Review 1 of 6
Price Paid:
$0.00 Summary: I was all geared up to go for the big name “Nikon” and buy their entry level model D40. Thanks to my lucky stars I came across the Pentax K100D and, after a lot of research and deliberation, changed my mind. I could not be happier. The K100D is an absolute joy to use and continues to reward me with its features and image quality.
It is the ideal camera for people interested in serious photography without the budget to enter the professional league of much more expensive cameras. With its backward compatibility to the classic Pentax K-mount it gives you (image stabilised!) access to a vast range of legendary and very affordable lenses. Paying a lot of attention to detail, the designers created a product that provides excellent support for creating high quality images (see “Strengths” below).
If your main focus is sports and action photography, the K100D is not the best choice since there are other models with faster autofocus and a quicker burst rate during continues shooting.
See below for a detailed list of pros and cons. If you are looking for a detailed product description, this review is quite comprehensive: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/k100d.html. Here http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/K100D/K100DA.HTM you can read how a real photographer gets excited about the K100D.
I love this camera. Many features demonstrate that it was made for true photographers. Ultimately, your needs determine which camera is best for you. While I certainly found a number of issues to mention in the “Weaknesses” section, the plus points mentioned in the “Strengths” sum up to an unbelievably nice package which is unbeatable if the few shortcomings don’t affect you. Thanks Pentax, for this outstanding value for money.
BTW, almost all of the comments made here also apply to the K100D super, which adds automatic sensor cleaning and support for modern lenses with ultra-sonic autofocus motors.
Strengths: *In-Body Shake Reduction*
When switched on, shake reduction moves the sensor in all directions (including rotation) to compensate any small camera movements caused by inevitable hand shaking. This allows you to use longer exposure times before images become blurred. Often this means either getting the shot or not because the available light is just to low for a faster shutter speed. Of course, like any image stabilisation, this system can only avoid blurring caused by camera movement. Fast moving objects still require fast shutter speeds (unless you are panning). The built-in shake reduction means that any K-mount (or M42 mount with an adapter) lens ever made will suddenly be a “VR” lens (as Nikon calls their image stabilised lenses). Hence, you don’t have to put up with lenses that do not support image stabilisation and are not forced to pay for image stabilisation afresh for each and every new lens you buy.
*Sensitive Sensor*
At first sight the 6 MP sensor seems to be outclassed by today’s 8MP or 10MP sensors. However, I specifically went for “only” 6MP because the fewer pixels there are, the more light is available for each. This translates to less image noise overall. If you need to make crops and print those in poster size go for a higher resolution model. If you are not going to print greater than A3 print (11.69 x 16.54 inches) then 6MP will be more than sufficient.
*Low Light Specialist*
In combination, the shake reduction and the sensitive sensor provide you with a camera that will fare well in low light situation were others will already give you blurred images or images with a lot of noise. This also means that you will be able to use some lenses comfortably, that are too slow (dark) for many other cameras. For instance the Tamron 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II Macro (also available in a Pentax version) is a magnificent lens that is incredibly versatile. One of its few disadvantages is that it is not very fast, in particular at the telephoto end. No problem with the K100D. The combination pleases me no end and is ridiculously affordable.
*Hands-Off Approach to Noise Reduction”
The K100D produces less noise than higher MP cameras to start with but I particularly appreciate Pentax’s “hands-off” approach to noise reduction. Yes, the D40 spits out images which have less noise but at the expense of little detail left. Check out http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD40/page17.asp to see for yourself which kind of image you prefer; the clean but smeared D40 version or the more detailed K100D version with a bit of (almost film like) grain.
*Built-In Focus Motor*
The K100D’s built-in autofocus motor will drive any K-mount autofocus lens, no matter how old it is. In comparison, Nikon’s entry level models can only autofocus with a few modern lenses which have their own autofocus motor built in. Although the latter system provides you with very quiet and quick autofocus and the respective number of lenses is growing, this means that on a Nikon many classic, very affordable old lenses will only support manual focus.
*AA powered*
Four AA batteries or accumulators power the K100D. While these are slightly heavier than a specialised accumulator, they liberate you from special manufacturer’s accumulators and chargers. Four 2500 mAh accumulator will give you around 500-600 shots, which is plenty, AFAIC. You can buy a couple of sets for a very affordable price. If you ever run out of power, four simple AA batteries from any odd shop will save the day.
*Build-quality*
Handling the K100D is a joy as it is very sturdy and instils a feeling of quality. While the body is not as big and heavy as a professional DSLR, it still provides an excellent grip for bigger hands. If you are a lady with small hands and/or looking for the smallest form factor possible, go for the D40 or a Canon Rebel model. I find these way too small to hold comfortably. I love the fact that the door to the USB connector is solid and spring-loaded. No fumbling with a cheapo rubber cover you’ll find on point&shoots or the D40.
*LCD Display on Top*
Just like a pro camera, the K100D features an LCD display at the top, showing important shooting data. On a Nikon D40 you’ll have to waste battery power to use the preview LCD and waste time by turning the camera to look at it. Details like these make me feel that the compromises made with the K100D were made at the right end, i.e., no cost savings where they get in the way.
