[Sailor]

Perhaps people are already bored with "first impressions" about the K10D, but since I've (probably) paid extra to be a Beta tester I'll indulge myself:

Image Quality: Printed images taken in RAW at lower ISO's and converted to 8-bit TIFF files appear to me to be more film-like than those processed identically from my DS2: the K10D doesn't blow the DS2 away, but shadow details are better defined, and the pictures are noticeably less "edgy" and synthetic than those of the 6 MP camera. At ISO 1600, the camera produces noisy pictures - qualitatively, similar to ISO 3200 shots from my DS2. I see no patterns in any of the (few) shots I've taken at 1600. Either my camera doesn't exhibit this behavior or I've not encountered conditions that produce it. Frankly, I rarely shoot above ISO 800; unprocessed high ISO pictures look - to me - dirty rather than grainy, a characteristic that I enjoyed with fast films. Although I've seen some striking exceptions, most high ISO shots, processed to remove noise, appear to me as if the subject (whether a person or a house) has had a face lift operation. Anyway, I've attached some low ISO pictures from my K10 below, lenses noted.

SR: Works like a charm; shutter speeds with short lenses of 1/15 and 1/8 are now part of my arsenal. My guess is that this feature will be great for telephoto photography, but I've not tried SR with my long lenses.

AF: Autofocus of my K10D is clearly faster and more authoritative than that of my DS2, although the new camera still can be tenative in relatively low light - particularly when the subject has little contrast. Accuracy is similar to what I experience with the DS2.

Features: Hyper Program and Hyper Manual are terrific; why don't all cameras have this feature? Since I use a spot meter heavily, I'm delighted with a dedicated control that allows me to call up the spot without digging into a menu.

Ergonomics: I bought my first Pentax (an MX) about 30 years ago because of it's sensible size, comfortable ergonomics and intuitive controls, and my subsequent cameras (including a couple of LX's) all have had these attributes. My K10D is a disappointment in this regard. Not only is it big and heavy, a number of control buttons, including the shutter button, require contortions to reach - at least for my anatomical characteristics. Also, I hate having to rely on rechargeable batteries.

Overall, I think the K10D is a very good camera, particularly when you consider that when supply and demand reach equilibrium, it will probably sell for between 7- and 8-hundred bucks. However, my DS2 won't stay in the closet. In a kit with four extra lithium AA's and the three pancakes (DA 70 for Christmas!!), the DS2 will be a great travel camera.

Jerry


DA 40



DA 40



DA 21



DA 10-17

[slip]

Thanks for sharing this with us.
I have not put the k10 in my hand yet, but I am sure that some of the buttons/ dials will not be in the perfect place for me either, as my hands are on the small side....... It will be something that I will have to adapt to as when they design products, I realize they can't design something for everyone's body.
The pics you posted look nice and sharp, just the way I like the


thanks

randy

[Sailor]

Thanks for sharing this with us.
I have not put the k10 in my hand yet, but I am sure that some of the buttons/ dials will not be in the perfect place for me either, as my hands are on the small side....... It will be something that I will have to adapt to as when they design products, I realize they can't design something for everyone's body.
The pics you posted look nice and sharp, just the way I like the


thanks

randy

Hey, Randy, thanks for the kind words about the shots I posted.

Also, your reply prompted me to re-read my OP, which frankly surprised me by its melancholy tone, which I certainly I didn't intend - almost as if I was damning the K10 D with faint praise.

I can tell you such is not the case, at all. So far, I'm very impressed overall with the camera - particularly at it's price point. Also, since my OP, I've begun to get comfortable with the Pentax software for processing and converting RAW (I always used RSE before). I can tell you I'm now printing pictures that are technically as good as anything I've ever produced (which may not be saying much, but the K10D images really please me).

Jerry