Comments about Pentax Pentax K20D Digital SLR Kit with 16mm - 50mm f/2.8 ED-AL (IF) SDM, 50-135mm f/2.8.6 ED (IF) SDM, AF-360FGZ Dedicated Shoe Mount Zoom Flash & D-BG2 Battery Grip:

First, I concur with everything in the review by RogerD_AZ. However, I wasn't prepared to be so impressed with the image quality as I am. I decided to get this kit since I have various Pentax lenses from my 35mm film days. I have always been a fan of Pentax lenses and I must admit the lenses in this kit are fantastic. They produce images with great color, contrast and sharpness. Yes, depending upon subject matter, at 16mm f2.8 you may get some softness at the corners. However, it is minimal and you could always crop before printing or use a smaller aperture. The 14.6 CMOS sensor is capable of capturing massive amounts of detail and that combined with these lenses produces truely gorgeous images. To learn all the features and functions of the K20D will involve a learning curve. Read the manual from cover to cover, play with the features and it will result in time well spent. The camera's functions are so customizable, I can't image anyone not being able to enjoy this product once they get the hang of everything it has to offer. Also, kudos to the staff at Adorama's as they have been a pleasure to deal with. Fast and curtious service all around!

Comments about Pentax Pentax K20D Digital SLR Kit with 16mm - 50mm f/2.8 ED-AL (IF) SDM, 50-135mm f/2.8.6 ED (IF) SDM, AF-360FGZ Dedicated Shoe Mount Zoom Flash & D-BG2 Battery Grip:

en fait cette optique "rapide" est maintenat toujours installée sur mon K10D, elle est fantastique pour le portrait étant donné ses immenses possibilités de jouer sur la PDC.

Comments about Pentax Pentax K20D Digital SLR Kit with 16mm - 50mm f/2.8 ED-AL (IF) SDM, 50-135mm f/2.8.6 ED (IF) SDM, AF-360FGZ Dedicated Shoe Mount Zoom Flash & D-BG2 Battery Grip:

Firstly, everything is relative so I’m writing this “relative to price point”. It is the smartest way to go for something looking to be semi-pro and then some. I shoot with plenty of “pros” that use the major brands and when we’re done with our group shoots they are all impressed with the picture quality. Actually, they are surprised at both the fact in real world application when the images are posted and prints are dry you can’t tell which picture came from who’s system. Of course the upside is for the same overall caliber of camera and lenses it’s 1-2 thousand dollars cheaper for the same setup. Ok, some personal ponderings I wouldn’t know until I got to use it that many people are asking about.* Does the in camera stabelazation work well.- Yes, depending on focal length (as with all brands) I can’t shoot 1.5 – 2.5 stops slower.* NO, my DA* 16-50mm does NOT suffer from any the image quality issues you may have read about (de-centered, front/back focus, etc). Yes, I tested it ASAP. * YES, my DA* 16-50mm does have a tight spot when zooming past the 28mm mark. This is not a defect, it is the dual stage barrel kicking in. Plenty of other informed reviewers mention most, if not all, of their two stage lenses regardless of brand exhibit this same feeling.* YES, the DA* 50-135 is FANTASTIC and a bit sharper at large f-stops than the DA* 16-50mm. Remember, things are relative and I’m not saying the DA* 16-50mm isn’t very sweet.. just the 50-135mm is sweeter.* Some feel the lenses are heavy, big, etc. I don’t think so. My thoughts are they haven’t shot with high quality lenses, especially zooms, and are comparing the size/weight to a kit lens. I used to shoot with a Canon AE-1 with a 70-200mm zoom that is bigger than these and not nearly as sharp.* The K20D I don’t find heavy, big, etc. It feels perfect in the hands with, or without, the battery grip.* Bottom line: if you can’t make up your mind between Pentax and the big boys, buy it from here with their return policy and try it out before the other brands. Yes, the pictures from all the big names are going to be fantastic, but Pentax is much cheaper overall, especially if you want a range of lenses. I say buy it, go do some shooting with your big name buddies for a day and then compare your real world pics. So, far my big name buddies are saying things like “did you tune up the colors in photoshop?” “Oh, you shoot in raw also”. Fact is; I didn’t touch the pictures they are straight out of the camera and I only have shot in large high quality jpeg mode so far!. Oh, yes.. the RAW files are sweet, but right now I’m just not seeing the need to double file size/storage when the big guys can’t even tell the difference.[...]