The Pentax K2000 has an APS-C
sized CCD sensor which measures 23.5 x 15.7 millimeters (1.11 inches diagonally)
and supports 10.2 effective megapixels. That compares to a 35mm film frame
which measures 36 x 24mm (1.7 inches diagonally).
Dust can be removed from the sensor with the bytecam's dust removal system.
The system shakes the sensor to remove dust from it. The system can be
activated manually or programmed to operate every time the camera is turned
on. If the system is activated on start-up, you'll feel the camera vibrate
in your hand and hear a thudding sound.
There's also a Dust Alert feature which maps where dust is located on
the sensor to further reduce the effects of dust on images captured by
the camera.
In addition, the sensor can be cleaned manually by raising the mirror
and using an optional blower.
At the heart of the camera is the Pentax Real Image Engine (PRIME). We
found it delivered excellent image quality, as well as perky performance.
Start-up time for the unit averages 1.25 seconds with dust removal on
start-up activtated. In single shot mode, the digcam captured photos as
fast as the shutter button could be pressed and released.
Three image sizes can be captured by the unit--3872 x 2592 (10MP), 3008
x 2000 (6MP) and 1824 x 1216 (2MP)--at three quality levels--Best, Better
and Good.
Files can be stored in JPG, Pentax RAW (PEF)
and digital negative (DNG) formats.Compression levels for JPG files span
2.6:1 to 3.7:1 for Best quality; 3.8:1 to 6.4:1 for Better; and 9.7:1
to 16.1:1 for Good. (See Compression Table).
The camera does not support video capture.
Light sensitivity for
the K2000 ranges from ISO 100-3200. In Auto mode, the default ISO range
is 100-800, but it can be modified through the menu system. When using
higher ISO settings, noise can be reduced by turning on the camera's Hi-ISO
Noise Reduction feature.
Menus, shot information and captured images can be viewed
on the K2000's 2.7-inch LCD. "Live View," where photos can be
framed and shot from the display, is not supported.
Settings for a shot can be changed on the fly from a large
control panel that appears on the LCD or from the optical viewfinder.
When you look through
the viewfinder, you'll see the outline of a cross with a circle at its
center. The cross is the autofocus frame. The circle is used for spot
metering.
Here's the information displayed in the viewfinder.
· Flash
status--solid when available, blinks when it's not and needs to be.
· Picture mode--icon for appropriate mode appears.
· Shake Reduction--indicates if on or off.
· Shutter Speed.
· Aperture.
· Focus Indicator--solid when subject in focus, blinks when it's
not.
· ISO--indicator is underlined when value can be changed with e-dial.
· Exposure Compensation.
· Number of recordable images remaining.
· Focus mode.
· AE Lock--lights up when feature in use.
One difficulty with the viewfinder is that its information
washes out when shooting brightly lit objects outdoors.
Our review unit included a Pentax DAL 18-55mm lens. The
camera will accept legacy Pentax lenses, too. The F/3.5-5.6 glass packaged
with our unit performed well. It produced clear, sharp images with good
edge-to-edge rendering.
The unit's five-point autofocusing system worked crisply
and accurately in all its auto focusing modes--auto, single and continuous.
A Manual mode is also available. When using it, the focus
indicator in the viewfinder will light when the subject is in focus. However,
the shutter button must be partially depressed while manually focusing
on a subject.
By default,
auto focusing is accomplished by partially depressing the shutter button.
That can be modified by programming the AF button located at the back
of the camera. That button can be customized to work with the default
setting or to act as a substitute for that setting.
Two focus modes are also available--wide and spot. With
wide, the focusing system chooses an optimum point in a frame to obtain
a focus setting. With spot, it focuses on a spot at the center of the
frame.
Focusing can be locked
on a subject by partially depressing the shutter button and recomposing
the shot while the button remains partially depressed. When locking the
focus on a subject, altering the zoom setting may knock the subject out
of focus. In that case, you have to relock focus and reframe the picture.
In addition, if the DSC is in continuous Autofocus mode, focus locking
is disabled.
When you
lock the focus on a subject, you can lock its exposure, too. That's set
up through a menu choice.
Three metering modes are available with
the K2000--multi, center-weighted and spot. Multi divides a frame into
16 areas, meters each and arrives at an optimal exposure for the entire
frame. Center-weighted mode also meters the entire frame but it gives
the exposure reading at the center of the shot more importance than readings
elsewhere in the frame. And Spot mode exposes a shot based on a meter
reading only at the center of the frame.
A shot can
be deliberately under- or overexposed through exposure compensation. When
using EC, you hold down a button located behind the power switch and rotate
the e-dial. Exposure can be increased or decreased up to ±2 stops
in 1/2 or 1/3 increments. Increments can be customized through the menu
system.
