Graduating from a Canon S2 superzoom P&S, I looked for a digital single lens reflex camera that offered good performance while retaining some of the features I liked about the S2. The things I liked the most were the Image tabilization and the video preview, standard on compact cameras but not common on DSLRs at the time of this writing.

Image Stabilization

Canon and Nikon offer Image Stabilization on specific lenses, which means that your image preview is stabilized in the viewfinder. Pentax, Sony and Olympus offer a sensor-based version, which means that each of your lenses get stabilization at no additional cost.

The latter option pleased me more, reducing my choices. Regarding image quality, features, prices, bodies and lenses design, each company has pros and cons.

For many reasons (one being that I already had old Pentax lenses), I chose a Pentax K20D body, a more advanced camera than the entry level K200D.

The Pentax K20D fits my needs

All in all, I am very happy with my purchase. This particular camera is a great product but most importantly it fits my needs. For the photographic enthusiast, using a DSLR is a very rewarding experience, and a compact camera simply cannot compare in terms of performance, speed and the way you are connected with your scene.

On the other hand, using a DSLR is not quite as simple as using a compact. The main difference is that since you get much more control over depth of field, you also run a higher risk of missing focus if you’re not careful.

Most compacts usually give sharp focus across the entire frame, which can be annoying when you want to isolate a subject.  However, with some lenses a DSLR camera will give you a depth of field of a few centimetres, sometimes even less.

Visit or Pentax K20D Photo Gallery for sample images taken by Bernard with this camera.