Pentax Digital SLRs

This new 14.7 megapixel digital SLR (dSLR) camera, which can also take HD video in 720p format, continues the Pentax trend of having a weather-sealed body, but now the body is all metal and is smaller than the K10D and K20D. Another exciting, companion addition to the Pentax line-up is weather sealed lenses, so you can really have a worry-free day on the water or in the rain.

I recently used my K10D while sea kayaking off the coast of Maine, as documented on Flickr, and had no problems (even with the old lenses, though I did keep the camera in a dry bag while paddling, for the most part).

A detailed technical review of the K-7 is available on Digital Photography Review, dpreview.com, at dpreview.com/previews/pentaxk7/.

See the module below for the camera and some lenses.

Amazon.com has a great deal on this 10 MegaPixel digital SLR that is perfect for students and those starting out in the DSLR world. The K2000 brings back memories of our K1000 from the 1970s, except that I don't need memories brought back because it sits right next to me now: it still works great, and all its lenses work on my Pentax K10D camera.

Look here for the information on the Pentax K2000 camera, which runs on convenient AA batteries: Pentax K-m / K2000 Kit

See more details about the camera at the official Pentax website by clicking this link.

Why have I started to assemble this Squidoo lens? When searching for a digital SLR, I saw no point in sacrificing quality when the whole reason was to end up with high quality images (as high as my abilities would allow, at any rate). However, some of the cameras are very expensive, even in the advanced amateur or so-called "prosumer" range (for the consumer who wants pro-style gear). I had a lot of experience with film cameras from Olympus and Pentax- see the "Back Story" below for this history, and ended up choosing the Pentax K10D. This is a prosumer model and may be too complicated for you. If so, the K110D or K200 may be the right picks. The current model that replaced and improved on the K10D is the K20D. From what I read, it is a real winner, also. Stay tuned for links to independent reviews and useful forums.

Pentax offers great quality at low prices vs. the other major camera manufacturers. I don't have anything bad to say about other brands, I just want to suggest that you try a Pentax and save money while ending up with a top digital SLR.

I highly recommend the Magic Lantern guidebooks to help you learn how to use your new camera (see below).

By adding your own links to the lists here and commenting in the gust book, you can tell your own stories and vote for your favorite gear, and supply useful links for all of us (including to you own photo-related blogs and lenses). You can also learn from the links and comments I have, and will be, providing.

As mentioned above, before purchasing my K10D, I had a lot of experience with film cameras from Olympus and Pentax, having used the manual Olympus OM-1N for many years (starting in about 1976). My wife had a Pentax K1000 that dated back 30+ years. We both had a number of lenses, so we had a mixed marriage of a sort. Both of these cameras are completely manual.

Due to failing eyesight, laziness and a loss of technique because we hadn't stayed "in practice" with all of our film photography skills, such as they were, we decided to move to an autofocus, program/automatic/manual film SLR at some point fairly late in in their lifecycle. We purchased a Pentax Zx-5N, in part because it would use all of the old Pentax manual lenses that we had.

This is a KEY POINT. Unlike other manufacturers, Pentax has managed to keep all of its new cameras able to use the oldest of its lenses (most of which use the K-mount bayonet for attaching the lens to the camera body; some older lenses use a "universal" M32 screw mount, which requires an adapter for use on a K-mount camera). Of course, if you have an old manual focus lens, it will still be a manual focus lens. However, there is a manual focus "assist" that blinks red in the viewfinder when a subject is in focus with my K10D, for example, so it is quite easy to use any of the older lenses. Since Pentax built its shake reduction into the body, unlike other manufacturers who put the shake-reduction hardware into their lenses, you can use this modern technology with your vintage lenses if you want.

Many of us have old lenses that would be very expensive to replace, even if they weren't top of the line lenses in their day. Take my wife's old Pentax Macro lens, the SMC-Pentax-M Macro 1:4 50 mm model, made in Japan. This is a fine, specialty prime lens, and I wouldn't want to have to buy another one just because we had a new camera. We had a number of other prime (non-zoom) lenses and a K-mount, 70-210 mm zoom lens.

When we purchased the Pentax autofocus/program SLR camera, I shipped my Olympus camera and lenses to my brother, who was getting into astrophotography (the ability to lock up the mirror, and the fact that the battery isn't drained during long exposure because this is a mechanical camera, make it popular with the astro crowd). We became a single-brand household when it came to photography and interchangeable lenses. This gave me an incentive to stick with Pentax when I ended up looking for a digital SLR in October of 2007.

However, the other brands have some pretty effective advertising, and some great cameras, so I wasn't sure what to do and certainly didn't want to make a foolish decision. That's where my local camera shop was a great help. Sure, the internet can be great for purchases, but for a camera, you should really hold it in your hands, fell how heavy it is and figure out if you can reach all of the controls easily before buying one (I made the mistake of NOT doing that with a cell phone, and ended up with one I can't use: the buttons are too small and close together for my hands and eyesight).

Not only did the K10D feel great and accept all of my old lenses, it was the camera that several of the store employees owned, and was dramatically less expensive than "similar" cameras from other brands. I was quite stunned at the quality of the images that I snapped in the store. However, I went away and researched the camera on the internet before returning to the store to purchase it, convinced that it was exactly what I wanted. I've never looked back or suffered buyer's remorse- I've been delighted with the K10D all along.