Samsung APS-C sensor DSLR PENTAX K20D
A review and photo examples of the PENTAX K20D single-lens reflex camera.
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Table of contents
Gallery
The following lenses were used to take the photographs:
- LEICA ELMAR 65mm
- TAMRON 28A
- TAMRON 71A
- TAMRON AF18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II A18
- Voigtlander APO LANTHAR SL 90mm F3.5
Review
1．Overview
The PENTAX K20D was the last SLR camera released under the name of Pentax Corporation in 2008.
The K20D is a mid-range SLR camera that competes with popular-priced cameras with APS-C size sensors from other companies.
The image sensor, the heart of the camera, is equipped with a 14.6 megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor (hereinafter referred to as the Samsung sensor) jointly developed by Samsung Techwin, Samsung Electronics, and Pentax, and is equipped with a sensor-driven image stabilization mechanism called Shake Reduction (SR), and Live View is available.
The battery is D-LI50, and is compatible with KONICA MINOLTA NP-400, SIGMA BP-21, and BP-22.
The continuous shooting speed is 3 frames per second, but it can shoot at 21 frames per second with fixed focus and aperture. This is just recording the image in Live View.
If you use an M42 mount lens, you will need to use the genuine PENTAX Mount Adapter K, which costs 4,200 yen.
2．Usability
The PENTAX K20D’s operation has little time lag from powering on to starting shooting. Turning the rotary power switch to the right turns the camera on, and if using an autofocus lens, you can immediately begin shooting. Turning it further to the right enters Live View mode, but as expected, the image processing seems unrefined, resulting in a sluggish Live View.
The captured images are relatively rich, reflecting not only Pentax’s image processing but also the characteristics of the sensor itself. The difference in brightness between the two images, particularly when simultaneously recording DNG and JPG (standard), is a bit disconcerting. DNG is recorded at a darker setting, while JPG is recorded with the brightness increased by 1. Of course, you can increase the DNG exposure to create an image equivalent to a JPG.
As a mid-range camera, it features an information display on the right shoulder, a rotating lock for the memory card slot, and a vertical grip.
The viewfinder, the key feature of an SLR camera, is a glass pentaprism finder, a costly design for a mid-range camera. Still, the camera I was using at the same time was the Sony α900, a MINOLTA descendant, which had a 35mm full-frame sensor and a wide, clear image, so it couldn’t compare.
While it’s better than other companies’ pentamirror viewfinders, the brightness of the viewfinder depends on the lens’s maximum aperture, and it generally feels dim, which is unfortunate.
With manual focus lenses, you’re required to enter the focal length when image stabilization is turned on, which can be a bit of a hassle to have to press the OK button every time, even if the lens you’re using remains the same. Also, since the stabilization distance is limited to one focal length, manual focus lenses without electronic contacts that can’t communicate the focal length to the camera require some ingenuity on the photographer’s part, such as entering the focal length you use most often or the telephoto end, which benefits most from image stabilization.
If image stabilization isn’t necessary, turning it off will result in smoother shooting.
I’ve purchased this camera twice. The first time, the titanium-colored K20D, I bought it to utilize M42 lenses, but the timing was unlucky. I bought the Sony α900, which was released shortly after the K20D and features a 35mm full-frame sensor. It made more sense to use M42 lenses on the full-frame sensor, so I used the K20D for a short time and then sold it.
The second time, I bought the regular black model at a bargain price on a flea market site. Since manual-focus lenses like M42 and KA lenses can be used with mirrorless cameras using a mount adapter, I bought it purely to confirm the K20D’s capabilities. Having purchased and used it, I’ve found it to be worth more than its price, and it’s a fun camera to use with its snappy shutter.
The Mount Adapter K for M42 lenses is out of stock on the official website as of January 2025. Compatible products are available from other companies. This adapter is relatively loose, so there is some rattle when attaching the lens, but this is the same with the original adapter.
3．Summary
In conclusion, to sum up the PENTAX K20D is a well-rounded mid-range SLR camera with few drawbacks. It’s also equipped with in-body image stabilization, which means you don’t have to worry about camera shake even with older lenses, which is a plus.
The battery also comes with a versatile model number, making it a camera that you can use for a long time.
Specifications, considerations, etc.
・Samsung sensor
This may be due to the immaturity of the image processing on the PENTAX side, but the noise in the captured images is high even among cameras of the same era, and even when shooting at low ISO, the noise stands out depending on the amount of light.
