10 Megapixel SLRs Compared
In items as complex as a camera, different buyers find different features important to their needs. For that reason we will attempt to look at areas that are typically important to some buyers and compare the four cameras in that area.
Pentax K10D
VIEWFINDER: The Pentax has the best viewfinder, followed closely by the Nikon D80, then the Sony A100. The Sony viewfinder is remarkable for a penta-mirror setup, but it is no match for the true pentaprisms in the Nikon and Pentax. The Canon is by far the worst of the lot in viewfinders. Best in this case is measured by brightness of the screen image, ease of seeing the entire screen, and "natural perspective". If you want to see a mediocre viewfinder for comparison take a look at the Olympus E500 which makes the user feel like they are looking down a tunnel.
Canon Rebel XTi
VIEWFINDEER FEATURES: All of the 10 megapixel SLRs have adjustable diopters for dialing in a mild correction for shooting without glasses. The Pentax is the only camera in the group to also offer interchangeable focusing screens.
POWER OPTIONS: The Pentax K10D, Nikon D80, and Canon XTi all offer optional battery grips for providing more power and options for vertical shooting. The Sony A100 does not offer this feature. All four models use proprietary Lithium-Ion batteries that can provide 800 exposures or more before recharge, and the battery charger is included in the retail package. Canon reduced the size and capacity of the XTi battery, which may affect the number of shots between charges compared to the 8 megapixel XT model. The Sony A100 uses a new battery type that is not interchangeable with earlier Maxxum digital camera batteries. Oddly enough, the Pentax K10D turns out to use the same NP400 battery that powered the last Minolta Digital SLRs like the Maxxum 5D, so your spare Maxxum batteries will work in the new Pentax K10D. The Nikon D80 remains a proprietary design that refines and extends the capabilities of batteries used in the D70 and D70s.
ANTI-SHAKE: Minolta pioneered anti-shake built into the camera body, which allowed shooting at slower shutter speeds with any lens attached to the camera. Sony refined and improved the feature. Pentax also has added an anti-shake program that is even more sophisticated than the one used by Sony. Both Canon and Nikon have special lenses with anti-shake motors, but they are very expensive, and anti-shake only works with those lenses.
COMPATABILITY: Nikon and Canon are the brands that most often come to mind when you think of professional photography. They both have large lens lines that work on their cameras. The new Sony uses the Minolta Maxxum lens mount and can mount and work with almost any of the 18 million Maxxum mount lenses sold in the last 20+ years. The Pentax K10D has full functionality with any autofocus K-mount lens, and these lenses have been manufactured for many years. In addition Pentax has special focus assist for ANY Pentax K-mount lens ever produced - which now total about 25 million lenses. You can even use older screw-mount Pentax lenses in manual mode with a screw-to-K-mount adapter
Nikon D80
AUTOFOCUS: All cameras were compared using a 50f1.4 lens, since the shallow depth of field evened the focusing playing field for all cameras. All four 10 megapixel cameras were very fast in focusing and locking on the same subjects - much better than older models like the Pentax *ist D or the original 6 megapixel Canon Digital Rebel. Focusing noise was lowest for the Canon, but it was only very slightly quieter than the Nikon D80 (with a 50f1.4D) and Pentax K10D (50f1.4 FA) which were virtually tied. The Sony was just as fast in focusing, but noisier than the other cameras with a Minolta 50f1.4 lens. Perhaps the Sony would be quieter with the reworked Sony 50f1.4 if anyone could find it and they are willing to pay the new $350 cost Sony is asking. However, this was as fair as we could make it with the 50f1.4 lenses we had available.
Sony A100
FOCUS MODULE: All four 10 megapixel SLRs use some of the most capable focusing modules available from each manufacturer. There are, however, some differences in technical specifications and functionality. The Pentax K10D uses an 11-point focusing system, Nikon also uses an 11 point focusing array with a layout similar to the Pentax K10D, Sony uses an 8-point array, and Canon uses their 9 point focus array that is apparently borrowed from the 30D. The number of points is only part of the story, however, since most manufacturers use the more sensitive cross array for the center point only. The Cross point is sensitive to both vertical and horizontal detail where the single point is sensitive to just one direction. Pentax says they use 9 cross points in their focusing module.
