|
Compatible with any PENTAX lens ever produced (screw mount adapter required) and featuring Shake Reduction, the K100D is the kind of camera that makes history. Picture a large 2.5 inch LCD monitor with 210,000 pixel resolution and a friendly Mode Dial offering Auto Picture and Picture modes as well as new Scene modes for even simpler photography. The 6.1 megapixel APS-C size CCD and sophisticated 16-segment multi-pattern metering delivers outstanding image reproduction, while the bright, high-precision PENTAX mirror viewfinder features with 0.85X magnification. Large 2.5-inch LCD monitor with 210,000 pixel resolution, wide viewing angle Sophisticated 16-segment multi-pattern metering determines the optimal exposure settings 6.1 Megapixel 3008 x 2008 pixels JPEG External memory - SD Card - J&R Recommends a 512MB SD Card or greater for more practical usage Shutter Type - Electronically controlled vertical-run focal plane shutter Shutter Speed - 1/4000 - 30 seconds and Bulb Picture Modes - Auto Picture, Scene, Standard, Portrait, Night-scene Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Action, Flash Off, Program AE, Shutter Priority AE, Aperture Priority AE, Metered Manual, Bulb Scene Modes - Night Scene, Surf & Snow, Text, Sunset, Kids, Pet, Candlelight, Museum Power Source - Four AA (Lithium, Alkaline, and rechargeable NiMH) batteries, or Two CR-V3 lithium batteries Battery Life - Approximately 730 recordable images or 700 playback minutes with CR-V3 batteries System Requirements - Mac OS 10.2 or later, Windows 2000, XP Home edition, Professional, standard equipped USB port Dimensions - Width 5.1 x Height 3.6 x Depth 2.8 Inches (129.5 x 92.5 x 70mm) Weight - 22.4 ounces (635 grams)
|
 Great camera with useful shake reduction |
| Review Date: September 3, 2006 |
| Reviewer: James Lin, Los Angeles, CA |
I took this camera on a trip to Europe and found it to work really, really well. The shake reduction was perfect for our visits to dimly lit museums. The flash also works well when you need it, and it doesn't overexpose your images.
The 18-55mm lens is really good for a kit lens. At 18mm, I found that I could usually get a decent picture of a building or room. It worked great for scenery too.
Since I didn't want to spend most of our trip adjusting my camera for each photograph, I usually just used Aperture Priority mode and auto focus. I feel that my photographs turned out great.
My only gripe is that I couldn't always get the camera to autofocus on what I wanted, but manually focusing is as simple as on any other SLR camera.
I would definitely recommend this camera for enthusiasts and even novices willing to learn a bit about photography. |
Best value in entry-level DSLR market.
|
| Review Date: January 12, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Dave, Massachusetts |
When in the market for an entry-level DSLR, I stumbled upon the K100D and ended up getting it. I'm not sorry I did. While Pentax doesn't have the market share of Canon or Nikon, this is probably the best bang for your buck as far as entry level DSLR's go. Here are some pros and cons of this camera:
PROS:
*Excellent size--not too big, not too small. Fantastic grip and shutter-button placement.
*Very solid build. Feels much better in your hand than the Rebel XT/XTi.
*In-body IS. This, to me, is the trump card for this camera. It works, and instantly any lens you have is stabilized. Even if some people argue a lens-based IS regime is better, what good is it when you can't afford the expensive IS lenses anyway? Fact is, in-body IS works--shots taken even at 1/8 to 1/10 have a much higher hit-rate with than without it.
*Can use any Pentax lens ever made. If you're like me and are on a budget, scouring eBay for deals can be fun and educational.
*Solid kit lens. Comes with the standard 18-55 but has a metal mount and is quite good, apparently, as far as kit lenses are concerned.
*Prime lenses. I can't believe how much of a difference a fast prime lens can make, and Pentax is probably the leader with these. With an f/1.7 or so lens, you just can' believe the kind of shutter speeds you can get even in low light. 1/10 on a normal lens can easily transform into 1/50 with a fast prime. It makes a huge difference.
*AA batteries. When I was in Europe with my P&S and I fried my AA NiMH charger, the fact my camera took AA's saved my butt. You can get them anywhere in a pinch, and a small investment in some good NiMH's get excellent results with this camera.
