Best Digital Camera for Low Light Photos Under $1000: Pentax K200D (with 18-55mm Lens), by Straight Talk

Expert Recommendation

Best Digital Camera for Low Light Photos Under $1000

By Straight Talk

Expert (88 Recommendations and 32 Compliments)

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November 3, 2008 Updated: November 5, 2008

Overview

With a built in shake reduction feature in a weather sealed body, this camera does not require costly anti-shake lenses, and can be used with almost all existing PENTAX interchangeable lenses for producing blur free shots in low light. It is equipped with one of the largest and brightest viewfinder in its class, which makes it easy to check your focus. Its top-mounted LCD helps confirm critical shooting parameters, like shutter speed and ISO. The kit lens is one of the best in class.

My Best In Class Pick

Pentax K200D (with 18-55mm Lens)

Yes, it is a DSLR. However one can always use it as a typical point-and-shoot camera with its kit lens mounted and in Auto Mode or a Scene Mode.

DSLRs have a real advantage in low light because of their much larger-sized pixels (6-10 times) than a typical compact camera. They focus faster too (they use a phase-detection AF system, which is generally faster than the contrast detection method used by compact cameras).

This DSLR from Pentax provides the most bang for your bucks in its category (entry-level DSLRs). It has in-body shake-reduction (CCD-shift type) feature so image stabilization is available for all the lenses. You can save a lot of money by buying cheaper non image-stabilized lenses.

The camera provides a useful top-mounted LCD, which can be used to quickly verify critical parameters like the ISO setting and shutter speed. It saves on battery life too.

The camera has one of the larger and brighter viewfinders in its class, which helps when verifying your focus. The camera also offers the highest amount of cross-type AF points (among entry-level DSLRs), which helps more quickly auto-focus when the scene contains subjects with weak vertical lines (e.g. when taking portraits while holding the camera in a vertical orientation). It shows the ISO speed in the optical viewfinder, which is a nice feature as ISO is an important parameter for low light shooting.

Other useful features are the weather-sealed body, sensor dust-reduction system, RAW-DNG format (DNG is standard RAW format recognized by most image editing programs, while other cameras use proprietary RAW formats, which may not be supported by older image editing software). It is the only DSLR which runs on standard AA batteries.

When coupled with bright Sigma 18-50mm lens, the camera gathers lot of light and produces sharp blur-free images in low light conditions. Nevertheless its kit lens is among the better ones. The camera uses less noise reduction than others at high ISOs. Consequently resulting images are full of fine details and noise reduction artifacts are minimal.

It would have been perfect but for the missing AF assist lamp. Instead it uses Flash strobe as AF assist in low light (as is being done by many other such DSLRs except those from Nikon).

Comparison with Nikon D60 (with 18-55mm VR Lens)

The Pentax K200D has an in-body shake reduction feature, which makes it possible to use much cheaper non image-stabilized lenses, supports RAW-DNG format, has a larger viewfinder, and has a top-mounted LCD. However if you are often taking pictures of people in low light then Nikon D60 is the better choice because of its dedicated AF assist lamp, which is less annoying than using a flash strobe as the AF assist.

Comparison with Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 (with 18-70mm Lens)

The Pentax K200D has a better kit lens, larger range of compatible lenses, larger viewfinder, a top-mounted LCD, and ISO speed indication in viewfinder.

Pros

+
In-body shake reduction feature
+
Larger and brighter viewfinder
+
Top mounted LCD and weather sealed body
+
One of the better kit lenses
+
Good high ISO performance
+
RAW - DNG format
+
Uses AA batteries

Cons

-
Lacks AF assist lamp

Where to buy

Pentax K200D (with 18-55mm Lens)

Recommended with

Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC SLD ELD Aspherical Macro Lens for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras

$419.00 @ Amazon.com

Specifications

Zoom: 3.1x
Image Stabilization: Yes
Resolution: 10.2MP
Max ISO: 1600

Want More Opinions? See:

Customer Reviews

Website Reviews (3 reviews)

Highly Recommended at DPReview.com
Dave's Pick at Imaging-Resource.com
Rated Very Good by CNET.com

