Pentax K10D
Encyclopedia
The Pentax K10D and similar Samsung GX-10 are 10.2 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera
s launched in late 2006. They were developed in a collaboration between Pentax
of Japan
and Samsung
of Korea
.
The K10D was announced on September 13, 2006, and released in mid-November 2006, while Samsung announced the GX-10 on 2006-09-21 and it became available on January 1, 2007. The Pentax K20D
, successor to the K10D, was officially announced on January 23, 2008.
The K10D has been hailed by Popular Photography and Imaging magazine as "an all-star player," and was named as a finalist for their 2007 "Camera of the Year" award.
sensor, coupled with a 22-bit analog-to-digital converter
(ADC) and a shake reduction system
which also provides a dust removal feature to keep dust off the sensor surface. The K10D features a new image processor called PRIME (Pentax Real IMage Engine), which interfaces with DDR2
RAM, providing 800MB/s bandwidth. The camera body is dust and weather-resistant featuring 72 seals throughout the camera.
Images can be saved in JPG, Pentax raw image format
(PEF) or standard DNG
format. The Pentax K10D was among the first digital cameras to support the DNG format natively.
, the Canon EOS 400D
("Digital Rebel XTi" in North America
) and the Olympus E-400
, all 10 megapixel DSLRs unveiled in mid to late 2006. Of course, sensor size alone does not relate directly to any measure of quality or features, and the K10D can also be considered a competitor to higher priced cameras such as the Canon EOS 30D
, and its weather sealing is only matched by the much more expensive Nikon D200
, Fujifilm S5 Pro and the Canon EOS-1D Mark II N/1Ds Mark II
in current production.
The K10D camera features the "crippled" KAF2 mount
. Like the full-featured KAF2 mount, this has power contacts for the lens and supports power zoom and MTF information transferred from the lens to the body, but lacks the mechanical stop-down coupler necessary for full compatibility with the oldest Pentax K-mount lenses.
The K10D is typically sold in a bundle with Pentax's SMC-DA 18-55mm kit lens
, which has received very favorable reviews compared to kit lenses from Canon and Nikon
, because of its build-quality and quick-shift focus system.
In addition, the K10D supports in-lens ultrasonic focusing motor
s, branded SDM by Pentax. Lenses thus equipped support quieter and faster autofocus operation. Two weathersealed ultrasonic lenses, developed in co-operation with Tokina
, have been released.
Like the "crippled" KAF mount used on previous Pentax digital SLRs, the "crippled" KAF2 lacks the mechanism to mechanically sense a lens's aperture ring setting. For that reason, when using the manual aperture ring on K-mount lenses, it is necessary to set the 'Use aperture ring' setting in the 'Custom Menu' to 'Permitted' and use stop-down metering mode (Pentax calls it optical preview) to ensure proper exposure. KA and KAF lenses with aperture rings are fully compatible when the aperture ring is set to automatic ('A'), giving control over the aperture to the camera body.
, the K10D is also available badged as the Samsung GX-10. The two cameras are virtually identical with a few small differences. The text labels for buttons are different, using a slightly smaller font, and the buttons themselves are slightly different. In addition, the hand grip is a slightly different shape, meaning the battery grip
for the K10D is incompatible – however, a GX-10 battery grip is available. The firmware is quite different, using different menus and symbols, and providing no support for Pentax's PEF raw image format.
s “European Camera of the Year 2007-2008” award.
On May 17, Pentax announced that it had won the Japanese Camera Grand Prix 2007. Pentax later announced on June 14 2007, the introduction of a limited edition K10D package in commemoration of winning of the Japanese Camera Grand Prix. The package features a dark brown K10D with gold lettering and a matching battery grip
. A large leather camera strap is included with the words "CAMERA GRAND PRIX 2007".
The K10D won American Photo's Editor's Choice 2007 for the Advanced Digital SLR category. (Volume 18, No. 4 July/August)
Samsung GX-10:
Pentax Lenses
Digital single-lens reflex camera
Most digital single-lens reflex cameras are digital cameras that use a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera....
s launched in late 2006. They were developed in a collaboration between Pentax
Pentax
Pentax is a brand name used by Hoya Corporation for its medical-related products & services and Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company for cameras, sport optics , etc. Hoya purchased and merged with the Japanese optics company on March 31, 2008. Hoya's Pentax imaging business was sold to Ricoh Company, Ltd...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
of Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
.
The K10D was announced on September 13, 2006, and released in mid-November 2006, while Samsung announced the GX-10 on 2006-09-21 and it became available on January 1, 2007. The Pentax K20D
Pentax K20D
The Pentax K20D and its clone, the Samsung GX-20, were 14.6 megapixel digital single-lens reflex cameras manufactured by Pentax that were announced on January 23, 2008. The K20D was available in the U.S...
