Web Analytics RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: Dpreview puts Low Rating on the Image Quality of K10D

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Dpreview puts Low Rating on the Image Quality of K10D

Phil Askey' Full Review on the K10D has been out (it is the first time I have seen Phil Askey has completed a Pentax review so "quickly" and I'm surprised! Congrats, Pentax!):-

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk10d/page25.asp

Just read the conclusion by Phil Askey and it is clear and self-explanatory for the (obvious) problem / shortcoming found. Indeed, the Rating on Image Quality is marked to be *Very Low*.

Actually, I had found something very close to what Phil has just told more than one month ago, when the production K10D was out and people started to post the production sample pics. After I had inspected quite some of those production sample pics at different websites, I had made some short remarks about my disappointment on the image quality of the K10D, at the Steve's Pentax/Samsung DSLR Forum and here is the thread:-

http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=109108&forum_id=80

Anyway, since Steve's site administrator/owner accused me of bashing Pentax over time and my above post for such direct opinions (based on some simple evidence) became one of my "criminal evidence" which contributed to my ban at their premises, it looks really funny to me again when the case is recalled and when I point again to those concerned posts. But, now that Phil Askey reinforces my observations and findings!

However, the more interesting thing is that despite Phil Askey is wise enough to observe and find "negative" thing(s) about the K10D (and even more wise enough to post those particular findings by his own discretion and judgement, which is true for any other DSLRs reviewed by him as well), he did put an iron hand on me by banning me, probably also for just stopping my "negativity", because he banned me also at his forums for my simple opinions and posts made (which I was talking about my true experience in all my replies and I know that they can accuse me of breaking their forum rules by their own intrepretations, anyway..).

Last but not least, whilst Phil Askey comments in his new review that the AF system of the K10D is fast and accurate, I strongly recommend that any potential K10D buyers should do more researches of your own before you are decided as there have been consistently numerous reports at major Pentax forums by quite some new K10D users that obvious and significant focusing errors (most reports are about Front Focusing, especially with large aperture primes like the FA50/1.4 etc.), as well as at low light, the AF system becomes rather sluggish and hunts a lot. Well, the (end of the) stories are that many of the reporting users have their new K10D returned (within the return period).

Again and furthermore, Phil Askey have exactly the same view in his review, as mine, that K100D has a (much) better image engine of which this fact I have being reported from time to time over months, since the K10D beta sample photos were out!

Now, can we regard this: P-R-I-M-E = Phil Rated Inferior iMage Engine? ;->

Finally, I would emphasize here again that Image Quality is the (up)most important thing for any camera. Without good image quality, anything else of any auxiliary features and functions will become not so meaningful, then. Nonetheless, I just wonder why Phil Askey could *still* put a "Highly Recommended" overall rating for the K10D, despite that he tried to add a "(Just)" after the "Highly Recommended", which has again never been seen before. But, to me, this contradicting final rating (against the presentation in his Conclusion) doesn't look to be making any sense at all.

18 comments:

  1. then stop buying pentax cameras and switch to canon or nikon... You have been complaining about Pentax DSLR since the first ist D.. Yet you keep buying them and keep complaining...

    Doesn't this seem strange? Pentax second hand lens prices are sky high you wouold get almost all your money back on your gear (if not more than it cost)... Sell it move on, lifes too short.. move on, or seek help..

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're absolutely right! I had the same concerns when I saw the first users’ images, and decided to cancel my order for the K10D.

    ReplyDelete
  3. K10D was on my list for my First DSLR, but tramendouse problems in image quality made me rethink about that list any way, now it doesn't have K10D any more.
    I'm really dissapointed as the k10D seemed to be the killer DSLR, markiting speeking it does offer a WOW here and there but when it comes to the real life test and from what I've seen in many forums and now DPreview........it's a laking camera that came short from being even an OK camera!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You mentioned "front focusing" issues particularly with the 50mm f1.4 and wide aperture lenses, can you point us to some links please?

    ReplyDelete
  5. anonymous said...
    > You mentioned "front focusing" issues particularly with the 50mm f1.4 and wide aperture lenses, can you point us to some links please?

    See:-
    http://ricehigh.blogspot.com/2006/12/af-errorsproblems-of-k10d.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. RH what is your opinion on this?

    http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036&message=21304178

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nope. It's not about different level of sharpening applied, as Phil Askey has pointed out this clearly already, in his Conclusion of his K10D full review.

    For more read, see the following direct comparison, for what SilkyPix and Pentax Photo lab could deliver, for the same RAW image source file:-

    http://www.dchome.net/viewthread.php?tid=293452&extra=page%3D2

    ( Post is in Traditional Chinese, use Babelfish to translate if needed:-
    http://babelfish.altavista.com/ )

    ReplyDelete
  8. Actually Phil said the texture details are the same and the difference is about the edge sharpness...

    Despite that the link I pointed out was about the difference between acutence and resolution and how people confuse them and call them both sharpness...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear Rice, K10D is not ideal camera, but the best DSLR from Pentax for all years of digital era.

    Phil say nothing about " bad " quality in jpeg,
    he said " film like edjes ", but it sounds great...D200 has the same jpeg. And Steve wrote about D200 " JPEG image sharpness at the Normal setting is rather soft. I was happier with the results of the +1 Medium High sharpness setting, but even that frequently required the use of Unsharp Mask in an image editor to produce the degree of sharpness I was looking for.
    Sharpening is a process that once done can not be undone; Nikon correctly erred on the side of sharpness being a product of post processing on this enthusiast camera "



    I never shoot in jpeg, but a lot of users showed K10's pictures in jpeg. It's good jpeg, MUCH BETTER than ist DS.

    And who care about jpeg in 10 Mp DSLR camera? Novices and weddings cameramen...?
    I don't care good or not K10D's jpeg. I never use it in DS.
    And I have no any need to use it.

    As for Phil's reviews and site - it is typical commercial deal.
    DR tests in jpeg is some sort of nonsense. :))))

    Pentax made what he had could to make. Very interesting camera. I have no plan to buy K10D, but it's really solid and excellent tool in RAW. The resolution in RAW very good 2200*2000 Lhp. Canon 5D is near. And I hope Pentax will make K12(20)D soon.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I don't like DIGITAL jpeg from DSLR like in Nikon and Canon.
    I prefer FILM LIKE. Thank you, Pentax.

    ReplyDelete
  11. New SilkyPix engine has strong inner noise reduction and resolution reduction too...But colours are better than ACR.
    ACR give us the good result of resolution and details and shadows and noise reduction without lack of resolution, but colors are differ. I don't like ACR colours...

    ReplyDelete
  12. STOP TO WHEEP AND WHIMPER AND WHINE, Rice and GO TO CANON...

    Pentax is back with K10D.
    It's not the best camera in the world, but very-very good tool to make good pictures...If you can, of course...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Remember Phil's review of ist D
    http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxistd/page18.asp
    Credit where credit is due, Pentax have produced an excellent photographic tool in the *ist D.

    Con: soft jpeg, bad software, big RAW...
    absurds wealkness...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous20/9/08 09:50

    If you can buy a K10D or K20D and then buy the best lens Pentax makes. Now eat your words, ever bit as sharp as Nikon or Canon. I know I own all three with top lens and Pentax is ever as good or better. Basically put your money where your mouth is, even some of the best photographers don't use the best equipment, you just need something that will work. And many pros don't use Photoshop Enhancement like many studio types do.

    ReplyDelete

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