These details are disappointing because, basically, this is a really good camera.

The viewfinder is big, there are two control wheels not one (ideal when you're adjusting shutter speed and aperture independently) and the larger-than-average body means that you can really get a proper grip on it.

Not only that, and notwithstanding the indifferent kit lens, the image quality is really good.

Live View mode

It's worth taking a closer look at the Live View mode, too, even though it's not as sophisticated as others. No, you can't change or even view the exposure settings, but it's easy to activate and it can help you frame shots in awkward positions.

In fact, though, it's only one of three Preview options, which can be selected via the Setup menu. The extra position on the power switch which activates the Live View can also be set to produce a 'digital preview', or a traditional depth of field preview in the viewfinder.

Strong pictures

It's a mistake to imagine image quality is all about pixel-by-pixel resolution or even lens performance. There are much broader tonal and colour differences between brands that defy proper measurement but which are apparent nonetheless.

Nikon cameras produce images with a different 'character' to Canon cameras, for example, and the K20D (like previous Pentaxes) has a character all its own, too.

It really does come quite close to the 'look' of a traditional transparency film. Not the oversaturated colours of Velvia, maybe, but Kodachrome 64, perhaps, or E6 slide films in general.

What this means to photographers raised on digital rather than film is that the Pentax's images show strong, natural-looking colours, dense but well-separated darker tones and good midtone contrast.

Keep detail in your photos

It has another trick up its sleeve, too - its expanded dynamic range option.

This can be applied when changing the ISO. It restricts the ISO range to 200-3200, but it doubles the dynamic range of the images captured.

This means that you can shoot on an overcast day and still keep sky detail without having to deliberately underexpose. Or shoot a reflective white subject like a vase without having to switch to RAW and fiddle about on the computer to recover those brilliant, subtle highlights.

We've seen 'highlight' modes before, but this one really works. This is one of the factors that helps give the K20D's images that 'film-like' look.

Excellent image quality

You might get sharper detail from a Nikon D300 (for example), and there are plenty of DSLRs with better kit lenses than this one. But the K20D's image quality, judged overall ('holistically', shall we say?) is excellent.

Commercial photographers might not be impressed, but those keen on subtler pictorial qualities will be excited.

The K20D is a great camera packed with great technologies that really work. The only thing keeping it from a higher score are its controls and interface design. If the K20D's innards were in an EOS 40D body, it would be irresistible.

Via PhotoRadar