In items as complex as a camera, different buyers find different features important to their needs. For that reason we will attempt to look at areas that are typically important to some buyers and compare the four cameras in that area.
Pentax K10D
VIEWFINDER: The Pentax has the best viewfinder, followed closely by the Nikon D80, then the Sony A100. The Sony viewfinder is remarkable for a penta-mirror setup, but it is no match for the true pentaprisms in the Nikon and Pentax. The Canon is by far the worst of the lot in viewfinders. Best in this case is measured by brightness of the screen image, ease of seeing the entire screen, and "natural perspective". If you want to see a mediocre viewfinder for comparison take a look at the Olympus E500 which makes the user feel like they are looking down a tunnel.
Canon Rebel XTi
VIEWFINDEER FEATURES: All of the 10 megapixel SLRs have adjustable diopters for dialing in a mild correction for shooting without glasses. The Pentax is the only camera in the group to also offer interchangeable focusing screens.
POWER OPTIONS: The Pentax K10D, Nikon D80, and Canon XTi all offer optional battery grips for providing more power and options for vertical shooting. The Sony A100 does not offer this feature. All four models use proprietary Lithium-Ion batteries that can provide 800 exposures or more before recharge, and the battery charger is included in the retail package. Canon reduced the size and capacity of the XTi battery, which may affect the number of shots between charges compared to the 8 megapixel XT model. The Sony A100 uses a new battery type that is not interchangeable with earlier Maxxum digital camera batteries. Oddly enough, the Pentax K10D turns out to use the same NP400 battery that powered the last Minolta Digital SLRs like the Maxxum 5D, so your spare Maxxum batteries will work in the new Pentax K10D. The Nikon D80 remains a proprietary design that refines and extends the capabilities of batteries used in the D70 and D70s.
ANTI-SHAKE: Minolta pioneered anti-shake built into the camera body, which allowed shooting at slower shutter speeds with any lens attached to the camera. Sony refined and improved the feature. Pentax also has added an anti-shake program that is even more sophisticated than the one used by Sony. Both Canon and Nikon have special lenses with anti-shake motors, but they are very expensive, and anti-shake only works with those lenses.
COMPATABILITY: Nikon and Canon are the brands that most often come to mind when you think of professional photography. They both have large lens lines that work on their cameras. The new Sony uses the Minolta Maxxum lens mount and can mount and work with almost any of the 18 million Maxxum mount lenses sold in the last 20+ years. The Pentax K10D has full functionality with any autofocus K-mount lens, and these lenses have been manufactured for many years. In addition Pentax has special focus assist for ANY Pentax K-mount lens ever produced - which now total about 25 million lenses. You can even use older screw-mount Pentax lenses in manual mode with a screw-to-K-mount adapter
Nikon D80
AUTOFOCUS: All cameras were compared using a 50f1.4 lens, since the shallow depth of field evened the focusing playing field for all cameras. All four 10 megapixel cameras were very fast in focusing and locking on the same subjects - much better than older models like the Pentax *ist D or the original 6 megapixel Canon Digital Rebel. Focusing noise was lowest for the Canon, but it was only very slightly quieter than the Nikon D80 (with a 50f1.4D) and Pentax K10D (50f1.4 FA) which were virtually tied. The Sony was just as fast in focusing, but noisier than the other cameras with a Minolta 50f1.4 lens. Perhaps the Sony would be quieter with the reworked Sony 50f1.4 if anyone could find it and they are willing to pay the new $350 cost Sony is asking. However, this was as fair as we could make it with the 50f1.4 lenses we had available.