, successor to the K10D, was officially announced on January 23, 2008.
The K10D has been hailed by Popular Photography and Imaging magazine as "an all-star player," and was named as a finalist for their 2007 "Camera of the Year" award.
Technology and construction
It combines a 10.2 effective megapixel CCDCharge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time...
sensor, coupled with a 22-bit analog-to-digital converter
Analog-to-digital converter
An analog-to-digital converter is a device that converts a continuous quantity to a discrete time digital representation. An ADC may also provide an isolated measurement...
(ADC) and a shake reduction system
Image stabilization
Image stabilization is a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Specifically, it compensates for pan and tilt of a camera or other imaging device. It is used in image-stabilized binoculars, still and video cameras, and astronomical...
which also provides a dust removal feature to keep dust off the sensor surface. The K10D features a new image processor called PRIME (Pentax Real IMage Engine), which interfaces with DDR2
DDR2 SDRAM
DDR2 SDRAM is a double data rate synchronous dynamic random-access memory interface. It supersedes the original DDR SDRAM specification and has itself been superseded by DDR3 SDRAM...
RAM, providing 800MB/s bandwidth. The camera body is dust and weather-resistant featuring 72 seals throughout the camera.
Images can be saved in JPG, Pentax raw image format
RAW image format
A camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor...
(PEF) or standard DNG
Digital Negative (file format)
Digital Negative is an open raw image format owned by Adobe used for digital photography. It was launched on September 27, 2004. The launch was accompanied by the first version of the DNG specification, plus various products including a free of charge DNG Converter utility...
format. The Pentax K10D was among the first digital cameras to support the DNG format natively.
Competition and market segment
The K10D's feature set does not match precisely any other camera on the market. By sensor size and price it is a competitor to the Sony α 100, the Nikon D80Nikon D80
The Nikon D80 is a digital single-lens reflex camera model announced by Nikon on August 9th, 2006. The camera shipped the first week of September to US retailers. Considered by many to be an amalgam of design elements of the entry-level D50 and high-end D200 cameras, it occupied the same price...
, the Canon EOS 400D
Canon EOS 400D
The EOS 400D, called Digital Rebel XTi in North America and EOS Kiss Digital X in Japan, is a mid-range digital single-lens reflex camera introduced by Canon August 24, 2006....
("Digital Rebel XTi" in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
) and the Olympus E-400
Olympus E-400
The Olympus E-400 is a digital single-lens reflex camera launched by Olympus on 14 September 2006, using the Four Thirds System lens mount standard....
, all 10 megapixel DSLRs unveiled in mid to late 2006. Of course, sensor size alone does not relate directly to any measure of quality or features, and the K10D can also be considered a competitor to higher priced cameras such as the Canon EOS 30D
Canon EOS 30D
The Canon EOS 30D is an 8.2-megapixel semi-professional digital single-lens reflex camera, initially announced on February 21, 2006. It is the successor of the Canon EOS 20D, and is succeeded by the EOS 40D...
, and its weather sealing is only matched by the much more expensive Nikon D200
Nikon D200
The Nikon D200 is a 10.2 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera that falls between entry-level/midrange DSLR cameras such as the Nikon D40, Nikon D40x, and D80 and high-end models such as the Nikon D2Hs and D2Xs. It was released by the Nikon Corporation in November 2005...
, Fujifilm S5 Pro and the Canon EOS-1D Mark II N/1Ds Mark II
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II
The EOS-1Ds Mark II is a digital SLR camera body by Canon Inc. of Japan. It was the top model in the Canon EOS line of digital cameras until April 2007, with a full-frame 16.7 megapixel CMOS sensor. The EOS-1Ds Mark II had the highest pixel count available in a 35mm format digital SLR at the time...
in current production.
Lens mount and compatible lenses
Pentax K mount
The Pentax K mount, sometimes referred to as the "PK mount", is a lens mount standard for mounting interchangeable photographic lenses to 35 mm single-lens reflex cameras. It was created by Pentax in 1975, and has been used by all Pentax 35 mm and digital SLRs since...
. Like the full-featured KAF2 mount, this has power contacts for the lens and supports power zoom and MTF information transferred from the lens to the body, but lacks the mechanical stop-down coupler necessary for full compatibility with the oldest Pentax K-mount lenses.
The K10D is typically sold in a bundle with Pentax's SMC-DA 18-55mm kit lens
Kit lens
A kit lens is a "starter" lens which can be sold with an interchangeable-lens camera such as a single-lens reflex camera. The kit consists of the camera body, the lens, and various accessories usually necessary to get started in SLR photography. A kit lens can be sold by itself; ie; not in a kit...
