Pentax K20D

A brief introduction to the new K20D.
Buy Pentax K20D with best price!

Pentax K20D Review | Digital SLRs | CNET UK

About Pentax K20D

Checks in at 12.3 megapixels. As we always say, megapixels aren't everything, so let's see what else Pentax's K20D has going on.

For the K20D's body only, you'll pay around �700. Adding an 18-55mm, f/3.5-5.6 lens will cost an extra �100. 

Design
The overall body design is essentially the same as the K10D 's. In fact, they both use the same vertical grip. Pentax did upgrade the LCD to a 69mm (2.7-inch) screen from a 64mm (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 that 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.

The similarity between the two bodies is a good thing. We 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 also includes 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 came to really like 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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