http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/5049/first-look-pentax-k20d.html
Look at the photo gallery on that page.
The last 5 pictures are of a scene which was taken at ISOs 100, 800, 1600 and 3200, and frankly, apart from slight softness, it appears that the ISO3200 is completely usable.
There's only a very slight loss of detail (which actually seems to start at ISO 800), but the noise reduction mechanism in effect at 1600/3200 is stupendous - there seems to be an almost imperceptible loss of quality as compared to the ISO 800 and the noise increase is not at all jarring.
I wants. (My K100D definitely does worse at 3200 and it might even be slightly worse at 1600).
Look at the photo gallery on that page.
The last 5 pictures are of a scene which was taken at ISOs 100, 800, 1600 and 3200, and frankly, apart from slight softness, it appears that the ISO3200 is completely usable.
There's only a very slight loss of detail (which actually seems to start at ISO 800), but the noise reduction mechanism in effect at 1600/3200 is stupendous - there seems to be an almost imperceptible loss of quality as compared to the ISO 800 and the noise increase is not at all jarring.
I wants. (My K100D definitely does worse at 3200 and it might even be slightly worse at 1600).