Sony A100
FOCUS MODULE: All four 10 megapixel SLRs use some of the most capable focusing modules available from each manufacturer. There are, however, some differences in technical specifications and functionality. The Pentax K10D uses an 11-point focusing system, Nikon also uses an 11 point focusing array with a layout similar to the Pentax K10D, Sony uses an 8-point array, and Canon uses their 9 point focus array that is apparently borrowed from the 30D. The number of points is only part of the story, however, since most manufacturers use the more sensitive cross array for the center point only. The Cross point is sensitive to both vertical and horizontal detail where the single point is sensitive to just one direction. Pentax says they use 9 cross points in their focusing module.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
89 Comments
View All Comments
Justin Case - Wednesday, December 27, 2006 - link
I've used a K10D for about 20 minutes - enough to see that the image quality seems _worse_ than the K100D (which was actually quite promising). With a 10-MP sensor, it can't quite match the detail of an 8-MP Canon. But, above all, it has a lot more CA. Where a Canon or a Nikon (or even a Sony) will get you crisp neutral edges, the K10D gives you red / cyan fringing. Maybe it's CA from the lens, maybe it's just poor processing of the Bayer-pattern sensor. Either way, it's there and it hurts the image quality.Add to that the lens selection (which is what SLRs are all about - keep the glass, upgrade the camera), and the K10D only really makes sense to someone who already has a lot of money invested in K-mount lenses.
If you want a longer "article" I'll be happy to write one, but don't expect me to do your job for free.
Anyway, there are already plenty of articles about these cameras. It just seems that almost everyone reached a conclusion different from yours (the K10D is a good camera, just not the best, and Pentax lenses definitely aren't the best). I guess those guys at DPReview, Steve's Digicams, etc, just don't know anything about photography...
feraltoad - Thursday, December 28, 2006 - link
I think you, Justin Case, are fairly knowledgeable and have a lot of experience with photography. I also think that you consider Anandtech to have overstepped its bounds by venturing into reviewing photography equipment. Therefore, although I may be wrong, I certainly have to take everything you say with a very large grain of salt since you seem to have ulterior motives that run along the vein of checking this sites "impudence". Also, you seem like a real asshat. My sincere apologies if I am mistaken, but the value of any of your comments are eroded and negated by the contempt.Justin Case - Thursday, December 28, 2006 - link
I have nothing against Anandtech (or any other site) reviewing cameras or writing about photography. In fact, I've mentioned above (or possibly below) that Dan's Data (for example) has several good articles about photography. And there are several brilliant articles about photography on sites like Slashdot, Kuro5hin, etc., not to mention photography websites, of course.My problem is when someone without any knowledge of a given subject (any subject) decides to hack together an "article" about it, based on very little experience, incomplete information, and a bunch of specifications they don't really understand.
It's like evaluating a sports car performance by looking at the engine specifications. They're not completely irrelevant, but they don't tell the full story (or even the first paragraph) of what it's like to actually drive the car. Anyone can compare manufacturer's PDFs and repost images from the manufacturers' advert^H^H I mean, press kits.
And people who do that are only spreading misinformation, for the sake of their own egos or (more likely) a few thousand ad impressions and sponsored link clicks. And that pisses me off, because, although I can spot the bullshit on subjects that I know (like photography, or computers), I might be (and have been in the past) misled by this kind of approach to "journalism" in other areas.
This is a review of four cameras where the author doesn't even compare or show photos taken with those cameras. Enough said.
Anandtech has been going downhill for some time now. If it wasn't for Johan (and some of Anand's own articles), I think it would make even THG seem respectable.
Frumious1 - Thursday, December 28, 2006 - link
Why don't you just go the fuck elsewhere then? Every comment you post seems to bitch about the quality of Anandtech in some way - even the offhand compliment to Johan was used as a way to bash the other writers. I guess the video card information, buyers guides, motherboard reviews, etc. just suck ass, don't they? Sort of like your posts.I for one understand what is meant by BUYER'S GUIDE! It's not a goddamn review of every item mentioned. If they were, this SLR BG would be about 20000 words instead of 5000, and the various computer buyer's guides would probably clock in at something like 50000 words. Obviously, this GUIDE didn't cover every detail of every camera, and most of us aren't - as the above poster so eloquently put it - asshats that like to nitpick.
