Originally posted by pentaxmz To the op, make no mistake, the Pentax K20D live view is a joke! However, I am sure this is simply something they can fix in a firmware upgrade. Will they?
With all due respect, to the other contributors, of this thread. Some of you seem to miss the point of this feature, and how far live view has advanced on other DSLRs. Live view is useful in still life work, astrophotography, or any other area where there is an importance for a live histogram, zooming for precision focusing, etc... You can't do any of this with the K20D!
Please don't argue that you can zoom the view on the K20D... uh... not really... pixilated zoom doesn't count.
I dare not mention which cameras have superior live view but let's just say that for some (especially pros), live view is an important new technology.
Finally, and to be fair, you must consider that live view requires the mirror to be locked in the up position. I pretty certain that normal focusing can no longer take place. Some others are using smarter algorithms to improve focusing in live view, but it's not something I would complain about on the K20D. Besides, live view is better suited to manual focusing.
If you have a complaint, let Pentax know about it. This is the only way I know how to send in a complaint:
http://pentax.quicksupportlink.com/callform/pages/callform.asp?origin_us=true What you have written here is completely unwarranted and condescending to say the least.
This is the first time Pentax has incorporated this feature in any of it's DSLRs whereas Olympus, the brand that you dare not mention, pioneered LV and have had the benefit of building and fine tuning this feature in a few models already. It's Pentax's first effort, it's not perfect but it works well enough, so I'd cut them some slack.
LV implementation in DSLRs, even for Olympus is not always picture perfect. Issues of sensor heat buildup, noise and power consumption do crop up. People I know who have the Oly E-3, Canon 40D/50D have encountered camera shut down due to the sensor overheating, so no camera brand is as good as what their marketing literature portray.
Having said that, to me, LV offers a useful compositional function, to be able to frame shots without the need to look through the viewfinder, no more, no less. How you run with it is entirely up to the individual, so to say it is a joke is really uncalled for.
If you want live histogram and other corollary features that is available in other brands, then perhaps the Pentax K20D is not for you, given your grave disappointment and persistent complaints about it. If you can't get over all the supposed flaws of the K20D, then spare yourself all that angst and switch to another different brand that can offer a better feature set or have a ready made solution to your kind of photography.