-
Introduction
-
01.Physical Tour
-
02.Components
-
03.Design / Layout
-
04.Modes
-
05.Control Options
-
06.Conclusion
-
07.Specs / Ratings
-
08.Comments
Pentax K2000
Previous:
IntroductionNext: Page 2
ComponentsThe Pentax K2000 looks very similar to the majority of entry level SLRs. It has the typical, medium-size body, single control dial and simple user interface. The case is primarily black plastic, with a silver accent running horizontally near the top of the camera. The buttons felt robust enough to handle substantial use, and the camera was light enough to handle easily, but not so light as to feel fragile.

Front
The front of the K2000 is relatively bare. The grip on the far left is made of rubberized plastic, with a significant depression as a finger rest. About half way up the grip is an infrared receiver for use with compatible remotes. The lens release is on the bottom left of the mount, and the auto focus/manual focus switch is at about 4 o'clock from the lens, on the body. There is a thin silver line that runs around the top of the camera at the point where the sides start to curve in towards the top.

A thin silver line provides a design accent.
Back
The rear of the camera has a simple, but effective, layout. The left side is primarily taken up by the 2.7-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD, with the flash deploy button above and to the left. On top of the screen is the viewfinder, which is protected by a rubber eyecup. Unusually, the diopter adjuster above the eyecup is a slider rather than a dial.
Directly to the right of the viewfinder is the control dial. We found the dial position a little bit far left, and so slightly awkward to reach. Beneath the control dial is a column of four buttons. From the top, they are Playback, Info, Menu and Delete. This last one has a small nubbin, to help you identify it, and hopefully prevent you from accidentally deleting something important. The four-way control pad is placed quite far down on the body. During shooting, the Up button controls drive/timer mode, Left is white balance, Down is flash control, and Right is ISO adjustment. Above the four-way pad is an LED, which glows when the camera is processing information to the card. The thumb pad area is not textured, but has a small lip on the right side to help with stability. The final button on the camera's rear is the auto focus point adjuster, located at the very top right corner. The silver highlight from the front of the camera does reach around the back, but just barely.

Large buttons and a simple interface are a boon for learners

The auto focus motor is housed in the body, saving money on lenses
and increasing compatibility

The right side has a rubber grip
Once again, the K2000 demonstrates its highly functional, but minimalist, aesthetic. The flash and industry standard hot shoe are both aligned with the lens. To their right is the large mode dial, which has settings for Manual, Av (aperture priority), Tv (shutter priority), Sv (ISO priority), P (program), Scene, Auto Picture, Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sport, Night Portrait and No Flash. There are two buttons on the grip, Exposure Compensation and a dedicated Help function. Between them is the power light. Finally at the tip of the grip is the on/off dial, and the shutter control.

The mode dial offers more choices than normally seen
The bottom of the camera is nondescript. Beneath the grip is the cover for the battery bay, which takes 4 AAs. The tripod mount is metal lens centered, but doesn't have any surface texture to aid with grip when the camera is tripod-mounted.

The camera bottom is relatively plain
Shop for the Pentax K2000
Latest News
& Reviews
-
11-Feb-2012
Canon PowerShot 320 HS First Impressions Review
Canon fleshes out the ELPH series with a somewhat plain touchscreen ultracompact. We’re just not sure how well this model will sell without the travel zoom barrel of its more expensive cousins. Read More...
-
11-Feb-2012
Canon PowerShot 530 HS First Impressions Review
Canon guts their 500 HS and creates a tiny travel zoom from the leftovers. This could be a cool little camera, if the company can sort out some hardware issues. Read More...
Top Rated Digital SLRs
-

$1,129.001Canon EOS 60D
The Canon EOS 60D is a top-notch camera in terms of performance, handling and flexibility. However, the performance of the kit lens leaves something to be desired. Read full 7-part review
$1,129.00TypesProsumerAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,1510 to 15 Megapixels15,> 15 Megapixels19.00 -

$746.952Nikon D5100
The D5100 is the latest entry-level DSLR from Nikon, with full 1080/30p video, an articulated LCD, and the same image sensor as the D7000. It lacks an internal focus motor, but we found it produced some of the most accurate colors we've seen yet. Read full 7-part review
$746.95TypesAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,1510 to 15 Megapixels15,> 15 Megapixels16.2 -

$1,269.993Canon EOS 7D
The 18-megapixel Canon 7D delivers high resolution stills and full HD video in a well-built camera designed for serious photographers without the desire (or budget) for a full-frame model. Read full 7-part review
$1,269.99TypesProsumerAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,1510 to 15 Megapixels15,> 15 Megapixels19.00 -

$1,199.004Nikon D7000
The Nikon D7000 is a powerhouse camera at an excellent price. It offers a huge range of features that will make shooting quicker and easier for the experienced shooter, with lots of customizable options and quick control access. Read full 7-part review
$1,199.00TypesProsumerAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,1510 to 15 Megapixels15,> 15 Megapixels16.9 -

$569.995Sony Alpha SLT-A55V
The SLT-A55 is a well performing SLR, with a wide ISO range, good color and relatively low noise. . Read full 7-part review
$569.99TypesConsumerAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,1510 to 15 Megapixels15,> 15 Megapixels17
Features
-
DigitalCameraInfo New Year's Giveaway
Check back every day for the rest of 2011 to see what we’re adding to the grand prize package. It all starts with the Sony NEX-5N and ends with over $4000 in prizes! Read More...
-
DigitalCameraInfo.com 2011 Select Awards
After a year of tireless testing and deliberation, we’ve made our selections for the very best cameras of 2011. Read More...
(add your own)