Product Reviews

Pentax's first digital SLR, the oddly named *ist D, appealed to the enthusiast market, but it was discontinued long ago and subsequent models have been aimed squarely at beginners. Faced with the unenviable task of switching to rival brands, owners of Pentax lenses have been given a further option with the introduction of the new semi-pro K10D.

Built around the company's KAF mount, the new model carries an APS-C size 10 megapixel CCD with the expected 1.5x field of view crop, making the bundled 18-55mm zoom the equivalent of 28-83mm. What makes the K10D stand out, though, is its range of subtle but very useful features.

Totally independent of the lens in use, the CCD is mounted on a movable platform to counteract camera shake, much like Sony's Alpha. Uniquely, though, it can rotate as well as move horizontally and vertically. This helps correct a greater range of movement and should, in theory, be more efficient at preventing image blur. Also welcome is a new automated anti-dust system that physically shakes the distracting particles from a specially coated low-pass filter covering the sensor's surface.

Elsewhere, a number of refinements to the body put the K10D ahead of entry-level models. For example, it boasts weather-resistant o-ring seals on the rugged-feeling polycarbonate shell and uses a glass pentaprism instead of the light-diminishing pentamirror arrangement. With magnification and coverage at 95%, the viewfinder image is in line with Canon's mid-range EOS 30D and Nikon's D80 and D200 models.

Mindful of its target audience, the new Pentax shuns point-and-shoot scene-based presets in favour of the expected semi-auto and manual exposure modes, not to mention a number of unique and useful exposure modes.

The first and most obviously attractive is a new Sensitivity (Sv) mode. This enables you to select ISO sensitivity from the camera's 100-1600 range, while the K10D automatically sets the optimum shutter and aperture values. While this

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has a range of uses - ISO settings can be selected from either of the programmable front and rear command dials - this mode is extremely handy for rapidly changing light levels.

Slightly more flexible still is the combined shutter-and-aperture-priority (TAv) mode, as this forces the camera to select an ISO setting for a given combination of exposure values. There's more, too, if you take the time to explore the camera's extensive menu. Custom program lines optimised for high shutter speeds, depth of field or MTF results for micro-chipped lenses are a neat way of exploiting the usual full-auto (Green) mode or program with shift (Hyper-program) modes.

With short power-up times, speedy wake from sleep and minimal viewfinder blackout, the K10D's handling is good. And although more effective in the continuous autofocus mode, with two vertical sensors flanking nine sensitive cross-type ones, the 11-point autofocus system coped well under low lighting. Doubling as an info panel and with excellent colour, detail and generous viewing angles, we were also impressed with the K10D's 2.5in TFT. An on-screen white-balance shift function for tweaking colour on the fly is yet another nice touch.

It's not all good news, though. While colour rendition in images is exceptionally fine, we found no evidence in our tests of an expanded dynamic range from the use of 22-bit analogue to digital conversion. As well as 8-bit Jpegs, like most of its rivals, the K10D outputs 8-/16-bit Tiffs from 12-bit Raw files. Further, a 3fps burst mode buffering up to nine Raw files or unlimited best-quality Jpegs is more in line with entry-level offerings than a semi-pro model.

All of these points are minor niggles, as the K10D is surely one of most impressive offerings we've seen at this price point. Although they're not quite as effective as lens-based systems, body-integral CCD-shift derivatives are popular with users, as benefits can be seen regardless of the lens used. Our tests revealed that the K10D has the most effective body-integral image stabilisation system we've seen to date. While not flawless, the anti-dust system worked well, too.

However, no matter how good a camera is - and the K10D is certainly attractive - most advanced users are more concerned with the availability of specialist lenses. While there are still a large number of legacy lenses in circulation, Pentax's system has been substantially downsized. Nevertheless, new lenses have been released and more are promised. As we've no real concerns over performance, the K10D would make a solid choice.