The crops are taken from the original images, saved as High Quality JPEGs in Photoshop CS2 and presented here at 100%. Each number represents 100 lines per picture height (lpph), so a figure of 20 means a resolution of 2000 lpph.

Fitted with the Pentax DA 18-250mm lens at 35mm f8, the K200D resolved 2050 and 2100 lpph of horizontal and vertical resolution respectively. The Sony Alpha DSLR A300 shares the same 10.2 Megapixel resolution, but managed to deliver fractionally greater horizontal resolution with its DT 18-70mm kit lens. The Olympus E-520 may also have 10 Megapixels, but by arranging them in a narrower frame, it has a slightly higher concentration over the target area and subsequently delivers slightly higher scores in this test. Finally, the Canon EOS 450D / XSi takes the lead here with its 12.2 Megapixel resolution.

The Pentax K200D shares the same sensor and image processor as the earlier K10D, so it’s not surprising to find similar scores in this test. In our K10D review, it scored 2050 and 2150 lpph when fitted with the DA 18-55mm lens. So the K200D in our studio JPEG resolution test performs as we’d expect for a 10 Megapixel DSLR.

While the JPEG results below show the usual fuzziness once the moiré kicks-in, it’s possible to achieve much higher extinction resolutions when shooting in RAW – scroll down to the bottom of the page to see an example, or head straight over to our Pentax K200D noise results page where we’ll see how it performs across its sensitivity range next to the Canon 450D / XSi and Olympus E-520.