*Comes bundled with RAW software. I'm not a huge RAW shooter, but it's nice to know it's there if I want/need it. Some cameras come with RAW capibility but no software to harness it. Not this one.
CONS:
*Weak buffer/continuous shooting mode. You only get about 4-5 continuous JPG shots. If you're like me and don't shoot sports or action much, it's not so much of a big deal. If you do, you might want to look elsewhere.
*WB a little spotty. AWB is worthless in low light, but the tungsten preset is good. But it stinks that when you pop the flash it doesn't revert to flash WB, so you have to do it manually every time. It's the little things like this where Nikon and Canon probably beat Pentax.
*Slow read/write time. It just isn't very speedy, even with a fast card.
*Exposure compensation deactivates Auto-ISO. Basically, you can select your ISO range (e.g., 200-800). But if you use +/- compensation, it turns that feature off, reverting you to 200 and forcing you to change. A little annoying.
Overall, this is a great camera. There are a few annoyances and its overall operation isn't the fastest. But the images are excellent, and the in-body IS and prime lenses are a treat. Highly recommended.
|
First Impressions
|
| Review Date: August 18, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Gary P. Olson, Duluth, MN USA |
Other reviewers have covered some of the technical details of the K100D, but I would like to focus on the ease-of-use perspectives. I have owned a Pentax ZX-5n film SLR for a number of years so I have been waiting for the right time to add a digital body.
It was logical for me to stick with Pentax, but it really gets back to the reason I went with Pentax in the first place. Compared to the other major manufacturers, I think Pentx does a much better job designing a camera that does NOT require you to carry a camera manual with you at all times. One of the problems with modern technology is that it offers almost endless choices which can intimidate and bewilder the average user. The imbedded functions on some of the modern digital SLRs are often only accessible through a complex set of menus or user-defined codes.
I trusted Pentax would not design a camera that way, and the K100D is quite usable right out of the box. The default settings are quite robust, and this camera can be used readily as a high-quality point-and-shoot. Most SLR users want more than that from a camera: aperature and shutter priority, ISO settings and a few other things. On the K100D, moving from auto to manual adjustment is straightforward and simple.
Pentax optics are excellent and the picture quality from the K100D is perfect for anyone short of a professional photographer. Overall, this camera has delivered everything I expected and more. |
Nice feel and features
|
| Review Date: November 20, 2006 |
| Reviewer: K. Gittins, CA USA |
Although I like my Canon A620 (replacing an A95) it is a bit limited on focal length, and even Canon's conversion lenses degrade the image and make the zoom into a fixed focal length lens. So, after much deliberation, I began shopping for a DSLR.
The Olympus E-500 with 2 lenses and dust-cleaning is a low-priced option, but the 2X multiplier on the focal length makes really wide angle lenses a bit rare. And, ergonomically it was not quite right for my hands.
The Canon Digital Rebel XTi (my original first choice) and the Nikon D80 are very nice, with more resolution, but they are too pricey for me. The Nikon D50 is about the same price as the K100D, but has no shake reduction in the body, though that is available in some more-expensive lenses. The Nikons were a bit large for my hands as well.
So, I went with the K100D. Its medium size feels solid, the buttons and general layout are good, and it has all the basic features most people will need.
The viewfinder is nice and bright, but very shiney and a bit reflective in bright light. However, the camera displays the basic settings on the top panel, so you may not need to use the LCD much unless you review all your pictures or make frequent menu/setup changes. I use a stick-on flip-up LCD protector that slides off if desired, leaving a glass cover over the screen.
As with all manufacturers, the kit lens is OK but not great for one reason or another, so I got the body only. Pentax makes a decent selection of basic lenses, and Sigma or Tamron, among others, should fill any other needs. I opted for the Pentax 10-17 fisheye (reasonably priced with [...]), a Sigma 18-50 2.8 EX (kind of pricey but supposedly a great lens) for the mid-range stuff, and a Sigma 70-300 APO DG 4.5/5.6 (also reasonably priced) for the long end.
