When Pentax introduced the K100D in 2006, the camera was touted as an affordable, full-featured, and user-friendly DSLR. A year later, when the manufacturer announced the release of the Pentax K100D Super, the device was characterized similarly. So what is the difference? If you look closely, the newer model has changed the dust removal system, and it is now compatible with SDM lenses that have fast and quiet autofocus.
In addition to these two new additions, the Pentax K100D Super retains the same compact size, ease of use, high ISO speed and image stabilization mechanism to eliminate blurry shots. Although the model was equipped with a 6-megapixel sensor when other DSLRs were already producing 10-megapixel resolution, its low price of $519 and its impressive feature set more than made up for it.
Pentax K100D Design Review
Despite the relatively low cost, it is important to keep in mind that this is notcompact point-and-shoot camera. The K100D is an entry-level DSLR, meaning it's aimed at people who want more control and want access to a wide range of lenses. At the same time, Pentax is known for making convenient and functional devices that can be used by photographers with only experience with compact cameras.
In addition to high performance, the device has other advantages. And the ability to change lenses is probably the biggest difference between SLR and compact cameras. The K100D comes with a Pentax 18-55mm f3.5/5.6 AL optic but is also available without it, allowing for a wide range of offerings. One of the biggest advantages of Pentax DSLRs is that they are 100% compatible with every lens they have ever made. The KAF2 mount fits everything from old manual optics to new autofocus optics. No other manufacturer provides this backwards compatibility.
Even more amazing is the fact that all the optics get their hands on a built-in shake compensation system at the same time. Other manufacturers like Canon and Nikon sell IS lenses for a lot more, and Pentax even has 40-year-old optics that perform better. As a result, the pictures look much sharper than before.
Pentax K100D Specifications
The camera specifications are as follows:
- Sensor: CCD 6, 31 MP.
- ISO range: 200-3200.
- Shutter speed: 30–1/4000 s.
- Focus: 11-point AF.
- Chamber dimensions: 129x93x70 mm.
- Weight: 570g, with installed batteries, memory card - about 660g
- K100D captures still images in any of four quality levels: uncompressed RAW, fine, normal, or basic JPEG.
- Frame size can be selected from three options: 6 MP (3008x2000), 4 MP (2400x1600) and 1.5 MP (1536x1024).
- The camera accepts SD and SDHC memory cards.
- Includes DA 18-55mm lens, USB and video cable, strap, sync cap, eyecup (pre-installed), bayonet cap, viewfinder cap, four AA alkaline batteries, and software CD. An optional power adapter for the Pentax K100D is also available.
Features and Assembly
The camera body, finished with a matte black resin composite material, is made of a strong metal frame, which makes the camera lightweight. The material, quality, fit and coverage are excellent. According to user reviews, the ergonomic K100D is the best friend of the photographer - all controls are perfectly located. They like that the lens release key is on the same side of the camera as the shutter button. This means that the little finger of the right hand can be used. The balance of the camera with the set of lenses installed is quite pleasant. Thanks to its light weight andexcellent grip on the handle, even heavier lenses are easy to control. Owners who have held the camera in their hands for 8 hours note that it is not difficult to work with it, even with such massive optics as the Sigma 24-70 mm f2.8.
Shooting
Auto Pict mode allows you to shoot automatically when the camera determines the necessary settings according to the environment. The camera leaves it up to the photographer to choose one of several options for flash, frame size and quality, ISO sensitivity and focus method, but all other parameters are calculated by the device itself. Even with the default settings, the inexperienced amateur photographer need not worry about anything other than aiming and capturing images. The auto shooting mode does a good job of capturing a wide range of subjects, but the point of a DSLR is that it's completely different from a compact one. DSLRs are for those who want to take control of their own shots.
Instructions for choosing optimal settings
Based on the illumination, distance and movement of the subject, it is possible to automatically select the optimal settings for the Pentax K100D. The description of the procedure is as follows:
- Set the mode dial to Auto Pict. The camera will then choose the best way to capture the image.
- Set the focus mode switch to AF.
- Use the viewfinder to point the camera at the subject. At the same time, optics can change its visibledimensions.
- Position the subject inside the frame and press the shutter button halfway. The AF system will begin to work, the indicator of which will signal the completion of focusing. The built-in flash will pop up as needed.
- Press the shutter button fully. Shooting complete.
- You can use the LCD screen to check the photo. After the picture is taken, it is displayed on the screen for 1 s. However, it can be removed by pressing the corresponding button on the rear panel.
Shooting modes
In addition to Auto Pict, the Pentax K100D provides six preset picture modes for specific scenes: portrait, landscape, macro, moving subjects, night portrait and no flash. The camera optimizes settings for different scenes and, like auto, the user has the ability to set some frame parameters depending on the selected scene. In addition, there are 8 additional modes for shooting at night, surf and snow, text, sunset, children, pets, candlelight and museum.
Exposure and Aperture Options
Finally, the camera can operate in Program Mode (P), Aperture Priority (Av), Shutter Priority (Tv), and Manual Exposure (M). These are standard features of any DSLR camera. In addition, the Bulb (B) setting allows you to manually control how long the shutter opens for very long exposures. The modes work as follows:
- P: Camera sets shutter speed and apertureon one's own. The user has the ability to change its settings, including the choice of flash mode, adjust the exposure of the camera and flash, the type of metering, autofocus, shooting, ISO sensitivity, white balance, image size and quality. The same parameters are available in Tv, Av, M and B modes.
- Tv: The shutter speed is set by the user and the aperture is set by the camera.
