Overview:

Pentax K2000 is a great camera for its price – $599.99. Fort his amount you get a very good quality DSLR with lens and external flash so it’s really hard not to have a look at it. Moreover, the Pentax K2000 has fast start-up, bright and large LCD, great design and very good image quality. Seems almost too good to be true doesn’t it?

Pentax K2000 pros:
+ Compact, well balanced body
+ Good resolution
+ Low noise
+ Overall good sharpness
+ Wide array of scene modes
+ Fast start-up

Pentax K2000 cons:
- Slowish burst mode
- Poor sharpness at small aperture settings
- No life view
- No depth of field preview
- The menu structure a bit too confusing

The design:

Pentax K2000 measures 122.5 x 91.5 x 67.5 mm and weighs 525 grams. The camera is not as packed as the Olympus E-30, but it is due to different targeting do the two cameras. So the front of Pentax K2000 features the lens, self timer lamp and lens release button. The back houses the viewfinder, pop-up flash release button, 2.7-inch LCD screen, AF button, 4 way controller, playback mode button, menu button back control dial and delete key. Of the left side of the Pentax K2000 you can see the focus mode switch and USB / AV connector, whereas of the right side the removable tab for power access and SD memory card port hidden under a door. The bottom features the tripod mount and the battery compartment door. At the top of the Pentax camera you can see the hot shoe, mode dial power switch and shutter release.

Performance:

The Pentax K2000 is equipped with 2.7-inch LCD screen which should be enough for previewing pictures if it wasn’t for the screen resolution which is far too small for this purpose. The camera has a really good start-up time so you will be able to take photos in no time, yet most probably not in the burst mode which is rather slow. And as the majority of the latest DSLRs the Pentax K2000 cannot record movies.

Image quality:

The Pentax K2000 has not so god color accuracy not only when compared to competition, but also more generally speaking. Even the selection of six different color modes does not help here. On the other hand, the Pentax K2000 has very good noise levels both in low light and in bright light. And if you see too much noise you can always use the noise reduction system which works really well. The Pentax K2000 has the maximum resolution of 10 megapixel so if you need to take larger photos you should consider Sony A900, or Olympus E-30. The camera has also a few white balance presets thanks to which it handles all types of light also in auto mode.

Menus / ease of use:

The Pentax K2000 has a few shooting modes thanks to which it is easy to find the right one for the occasion. Moreover, the camera has six custom image settings with possible fine adjustment and six filter effects. Yet when you’re not using the dedicated buttons, or the auto mode and you need to plunge into menus you might get confused at first.
All in all, the Pentax K2000 is a very decent digital SLR or a very reasonable price.
Selected Pentax K2000 features and specifications:
SENSOR

• Type: Interline interlace CCD with primary color filter and integrated Shake/Dust Reduction sensor movement system
• Size: 23.5 x 15.7mm
• Color depth: 8 bits/channel JPG, 12 bits/channel RAW
• Effective pixels: 10.2 MP
• Total pixels: 10.75 MP
• Recorded resolutions: 10M (3872×2592), 6M (3008×2000), 2M (1824×1216)
• Dust Removal: Image sensor movement combined with SP coating

LENS MOUNT

• Type/construction: PENTAX KAF3 bayonet stainless steel mount
• Usable lenses: PENTAX KAF3, KAF2, KAF, and KA (K mount, 35mm screwmount, 645/67 med format useable w/ adapter and/or restrictions)
• SDM function: YES
• Power zoom function: n/a

FOCUS SYSTEM

• Type: TTL phase-matching 5 point wide autofocus system (SAFOX xxxxx)
• Focus modes: AF Auto, AF Single (w/ focus lock), AF Continuous (available in Action mode including Auto Picture Action, Kids, Pet, Stage Lighting, and Night Snap modes, P/A/S/M/B/Sv), Manual
• Focus point adjustment: Auto, Wide, Spot
• AF assist: YES, via built-in flash

VIEWFINDER

• Type: Penta-Mirror
• Coverage (field of view): Approx 96%
• Magnification: Approx 0.85X (w/ 50mm f/1.4 at infinity)
• Standard focusing screen: Natural-Bright-Matte II
• Diopter adjustment: -2.5 to 1.5
• Depth of field preview: Digital (available as a custom function linked to Help button)

LCD MONITOR

• Type: 2.7 TFT color LCD monitor, adjustable brightness
• Resolution: 230,000 dots
• Wide angle viewable: YES