* 11-Auto Focus Sensors*
Nine of these are of the more useful and more expensive cross-type (sensing focus both vertically and horizontally). For comparison, the Nikon D40 gives you three, with only one of them being a cross-type.
*Conservative Exposure*
The K100D will expose cautiously, i.e., will underexpose rather than overexpose, if in doubt. This is ideal for a digital camera as there is no way to rescue blown highlights. With a slightly underexposed shot, you always stand a good chance to recover a lot of shadow details with some mild post-processing. Inexplicably, the D40 will typically overexpose. I know a D40 user, who applies a constant -0.7 exposure compensation to counteract this behaviour.
* Miscellaneous Goodies *
There is a mirror lock up shooting mode, which allows you to reduce camera vibrations to an absolute minimum. This function is cleverly linked with the self-timer option which helps to keep the user interface small.
You can manually set the white balance with a spot metering mode. I once shot a theatre performance and used the programme someone held six rows in front of me as a white balance reference. Thanks. :)
Two features you won’t find on a D40 are:
Auto-bracketing: Make a series of images with varying exposure levels.
Great for nailing the exposure and/or creating the increasingly popular HDR images.
Optical preview: Stop-down the lens for an optical preview of the depth-of-field for a given aperture. This is available in addition to a digital preview functionality.
*Decent Kit-Lens*
The kit lens of course does not compare to high grade expensive lenses, but at least it has a decent quality. The results you get with kit lenses from the Canon 450D or the Olympus E-520 are appalling in comparison. The Nikon D40 kit lens has no dedicated focus ring and you are forced to manually focus with the wobbly barrel. That’s no match to the otherwise very capable body.
*Bundled Software*
The “PhotoLaboratory” offers top-of-the-class RAW conversion (SILKYPIX engine) and supports lens distortion/vignetting/chromatic aberration corrections.
*Beautiful Images*
I compared a lot of sample images and found the K100D images to be consistently more appealing than that of the D40 or other models. The colours are very accurately reproduced and the exposure retains more details in bright areas. I felt the pictures resembled those made on analogue film with a 3D feeling and warmth, compared to a rather technical, slightly sterile touch of the D40 images.
Weaknesses: *Not a Speed-King*
If your emphasis is on sports/action, look elsewhere. The K100D’s continues shooting mode is relatively slow (2.8 frames per second) and does not last very long (5 frames, after which the rate slows down). In particular, if you are shooting RAW, this will slow you down when it counts to get in as many shots as possible in a short interval. Also, modern ultra-sonic autofocus lenses provide practically instant focus, whereas the K100D is often reported as being “slow”.
Note, however, that “slow” is relative to other DSLR models and means “very, very quick” compared to point&shoot models. Autofocus speed varies from almost instant, over 0.2 seconds to almost a second, depending on the lens, what focus range needs to be covered, and light availability. With low light (when flash or really long exposures are required) the autofocus can sometimes go hunting but at least it tries to lock where others give up. With my Tamron 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II Macro, autofocus is very quick and spot on target.
*Lack of USM Lens Support*
Unlike the K100D super, the K100D does not drive the modern (silent and ultra-quick) ultra-sonic motor autofocus lenses.
*Exposure Correction kills Auto-ISO*
The very useful “Auto-ISO” mode, in which the camera automatically determines the optimal ISO speed, is disabled when you apply an exposure correction. Unless you are happy with ISO 200, you then need to choose the ISO mode manually again. BTW, it’ll be nice to have a way of permanently displaying the current ISO setting.
*No Automatic White Balance in Incandescent Light*
The automatic white balance works excellently except for incandescent/tungsten light. This is a weakness the K100D shares with many other DSLR models, though. At least its incandescent preset white balance performs better than most.
*Slow Flash Synch Speed*
The maximum flash sync speed is just 1/180. Apparently you may want to have a faster synchronisation when doing flash fill-in in the presence of bright sunlight. I personally have never missed a faster synchronisation.
*No RAW+JPEG mode*
You are forced to either shoot RAW or JPEG, you cannot shot both at the same time. No big deal AFAIC, and the D40’s combined mode is useless as it only provides you with a JPEG in “basic” quality.
*No Backlight for Top LCD Display*
This means you cannot read the top LCD in very low light situations without a flashlight. However, this is way better than having no display at all.
*No Flashy Menus*
This isn’t a real weakness. Some menu items are abbreviated and there are no flash graphics, like featured on the D40. However, if this is of any significance to you, ask yourself what the real purpose of a camera is and whether you are after a photographer's tool or a toy to play with. I love the fact that you can navigate upwards even at the top of menus to directly reach bottom menu items. Also, the dial supports a quick change between menus.
Similar Products Used: Only a Rollei point & shoot model which is not really “similar”. I read a lot about other models, in particular the Nikon D40 and know / interviewed people using it. Customer Service: Updated firmware v1.02 means you can use SDHC (4GB and more) SD cards.
Updates to the browser/image manipulation programs were made available.
|
Sample Images
More Products from Pentax
Link to this page
5 of 5
View Comments (1)
4 of 5
