Pentax K100D Digital SLR Camera Review
By Alex Burack
Reviewed.com Editorial Staff
September 05, 2007
A culmination of point-and-shoot accessibility and prosumer features characterize the Pentax K100D. The camera is the company’s first DSLR released under its resurrected moniker, derived from its K1000 35mm SLR – arguably its most recognized photographic venture. Pentax’s K-series offers a significant branding improvement from previous *ist-series DSLRs, though it doesn’t mark a major deviation in terms of product design and target audience. With a 6.1-megapixel CCD that carries sensor-shift image stabilization, 11-point autofocus, and decent all-around performance, the K100D is about as underrated and overlooked as SLRs get these days. We think it deserves more attention.
What ultimately may hurt Pentax in the eyes of the consumer is its smaller lens line-up and limited resale market when compared to giants like Canon and Nikon. These are good points for consumers to bear in mind, but ultimately don’t do much to undercut the camera’s respectable performance, manual controls, and affordable price.
With just over 6 million pixels coating its CCD, the Pentax K100D has less to work with than many competing models. Its use of the resolution, however, is fairly efficient. Resulting images contain an ample amount of detail with limited sharpening applied in-camera. Photos from the K100D will not appear as crisp straight out of the camera as those from Canon’s Rebel XTi or Olympus’s E-510, but it leaves plenty of room for additional sharpening to be applied in software.
The K100D won’t perfectly reproduce the golden tones in a sunset, but it might help it pop out in a print. Its rendered colors aren’t as accurate as Canon’s Rebel XTi, and are slightly more saturated than professional DSLRs, though they are more neutral than most point-and-shoots. In general, the slight tonal exaggeration – most pronounced in the red and blue tones – should make for flattering portraits and landscapes.
With an odd, yet expansive ISO 200-3200 sensitivity range, offered in full-stop increments, the K100D is less versatile than competing cameras. Many now provide the option of shooting in 1/3- or 1/2-stops. The smaller increments are an effective tool for controlling the increasing noise that comes from the higher end of the ISO range. Most competing cameras also offer at least one setting below ISO 200, and many have three. The Sony DSLR-A100 starts out with 80 and 100 settings before the ISO 200 setting; it only extends up to 1600 though. The Pentax K100D’s lack of low ISO settings is a critical exclusion to bear in mind, since it will impact the clarity and “cleanliness” of all images captured – day or night.
The sensitivity range afforded by the K100D struggled in its performance. Its handling of noise – even at its lowest settings – is inferior to other DSLRs such as the Olympus E-510, Canon XTi, Nikon D40, and Sony’s Alpha A100. However, the K100D’s noise performance is still strides beyond most compact cameras.
It should be noted that the K100D’s mechanical image stabilization will work to neutralize camera shake at slower shutter speeds and help users keep the sensitivity – and thus image noise – to a minimum. Olympus’s and Sony’s recent DSLRs offer their own iterations of this technology, though Canon and Nikon’s comparable models do not.
Speed is not a particular strength of Pentax’s DSLR line. And unfortunately, the K100D is no anomaly. With a burst rate of just about 2.5 frames per second, the K100D is not going to cut it for action or sports photography. This is more indicative of the price point than this particular camera, however. The most affordable high-speed option currently on the market is Canon’s $1,300 EOS 40D, which shoots more than twice as fast as the K100D.
The majority of shooters are more apt to discard blurry images rather than those containing a slight color cast or splotchy grain. Thus, the K100D’s brawn lies in the high percentage of sharp, focused photos it produces. The camera’s near pro-grade autofocus system, consisting of 11 focus sensors, with 9 of them cross-type, deserves the majority of credit. Cross-type autofocus sensors are more sensitive to contrast in both horizontal and vertical directions, making them more effective in low light or low contrast situations. The integration of mechanical image stabilization also helps to compensate for handshake and reduce the chance of blurring due to camera motion.
As a digital SLR that’s designed to bridge the gap between point-and-shoot automation and manual functionality, the Pentax K100D’s options run the gamut. Within its compact 5.1 x 3.6 x 2.8-inch confines are 14 Scene modes, a full Auto setting, a Program Auto mode, and Priority modes to help ease the transition into manual shooting. Users that prefer a more hands-on approach will appreciate the camera’s depth-of-field preview, tone adjustment controls, and image parameters to tweak sharpness, contrast, and saturation within the camera.
The Pentax K100D is powered by AA or rechargeable NiMH batteries, which may be a curse or blessing depending on perspective. AA batteries are more convenient; however, they don’t last as long as the lithium-ion cells used by competing manufacturers. The K100D also accepts SD cards, rather than larger CompactFlash media that is commonly used for DSLRs and tends to have faster read/write speeds than the more point-and-shoot-oriented SD media.
Without a professional DSLR in its lineup, Pentax has a glut of low-cost, high-featured DSLRs that remain competitive with larger manufacturers’ offerings. As one of the smallest DSLR manufacturers left standing, Pentax has looked to low price points and utilitarian features to attract consumers. While their cameras don’t sell as well as some of the larger players in the SLR space, they consistently offer solid values for the price. If you’re looking to invest in a long-term SLR system, a larger brand might be a wiser selection; however, the Pentax K100D will make for a nice step-up from any compact.
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