, which has received very favorable reviews compared to kit lenses from Canon and Nikon
Nikon
, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
, because of its build-quality and quick-shift focus system.
In addition, the K10D supports in-lens ultrasonic focusing motor
Ultrasonic motor
An ultrasonic motor is a type of electric motor powered by the ultrasonic vibration of a component, the stator, placedagainst another component, the rotor or slider depending on the scheme of operation...
s, branded SDM by Pentax. Lenses thus equipped support quieter and faster autofocus operation. Two weathersealed ultrasonic lenses, developed in co-operation with Tokina
Tokina
is a Japanese manufacturer of photographic lenses and CCTV security equipment.-History:Tokina, become a partner of Pentax, division of Hoya Corporation and jointly developed some lenses. These will be available under the Pentax and Schneider Kreuznach D-Xenon and D-Xenogon brands in Pentax K mount...
, have been released.
Like the "crippled" KAF mount used on previous Pentax digital SLRs, the "crippled" KAF2 lacks the mechanism to mechanically sense a lens's aperture ring setting. For that reason, when using the manual aperture ring on K-mount lenses, it is necessary to set the 'Use aperture ring' setting in the 'Custom Menu' to 'Permitted' and use stop-down metering mode (Pentax calls it optical preview) to ensure proper exposure. KA and KAF lenses with aperture rings are fully compatible when the aperture ring is set to automatic ('A'), giving control over the aperture to the camera body.
Samsung GX-10
Under a partnership between Pentax and Samsung TechwinSamsung Techwin
Samsung Techwin is a surveillance, aeronautics, optoelectronics, automations and defense company. It is a subsidiary of Samsung Group. The company employs 4720 employees and is headquartered in South Korea. Its totals sales in 2010 was 3,198 billion won....
, the K10D is also available badged as the Samsung GX-10. The two cameras are virtually identical with a few small differences. The text labels for buttons are different, using a slightly smaller font, and the buttons themselves are slightly different. In addition, the hand grip is a slightly different shape, meaning the battery grip
Battery grip
A battery grip is an accessory for an SLR/DSLR , which allows the camera to hold multiple batteries to extend the battery life of the camera, and adds a vertical grip with an extra shutter release , facilitating the shooting of portrait photography.It usually attaches to the camera body through the...
for the K10D is incompatible – however, a GX-10 battery grip is available. The firmware is quite different, using different menus and symbols, and providing no support for Pentax's PEF raw image format.
Awards
The K10D has won a number of awards from the industry, the first being the TIPA 2007 award for the best "Expert Digital SLR". On August 15, 2007, the K10D was announced as the winner of EISAEuropean Imaging and Sound Association
European Imaging and Sound Association is a collaboration between different multimedia magazines, that offer tests of cameras, videocameras, audio equipment, mobile phones, etc. The organization was established in 1982. The current president of EISA is Jorge Gonçalves.- External links :*...
s “European Camera of the Year 2007-2008” award.
On May 17, Pentax announced that it had won the Japanese Camera Grand Prix 2007. Pentax later announced on June 14 2007, the introduction of a limited edition K10D package in commemoration of winning of the Japanese Camera Grand Prix. The package features a dark brown K10D with gold lettering and a matching battery grip
Battery grip
A battery grip is an accessory for an SLR/DSLR , which allows the camera to hold multiple batteries to extend the battery life of the camera, and adds a vertical grip with an extra shutter release , facilitating the shooting of portrait photography.It usually attaches to the camera body through the...
. A large leather camera strap is included with the words "CAMERA GRAND PRIX 2007".
The K10D won American Photo's Editor's Choice 2007 for the Advanced Digital SLR category. (Volume 18, No. 4 July/August)
External links
Pentax K10D:- Full review of the K10D at Digital Photography Review
- Full review of the K10D at Imaging Resource
- Full review of the K10D at DCRP Review
- Full review of the K10D at Neocamera
- Full review of the K10D at Cameralabs
Samsung GX-10:
- Mini-review of the GX-10 at DCRP Review (a supplement to their K10D review, since the two cameras are identical in many respects)
- http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/samsung-gx-10-with/4505-6501_7-32081093.htmlReview of the GX-10 from CnetCNETCNET is a tech media website that publishes news articles, blogs, and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics. Originally founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition...
]
Pentax Lenses
- Pentax-DA Lens Operating Manual Including details of KAF, KAF2 and KAF3 mount contacts and couplers. Using the Quick-Shift Focus System, etc.