Comparing My Best In Class Pick with Other Good Choices

Product	Pentax K200D (with 18-55mm Lens)	2 Nikon D60 (with 18-55mm VR Lens)	3 Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 (with 18-70mm Lens)
Customer Rating
Price		$949.00
Size (W x H x D)	5.2 x 3.7 x 2.9 in.	5.0 x 3.7 x 2.5 in.	5.2 x 3.7 x 2.8 in.
? Close Effective Sensor Resolution The Effective Sensor Resolution tells you the total number of pixels that are recorded when you take a picture. The units are MP, which stands for megapixels or millions of pixels. For outstanding fine compression prints, 3MP is required for 5x7's, 7.1MP for 8x10's, and 10.9MP for 11x14's. The effective sensor resolution is only one of many important factors that will determine the quality of the photograph when displayed or printed at different sizes. Effective Sensor Resolution	10.2 megapixels	10.2 megapixels	10.2 megapixels
? Close Sensor Size Most digital cameras, even most digital SLRs, have sensors that are smaller than a standard frame of 35 mm film (36 x 24 mm). These smaller sensors have a number of effects on the captured image and the use of the camera, including an increased depth of field, decreased light sensitivity, increased pixel noise, and increased degree of enlargement. Sensor Size	25.1 x 16.7 mm	23.6 x 15.8 mm	25.1 x 16.7 mm
? Close Shutter Lag Time (including auto-focus time) This is the time from fully pressing the shutter button until the image is captured. Longer shutter lag times make it more difficult to capture the desired moment. Shutter Lag Time (including auto-focus time)	0.4 - 0.6 sec	0.3 sec	0.2 sec
Power to First Shot Time	0.6 sec	0.5 sec	0.4 sec
? Close Min Focal Length (35 mm equivalent) The 35 mm equivalent focal length is a measure that indicates the angle of view of a particular combination of a camera lens and the sensor size. The term originates from the time when the vast majority of photography was done with 35 mm film. On any 35 mm film camera, a 30 mm or less lens is considered a wide-angle lens. Min Focal Length (35 mm equivalent)	27 mm	27 mm	27 mm
? Close Max Focal Length (35 mm equivalent) The 35 mm equivalent focal length is a measure that indicates the angle of view of a particular combination of a camera lens and the sensor size. The term originates from the time when the vast majority of photography was done with 35 mm film. Larger max focal lengths make distant objects appear more magnified. Max Focal Length (35 mm equivalent)	84 mm	83 mm	105 mm
Auto Focus Assist Light Available	Flash Strobe	Yes	Flash Strobe
? Close Max Aperture (wide-angle) The aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens that determines the amount of light falling onto the sensor. The maximum aperture (wide-angle) is the largest possible size at the wide-angle limit of the zoom lens. The lens aperture is usually specified as an f-number, the ratio of focal length to effective aperture diameter. A lower f-number denotes a greater aperture opening, which allows more light to reach the image sensor. Max Aperture (wide-angle)	f/3.5 (f/2.8 with Sigma 18-50mm lens)	f/3.5	f/3.5 (f/2.8 with Tamron 17-50mm lens)
? Close Max Aperture (tele-photo) The aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens that determines the amount of light falling onto the sensor. The maximum aperture (tele-photo) is the largest possible size at the tele-photo limit of the zoom lens. The lens aperture is usually specified as an f-number, the ratio of focal length to effective aperture diameter. A lower f-number denotes a greater aperture opening, which allows more light to reach the image sensor. Max Aperture (tele-photo)	f/5.6(f/2.8 with Sigma 18-50mm lens)	f/5.6	f/5.6(f/2.8 with Tamron 17-50mm lens)
Battery Type	four AA sized	Proprietary Lithium Ion Rechargeable	Proprietary Lithium Ion Rechargeable
Battery Life	550 shots	500 shots	750 shots
Image Quality
lens quality	good (very good with Sigma 18-50mm lens)	good	average (excellent with Tamron 17-50mm lens)
colors & fine details	very good	very good	very good
High ISO performance	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
view finder quality	Very good	Good (ISO indication missing)	Very good (ISO indication missing)

Nikon D60 (with 18-55mm VR Lens)

Nikon is currently the only DSLR manufacturer that includes a dedicated Auto-Focus assist light on all their DSLR camera models. Other entry level DSLRs use a Flash strobe as the AF assist in low light, which might startle the subject and is annoying too. The Nikon D60 was recently introduced as an entry-level DSLR by Nikon.

The camera also has ISO3200 option and comes with image stabilized kit lens. However the ISO speed setting is not indicated in the optical viewfinder. The kit lens is among the better one of these and produces images with good corner-to-corner sharpness.

The low light image quality (high ISO performance) is one of the best.

the Nikon D60 (with VR kit lens) is the best choice for someone on a budget who does not want to splurge on costly lenses.

Comparison with Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 (with 18-70mm Lens)

The Nikon D60 has a better kit lens and has a dedicated AF assist lamp.

Pros

+
AF assist lamp
+
ISO3200 option
+
Good high ISO performance
+
Good kit lens

Cons

-
No in-body shake reduction
-
Smaller viewfinder