BUILT-IN FLASH

• Type: Retractable P-TTL auto/manual popup flash
• Guide number: 11 (100/m)
• Coverage: 28mm wide angle (equivalent to 35mm)
• Flash modes: On, off, redeye, wireless
• Flash exposure compensation: -2 to 1 EV in 1/2 steps

EXTERNAL FLASH

• Type: Hot shoe (P-TTL, high speed sync available), wireless with PENTAX dedicated flash
• Synchronization speed: 1/180s

STORAGE MEDIA

• Internal memory: n/a
• Removable memory: SD, SDHC

INTERFACES

• Ports: USB 2.0 hi-speed, video out
• Video out: NTSC, PAL
• Printer interfaces: PictBridge

POWER SUPPLY

• Power source: 4* AA (lithium, NiMH rechargeable, alkaline)
• Recordable images: Approx xxxxx (lithium)
• Playback time: Approx xxxxx (lithium)
• AC adapter available: YES (optional)

PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Body dimensions (W x H x D): 4.8 x 3.6 x 2.7
• Body weight
• Without battery or removable memory: 18.5 oz
• Loaded and ready: 20.8 oz (lithium)
• Construction material(s): Fiber reinforced plastic polymer covers around a rugged stainless steel chassis
• Operating temperature: 32-104°F

IMAGE STABILIZATION

• Type: Body-based, sensor shift Shake Reduction (4 stops maximum)

METERING SYSTEM

• Type: TTL open aperture, 16 segment metering
• Sensitivity range: EV 0-21 (ISO 100, 50mm f/1.4)
• Multi-segment: YES, 16 segments
• Center weighted: YES
• Spot: YES
• Exposure compensation: +/- 2 EV (1/2 or 1/3 steps)
• Exposure lock: YES (available as a custom function linked to focus lock)
• Exposure bracketing: YES, 3 frames, up to +/- 1.5 (1/2 steps) or +/- 1.0 (1/3 steps)

ISO SENSITIVITY

• Auto: 100-3200 ISO (1, 1/2, 1/3 steps), up to 1600 ISO in Bulb mode
• Manual: 100-3200 ISO (1, 1/2, 1/3 steps), up to 1600 ISO in Bulb mode

WHITE BALANCE*

• Auto preset modes: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent (D, N, W), Tungsten, Flash Manual mode(s): YES
• * WB fine adjustment available

SHUTTER

• Type: Electronically controlled, vertical run, focal plane shutter
• Shutter speed: 1/4000 to 30 sec, bulb available

CAPTURE MODES

• Mode selection: Auto Picture (Portrait, Night Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Action), Picture (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Action, Night Scene Portrait, Standard Flash Off), Scene (Night Scene, Surf & Snow, Food, Sunset, Kids, Pet, Candlelight, Museum, Stage Lighting [2M JPG], Night Snap [2M JPG]), Program, Sensitivity Priority, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Metered Manual, Bulb (available in Metered Manual)
• Green simplified mode available: n/a
• P/A/S/M/B: P, A, S, M (extended modes include Sv, Bulb available in Metered Manual)
• Date stamp: n/a
• Digital filters (capture): Toy Camera, High Contrast, Soft, Starburst, Retro, Color Extract (xxxxx). Custom Image Modes includes Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, and Monochrome modes. Color Custom Image Modes include gamut radar and fine adjustment for saturation, hue, contrast, and sharpness. Monochrome Custom Image Mode includes adjustment for film filter effects (green, yellow, orange, red, magenta, blue, cyan, infrared), toning (sepia warm/cool), contrast, and sharpness (regular and fine adj scales).
• Data record: Folder Name (standard, date)

DRIVE MODES

• Mode selection: Single, Continuous (Hi, Lo), Self-Timer (12s, 2s), Remote (0s, 3s), Auto Bracket
• Continuous FPS:
• – 3.2 FPS (4 JPG and Continuous Hi, 4 RAW)
• – 1.1 FPS (unlimited JPG and Continuous Lo, 4 RAW)
• Self-timer: YES (12s, 2s)
• Remote control: YES, infrared (0s, 3s)

