Digital Trends

Pentax K10D

February 12th, 2007 | by David Elrich

Features and Design

The Pentax K10D is a bit of a bruiser; forget about casually taking it along on a jaunt—this is a serious camera targeted to serious photographers. The camera is rather hefty, tipping the scales at 38.2 ounces fully loaded (battery, SD card, strap, supplied lens and hood), over two pounds. It feels much more substantial than the Canon EOS Rebel XTi we reviewed earlier. Dressed in basic D-SLR black, the K10D has a fiber-reinforced polycarbonate (plastic) body that covers the stainless steel chassis. There are dozens of seals (72 to be exact) to keep water, humidity and dust away from the sensitive electronics and mirror system. We have problems taking $1,000 cameras and spraying them with water to test manufacturer claims but Pentax states the K10D can handle it. It certainly feels like it.

The camera looks very familiar to anyone who has handled a current vintage D-SLR. For the most part, controls are logically positioned but there are a few that are hidden by a layer of menus that should be more accessible such as ISO and white balance. It’s not a deal breaker but Pentax should revisit this in the future.

The front of the camera is pretty straight forward and dominated by the lens opening. Pentax, like every major D-SLR maker, has dozens of optional lenses. The K10D accepts all Pentax F-, FA-, DA- and DFA- lenses and they’ll function with the camera’s electronics when used in Auto. The lens supplied is the usual 18-55mm which translates to 27-82.5mm due to the 1.5x digital factor. Surrounding the lens mount is a key to change auto focus setting (single, continuous, manual), a flash open key and a very cool one not found on the competition—a RAW button. If you’re shooting in JPEG and the urge to shoot in high-quality RAW hits you, simply hit the button and you’re set. Almost every other D-SLR makes you go through the menu system to perform this task. Nice one, Pentax! You’ll also find a few subtle logos but nothing that seriously detracts from the design.

The right side has a slot for either SD or higher-capacity SDHC cards. In keeping with the ruggedized motif, rather than simply popping open the card slot, you have to lift and turn a nearby key. Surprisingly, the slot and the left side with various inputs/outputs just takes a fingernail to open. Here you’ll find a DC-in for an optional charger, a USB out and an optional remote input. I don’t know why the USB out is labeled PC Video since no D-SLR takes videos…

Image Courtesy of Pentax