It's over eight months since I reviewed the Samsung GX-10 digital SLR, basically a licence-built copy of today's review camera, the Pentax K10D. As I remarked at the time, it was unusual for me to review the copy before the original, but I was fully expecting to receive the K10D at any time, so I wasn't too bothered. However I had no idea that, due to some people not returning their review samples on time, it would take me this long to finally get my hands on a K10D. The camera was launched in September 2006, and may well be replaced in Pentax's model range early next year, which makes this probably the latest review I've ever done, but better late than never, and I'm glad I've finally had a chance to try this excellent camera.
Pentax could have been one of the first camera companies to launch a purpose-built digital SLR. It announced the development of an impressive-looking 6-megapixel full-frame DLSR, codenamed the MR-52, in September 2000, and even had a prototype to show off at the PMA camera show in January the following year. However the camera was deemed to be too expensive to produce and was never launched. The project was finally killed off in 2003, just before the launch of the badly named *ist D, a much less ambitious 6MP DSLR with the now common APS-C sized sensor. Looking now at the dominating market positions of Canon and Nikon, both of whom launched full-frame models early on and now account for about 75 percent of DSLR sales between them, Pentax may have some regrets over its decision. Of the major camera manufacturers, Pentax has the smallest share of the lucrative DSLR market, with just 5.4 percent worldwide, and has seen newcomers Sony leapfrog into third place with just one model, the Alpha A100. This is terribly unfair, because the K10D really does deserve to do much better than it has.
Cliff Smith
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