[d.bradley]

I think when I upgrade to the K20D, ISO 800 will be the magic number for me. I want to keep using my 500/4.5 handheld and stopped down...lol. Even in bright daylight, I could use the extra shutter speed that a low noise ISO800 would provide.

Seriously though...for wildlife and macro shooting, a solid, low-noise ISO 800 will mean you gain shutter speed, or just as importantly that lenses can be stopped down further, to optimize sharpness and DOF.

I have a feeling my photography will be a little more flexible thanks to this new sensor. I've always hesitated to push the K10D past ISO400...so with a K20D I've just doubled my shutter speed, or stopped down from wide open while trying to get those pesky egrets at sunset. Hurray for better images.

[Gooshin]

I think when I upgrade to the K20D, ISO 800 will be the magic number for me. I want to keep using my 500/4.5 handheld and stopped down...lol. Even in bright daylight, I could use the extra shutter speed that a low noise ISO800 would provide.

Seriously though...for wildlife and macro shooting, a solid, low-noise ISO 800 will mean you gain shutter speed, or just as importantly that lenses can be stopped down further, to optimize sharpness and DOF.

I have a feeling my photography will be a little more flexible thanks to this new sensor. I've always hesitated to push the K10D past ISO400...so with a K20D I've just doubled my shutter speed, or stopped down from wide open while trying to get those pesky egrets at sunset. Hurray for better images.

if ISO 3200 will be as usable as people say it will (ie, comparable to 1600 on a K100D), then this camera will open up many new avenues for handheld nightshoots for me.

that is why i am going to buy it

[d.bradley]

My biggest complaint was the noise profile on the K10D. That, and metering with stop-down lenses.

For my specific needs, the K20D sounds pretty great. With the noise profile looking very good, I'll be interested to see how it handles light metering!

[kenyee]

Even in bright daylight, I could use the extra shutter speed that a low noise ISO800 would provide

I had no issues running ISO1250 on the K10D for tennis photos outside in bright daylight so I could keep the shutter speed between 1/1500-1/2000 w/ a relatively slow Tamron 70-300 lens. I'd say if you haven't tried it, give a try and you might be surprised how well it does...

[stewart_photo]

I think when I upgrade to the K20D, ISO 800 will be the magic number for me. ...(snip)... I've always hesitated to push the K10D past ISO400 ...(snip)... Hurray for better images.

Interesting. I've never hesitated to push my K10D right up to ISO-1600. With normal images, the noise levels at that ISO setting are roughly similar to that from an ISO-400 film just twenty years ago, and I never had a problem selling those images due to too much noise. Plus, for the not-so-normal images, there is always the additional capability today, unlike film years ago, of reducing noise even further with software programs like Neat Image and Noise Ninja. Given all that, the K10D serves my needs very well right up to it's highest ISO settings.

So where does that leave the K20D? Well, while image noise is obviously a consideration when shopping for a new camera, that alone will rarely be the final determining factor for me unless the noise was particularly atrocious. Since that is not the case with most cameras today, few (including the K20D) would be ruled in or out based on this alone. Ultimately, I suspect most images eventually taken with the K20D will not be any better than those taken with a wide range of other cameras existing today.* I say that because, assuming acceptable image quality, the subject matter is often far more important to the image consumer than the medium. In other words, low noise is not going to sell a bad picture, nor is acceptable noise going to prevent the sale of a good picture.

stewart


*Especially true if people attempt to use the higher ISO settings for handheld shots rather than taking the time to use a tripod wherever possible.