique to get a lower ISO.
I found a long thread on this that seemed to indicate native ISO is 200 like the D300/D90 (i.e., other CMOS sensors):
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/19317-native-iso-1...en-mood-2.html

Lots of debate over 100 vs. 200...there were long threads on this on DPR too:
Re: Different native ISO: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

So it seems that ISO100 is overexposed ISO200 and maybe a little noise reduction?

[philippe]

Fantastic. We should have more Pentax users like you working in the industry. Big Thumb Up!

Well, actually, I am working professionally with a K20D. Yesterday, the exhibition catalogue for the EUROPALIA CINA show in Ghent (Belgium) was presented to the public. I shot about 95% of the pictures for that rather big book. A total of 582 pictures were made and about 360 were published.
Before that, three weeks a go a book about the ‘the Vatican’s Secret Archives’ was published. I made the reportage part for that wonderful book with my, at the time, K10D, see : VdH|books, the Art Publishing Company
For the same publisher, I made five reportage’s of some of the most magnificent wine cellars in the world.
I do agree that this kind of work is absolutely not of the same level as what Ben is doing. But, models are not really my cup of tea, in my job, I do prefer to be a ‘cavalier seule’...

[benjikan]

Well, actually, I am working professionally with a K20D. Yesterday, the exhibition catalogue for the EUROPALIA CINA show in Ghent (Belgium) was presented to the public. I shot about 95% of the pictures for that rather big book. A total of 582 pictures were made and about 360 were published.
Before that, three weeks a go a book about the ‘the Vatican’s Secret Archives’ was published. I made the reportage part for that wonderful book with my, at the time, K10D, see : VdH|books, the Art Publishing Company
For the same publisher, I made five reportage’s of some of the most magnificent wine cellars in the world.
I do agree that this kind of work is absolutely not of the same level as what Ben is doing. But, models are not really my cup of tea, in my job, I do prefer to be a ‘cavalier seule’...

Just had a look at some of the work for the book on the Vatican. You can be very proud of yourself! Bravo!!

[ddhytz]

Isn't K10D's ISO100 IQ slightly better than that of K20D's ISO100?

[philippe]

Isn't K10D's ISO100 IQ slightly better than that of K20D's ISO100?

I do not think that the K20D is actually that math better than the K10D, I do not see a big difference, at first sight all-tough. And “...frankly my dear, I do not give a damn...”.
I switched to the K20D because it was easier to get an A3 at 360 dpi out of it. These are the dimensions that publishers need for the spreads in their books.
But, on the other hand, the Vatican book was 30 cm x 30 cm, so a spread was 60 cm x 30 cm, this was surprisingly no problem for the (RAW) files coming out of the K10D!
Most of the time, I am shooting at 100 ASA in RAW, then almost all camera’s are good, regardless the brand.
I chose Pentax because I already had 9 good prime lenses for my LX body’s (the LX is the best Pentax ever made!).
I think that good lenses are even more important than pixels.

[kenyee]

Isn't K10D's ISO100 IQ slightly better than that of K20D's ISO100?

Noise-wise? Without a doubt. For landscape photos w/ proper exposure, I could pixel peep a K10D image w/o seeing as much noise as I see on the K20D (but no different than peeping D80 vs. D90 images from a Nikon friend's camera). The K20D's noise is more even though and the extra resolution makes up for it as long as you don't print 1:1...

[benjikan]

Noise-wise? Without a doubt. For landscape photos w/ proper exposure, I could pixel peep a K10D image w/o seeing as much noise as I see on the K20D (but no different than peeping D80 vs. D90 images from a Nikon friend's camera). The K20D's noise is more even though and the extra resolution makes up for it as long as you don't print 1:1...

I'm sorry, but I beg to differ. In fact, as I stated on several occasions and I find this very strange, it seems that when viewing 100% magnification on screen, the K10D shows heavy artifacts that are more akin to going over maximum resolution magnification and appears more like 120-130%. In other words, it appears that to view the K10D at maximum resolution on screen it is closer to 85-90%. With the K20D, 100% shows little to no artifacts as it should. When going above 100%, they start creeping in at around 120%, which is the opposite of the K10D.

[ghelary]

I'm sorry, but I beg to differ. In fact, as I stated on several occasions and I find this very strange, it seems that showing 100% magnification on screen, the K10D shows heavy artifacts that are more akin to going over maximum resolution magnification and appears more like 120-130%. In other words, it appears that to view the K10D at maximum resolution on screen it is closer to 85-90%. With the K20D, 100% shows little to no artifacts as it should. When going above 100%, they start creeping in at around 120%, which is the opposite of the K10D.

Owning myself a K10D and a K20D, and shooting regulary film (with the same Pentax primes), I confirm Benjikan opinon, the output from the K20D is clearly superior to the K10D, at any Iso. I upgraded part to have a backup camera, part for the cropping possibility, part for the higher Iso performance.
While it may not have been the best beast of the marketplace for high iso performance, I shoot regulary at 800 iso, and it shows then some nice nearly film like grain once you move up a bit the chromatic noise reduction slider.

Guillaume

[kenyee]

I'm sorry, but I beg to differ. In fact, as I stated on several occasions and I find this very strange, it seems that showing 100% magnification on screen, the K10D shows heavy artifacts that are more akin to going over maximum resolution magnification and appears more like 120-130%.

It's probably just something I haven't seen...I didn't notice the artifacts...

[Jonson PL]

I'm not sure if this is news, but I am doing a huge Fashion Editorial for the Special Marriage issues of "ELLE" magazine, that will be published in 15-20 issues of "ELLE" Magazine around the world and I have decided to use my Pentax gear for this gig. See, you don't have to be sponsored by Pentax to use Pentax professionally.

Oh, if you guys at Pentax wish to promote your product using this information as a press release, don't. That is something that we will have to negotiate.

Will be using my trusty "Old" K20D and my 12-24, 16-50, 31ltd, 40ltd and DA 100 Macro.

Will post when I can. I may have to wait till it is published. I don't want to breach the confidentiality clause.

Ben

Benjamin Kanarek Blog is fashion, is photography, is music, is creativity, is…

Congrats on the gig for Elle. Will be looking forward to seeing some of the shots. I've got the DFA 100/2.8 macro planned as well.

I like the shot, but I guess it is from that magazine that the special edition is in, and not the front cover that is yours, (though you've had several before).

Well, actually, I am working professionally with a K20D. Yesterday, the exhibition catalogue for the EUROPALIA CINA show in Ghent (Belgium) was presented to the public. I shot about 95% of the pictures for that rather big book. A total of 582 pictures were made and about 360 were published.
Before that, three weeks a go a book about the ‘the Vatican’s Secret Archives’ was published. I made the reportage part for that wonderful book with my, at the time, K10D, see : VdH|books, the Art Publishing Company
For the same publisher, I made five reportage’s of some of the most magnificent wine cellars in the world.
I do agree that this kind of work is absolutely not of the same level as what Ben is doing. But, models are not really my cup of tea, in my job, I do prefer to be a ‘cavalier seule’...

Beautiful looking shots, nice and crisp

I think that good lenses are even more important than pixels.

Amen to that

[philippe]

Thank you Ben and Jonson, appreciations coming from Pentaxians are always nice to hear!

Philippe