My impressions are a bit different than Peter’s. I had an ist-D, and went from that to a K10D. It provided a distinct advantage in image quality in tonality as well as megapixels. The only problem with the K10D was that noise became bothersome at ISO 800, and night shots at ISO 1600 (the maximum) were ruined by banding in the dark areas.
Because of the ISO problem I bought a K-7 when it came out. I liked the all-metal construction and the additional 2 stops of ISO headroom, and banding was no longer a problem. However the tonal spectrum seemed more limited than that on the K10D, and gradations from bright areas into shadow were uneven. In good light (preferably fairly even) it’s fine. I got a K-5 several months after it came out. I love it. Its sensor has the tonal spectrum of the K10D, with much more sensitivity and lovely handling of shadows. Night shots turn out beautifully; I often shoot at ISO 6400 (indoors and outdoors), and there is no banding and the noise cleans up nicely. From what I’ve seen, Pentax hasn’t improved on that sensor. I only shoot RAW, and have no idea how any of these cameras does with JPGs. The istD died after several years of worthy use by my daughter. My son has the K10D, and is turning out very nice photos with it. The K-7 is my backup camera. Your fuel economy might vary, of course. Rick > On Oct 26, 2018, at 4:13 AM, P. J. Alling <webstertwenty...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I skipped the K10D, when it came out. The K100D used pretty much same, > though improved, probably in manufacturing, guts as the *ist Ds series, if > you compare the specifications they were damned near identical. > > The K10D had roughly 60% more MP than the*ist-Ds but linear resolution was > only a tad over 30% higher, so really not that much extra cropping room to > get a 250 dpi 8x10 which was my criteria for not jumping on the K10D band > wagon. > > I remember downloading sample raw files and comparing quality to the *ist D > and Ds that I owned. Image quality was about the same but with marginally > higher resolution. Printed un-cropped 8x10s the quality was > indistinguishable. If you insisted on making the largest print you could > with either sensor, you could make a ~13 x 8 1/2 inch print with the 10 vs > ~10 x 6 2/3 inch print at 300 dpi, but an 8x10 print at ~250 dpi for the > *ist-D or Ds was pretty much equal quality to 300dpi at normal viewing > distances and for the web they were all overkill. > > Image quality between the K20D and the *Ist D/Ds, which is for all intents > and purposes the same as the K100D, this I can make some actual personal, > comparisons. > > The resolution of the K20D allowed a 50% larger print at any given DPI, and I > needed higher resolution than the *ist cameras for a paid gig, which I > thought might lead to a lot more work in the future... > > Well enough about that. > > So to reiterate, the resolution is considerably higher, enough so that I > thought it was well worth getting a K20D. I would have bought one anyway. > > Good, /well/ /exposed/ images from the K20D (Samsung sensor), are just as > nice as the lower resolution Sony 6mp sensor in the *ist-D/Ds. So I'd say > the K10D sensor is probably on a par with the K20D sensor for IQ if you get > everything right in the camera with the K20D, and with the K20D you get to > crop more, or make much bigger prints at equal dpi. > > However, the smaller resolution Sony sensor produces files that can stand a > lot more manipulation before they begin to fall apart. For example the 6mp > files are much easier to recover from underexposure. The K20D files are > prone to some really ugly artifacts and banding, (which you can sometimes see > in shadows even in well exposed images). > > I don't know if the K10D files are prone to the same problems, personally, > but from all accounts they are much more forgiving than the K20D files, more > like the 6mp files in that regard. > > Finally you can compare the scores at DxO Mark for the K20D and K10D, (the > K100D apparently wasn't tested by them, none of the 6mp sensor Pentax cameras > were). There is a 1 point difference in overall sensor score between the > K10D and K20D with most of the raw data favoring the K10D. > > Then there are the non image quality related differences between the K20D and > K10D, (and K100D), the K10D is a huge step above the K100D in buffer size. I > believe it's rated as unlimited up to filling the card with full resolution > jpegs at high (3fps, seems slow now, but it's a bit faster than the K20D and > K100D at 2.8 fps) fps. > > For some reason the RAW buffer is smaller than the K20D, 9 vs 14. > > Personally I never remember the buffer on the K20D or even the, *ist-Ds > limited as it is, as being a huge handicap, but the K10D is a big > improvement over the K100D and a bit better than the K20D for Jpegs at least. > > The controls are pretty much exactly the same and same locations as the K20D, > which makes it a pain transitioning between the K20D and the K5II, (and I > expect the K3 or K1), or the *istDs, (which aside from the tiny review screen > is pretty close to the K100D and actually more like the K5II than the > K10/20D). > > Now considering the image quality and other tangible qualities of the K10D, > would I want one, well it's ergonomically pretty much a K20D with slightly > better image quality with slightly lower resolution. I still use my K20D > even though the SD card door is broken and the OVF has a cracked rear > element, it's not worth enough to sell and not economically repairable, > (cursing it's differences from the K-5II every damn time I press an incorrect > button). > > I expect that Ken takes a lot better care of his equipment than I do mine. > > On 10/26/2018 1:12 AM, l...@red4est.com wrote: >> How does the image quality compare to the k100 and the k20? >> >> On October 25, 2018 8:53:10 PM PDT, Ken Waller <kwal...@peoplepc.com> wrote: >>> Looking to sell a very slightly used K10D body. Has 2590 shutter >>> clicks. >>> Complete with original box and all items originally contained in the >>> box, >>> including battery. >>> Absolutely no wear visible. >>> >>> >>> I bought this K10D late in its product cycle, a few months before the >>> K20D >>> was available. I immediately bought a K20D and treated the K10D >>> as my backup which I never used. Its been sitting covered on a shelf >>> all >>> these years. >>> >>> If it were listed by KEH it would be a LN - 99% of new, including box >>> and >>> instructions. >>> >>> $145 USD >>> >>> Kenneth Waller >>> http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/kennethwaller >>> >>> >>> -- >>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>> PDML@pdml.net >>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>> follow the directions. > > -- > America wasn't founded so that we could all be better. > America was founded so we could all be anything we damn well please. > - P.J. O'Rourke > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
