Pentax K20D is good for Nepal trekking, but Nikon D90 mounts 18-200 VR lens and D60 is lighter. Lens angle of view factor.
Question from Brian to tom @ photoseek.com, September 2008
…I will be going on a trek to the Everest region in spring of 2009. I am really excited about the trip. I have been thinking about adding on the Gokyo Lakes trek also. This is how I happened across your web site. Your images are truly incredible. BY FAR the best I have seen. So, thanks for your site! Your images have convinced me to add on the Gokyo Lakes trek to the Everest Base Camp trek. After all, when will be the next time I will have this opportunity? The web is a pretty amazing creation isn’t it? I am looking forward to the trip. I will have to buy a new camera for it. I have been using an old Pentax PZ-1p for a long time. I am looking at the Pentax D20 which operates on double A batteries as opposed to Lithium cells. Do you have an opinion on that? I guess I think it would be easier to carry around a lot of double A instead of trying to charge or replace the Li cells. I have about 4 lens but for ease I am thinking of 28-90mm and 100-300mm. These lenses are not that fast so maybe the 50 mm 1.4 lens. Thanks again for your art, it is breathtaking and inspirational (heck, it has convinced me to do an add on trek!) Have a great weekend, Brian — Friday Sept 26, 2008
Tom Dempsey answers
Hi Brian: the view from the peak of Gokyo Ri in Nepal is very spectacular and worth the effort! Annapurna Sanctuary was also spectacular and actually more enjoyable due to lower altitude (only 14,000 ft) and fewer days on the trail.
Nepal Trekking Tip: I recommend wearing a scarf over your mouth to keep out dust and better hydrate each breath in the high altitude air, to reduce the “Khumbu cough” that nearly everyone experiences above 10,000 feet elevation..
Here is a full review of the Pentax K20D, where dpreview.com gives their highest rating “Highly Recommended”:
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Read the detailed review of Pentax K20D: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk20d/
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“Robust body with dust and weather seals, high build quality.”
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Dust reduction by anti-static coating and optional sensor ‘shake’. Dust alert makes sensor cleaning simpler.
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Not so good: “The live view mode is neither as seamless as Sony’s implementation nor as useful for tripod-based work as Olympus’s and consequently feels like a feature that has been added purely to make the camera more marketable.” (Live view is a feature new to DSLR cameras, a bonus, previously found in most compact digital cameras.)
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The extra megapixels in the K20D (14.6 mp) don’t gain any enlargement quality advantage over the competing Canon Rebel Xsi/450D, or Nikon D90 (12 mp each).
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For me, the biggest problem of the Pentax K20D (and Nikon D90) is the weight: body with battery: 800 grams (1.7 pounds).
If you are going to get a camera that heavy, 1.7 pounds, I recommend considering the Nikon D90 (see dpreview.com) which weighs the same, has similar price, has useful live view, shoots HD movies (which the Pentax doesn’t do). For travel, consider mounting the Nikon D90 with the all-in-one wonder lens, like I use on every trip: Nikkor AF-S DX VR 18-200mm 3.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (20 ounces / 560 grams; new in 2006; about $800) which lets you hand hold images in up to 4-stops dimmer light, using Vibration Reduction (VR). No lens changing required! I hardly ever use a tripod now, which is a big change for me from earlier cameras. Pentax doesn’t offer an equivalent high quality, image stabilized lens, so far as I have heard.
To save 8 ounces of weight, you might consider the Nikon D60 (17 ounce camera, with battery), which I currently use exclusively along with the Nikkor 18-200mm VR travel lens. I may later add a longer telephoto for better animal photography. The D60 plus 18-200mm VR lens is only 38 ounces.
For batteries, I buy enough rechargeable batteries to last the time I am away from power, like two weeks for Nepal. (11 batteries was more than enough — I only used about 6 batteries before recharging). I get about 400 shots per charge on the Nikon D60 and D40X. (Keep a spare warming in your pocket for temperatures below 45 F., and change it every ten minutes if temperatures are near freezing.)
Have a great trip! — Tom Dempsey, photographer, Seattle, Washington
Brian’s Question: I have a 28-90 (42-135 digital equivalent) that I use most of the time. On a trip like this, do you think additional zoom capability is necessary? or is 135mm enough? Could always swap out with a 100-300mm, but like yourself I am a minimalist and on the trip I would rather not worry too much about camera equipment and having to deal with filters (UV and polarizer only)…
Tom Answers: I would definitely bring more zoom power on this trip of a lifetime to Nepal. (I rarely used polarizer in Nepal, because at high altitude the polarized sky turns too black, and it flattens the image appearance too much.)
Brian’s Question: Regarding an 18-55mm lens sold with a camera kit, is that a real 18-55 or is it a 27-83mm based on the conversion? Also, are the available lenses designed to focus light on the digital light sensor for digital SLR, and not film emulsion? Are our older lens that we used for film less “effective” when mounted on a DSLR because they have not been designed for a sensor rather film?
Tom Answers: Many photographers like using the heavier conventional lenses on their APS-C cameras, because they save money, and they only use the sweet spot in the center of the lens, for sharp, undistorted images. The newer lenses “designed for digital” “or designed for APS-C” usually capture equal quality images, with less weight and bulk. In my opinion, using either the old or new lenses, the latest APS-C DSLR cameras capture much better quality than scanning 35mm film. Please confirm quality differences with specific lens reviews:
The sensor size determines the angle of view conversion factor (to give you the equivalent angle of view of a film camera lens shooting 35mm size film). APS-C size cameras have a sensor about 24×16 mm, such as the Pentax K200 or K100 (or Nikon D60 or Canon digital Rebel). Divide 35mm by 24mm and you get about a 1.5x angle of view conversion (or some call it focal Length Multiplier; or others call it a field of view crop factor), when using 35mm film camera (“full frame”) lenses on an APS-C sensor camera. Good explanation:
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Optical/Focal_Length_Multiplier_01.htm
If you are accustomed to 35mm film terminology, when you buy a digital APS-C camera coming with a lens labeled as a 18-55mm real focal length, then you can know that it captures an angle of view equivalent to a 27-83mm lens on a “conventional” film camera (multiply by 1.5x). Most digital SLRs can use conventional 35mm lenses. But such lenses are designed to create an image circle that covers a 35mm film frame and are therefore larger and heavier than necessary for sensors which are smaller than a 35mm film frame. ‘Digital’ lenses (such as Canon EF-S lenses, Nikon DX Lenses, Olympus 4/3″ System) are lighter because their image circles only cover the sensor area.”
Pentax K20d first impressions
Brian’s followup January 13, 2009 to Tom Dempsey:
Well, I received the Pentax k20d from B and H last week. I spent about three days with the manual and playing with the menus, custom functions and in general screwing around with the camera to get familiar with it. It is quite similar to the Pentax PZ-1p that I have used for years. This camera is well built, solid feel in my hands. Has plenty of features that I will make use of while not bogged down with complicated functions of a pro camera. The camera functions well mechanically and the image stabilization works well. All in all, a great camera at a fantastic price. If I used Canon or Nikon prior to this I would stay with those brands but as a Pentax user, the K20d delivers the goods to the market it was designed for.