Pentax K10D and Samsung GX-10

These two cameras seem identical apart from the name plates

 

I just looked over an article that listed these 2 cameras, along with
the D80 and Rebel.

It gave a pretty brief but god going over. I "think" it was Popular
Photography.


Rob

 

Reviews seem to agree that it is merely a Pentax K10D with rebadged
camera and lenses, along with a few Samsung adjustments likes a
different menu, software, etc.

I guess Samsung wants a bigger piece of the DSLR market and bought the
Pentax design so they could jump further into the game without much
fuss, similar to how Sony jumped in with the purchase of Minolta.

 

A little more than that - the GX-10 has some cosmetic changes
(different size and shapes for the buttons, etc.), and runs a
somewhat modified version of the firmware. But the internal
underpinnings are the same - it is basically the same camera.

(The same is true of the other Samusung DSLR models; they are
just rebadged versions of earlier Pentax digital cameras).

 

Also RAW format on the Samsung is DNG only.

 

Is there much of a price difference on the street between the two? I'd
take a DNG only camera, especially if it was a few bucks cheaper.

Greg

 

For a few bucks I will stick with the Pentax, I have a little more faith in
Pentax firmware updates and I am a name snob anyway because it matches my
other four Pentax cameras.

 

But check out the Samsung versions of the Hoya-made Pentax lenses
(Samsung only has the models made by Hoya and branded as
Schneider-Kreuznach). They are really neat cosmetic designs, a
well-integrated set of lenses visually, and look the works. If you buy
Samsung and stick with their own lenses the result would be a neat kit.

David

 

Do you know if they are MTF compatible for program mode on the Pentaxes, to
be honest I have not seen them here in Australia but they did look
interesting? Any Primes?

 

They are fully compatible. They are the same as the Hoya-made lenses in
the Pentax range, which are also available independently as Tokina
lenses - Hoya's own brand. Pentax has relied on this range for some of
their innovative AF products, like the 10-17mm and the new 50-135mm
f2.8. They make the Pentax 100mm f2.8 macro, and that's the only prime
lens as far as I know (also available as a Schneider Samsung version).

Some of the lenses made for Pentax/Samsung/Schneider are not available
as Tokina, and at least one Samsung prime lens - the 35mm f2 labelled as
SAMSUNG and not as Schneider - looks to be from another source (the
rubber focus ring bears a strong resemblance to a discontinued Minolta
35mm f2). There is no Pentax 35mm f2, so it's not come from that direction.

The illustrations of the lenses on Samsung's web pages look like a real
mixed bag. At photokina, that is not how they looked at all. Grouped in
sets in glass walk-round cases, they appeared to be very well matched
and I didn't notice any different sorts of focus grip etc. But then, I
did not notice the 35mm f2 Samsung, I only studied the Schneider-branded
items.

If you want genuine Pentax-made glass, the limited edition series 21mm,
31mm, 40mm pancake, 43mm and 77mm are amazing. Lovely to handle and use,
the diametric opposite of a Canon lens. Lumpfingered press shooters
would hate them; they feel more like using an old Leica screw lens.

Before Hoya announced it would merge with Pentax (really a take-over in
size terms) I asked Samsung and Pentax about future plans and the answer
was that Samsung are - from this point onwards - to develop their own
DSLR without borrowing Pentax technology, so the next one will be a
totally original design. It follows that the 35mm f2 (not a Schneider,
or they would have said so, and not a Hoya-Schneider-anon either - a
pure Samsung branding) may be the first of a new line. The mount will
remain K-AF. As for the sensor? Samsung trade a lot with Sony, but if I
was in their position, I'd be trying to develop an entirely new and much
better 10+ megapixel sensor.

David

 

????

http://www.takinami.com/yoshihiko/photo/fa35/index.html

 

There's both a DFA 100 f2.8 and a DFA 50 f2.8 (and they're both macros).

There *is* (or perhaps, sadly, "was") a Pentax 35 f2 (FA 35 f2) - I've got
one. Its really good.

--Sophie

(oh, and there's also the DA 14 f2.8 and DA 70 f2.4 (this is also a limited
lens) missing from your list of primes)

 

Are they Samsung badged?

 

Was going to jump on that one myself, the Pentax 35mm F2 is possibly ones of
their best allround lenses.

 

You're right - there is. It has been well ignored in the UK because it
was entirely absent from the range of Pentax lenses at the launch of the
K100D/K10D. That looks exactly the same as the Samsung, and again, not
much like other Pentax lenses.

David

 

I could have sworn I saw the 14mm f2.8 at photokina from Samsung - and
also a 16-? (45mm?). But the list on Samsung's website is quite limited,
not even a 50mm macro.

I did not pay much deep attention to their stand in Germany, but I was
impressed by it - it looked better in some ways than the Pentax stand,
and was far more cheerful and 'photographic' than Sony's stand. I looked
at the lenses, made comparisons with Tokina (which was close by) and
that was enough to confirm the origins of what I saw.

David

 

Not to worrieed about to many lenses at the moment really except for the new
Sigma 70mm F2.8 macro, this looks to be the macro lens I have been waiting
for.

 

only four? Shameful....




mike