Feature

Until the launch of the K10D, Pentax’s DSLRs had been resolutely married to six-million-pixel CCDs. This was fine to start with but, as other manufacturers moved to 8 or 10MP sensors, subsequent Pentax – and Samsung – models started to give the impression that both companies were beginning to fall off the pace.

So it was really good news that the Pentax K10D and Samsung GX10 beat with a 10.2MP CCD heart. This APS-C sized chip delivers an image measuring 3872×2592 pixels, to give an oversized A4 print size of 13×8.6in / 33x22cm at 300ppi, with only a slight drop in resolution achieving an A3 output.

Another welcome inclusion is the CCD-based stabilisation system first seen in the Pentax K100D. Not only does this mean that any compatible Pentax KAF lens gains Shake Reduction (SR on the Pentax K10D) or Optical Picture Stabilisation (OPS on the Samsung GX10) to counter the effects of camera shake, but it’s also triggered on start-up to remove dust for blemish-free images.

The photographic side of the cameras is equally impressive, with Raw or JPEG capture (or both simultaneously) and two Raw file formats to choose from on the K10D.

How necessary this is is debatable, but there’s an option to record either Pentax’s own .PEF Raw files or ‘open standard’ .DNG Raw images. Samsung GX10 users only have the .DNG option, but this is still ideal if you intend to take your images straight into an Adobe-based workflow, or want to use the in-camera Raw processing to convert your Raw images without using a PC.

To ensure your photographs get the best start in life there’s a wide range of shooting modes in both models, starting with a fully automatic ‘green’ mode, through the now-standard PASM quartet to manual for complete control over the aperture and shutter speed (from 30-1/4000sec, plus Bulb).