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Pentax K20D

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By Philip Ryan, CNET.com
Jun 5, 2008

In case you haven't been paying close attention to the digital SLR market lately, there's been a shift toward CMOS sensors. Though Pentax has stuck with CCD for its entry-level K200D SLR, it has moved to a 14.6-megapixel CMOS chip in its new flagship K20D. That puts it ahead of some more expensive models in terms of pixel count. Notably, Canon's similarly priced EOS 40D sports a 10.1-megapixel sensor, Sony's Alpha DSLR-A700 includes a 12.24-megapixel chip, and even Nikon's pricier D300 checks in at 12.3 megapixels. As we always say, resolution isn't everything, so let's see what else Pentax's K20D has going on.

Design

The overall body design is essentially the same as the K10D's or Samsung's GX-20 (which the two companies co-developed). In fact, the K10D and K20D both use the same vertical grip. Pentax did upgrade the LCD to a 2.7-inch screen from a 2.5-inch display. The only other change to the body design is the addition of a PC terminal, which lets you connect the camera to a studio strobe. We were surprised the K10D didn't have one, so it's nice to see it here, though we're not sure how many people will really take advantage of it.

     
From left to right: Pentax K10D, Pentax K20D and Samsung's GX20.
The similarity between the two bodies is a good thing. We've always liked the K10D's design. It's on the small side compared with a lot of mid-level dSLRs, making it easier to carry with you. There are two wheels--one near your thumb and one near your forefinger--to adjust shutter speed and aperture in manual exposure mode. This is much more convenient than the single-shell-plus-button-press system employed by most entry-level dSLRs. Pentax has also included plenty of switch and button controls for various functions, so you don't have to delve into the menus to change most of the functions you use while shooting. We really liked the AF switch, which is on the left front of the body just behind the lens mount. It's a three-way switch with manual focus on the bottom and single-shot AF on top, which made it easy to change to manual focus when we wanted to override autofocus in favor of a more artistic, selective focus. A handful of controls are hidden in the function menu, but with the four-way rocker these are still only a few button presses away.

 
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