Pentax K200d

Reviewed November 2008

Ergonomics

To the right of the lens mount is the snapper's hand grip. With it, you can get a firm one-hand hold on the unit. On front of the grip is a large, red LED that flashes when the self-time is activated or an optional remote control is being used. The placement and size of the LED makes it easier to see at a distance than the stingy offerings found on many cameras.

On a beveled area atop the hand grip is the shutter release button which sits inside a tabbed ring for turning the camera on or off, as well as previewing a shot on the LCD before snapping it.

On top of the camera, there's a mode dial, hotshoe for an external flash and a monochrome LCD.

The monochrome LCD can display as many as 10 items at once. They are
· Shutter Speed;
· Aperture;
· White Balance;
· Battery Level;
· Flash mode;
· Drive mode;
· Focusing area;
· AE metering;
· Recordable image number; and
· File format.

The camera's 2.7-inch LCD is at the back of the camera. The display can be used for changing camera options, viewing current settings and reviewing images. Live view--where a shot can be composed and captured directly from the LCD--is not available. Indoors, the display is bright and sharp. Outdoors, its brightness is diminished in direct sunlight, although its plenty bright enough to read menu and information text.

To the left of the LCD are controls for displaying menus, trashing pictures, viewing photos on the monitor and an INFO button for screening information about a shot. INFO is a valuable substitute for the monochrome display which, as I've found in every camera that has one, to be dim and crammed with information making it difficult to read.

Above the LCD is a button for activating the pop-up flash, the viewfinder, the "e-dial and an exposure lock button.

Having the pop-up flash button beside the viewfinder is a bit unusual--most models have it at the front of the camera--so it may take some getting used to when a photographer first handles the K200D.

The viewfinder has a rubber frame around it so it fits comfortably to the eye. The frame is slotted at the top to facilitate access to the diopter control for the viewfinder. However, the control remains recessed in the rubber, and I found it difficult to manipulate.

A number of tasks can be performed with the e-dial located to the left of the viewfinder. In shooting mode, it's used to change settings for shutter speed, light sensitivity, exposure and exposure compensation. In playback mode, it can be used to enlarge pictures on the LCD or display multiple images there.

Beside the e-dial is the AE-L button. It locks an exposure setting while shooting. In manual mode, for instance, if you're shooting at F/5.6 and 1/125 second and press AE-L, if you change your shutter speed, the camera will automatically choose the appropriate F number for the exposure. In playback mode, AE-L can lock a photo so it won't be accidently erased.

To the right of the LCD is an LED, the navigation pad, a function key and slider for turning the unit's image stabilization on and off.

The LED lights up when the camera is busy.

The navigation pad is for moving through menus and selecting items from them. On most cameras the buttons at the compass points of a navigation pad provide quick access to commonly used tasks. Such is the case with the K200D, but to find out what those functions are, you have to press the Fn key. When you do that, a facsimile of the navigation pad appears on the screen with the compass point tasks labeled.

At first, this design decision seemed curious. But after a period of adjustment, the approach appeared to be a sound one. Rather than clutter the appearance of the nav pad with icons, the visual elements are moved to the LCD where there's plenty of room--and light--to display them. The small icons found on many nav pads, coupled with less than contrasting color schemes, can make those icons hard to see, especially in low lighting conditions.

On the bottom of the K200D is a battery compartment for holding four AA batteries, a terminal port for attaching an optional battery grip and a tripod socket.

Overall, the Pentax K200D is thoughtfully designed with excellent control placement. Although it defies convention in several areas, those departures enhance the unit's utility and do not detract from it.