Pentax finally let everything loose about its new high-end Digital SLR camera, the K10D. Summed up, the beast has enough to fight directly the Nikon D200, the Canon 40D and other Sigma SD14 or Sony Alpha A100 (the latter being somewhat left behind, but it is widely available since last July).
Of course, it got a 10 mega-pixel-paint job, but – more importantly – if receives a powerful 22-bit A/D conversion chip that would announce exceptional Raw image quality output from the CCD sensor (let’s wait for the tests, but it should be impressive). We also are eagerly waiting for the results of the quality evaluation tests at the highest sensitivity (the K10D sports no less than 3200ISO!). The ever-needed image stabilisation system is included in the camera body (as already seen in the K100D) to bring from 2 to 4 stops of margin (here go the blurred images!); And the CCD sensor is cleaned by shaking it regularly.
However, the most interesting part (comparatively) seems to be the mechanical quality: Pentax annonces protection against water that could go from droplets to splash. Very nice indeed for pro-users and those who like to be able to bring their camera everywhere (dust and rain are welcome!).
Last but not least, the back screen is a 2.5″ LCD with a very large viewing angle, but this is becoming more common nowadays. Nonetheless, some will be surprised to find SD memory cards on a high-end camera while most high-end users are still thinking “Compact Flash” for all their memory storage.
All in all, a very good camera indeed that will feed the competition race starting at the Photokina fair and rushing for the end-of-year buying spree.