Since the 6-megapixel era, sensors of APS-C size or larger have been dominated by Sony and Canon, so I had high hopes for the depiction of the new manufacturer’s sensor, but the image quality did not seem to be much different from that of Sony and Canon at the time.
It is unclear whether there was a possibility that it would have blossomed if development had continued, but since then, no new large sensors have been developed by the alliance.
・PENTAX lens
Lens for PENTAX cameras, developed from the M42 lens, are available in four types: the manual focus bayonet mount KA mount, and the autofocus KAF, KAF2, KAF3, and KAF4.
The K20D is compatible with lenses up to the KAF3, except for the electromagnetic aperture operation of the latest KAF4. Be careful with the K100D, which is slightly older than the K20D, as the AF does not work when a KAF3 lens is attached. The K100D Super, a minor change version of the K100D, is compatible with the KAF3 lens, so you need to be careful when buying a used camera.
・PENTAX in the 2020s
PENTAX’s history began in 1919 as Asahi Optical Co., Ltd., and changed its name to Asahi Optical Co., Ltd. in 1938 and PENTAX Co., Ltd. in October 2002. On March 31, 2008, it was absorbed by glass giant HOYA Corporation and became the PENTAX Imaging Systems Division. After that, the camera business was transferred to Ricoh Co., Ltd. on July 29, 2011, and became Ricoh Imaging Co., Ltd.
The company organization seems to be stable, but the mirrorless camera is only the microsensor Q series, and the products have already been discontinued. There have been no releases of medium format sensor cameras since the 645Z, and there have been no announcements about the 35mm full-size sensor cameras K-1 and K-1 mark-II.
Currently, it seems to be exclusively focused on APS-C size sensors.
The PENTAX brand is trying to find a way to survive in a niche market in the camera industry, such as monochrome cameras and half-size film cameras, but from the outside it looks like it is struggling. There is also little synergy between PENTAX and its other brand, RICOH, so there are concerns about the future of Ricoh Imaging Co., Ltd.’s camera business.
As the company has a strong legacy, I hope to see products that will lead to the future.
| Items | K100D | K10D | K20D | K-7 |
| Number of Pixecls | 6.1 megapixels | 10.2 megapixels | 14.6 megapixels | 14.6 megapixels |
| Sensor type | CCD | CCD | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | APS-C | APS-C | APS-C | APS-C |
| Live view | × | × | ○ | ○ |
| Field of view | 95% | 95% | 95% | 100% |
| Image stabilization | Image sensor shift method | Image sensor shift method | Image sensor shift method | Image sensor shift method |
| Maximum frame speed | 2.8 frame / sec | 3 frame / sec | 3 frame / sec 21 frame / sec * | 5.2 frame / sec |
| Compatible Lens Mount | KAF2(Power zoom not available) KAF KA | KAF3 KAF2(Power zoom ?) KAF KA | KAF3 KAF2(Power zoom compatible) KAF KA | KAF3 KAF2(Power zoom compatible) KAF KA |
| Rear LCD | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| Rear LCD resolution | 210,000 dots | 210,000 dots | 230,000 dots | 230,000 dots |
| Battery | 2 CR-V3 lithium batteries 4 AA batteries (lithium batteries, nickel-metal hydride rechargeable batteries, alkaline batteries) | D-LI50 | D-LI50 | D-LI90 |
| Recorded media | SD SDHC | SD SDHC | SD SDHC SDXC | SD SDHC SDXC |
| Size(mm) W x H x D | 129.5 × 92.5 ×70 | 141.5 × 101 × 70 | 141.5 × 101 × 70 | 130.5 × 96.5 × 72.5 |
| Weight (g) *: Main unit only **: Battery + media | 560 * 635 ** | 710 790 | 715 800 | 670 750 |
| Release date | 2006.7 | 2006.11.30 | 2008.3 | 2008.7 |
| Company | PENTAX Corporation | PENTAX Corporation | PENTAX Corporation | HOYA |
| Color | Black | Blcak Grand Prix Package | Black Titan | Black Silver |
Options
Reference links
- PENTAX K100D・RICOH Official page
- PENTAX K10D・RICOH Official page
- PENTAX K20D・RICOH Official page
- PENTAX K20D TITAN・RICOH Official page
- PENTAX K-7・RICOH Official page
- PENTAX History・RICOH Official page
Affiliate links
Update history
- 2025.8.17
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