Customer Reviews:
 Not sure what to expect October 25, 2008
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
I've researched almost all beginner/advanced DSLRs on the market, preparing the move from digital compacts to DSLR (I'm familiar with film SLRs however).
Anyway, exhausted from the fact that the perfect DSLR still has not been produced (every single model has something really bad about it: Canon 450D's grip and build quality, Olympus E-520's tiny viewfinder, Nikon D60's very basic metering, and none of these models has a live view implementation that would really make me use it), I decided to go for Pentax which has good performance on the above issues. Looking initially into the K20D, I decided to get the cheaper body of the K200D and invest in better lenses instead. The K200D felt very good in my hands, and its large and bright viewfinder is the best in its class. The availability of high quality and still affordable lenses with shake reduction built into the camera body was also a deal maker. Amazon and Adorama delivered in 2 days as promised.
A couple of weeks after purchase I have a collection of some very nice shots, but still I'm a bit disappointed. Autofocus is unpredictable: sometimes the camera shoots lightning fast, even in burst mode, at other times is struggles to focus with no apparent reason, even with the prime 50mm f1,4 and the new 17-70 f4 zoom. This means that I miss some nice shots while the camera is focussing. When the camera finally does take a shot, I'd say 1 out of 3 shots is out of focus. I end up taking lots of photos hoping one of them will be right.
TO be fair, when the K200D gets the focussing right, the results are very good. Colors are very natural, the exposure is always spot-on, and wireless flash (got the 360FGZ) works very well, too. The viewfinder is wonderful to work with.
All in all, I'm not sure what to expect for this price. The K200D's speed is unstable compared to all other cameras I've used (digital and film). Too bad, but perhaps I'm just expeting too much.
 Phenomenal camera for the price October 17, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I bought my Pentax K200d through Amazon at the end of July 08, and recently returned from a 47 day trip to the great American West. I took nearly 2,600 photos under a wide variety of conditions: dust, rain, surf, museums, near freezing mountain camping, bright sun and twilight. I am still on my second set of lithium batteries. The original batteries that came with the camera were good for over 1400 exposures (with very little flash usage). The results are amazing with superb color saturation and definition. And the camera is tough, much tougher than I expected. It feels good to hold.
I am principally familiar with less expensive Nikon DSLRs, the D40, D50, D60 and D70. The Pentax is far above these fine cameras. I am not talking about the K20d, which I understand is even more remarkable. At under $600 including a quality 18-55 kit lens, it is, to say the least, a bargain compared to other offerings in a very competitive field.
I have been slow to break away from the world of 35mm. However, digital has more than caught up in terms of image quality, and it has surpassed film in terms of convenience and cost. With that in mind, I set aside my Nikon FM2 and lenses and after considerable soul searching, turned to Pentax. In 1975, I had owned a screw mount body and later a Pentax ME, which I loved but lost to a camera snatcher. In the `80s, I turned to Nikon, and still believe that, overall, they provide excellent products. So I have a hand full of Pentax K and Nikon A1 lenses, which I hoped to be able to use.
I was considering an upgrade to a Nikon D80, and checked it out. The D80 was a fine camera back in 2006, but it seems a bit dated now. The Pentax K200d feels better in my hands, much better. The Pentax has both shake reduction in the body and a dust management system, both of which are lacking in the Nikon, and Pentax offers some marvelous new prime lenses, including a 50mm f1.4, made for dslr bodies. My old Pentax K-mount lenses work wonderfully well and provide and inexpensive alternative. [In the K200, you just have to go to Custom Menu, item 23 to enable the older lenses.] After some initial experimentation, however, I stuck mostly with the 18-55 kit lens, quick, versatile and also dust and weather resistant. Moreover, with the shake reduction, I have been able to hand hold with good results at 1/15th of a second or even less depending on the focal length. Perhaps soon I will add the 50-200, or a nice prime lens.
You can't go wrong with this camera.
Nothing left to say...... October 13, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
.....whatever needs to be said has already been said by the 68 odd reviewers before me. :-) I just came here to give it the 5 stars it deserves.
Great Camera October 5, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have shot with Cannon and Nikon, but by far I like this camera more than any of the other ones I have shot it! Good price, great camera
Great camera but... October 3, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I've owned many digital cameras- the epson 1 MP, kodak dc290 2MP, minolta dimage 7 5MP, canon powershot S3 6MP, and now the pentax K200D.
I love this camera, and I enjoy taking pictures with it. Its a great dSLR and I purchased it mostly because of the value pentax offers for the price(especially the built in shake reduction).
Cons:
-I am annoyed that there is not a dedicated button for the changing the shooting mode(single, continuous, timer, remote control, auto bracketing). Everytime I want to use the remote, or the self timer, I have to press the function button, then navigate the menus. It isn't a big deal, but it adds a second or two to something that should take only 2 seconds to begin with.
-this camera does not have an intervalometer. I was used to taking time lapse photographs with my previous 2 cameras, and I was surprised that this camera does not have this function. I imagine that an intervalometer can be implemented by software very easily, so I assume that it was left out so that more advanced photographers would pay more for the K20D.
Pros:
-The shake reduction really works very well. I've taken 1 second test shots handheld and the blur was reduced dramatically. The shake stabilization does however emit a high frequency sound compared to the optical stabilization systems used by canon.
-The build quality of this camera is top rate. Most people don't appreciate build quality these days, but if you just pick this thing up and handle it, you'll realize that it is built to last. Modern electronics usually go obsolete before anyone notices the build quality, but pentax took the bet that some people do notice a difference. It helps me have a peace of mind to know that the camera is splash proof and dust proof.
Photokina 2008 has come and gone. Nikon and canon both have released dSLRs with video capability. I bought my camera in june 2008, and now with the current camera marketin october 2008, I would still have chosen the K200d for the price. I enjoyed the high quality video capabilities of my canon powershot S3 and I hope that when I replace my dSLR in about 5-10 years, pentax will have a competitive dSLR with 1080P video capability. If price wasn't an issue, I would get the canon 5D mark II with 1080P video, but since money is an issue, I am very very happy with the K200D.
For anyone with a budget large enough to buy the K200D or K20D dSLR with a few lenses, the unanimous advice I've found online was to purchase a cheaper dSLR with higher quality lenses. Lenses will maintain their value over a long period of time because lens technology does not advance as fast as electronics technology. Some pentax lenses like the 31mm f1.8 prime is considered by many as THE best autofocus lens ever made. If you want another reason to go for pentax, that would be it- The best pentax prime lenses are also the best lenses that money can buy.
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