I read this article and came away with the impression that all of the expensive cameras are good in their own ways, and Sony and Pentax are able to compete with the Canon and Nikon. Does that mean they are universally better? OF COURSE NOT! No one with half a brain would get that from the text, which is clearly intended to be a brief overview rather than covering every facet. Now, having read this BG, people might be more inclined to do a bit more research on the Sony and Pentax models rather than just buying a Canon or Nikon like everyone seems to recommend. Or they might end up sticking with Canon/Nikon for various reasons. There is definitely a market for higher quality SLR cameras without the intention of investing in dozens of lenses, though, which you STILL fail to grasp.
What I've gathered is that you think Canon and Nikon are the shizznit, and you tried a Pentax for 20 minutes and decided it sucked. Obviously, you know way more about photography than I do, but at the same time I wouldn't presume to judge any PC product after only 20 minutes, even though I've been using PCs for almost 30 years now and have a pretty extensive background in the industry.
What's really humorous is that all of your other beloved camera-centric sites that have looked at the K10D seem to rate it as essentially the equal of the Canon and Nikon offerings, and quite a few have been damn impressed by the Sony as well. If you have $10K of lenses for Canon or Nikon, of course you're not going to bail on that just to switch to a new body that might be better in a few areas. For the many people that are now looking at potentially affordable $500-$700 SLR cameras, though - people that very likely don't own a single camera lens yet - it doesn't matter nearly as much.
I'm NEVER EVER going to spend $1000+ on a camera lens, and probably not even more than $150. A decent SLR can still serve a purpose, however, as the best quality point-and-shoots rarely if ever offer all of the features of a moderate SLR. Only the larger SLR-like point-and-shoot cameras can handle lower light situations even remotely effectively, and those typically cost as much or more than entry level SLR.
Again, though, maybe I'm mistaken? What's the best point and shoot out there for the various markets? Specifically, what $500 PaS is going to be better than the $500 SLRs mentioned, or what $750 model will beat the Sony? Don't tell me something like a Canon Powershot either, as I have one and while it's great for stuffing in my pocket there are MANY situations where the images I've captured look very poor (not to mention much slower focusing speed, inability to take fast-motion shots, and a number of other issues).
Anyway, I'd really be quite pleased if you left and spent more time over at Tom's bitching and moaning. They're used to it there and rarely bother responding to criticisms. They are also clearly "bought out" when you read many of their reviews. Just like HardOCP and Kyle's lovefest for anything AMD (or whoever else is willing to buy him a new truck). Your primary ASSumption here has been that Wes knows nothing about photography, and quite clearly that is not the case. He said some stuff you disagree with, and so immediately you label him "clueless" - and yet you haven't actually done ANY testing with several of the products he talks about, so you're basically just shooting from the hip and going with what you've read elsewhere. Talk about doing comparisons based off of "spec sheets" (reviews)....
When you've actually tried a Pentex K10D for a couple months with a variety of lenses, come back and tell us how it really compares and then we might listen. Yeah, that's expensive, and that's precisely why none of us will do it. Until you can actually do so, though (borrow a friend's camera and leave your biases behind), you're basically just telling us what everyone already knows: if you have a major investment in Nikon or Canon equipment and you're happy with it, there's no way in hell you would ever switch to a different brand.
Wesley Fink - Wednesday, December 27, 2006 - link
Actually dpreview total scores for the 4 cameras were 53 for the Nikon D80, 52 for the Pentax K10D, 50.5 for the Canon XTi, and 50 for the Sony A100. Since the Sony is now the cheapest 10 MP camera it's value score would likely go up in an updated review, making the Canon the worst of the lot. Dpreview also gave all 4 cameras their "Highly Recommended" rating.I also found the Pentax K10D and Nikon D80 the closest of the group, but it is my opionion the anti-shake, built-in sensor cleaning, better build quality, and unique creative features tilted the recommendation to the Pentax. It should be mentioned that Pentax includes their excellent RAW editing software with the K10D, while Nikon makes you buy their best RAW software as an add-on to the D80. If you are going to quote other sites as evidence to support your own beliefs you should get your facts right.
