Pentax K200D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only)
Deemed for serious photographers, many shun the DSLR as a threat. The Pentax K200D is an SLR Digital-camera that is as friendly as a simple point-&-shoot but offers many features to explore your creative potential. Compatible with any PENTAX lens ever produced and featuring Shake Reduction, the PENTAX K200D offers a high quality image sensor with the sophisticated PRIME (PENTAX Real Image Engine), a user-friendly Dust Removal system including the new Dust Alert feature, 11-point SAFOX VIII auto focus system, sophisticated 16-segment multi-pattern metering and auto sensitivity control up to ISO 1600, all in a weather and dust resistant body. Advanced 16-segment metering and 11-point AF, with 9 cross sensors, ensure perfectly exposed and focused images PRIME image processing engine Lens Mount - Pentax KAF2 bayonet stainless steel mount; Usable lenses - Pentax KAF2, KAF, and KA (K mount, 35mm screwmount, 645/67 med format useable w/ adapter and/or restrictions); SDM function Retractable P-TTL popup ElectronicFlash; Guide number - 13 (100/m); Hot Shoe for optional external Slot for SD SDHC Memory USB 2.0 hi-speed, video out, DC input, cable switch; Video out - NTSC, PAL; Printer interfaces - PictBridge Body dimensions (W x H x D) - 5.2 x 3.7 x 2.9?; Body weight (without battery or removable memory) - 22.2 oz; Loaded and ready - 24.3 oz w/lithium batteries (25.6 oz w/alkaline batteries) Includes 19541 K200D Body; USB Cable I-USB17 (39233), Video Cable I-VC28 (39262), Strap O-ST53 (39323), Hotshoe Cover FK (31040), Eyecup FO (30147), Body Mount Cover (31016), Finder Cap ME (31011), Software CD-ROM S-SW74, AA Lithium Batteries (4)
Pentax K200D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only) Accessories
 Transcend TS8GSDHC6 8GB SDHC card (SD 2.0 SPD Class 6)
Tiffen 52mm UV Protection Filter
Transcend TS4GSDHC6 4GB SDHC card (SD 2.0 SPD Class 6)
SANYO eneloop 4 Pack AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries
Magic Lantern Guides: Pentax K200D (Magic Lantern Guides)
Pentax DA 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 ED AL IF Lens for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras
Pentax DA 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED Lens for Pentax and Samsung DSLR Cameras
Pentax Remote Control F for Pentax Digital Cameras
Pentax AF 360 FGZ Flash for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras (w/ case)
SanDisk 4 GB Extreme III SDHC Card (SDSDRX3-4096-A21, Retail Package)
Pentax K200D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only) Reviews
You can program it to suit your needs and it saves you from going into menus to make changes on the fly.6)Takes great picturesgorgeous colorsmakes me look good.7) the menus are clear and easy to understand. 5)the RAW button on the side is quite a nice perk. I've had the K200D for about two weeks now and have no regrets. This is the best camera out there for the money. When you start buying lenses you don't have to keep paying for that feature in every single lens (nikon VR). I also like the HDR feature which gives more detail in the shadows than would normally be picked up.
I think the things that make this better than the competition are 1) shake reduction in the body. I've read alot of reviews and all the experts agree this is the best. There are even some interesting ways to edit your photos right on the camera.
You won't be sorry. 5)Pentax has an awesome PRIME lens for under $200 (amazon) that everyone raves about. Any DA lenses you attach are as well. Thats alot of bells and whistles for an "entry level" DSLR. 4)this kit lens is the best kit lens out there. FA 50mm F1.4 Get it.
2)very durable body construction and weather/dust sealed. This is only available in cameras for the pros normally. It was made for the camera that is one step up from this modelbut it's included with the K200D as well. If you have any interest at all in learning to take better pictures this camera will be ready as you learn more, but it's also good for the true beginner with lots of auto modes to help you. I got it and I agree. 3)all pentax lenses for the last 3 or 4 decades can be used, some older manual ones need a $10 adapterbut you can buy tons of used awesome old lenses on ebay for very cheap.
I used the camera on a recent trip to the Smoky Mountains and took many picts in automatic with the bracketing mode turned on. I chose the Pentax based on actually "feeling" the camera at a local camera store. The pictures were fantastic. I would recommend this camera to anyone wanting to make the leap from "point and shoot" to dSLRs and wants a bit more than most entry level cameras and the weather resistent well built camera body. I recently purchased the Pentax K200D with the 18-55mm lens after much comparison of all the popular entry level dSLRs. It was comfortable and feels very well built. This camera really met all my expectations and then some.
TO be fair, when the K200D gets the focussing right, the results are very good. This means that I miss some nice shots while the camera is focussing. 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). Too bad, but perhaps I'm just expeting too much. A couple of weeks after purchase I have a collection of some very nice shots, but still I'm a bit disappointed. I end up taking lots of photos hoping one of them will be right. The availability of high quality and still affordable lenses with shake reduction built into the camera body was also a deal maker.
When the camera finally does take a shot, I'd say 1 out of 3 shots is out of focus. Amazon and Adorama delivered in 2 days as promised. 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. The viewfinder is wonderful to work with. Looking initially into the K20D, I decided to get the cheaper body of the K200D and invest in better lenses instead. The K200D's speed is unstable compared to all other cameras I've used (digital and film).
All in all, I'm not sure what to expect for this price. Colors are very natural, the exposure is always spot-on, and wireless flash (got the 360FGZ) works very well, too. The K200D felt very good in my hands, and its large and bright viewfinder is the best in its class. 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.
With that in mind, I set aside my Nikon FM2 and lenses and after considerable soul searching, turned to Pentax. 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. It feels good to hold. Perhaps soon I will add the 50-200, or a nice prime lens. The original batteries that came with the camera were good for over 1400 exposures (with very little flash usage).
You can't go wrong with this camera. 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. I was considering an upgrade to a Nikon D80, and checked it out. I am still on my second set of lithium batteries. My old Pentax K-mount lenses work wonderfully well and provide and inexpensive alternative.
So I have a hand full of Pentax K and Nikon A1 lenses, which I hoped to be able to use. I am principally familiar with less expensive Nikon DSLRs, the D40, D50, D60 and D70. After some initial experimentation, however, I stuck mostly with the 18-55 kit lens, quick, versatile and also dust and weather resistant. The D80 was a fine camera back in 2006, but it seems a bit dated now. The results are amazing with superb color saturation and definition. In the `80s, I turned to Nikon, and still believe that, overall, they provide excellent products. I took nearly 2,600 photos under a wide variety of conditions: dust, rain, surf, museums, near freezing mountain camping, bright sun and twilight.
However, digital has more than caught up in terms of image quality, and it has surpassed film in terms of convenience and cost. The Pentax is far above these fine cameras. 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.
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 K200, you just have to go to Custom Menu, item 23 to enable the older lenses]. And the camera is tough, much tougher than I expected.
I have been slow to break away from the world of 35mm. 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 am not talking about the K20d, which I understand is even more remarkable. The Pentax K200d feels better in my hands, much better.
:-) I just came here to give it the 5 stars it deserves.whatever needs to be said has already been said by the 68 odd reviewers before me.
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