Pentax include 2 software packages. First is "Photo Browser 3", which handles directories and thumbnails, slideshows, basic image manipulation such as crop and rotate, and a variety of printing options. You can print photos only, Exif info only, or combinations in various sizes. You can also save an "index print" of thumbnails as a jpg, which makes a handy contact sheet. Just about every manufacturer includes something similar. However, Pentax also includes "Photo Laboratory 3" which is used to process RAW image data that the camera can produce instead of a jpg. With it you can change individual parameters of the unprocessed image data, such as color balance, contrast, or even lens distortion, without degrading the image quality, then save as a jpg or tiff.
I've only had the camera a little while, but I'm confident I made good choices. I've posted some photos in the Amazon collection.
|
Exellent for the price
|
| Review Date: July 13, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Ladyhawker, USA |
I was on a very tight budget and needed a new camera ASAP, since my old fixed lens camera had a lens that became "unfixed". I had a 35mm Pentax SLR years ago and loved it. After looking around, specifically at the Nikon D40 and the Canon Rebel, I decided to go with another Pentax this time due to it's affordablity and the online reviews that I had read. I have been very pleased, but there are limitations to this camera.
First things I like:
I really love the Shake Reduction feature. Neither Nikon or Canon had this. I was skeptical that it would make much of difference, but I have found that it does help the blur when you are pushing the shutter speed to a setting a little slower than you could normally get away with without a tripod. The Shake Reduction does add weight to the camera, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I like the extra weight, I think it feels more substantial in my hand and when mounted on a tripod, it feels more steady.
I also like that it takes AA batteries. It is nice to be able to stop into any gas station and pick up new batteries if I get into a bind, plus rechargable AAs are cheap and widely available for purchase. Other things that I like, the menus in the camera are easy to maneuver once you get oriented and the screen on the back is nice and big.
I REALLY love that the camera can be turned on instantly and there is no delay when a take a photo. On my fixed lens camera, it took a couple seconds to power up and due to a delay between when I pushed the shutter and when the camera actually would get around to capturing the image, I had to try and anticipate how early to push the shutter button to get the photo I was going for. This was a source of endless frustration when photographing objects in motion, especially my children. However, I realize that this is a benefit of pretty much any DSLR and is not an advantage that is unique to the Pentax K100D.
Another nice feature is the 2 second delay. I've never had a camera with this setting before. When using this, the mirror drops out of the way as soon as you push the shutter button, but it doesn't actually take the photo until 2 seconds later. This lets any vibrations inside the camera due to moving parts settle down before the photo is actually taken. This has come in handy when taking shots that are especially vibration sensitive, for example photos we take through our telescope.
It can be as easy or as complicated to use as you want it to be. I have fun playing with all the the manual settings, but in the automatic modes, it is easy enough that my 9 and 10 year old kids can use it too. Admittedly, I had to give them a quick training session so they could understand how the autofocus works, but they got the hang of it really fast with minimal practice. The "Kids" setting is where I leave it when I turn it off, making it ready and waiting for the quick grab and click photos of my kids doing their everyday stuff.
Things I don't like:
I wish it had an ISO setting below 200. A lower setting would help reduce noise when making bigger enlargements.
I don't usually like the color I get from the auto white balance mode, particularly when I am shooting inside. I have noticed this problem to be worse when I am in a large auditorium under those big square industrial lights that give a yellowish hue. This color problem can be fixed by using the manual white balance, an easy procedure, but sometimes I forget to do this until it's too late. This is a little quirk that I am still getting used to. This is my first DSLR, and I am a very amateur photographer in training, so maybe this is to be expected with any camera -- I really have no idea.
A few words on megapixels:
6.1 is fairly low on the scale of available megapixels on new cameras today, but after doing some reading on the subject, I couldn't see spending a lot of money chasing megapixels. 6.1 is big enough for me to do a 16 x 20 enlargement, the largest size I have ever needed, and that is only needed on rare occasions. It is also big enough to let me do a fairly tight crop and print a nice 5x7 or 8x10 if I feel the need.
Summary:
OK, so yes there are better cameras out there, but you can spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on photographic equipment and still recognize that there is something better out there than what you have. I gave this camera 5 stars because for the price, I just don't think it gets any better than this. I love it. |
|
No video reviews found for this product.