- Av: The photographer adjusts the aperture and the exposure is adjusted automatically.
- M: The shutter speed and aperture are set by the user.
- B: Same as M, except that the shutter remains open while the shutter button is pressed.
Exposure compensation
This function allows you to change the exposure within ±2 EV in steps of 1/3 EV only in P, Tv and Av modes. Most effective with center-weighted or spot metering. There is also an exposure bracketing function for shooting multiple exposures at different shutter speeds: underexposed, standard, and overexposed.
Exposure meter
By default, the K100D Super uses a 16-segment multizone system. Center-weighted and spot options available. Multi-zone photometry generally works well, but occasionally misses highlights in high-contrast scenes such as a bright sky or an ocean with the sun reflected in it. However, these shortcomings are found in other digital cameras. High contrast scenes with more appropriate light levels produce better results.
Focus
The Pentax K100D uses an 11-point AF system and the user can also select the focus area for automatic or manual focusing of the image. In addition to a switch located near the lens mount, focusing modes can be controlled using the camera's menus. Two AF options are available: single (AF-S) and continuous (AF-C). The first one is for stationary subjects and blocks the focus from changing when the shutter button is pressed halfway. The second is used when shooting moving subjects and focuses continuously when the shutter is half-pressed.
Unlike most multi-zone AF SLR cameras that use only one or two cross-type sensors that work both vertically and horizontally, the SAFOX VIII system includes 9 such sensors, resulting in greater accuracy of its work.
Focus speed Pentax K100D Super user reviews call it fast enough and independent of the installed lens. The AF sensor also determines if manual focusing is correct. While not the fastest model in the Pentax lineup, it focuses nearly as fast as the high-end K10D.
Monitor and viewfinder
Pentax K100D is equipped with a 2.5” 210k-dot LCD display with adjustable brightness. The screen has a wide 140-degree vertical and horizontal viewing angle, so pictures can be shown to multiple people at the same time. Also12x magnification of images is possible. The display does not work in live view mode - it cannot be used to compose pictures. For this, a bright and large enough viewfinder with 0.85x magnification and 96% frame coverage is used. This is better than most entry-level DSLRs.
Flash
The built-in flash pops up from the top of the camera body by pressing the button located on the back of the Pentax K100D. The characteristics of the lamp allow you to take pictures at a distance of 0.7-4 m from the subject, depending on the ISO and aperture settings. There are 4 flash modes available: auto, manual and red-eye reduction for each.
According to the owners, its only drawback is that the maximum synchronization speed is 1/180 s. This is suitable for shooting in low light, and using it during the day as a fill flash often requires shutter speeds of 1/500s or slower. Therefore, you have to set the aperture to f22 or more, which is not ideal.
Color
There are two basic image tones: bright and natural, with the first being the default. According to user feedback, this setting actually results in oversaturated colors, overexposure, and graininess. For this reason, they recommend setting the camera to natural tones.
The Pentax K100D camera covers the Adobe RGB and sRGB color space. While the former provides a wider color gamut,sRGB is more suitable for novice photographers as it makes images look much brighter on screen and in print. The colors are saturated, especially in the red and green parts of the spectrum. In order for the photos not to be oversaturated, they should be slightly underexposed. For this purpose, users set exposure compensation values to -0.3 or -0.7 EV.
The camera's menu system also allows you to adjust the saturation, sharpness and contrast of the image.
Light sensitivity
Auto ISO is the default in auto and scene shooting modes and sets the ISO sensitivity between 200 and 3200 as desired. You can also limit the Auto ISO range to values such as 200-800. ISO 200 is the default in P, Tv, Av, and M modes if ISO has not been selected previously. Light sensitivity can be set manually by selecting one of the following values: 200, 400, 800, 1600 or 3200.
White balance
Auto white balance is set by default for all Pentax K100D shooting modes. The user can also select settings for incandescent, fluorescent, direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shadow, or set to white or gray reference objects.
Battery life
Pentax is one of the few manufacturers of SLR cameras that allows you to install AA batteries. The biggest benefit of this solution is the ability to use andrechargeable batteries, and standard batteries that can be purchased anywhere, even in a small village in a foreign country. In addition, the K100D can be powered by CR-V3 type long life lithium batteries. The camera can take 1,480 shots with autofocus, image stabilization, dust removal on every start-up and intermittent use of the built-in and external flashes.
Optical characteristics
The included 18-55mm lens is quite good. The optics exhibit slight vignetting (dark corners) at wide angle (18mm), but are reasonably sharp across the frame. The lens suffers from slight barrel distortion at wide angle and pincushion distortion at telephoto. Despite the 6-megapixel resolution, images are detailed and crisp even at 100% zoom. There are purple halos around the edges (on high contrast borders), but they are only noticeable at 2x magnification.
Reviews
Pentax K100D user reviews call it more like its older brother K10D than other budget SLR cameras. The focusing speed of the camera is about the same. At 2.7 fps continuous shooting, camera performance is excellent, but the small buffer for 3 RAW or 5 JPEG images and the slow sync speed of the built-in flash severely limit the camera. According to the reviews, the image quality is one of the best you can see on devices with a 6-megapixel sensor, and ISO noise is limited precisely because of this. Full compatibility withall manufacturer's lenses means almost limitless opportunities to expand and grow your photographic skills. Colors are rich even when the picture tone is set naturally. Built-in stabilization and dust removal means this camera is surprisingly full-featured. Beginners who have just switched from compact cameras, with automatic and scene modes, feel very confident with it.
Given the price, the K100D Super is a great entry-level offering.
