Pentax K2000

Shooting Modes

In addition to the usual shooting modes, the Pentax K2000 provides a Sensitivity Priority mode based on user-selected ISO.

There are five Scene Modes on the mode dial as well: portrait, landscape, macro, fast action and night portrait. In addition, the final dial position turns off the flash and leaves the camera in Auto Pict mode. This can also be accomplished by pressing the flash button on the back of the camera and adjusting the setting, but the mode dial option is faster, as long as you’re happy shooting in Auto.

Focus

The K2000 uses a five-point autofocus system, which is less flexible than higher-end SLRs. When shooting, we found autofocus speed was a bit sluggish but adequate for most shooting situations. Shooting sports, though, could be a challenge.

The Pentax K2000 does not have a dedicated autofocus assist lamp. Instead, it uses a high-speed series of pulses from the built-in flash; very effective in helping the camera focus, but not perfect if you had some candid photography in mind, or pictures of a sleeping baby.

There are two autofocus point settings. Wide allows the camera to choose the AF point from the five available, while Spot sets the AF point in the center of the screen. There is no option to select an autofocus point manually, as found on some SLRs, but of course you can always spot focus on the subject and maintain that reading by holding the shutter halfway down while recomposing your shot.

A switch just behind the lens mount on the left toggles between autofocus and manual focus. The focus indicator illuminates and beeps when focus is achieved. The kit lens has an extraordinarily loose feel when focusing manually, though, with practically no friction at all, making manual focus accuracy very difficult.

Recording Options

The number of available file sizes is limited to just three. There are also three JPEG quality settings, Best, Better and Good. When shooting uncompressed RAW files there is a choice of two file formats, Pentax’s own PEF files or the standard DNG RAW file format. RAW images can be saved on their own, or with a simultaneous JPEG copy.