Hello All,
This thread is dedicated to a very important part of the Pentax DSLR history; The venerable K10D.
The 'Ten' is significant in many ways; Introduced in late 2006, it featured a CCD sensor of 10.2MP, ISO range of 100-1600 and had AF assist with SDM lenses. It was the first Pentax DSLR with shake reduction, dust removal, had 2 control wheels and used a D-L150 lithium battery rather than 4 x AA's. These were all upgrades from the previous flagship model, the *ist DS2. It came in a sturdy, somewhat squared-off body design that contrasted with the popular curved designs of the time. There was an optional BG2 battery grip available which doubled the shooting time, had a vertical-position shutter release and duplicated the main exposure controls and wheels in portrait orientation.
The K10D garnered great reviews from many testers and won several major awards, including the 'Best Expert Digital SLR' 2007 from TIPA, European Camera Of The Year, American Photo's Editor's Choice for 'Best Advanced Digital SLR' and the prestigious Camera Grand Prix 'Camera Of The Year' 2007. This award resulted in a limited edition brown 'Grand Prix' version by Pentax, released in 2007.
It was succeeded by the K20D in 2008.
The MSRP for the K10D at launch was $1,379 US and the 'street' price around $900 - $1,000. The kit lens offered was the first version of the DA 18-55mm.
In features, MP and price, it compared to the Sony a100, Nikon D80, Canon Rebel XTi and Olympus E400. But the performance soon had it being tested (favorably!) against higher-priced models of the competition, like the Nikon D200 and Canon EOS 30D.
By modern standards, the specs are quite modest. AF sensitivity -1 to 18 EV, shutter speed 30s to 1/4000s, burst shooting rate 3 fps in jpeg, no HDR, no LV, no video capabilities, no lens correction, no TTL. The high-ISO performance is lacking, compared to the contemporary cameras.
Still, over time the respect for this fine digital body has grown widely. Used within its limitations, the CCD sensor delivers RAW images that are truly magical and if the ISO is kept at the lower end, the colors, saturation and rendering are unmatched for beauty. It can be, under ideal conditions, more film-like in rendering than most CMOS-equipped cameras, even the most modern ones.
Hopefully this thread will provide a place for K10D users to discuss their experiences, and post examples of photos taken with the Ten.
The K10D lives on!
Ron
Last edited by rbefly; 11-16-2013 at 11:47 AM.