PLAYBACK MODES

• Mode selection: One shot, index (4, 9, or 16 thumbnails, select & delete available), magnification (quick zoom available), image comparison, image rotation, folder view, calendar, slideshow, histogram, bright/dark indication, resize, trimming, DPOF, digital filter, RAW to JPG
• Magnification: Up to 16X, scrollable
• Digital filters (playback): Toy Camera, High Contrast, Soft (3), Starburst, Retro, Color Extract, Illustration (Pastel, Watercolor), HDR (3), B&W, Sepia, Color (18), Slim (+/- 8), Brightness (+/- 8), Custom

FILE FORMATS

• Still: RAW PEF/DNG, JPG (EXIF 2.21), DCF 2.0 (design rule for camera file system), DPOF, Print Image Matching III

CUSTOM FUNCTIONS

• Functions available: 23

FILE STORAGE MATRIX (BASED ON 1GB MEMORY)

• 10M (3872×2592) 202 343 586
• 6M (3008×2000) 335 570 974
• 2M (1824×1216) 902 1549 2627
• RAW
• 10M (3872×2592) 58

COMPUTER SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

• Windows: Windows XP/Vista, USB port
• Mac: MacOS-X 10.3 or later, USB 2.0 port

Other recently reviewed cameras:
Panasonic Lumix ZS3, Sony A900, Olympus E-30.

Overview:
Although the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 is a point and shoot camera it has some features allowing you to adjust the settings. However, the camera does such a good job in most conditions in auto mode that most users are unlikely to make use of them. The camera has a face detection system which can ‚remember’ some faces and focuses on those fast. There are more nice features packed on Panasonic Lumix ZS3 but to learn about those you will have to read about it below.

Panasonic Lumix ZS3 pros:
+ Very good photo quality
+ Optical image stabilization
+ Packs a 12X zoom, 25 – 300 mm lens into a small, well-built package
+ Good battery life
+ Great 3-inch LCD display with excellent resolution and visibility
+ Very little barrel distortion

Panasonic Lumix ZS3 cons:
- No optical viewfinder
- Can’t adjust white balance in scene modes
- The camera could have more manual controls

The design:
Panasonic Lumix ZS3 measures 103 x 60 x 33 mm and weighs 219 grams. The camera features 3” LCD screen, 12x optical zoom lens and a lens cover. The camera is made of high quality materials and handles very well. The buttons and controls are well placed and responsive. The front of the camera is dominated by the 12x zoom Leica lens, whereas the back features mainly the 3” LCD screen. The screen works in 460,000 resolution and is almost perfect: is has great direct sunlight legibility and bight colors. The left side of the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 is completely bare, whereas the right side houses I/O ports and a mini-HDMI port. The bottom of Panasonic Lumix ZS3 houses the tripod mount and battery/ memory card compartment.

Performance:
Panasonic Lumix ZS3 is quite snappy. Not only does in allow you to take photos with only pushing one button without setting anything up, but it does it quite efficiently. The camera correctly sets a scene mode, ISO and white balance so you do no need to worry about those. If you are making photos in good lighting conditions it usually takes the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 about 1.5 seconds to get ready to take the next shot. With flash it takes only about 2.5 seconds which is still a very nice score. When you browse photos you can delete one, a group, or all of them which is handy and makes organizing photographs fast.
The camera has a few autofocus modes and so you can choose from 11 point, 1 point, face detection (up to 15 faces) and AF tracking. You also get two burst modes, but here the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 slightly disappoints. The faster one allows you to take only three photos with 2.2 fps.

Image quality:
The images taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 are sharp, with relatively little noise and plenty of detail. The colors are rendered very well, but the photos seem sometimes a bit undersaturated. Only at higher ISO the noise levels get more disturbing but that’s quite usual when you take large photos. The overall image quality is very good.
The Panasonic Lumix ZS3 can also record movies with the maximum resolution of 1280 x 720 and you can choose from two different codecs: AVCHD lite, or the Motion JPEG. The former takes less space and will allow you to record up to 30 minutes of video on a 4GB memory card, whereas the latter only 8 minutes. However, the AVCHD lite is much more difficult to edit. In video mode the camera also does a very good job as it detects the scene mode, lightens the shadows and detects faces.

Menus / ease of use:
The menu system in Panasonic Lumix ZS3 is nothing new so if you have ever used a Panasonic you will have no troubles with it. Especially that the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 is a point and shoot camera which takes care of most of the settings and does not allow you to change them. The entire menu structure is easy and looks very well on the large, high resolution screen. All in all, the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 is a good choice for amateur photographers especially since it is available in such a reasonable price.
Selected Panasonic Lumix ZS3 features and specifications: