Pentax's K10D 10.2 megapixel weather-resistant DSLR

We've seen plenty of weather-proof compact shooters, but Pentax is going the extra mile with their new K10D DSLR, stuffing in 72 seals for resistance to water and dust. Pentax also has a snazzy new proprietary Shake Reduction system that doesn't require specialized anti-shake lenses, and claims to offer a 2.5 to 4 stop advantage for shots. The cam also includes a Dust Removal system to shake any dust off the CCD that might happen to get in. Pentax doesn't stop there, they've tossed in an 11 point autofocus system, SDHC card support, ISO 100 to ISO 1600 sensitivity range and a 2.5-inch LCD. With a 10.2 megapixel CCD and that beefy feature set, the K10D is going to look mighty attractive when it drops in November for $900 ($1,000 with a 18-55mm lens), but the real proof is in the pics, so we'll hold out for some hands-on reviews. Keep reading for some hot DSLR pr0n.

[OPTICAL OUT PLEASE @ Sep 13th 2006 8:44PM]

Whats up with the spambots; we dont want to see your stupid blogspots.

[Brian @ Sep 13th 2006 9:52PM]

Man, this is really tempting.

I still have a few old K-mount prime lenses kicking around. It's too bad Pentax hasn't really kept up with the lens technology, since their cameras tend to be pretty nice.

[Nightwatch @ Sep 13th 2006 11:03PM]

quote
I still have a few old K-mount prime lenses kicking around. It's too bad Pentax hasn't really kept up with the lens technology, since their cameras tend to be pretty nice.
/quote


!?!
Do some research. Pentax makes some very nice, highly regarded, digital optimized glass. This includes a range of "Pancake" Prime Lenses, and their VERY highly rated "Limited" series. The only absence in their lineup is fast zooms, and those are planned for release in the near future.

[tekdroid @ Sep 14th 2006 12:04AM]

awesome!
Weatherproofing DSLRs has been something notably absent from the market, IMO. And the internal anti-shake requiring no special lenses should be nice competition to Minolta/Sony, by the looks of things.

Can't wait for rewiewage.

[Amy Hikari @ Sep 14th 2006 12:58AM]

Wow, that's one hot piece of technology. I wish I had a camera like that.

[Yem @ Sep 14th 2006 2:25AM]

Wow - this scratches every itch. I use a DS body and personally can't justify the upgrade given the amount of use it gets, but if I HAD to replace it for some reason, the K10D is a no brainer.

Think Sony A100 but with:
* 40 years of SLR & optics experience
* weather sealing
* support for future USM/HSM/etc lenses
and so on.

[Tudor @ Sep 14th 2006 8:47AM]

Very cool camera!

[Hiro11 @ Sep 14th 2006 9:26AM]

I really like my *ist. Pentax makes great dSLRs for the price.

[Deadturtle @ Sep 14th 2006 9:44AM]

Finally! I've been waiting for this guy for a long time. I have an ist*DS2 and have been trying to decide if I should throw in the towel and go Nikon or wait and see if their 10MP beast ever arrived, and that when it did it addressed some of the shortcommings of the DS2. This guy looks like it does... so I'll hold on till I see hands on reviews.

[Willowbeef @ Sep 14th 2006 10:31AM]

Part of me thinks "why didn't I wait for this?" Then I remind myself that I paid ~$400 for a *ist DL w/ kit lens two months ago...

[Terry @ Sep 14th 2006 10:45AM]

Very nice. I noticed that the 'water' isnt shown on the lens :) When Pentax weather seals its lenses, then the camera will be weather resistant. Now the body is which is a good step.

[Tudor @ Sep 19th 2006 6:47AM]

I've wrote an article here. 10x
http://gadgets.biteus.org/pentaxs-k10d-102-megapixel-weather-resistant-dslr/

[David Chin @ Sep 29th 2006 12:50AM]

I think that Canon and Nikon face serious competition from this King of the 10MP digital SLRs (my own term) - feature-for-feature, spec-for-specification, the Pentax K10D outstrips the Nikon D80 and Rebel XTi models from Nikon and Canon, respectively. I'm tracking the buzz and subsequent launch of this awesome camera at :> http://www.pbase.com/dlcmh/pentax_k10d

[SA Joe @ Oct 21st 2006 1:52PM]

I have been thinking of upgrading to Canon 30D - but moving from the 350D makes me wonder whether I shouldn't switch to this one. Initial indications are that price wise in South Africa it will be worth it. Just wainting for some reviews.

[Mal @ Nov 21st 2006 3:42PM]

Has anyone noticed that the sensor in the new Pentax K10D adds a purplr coloration to dark gray and black colors. I have noted this in all the photos that are up on the web. It is like the problem with the new Leica sensor. Has anyone noted this besides me??
Mal

[Gampa @ Feb 27th 2007 9:33PM]

I read somewhere that this happens only when shooting in JPEG and does not occur when shooting RAW.

[Gilbert Renaut @ Dec 3rd 2006 5:45PM]

I have two Pentax MEs from the Seventies with motor drives and a large collection of good lenses, including one of the nicest I have ever used, an 85 mm portrait lens, and the idea of being able to use them is very attractive -- but I cannot find a customer service number or an answer in all the online literature to the question exactly what does and doesn't work with an old K-mount lens. I can live without auto-focus, but I'd like to know how all the auto-exposure modes work with old lenses, if at all.

[KIm @ Dec 2nd 2006 3:16PM]

I just got my K10D yesterday and have experimented a bit with my old Vivitar Series 1 lenses. I have had great success with them. Do your lenses have an A position on the aperature ring? Did you look at the online K10D manual already. On pages 208 and 210 they list the lenses you can use and what restrictions there are with each. The Pentax USA website has the manual if you haven't already checked this out. I think these two pages will help you figure this out.

[Dan L @ Jan 25th 2007 6:16PM]

I suspect that the support of the old K-mount lenses
is about what you would expect: If it is a K lens,
then you sent the aperture, and the camera does the
rest. If it is a Ka lens, then you can either set
the aperture like a K lens, or select the A position,
and the camera can control the aperture. That's
how my *istD works.

You mention autofocus. Naturally, you cannot
autofocus with a K or Ka lens, but the *istD has a
"focus assist" feature for these (fine) old lenses.
A green hexagon appears when the camera decides
that you have focussed the lens properly, using
focus sensors in the image plane. It's very, very
nice in low light situations, and I would be
surprised if the same feature were not in the K10D.

[Itai @ Feb 3rd 2007 10:08AM]

Its so cool to see a camera that has all those features, with the K10D, there aren't many things you give up by choosing the K10D. Neocamera liked it a lot, you can see their detailed review of the Pentax K10D at:
http://www.neocamera.com/review_pentax_k10d_more.html