BTW, not a single review I read found an issue with red-cyan fringing. I also looked at all the images I shot and did not see any unusual "red-cyan" edge fringing as you describe. Perhaps you looked at a defective sample. Did you find the same issues with RAW images?
Wesley Fink - Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - link
It seems you always get accused of being a fanboi if you recommend anything other than the safe - in this case Canon or Nikon. I would suggest you compare a Nikon D40 and Pentax K100D side by side as we did - you might actually be surprised. As for the K110D there is no other camera that sells for $450 with lens, let alone one as full -faeatured as the K110D. The same goes for the 10 megapixel models. As I said in the review the safe choice is Canon or Nikon, and Canon will sell a ton of cameras even if it is the worst of the 10 megapixel models.Actually I have owned Canon and Nikon for years, and the D80 has been a personal favorite since it came out. It is still the best in autofocusing speed compared to anything, but I was blown away by the quality and features of the K10D. Another AT reviewer, who owns Minolta/Sony recently got a chance to examine and use the K10D on a trip to China and was trying to figure out if it made sense to sell his existing lenses and camera to buy the K10D. The concern, of course, is Pentax is no Canon in size and the best value from smaller players does not always win in the marketplace.
Justin Case - Wednesday, December 27, 2006 - link
No. If you recommend a Canon, the Nikon fanboys will label you a Canon fanboy. If you recommend a Nikon, then the Canon fanboys will label you a Nikon fanboy.But when you recommend a Pentax SLR, you're labelling youself "clueless".
gibhunter - Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - link
I like that you guys tested auto focus speed, but your test is incomplete. All dslr cameras perform well in good light. What sets them apart is their performance as light levels drop to where you need to use fast lenses such as the 50mm f/1.4 and ISO 1600 to achieve shutter speeds fast enough not to have blurry shots due to camera shake. Yes, the Sony and Pentax systems will greatly help with the camera shake, but both have some serious shortcomings.Sony has very high noise levels. Their noise at ISO 800 is greater than Pentax, Canon or Nikon at ISO 1600. Sony's ISO 1600 is barely usable and limited mainly to small prints.
Pentax controls noise very well, but its autofocus performance in low light indoor photography from my experience with the K100D is very slow. It often takes well over a second to achieve focus lock. In comparison it takes the Nikon, Sony and Canon less than 3/4 of a second. It's a difference that can result in some missed photos.
Your tests address the noise issue, but they do not touch on low light focusing speed and it would be of great interest to see if Pentax improved on the K100D with their K10D.
takumsawsherman - Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - link
While my Sony experiences have not been great, for many years I have enjoyed shooting with Minolta Maxxum cameras, from the 7000 to the Alpha 707si (if not for being stolen I would still be using my 7000s). Minolta didn't get too much love in the pro market, but they truly had some wonderful equipment, especially the older lenses. In the last few years manufacturing was not as high quality, but I have used Nikon, Canon and Pentax, and still prefer the Maxxum (though the K1000 was a great cheap SLR that could take a beating).So it is nice to hear that Sony has apparently made a decent camera with Maxxum lens compatibility. I don't shoot digital, for many reasons, but the anti-shake (I'm horrible in low-light) and reasonable price tempts me. The adjustable diopter might help me with my focus, too, as I use my focusing ring to make up for not wearing corrective eye-wear :).
yyrkoon - Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - link
I have a Sony dsc-p200 P&S 7MP camera, and I have to say, for what it is, its great, however, don't expect to take pictures on the moon, and get surface detail . . . I know a professional photographer that uses this same camera for quick shots, and he loves it(this is how I came about getting mine, got to try it before i bought it ;) ).Another friend of mine, has a Cannon 20D, it also is an excellent camera, but its getting dated, and the XTi IMO comes from great lines, but just isn't up to the rest in quality.
Personally, I've been interested in the Nikon D80 for some time, but perhaps by the time I get ready to spend, the Pentax will win me over . . .