Editorial Review:Product Description:The PENTAX K200D, perfect for developing digital SLR users, offers an easy-to-use interface and incorporates award winning PENTAX imaging technology. With 10.2 megapixels, this DSLR features many of the advancements that are incorporated in the PENTAX K20D, including a LCD monitor, Custom Image functions for perfect control over how images are developed, and the Expanded Dynamic Range function. 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 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.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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Best value available
I absolutely love this camera!
In December of '07 I decided to purchase a K10D but then I heard a rumor that Pentax was coming out with a new line of cameras at PMA. After tons of research I realized that the K200D has the same sensor as the K10D but in a smaller package and redesigned software for beginning photographers.
I purchased this camera the second it became available on amazon and I have never regretted it. It's hard to believe that a camera in this price range is this well built, has in body shake reduction, depth of field preview (screen by default, viewfinder via setting change), 11-point AF, advanced metering, and the list goes on.
The kit lens is great but I soon purchased an after market Tamron 70-300 also from amazon.
Nothing on the market comes close to the value of this camera.
Tip: This camera really benefits from a fast SD card. I use the SanDisk Extreme III 4GB.
-David
Rating: -
good price for a good camera
After my old Canon AE1, I choose the Pentax K200D for the security : Wherever you are, you can find AA batteries and SD card and against humidity, the K200D is tropicalised and build with a iron structure.
I rediscover the pleasure to take photo.
Rating: -
extremely versatile and easy to use
I tried quite a few cameras to upgrade from my 2003 Fuji, and in fact bought -and returned!- a new Fuji, before this. This Pentax K200D camera does an amazing number of things well. Settings are easy to use, and it does very, very well just as a point-and-shoot on "automatic" setting. The pictures are extremely nice in colors and detail.
I am by no means a professional - I am still re-learning what a lot of those settings mean. The camera does not overwhelm you with a zillion things, but does give you choices. OR there are a lot of basic Scene modes, that do seem to work decently well, if you don't want to try to do the white balance, etc, on your own. For an amateur like myself, who has to bend my brain to try to remember what those things are at all, it is a great way to pick it up without being overwhelmed with a professional camera. And there have been times when I don't have time to try out these things, so I just put it on automatic and let it figure it out as I switch from bright sunshine, inside a darker space, etc.
The megabytes mean there is a lot of info in each picture - using Photoshop to crop or play with the picture results in some spectacular shots when I need it. Recently, I had to take pictures under a large picnic pavilion, without using a flash but with all the bright sunshine outside. The camera did well, and Photoshop was easily able to get me the detail I needed on the inside shots, balancing out the very bright background. Not every camera has pictures that have enough detail to pull a good shot out of those details. The same thing happened at a school assemble - good shots under difficult conditions.
The only problem pictures I have had are NOT the camera's fault - people moving when I do not have it in sports mode. Putting it in sports mode does indeed help if things are going to move around on you.
I am satisfied with the shutter lag - it's pretty fast - and the quality of the camera.
I am particularly happy that my 20 year old Pentax lense works with this. It was the reason I bought the camera, in the end - the ability to use the old lenses from my old Pentax film camera, and even the additional flash (also ancient). Pentax has made it so you can use them, and even makes an adapter for the really old lenses. This makes upgrading to other lenses so much easier, as there are a lot of older lenses around. And I feel better about not just throwing out perfectly good stuff.
Rating: 
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good camera
Good product; dad likes it; dunno much about cameras but he can re-use all the old pentax lenses that he had with his 'film' camera.
Easy to start using ....we'll know more later as the usage ramps up.
Kinda cheap that they dont sell the memory card and camera bag all in one package....and you have to separately buy and pay for each shipping.
Rating: -
Great dSLR, Especially at this price point
I just received my k200d today after many weeks of reading online reviews and a couple trips to the camera shops close to my house. Coming into the dSLR world with no stock in glass from any manufacturer, I was less restricted in my choices and looked at everything from the Pentax I ended up with to the Canons, Nikons, and Sonys I heard everyone else talking about purchasing. The most important features to me were image quality, build quality, in body stabilization, and AF speed. I kept hearing others talk about frames per second and live view, but for the images I will be capturing with my camera, these two features were not that important to me. Out of the box, I could not be happier with my selection, especially considering its current price point.
First and foremost, you can tell once you hold it in your hands you are dealing with a camera that has exceptional build quality. The entry level dSLR's I tried at the camera shops (Canon Rebel Xsi and Nikon d60) felt, well, entry level. The build quality of k200d compares admirably to the feel of the Canon 40d or Sony a700. The weather and dust seals also sold me on the k200d as I plan to use it on outdoor weekends in Colorado and the Grand Canyon this summer. The metal lens mount on the body and the kit lens also showed me the importance Pentax places on build quality. I'm confident this camera will last for years based strictly on build quality and feel.
The image quality has impressed me out of the box as well. I have taken close to 60 pictures with the camera trying to experience the different settings and learn a little more about dSLRs (I've always used a point and shoot digital camera before today). With my limited knowledge of photography and the abilities of the k200d, the quality of the images I've been able to capture is outstanding. The 10 MP and PRIME image processing really do capture a bunch of detail, and the image stabilization seems to keep the noise down even at higher ISO's. I'm sure as I progress in my knowledge of the camera the images will only become better, and I am anxious to put this camera to use to see what it can do. The autofocus seems to be quick and accurate. Something else I liked is the consideration Pentax gives to being back-compatible with older lenses. Though I didn't have any pre-existing glass, I like knowing that my k200d body is something that can grow with Pentax technology in the future.
For those considering their first dSLR, I wouldn't get caught up too much on resolution. For most of us, 8 to 10 MP is going to be more than enough, and I would imagine around 3 fps is going to be more than we enthusiast need. I was tempted to purchase a semi-pro body fearing that I was going to want "more" one day in the future. I can honestly say I am glad I did not spend the extra 500-600 dollars on a semi-prO body for my first dSLR. The k200d has impressed me from the beginning and I am confident it will be with me in the future, either as my main camera or a great backup to my Pentax k20d. I paid roughly 660 on Amazon and will get 100 bucks back through a Pentax rebate. For 560 dollars, anyone would be hard pressed to find as good of an entry-level dSLR as the Pentax k200d.
