Pentax K200D

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Features

Like most entry-level SLRs, the K200D keeps a lot of the controls in the menus. Recognizing that there will be a fair number of users stepping up from compact cameras, Pentax includes the Fn menu which is organized much like the four-way rockers found on compacts. Of course, the menu button brings you to more intense setup and custom settings menus. The Fn menu gives you access to things you'd need to change regularly, such as ISO, white balance, drive mode, and flash mode/flash compensation. As you'll find on most dSLRs of this class, there's only a single thumb wheel to change shutter speeds and aperture, instead of both a thumb and finger wheel as you'll find on pricier models. We prefer having two wheels, but the single wheel is an acceptable concession for this camera's low price. When in full manual exposure mode, you'll have to hold down the exposure compensation button (just behind the shutter button) to change apertures.

One of the niftier shooting modes Pentax includes is the Sensitivity-priority mode, which lets you select the ISO sensitivity you want while the camera chooses the shutter speed and aperture you need based on your selection. This is useful if you know you have to raise the ISO to get a fast enough shutter speed to freeze a subject that's in motion, but want to keep the ISO as low as possible. Even if you have the Fn menu set to select ISO in full stop increments, Sensitivity-priority mode offers 1/3-stop increments, so you can quickly get a finer sensitivity scale if needed.

The Enhanced Dynamic Range feature managed to bring out more details in the top crop. The crop below was taken with this feature deactivated.
(click for larger image)
(Photo credit: Phil Ryan)

Cementing a trend in dSLRs this year, Pentax includes an Enhanced Dynamic Range mode which tweaks the tone curve to eke out some extra detail in the highlights of an image. It's a subtle effect, but it does work. There's an example of the effect in the slideshow that accompanies this review. The K200D's version is a little more subtle than Canon's Highlight Tone Priority--at least the version we saw in the 1Ds Mark III--though that camera is an unfair comparison, to say the least. Olympus also offers a similar type of feature that it calls Shadow Adjustment Technology, though it groups this with metering modes, while Pentax puts it in the ISO section of the Fn menu. Sony's Dynamic Range Optimizer and Nikon's D-Lighting also work to eke out detail in the darkest and the brightest portions of images, though they function more as software-type adjustments made to images after capture, rather than during capture.

The kit lens is the typical 18-55mm focal length range and F3.5-to-5.6 maximum aperture range as most kit lenses, especially in entry-level models. It's not the sharpest lens ever, but it is good for a lens of its price and we like that it has a decent focus ring. Both Canon and Nikon make you rotate the front edge of the lens barrel instead of offering a real focusing ring on their entry-level kit lenses. Also, this Pentax kit lens has a metal lens mount, while Canon and Nikon use plastic for theirs. We noticed some barrel distortion at the lens' widest setting, but that's to be expected on a lens of this class, and a little distortion isn't always such a bad thing.

The K200D's kit lens isn't the sharpest lens you'll ever own, but it can produce a comfortable level of sharpness.
(click for larger image)
(Photo credit: Phil Ryan)

One of the nice things about Pentax's K lens system is that you can use the vast majority of the lenses the company has made with the K200D. If you're willing to buy an adapter on eBay (though we'd stick to the official Pentax-made adapters), you can even use screw-mount (aka M42) lenses dating back to the 1960s. We recently found a very nice 28mm F3.5 screw-mount lens on eBay for about US$93. We have to focus manually when we use it since it wasn't made for autofocus, and you have to compensate the exposure manually for the decreased light that smaller apertures let in (modern lenses don't close the aperture blades until you press the shutter button fully), but it's a nice bargain if you can deal with those limitations.

Like Sony did in the A200 and Olympus for the E420, Pentax has included wireless flash control in the K200D. Nikon reserved that feature for its D80 and pricier models, while Canon forces you to buy its 580EX flash or the dedicated wireless controller if you want wireless flash control. Granted, the Canon system offers a higher level of control than the Sony, Olympus or Pentax entry-level versions, but it's nice to have some wireless flash functionality at the entry level. The K200D lets you use the built-in flash to trigger either the AF540FGZ or AF360FGZ flash units. You can't group flashes or set ratios between flashes, but you can control the flash output with the camera's flash compensation setting which is conveniently changed in the flash setting part of the Fn menu. Also, you can set the camera to use the built-in flash along with one or multiple wireless flashes, or you can set the built-in flash to just control the wireless flashes and not fire when the picture is taken. In case you're wondering, the wireless flash works with Pentax's P-TTL flash metering.

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