Pentax has replaced its well thought-out K10D Digital SLR with a new top-of-the-range model, the K20D. Dust and splash proof, the new camera has 14.6 effective megapixels combined with a sensitivity level up to ISO 6400.
Pentax also says there are 36 different programmable functions. And as you'd expect, there's a continuous Burst Mode - this time capable of 20 fps.
According to the company, another new development is pixel mapping that interpolates failed pixels, avoiding disturbing white spots in the final image. This function is completed automatically by the camera so that annoying and time-consuming retouching can be avoided.
Four JPEG compression levels
The K20D also has the 3D-Sensor image stabilisation system ported from the K10D as well as 11 point AF with 9 cross sensors. The camera uses the Pentax KAF2 lens mount.
Four JPEG compression levels are now available. This, says Pentax, is due to demand from photographers themselves. RAW is, of course, supported in either Pentax "PEF" or Adobe Photoshop "DNG" format.
The dust prevention features are two-fold, with a dust-rejecting special coating on the low-pass filter and a vibrate function to shake the remaining dust off the sensor.
Availability is March; the cited price for the body is £900, with £1,000 quoted for the body and 18-55mm lens.
