Introduction

I get a split personality when it comes to high-resolution sensors. I want a camera with a high resolution because clients often demand it. Stock agencies require 30MB or higher images, art editors need at least that for an A4 page, while advertising clients usually want larger if the ad is a double page spread or poster.

So I got excited by the almost 15MP count of the new Pentax K20D, and yet cautiously expected the noise levels to be disappointing, with so many pixels crammed onto an APS-C sensor. For a struggling photographer without the £5,000 budget required for a Canon, an affordable high-resolution camera seems like a godsend. So is Pentax playing the generous God, or is it just a devilish ploy?