In addition to exposure compensation, a shot's exposure can
be bracketed. In bracket mode, the K2000 will shoot three consecutive
shots--one at a base exposure, one overexposed and one underexposed. The
amount of overexposure and underexposure is based on the increments set
for exposure compensation. By using bracketing in combination with exposure
compensation, the three photos in the bracket can all be underexposed
or all overexposed.
For some common photographic situations, the K2000 has
a number of scene modes. Each mode automatically chooses an array of settings
optimized for the situation. Scene modes available are
· night scene
· surf and snow
· food
· sunset
· stage lighting
· kids
· pet
· candlelight
· museum
· night snap
Shutter speeds for the camera range from 1/4000-30 seconds. "Bulb"
mode is also supported. Exposure times can be set manually, through
Shutter Priority mode or via Auto.
The shutter can be fired by pressing the shutter button, with an optional
remote or with the unit's self-timer. The self-timer has two modes--a
12 second and a two second delay. When working with a tripod, the two-second
delay is a good way to avoid camera shake effects.
Those effects can also be offset by the camera’s shake reduction
system. In most circumstances, the system allows you to take pictures
at lower shutter speeds without evidence of shake.
The shutter can also be fired continuously through Drive mode. In Hi
mode, the camera will capture up to five Best quality 10MP JPG images
or four RAW ones at 3.5 frames per second. In Lo mode, the unit will
capture seven RAW images or fill a card with 10MP Best quality JPG shots
at 1.1fps.
The White Balance for a shot can be determined automatically, from
an array of pre-set modes or manually.
In Auto, the camera will choose an appropriate WB from a temperature
range of 4000-8000 Kelvin.
The pre-set modes allow you to customize a picture's white balance
for conditions such as daylight, shade, cloudy day, several kinds of
fluorescent light, tungsten lights and flash.
White Balance can be set
manually by placing a white card in front of the camera's lens or selecting
a white area in a shot as a benchmark. When manually setting the WB, adjustments
can be fine-tuned by altering the tones in the colors in the green-magenta
and blue-amber range.
The K2000 has a built-in, pop-up flash. Its range varies
and it may not work properly with all lenses. For example, vignetting
may occur when using a fisheye lens with the unit.
The effective range of the flash is determined by dividing
a Guide Number by the F Number for the shot. Guide Numbers for the flash
range from 11-62.2 for ISO 100-3200. A table of the numbers and their
corresponding ISO values can be found in the camera's documentation.
So, for example, the maximum effective range for a shot
at F/3.5 at ISO 100 would be 11/3.5 or 3.14 meters (10.3 feet).
The minimum range is calculated by dividing the maximum
range by a constant which, for this flash, is 5. So the minimum range
would be 3.14/5 or 0.6 meters (1.9 feet).
The built-in flash has five modes.
· Auto--flash automatically pops up if conditions warrant it.
· On--flash discharges when activated manually.
· Auto Red-eye--discharges a "pre-flash" before the main
flash in Auto mode.
· On Red-eye--discharges a "pre-flash" before the main
flash when flash is manually activated.
· Wireless--syncs pop-up flash with external flash without a cord.
Any shutter speed 1/180
second or less can be used with the flash.
On average, flash recycle times were 1.45 seconds.
Flash output can be modified with the unit's e-dial. Output
can be increased or decreased by a factor of -2 to 1. Output intervals
are based on the exposure compensation settings. So, for instance, if
the EC intervals are 1/3, the output intervals will be 1/3.
Battery life for the camera was very good. The Energizer
AA lithiums included with the unit were still running strong when it was
time to send the K2000 back to Pentax after two weeks of daily use.
Standards supported by the K2000 include PictBridge, USB
2.0, DPOF, NTSC/PAL and DNG.
Pentax K2000
File Compression
Image Size
(pixels)
Quality
MP
File Size
(MP)
Ratio/1
3872
x
2592
Best
10.04
2.7
3.7
3872
x
2592
Better
10.04
1.6
6.4
3872
x
2592
Good
10.04
0.6
16.1
3008
x
2000
Best
6.02
1.6
3.7
3008
x
2000
Better
6.02
1.6
3.8
3008
x
2000
Good
6.02
0.6
9.7
1824
x
1216
Best
2.22
0.8
2.6
1824
x
1216
Better
2.22
0.6
4.0
1824
x
1216
Good
2.22
0.2
11.9
RAW
3872
x
2592
PEF
10.04
9.5
1.1
3872
x
2592
DNG
10.04
15.7
0.6
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Characteristics
