Pentax K100D 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Shake Reduction and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens by Pentax
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Digital camera reviews of Pentax K100D 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Shake Reduction and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
Digital camera Review: A solid camera with a few quirks.
Summary: 4 Stars
I have only had mine for a couple of days, so here are my impressions. . . Others have noted auto white balance is not reliable, and I agree. However, it is easy to set white balance manually. Most of the time autofocus works well and is fast, however on a couple of occasions I've found the AF would not lock or got confused, then I had to focus manually. The use of AA batteries may be a plus or a minus depending on your viewpoint -- I consider it an advantage, especially since it can also use CR-V3 lithiums (not rechargeable). I have successfully used both alkalines and rechargeable NiMHs in mine so far, and battery life is quite acceptable to me.
The camera has a lot of automated shooting modes of questionable value, and the default images with "bright" setting are over-processed and too saturated. Serious photographers will ignore the automatic modes and switch processing to the "natural" setting. The 18-55mm kit lens is versatile and I'm sure many beginners will be happy with it. If you outgrow it there is a huge catalog of Pentax lenses, old and new, which will work on this camera. However, it is best to stick with Pentax brand, as I have been warned that K-mount lenses from some other makers (notably Ricoh, some of which were Sears branded) will get stuck on the camera and are extremely difficult to remove.
Do not be scared off by the 6.1MP sensor! It's easily able to compete with 35mm film, while higher pixel counts produce only minor improvements that most people will never see -- but they consume more storage space. I chose this camera over the Pentax K10D because I liked the use of AA batteries and felt that 6.1MP is plenty of resolution.
I have been told this viewfinder compares favorably against competing brands, however coming from a 35mm SLR it seems underwhelming to me -- and I wish Pentax had used a prism-based finder in this camera. Compared to my old (early 1980s) SLR, manual adjustments of focus, aperture and shutter speed feel slow and awkward, but this seems to be a common trait of most DSLRs. I decided it's best to rely on the automated features for most snapshots and save manual adjustments for posed or staged photos when there is time to fiddle with them. The remarkable thing is, after stepping forward about 25 years of photographic technology in one day, that I was able to figure out the K100D so easily. With all this taken into account, I have to give it a very positive rating.
Digital camera Review: Amazing!
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow - picked this up about a month ago, and have nothing but good things to say:
Pictures - As advertised, takes great pictures off the shelf with the lens supplied with this kit. Plenty of control if you want it, but a great "automatic" mode, too, when you just want to shoot.
Lens - I'm no pro, but this lens works fine. There's next to no distortion at the corners like i'm used to with my point-and-shoot.
Durability - Surprisingly tough. Mine took a dive onto pavement while I was shooting at the Hartford Marathon, and kept working like a champ.
Digital camera Review: Another excellent Pentax camera that gives solid value for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
I have used Pentax cameras for nearly 50 years (47 to be exact). I started with a Honeywell Pentax H3 which is a manual only camera and did not have built in light meter. I used it for many years and got top notch service from it. I used a hand held Yashika spot light meter and was able to do a lot with this camera. I then moved into a Spotmatic and was able to use all my screw mount lenses from the H3 with it. I have lost track of how many pictures I have taken with these two and have always been satisfied. I have always liked the solid feel of the metal framed cameras and their ruggedness. I even got some great pictures in the UK one February when it was so cold out that the shutter did not reset when tripped, but I did not lose any shots.
I moved to a PZ-20 camera in 1995 with the K mount lenses and have used it extensively. I have the 28-80mm and 100-300mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom lenses that had image tracking. This camera system has been great. With the help of a Pro T flash bracket, I was able to do a professional job of my son's wedding.
I added the K100D about 4 or 5 years ago. I have lost track now but I have had excellent success with the camera. I purchased the unit with the 18-55mm f/3.5-4.5 kit lens and have been very happy with it. I really like the lens hood supplied with it and the way it stores on the lens when not in use.
I have been able to use both of my prior KAF lenses from my PZ-20 and that is one of the reasons I got a Pentax Digital SLR. The other reasons are that the quality has been excellent on all of my cameras. I have retired the H3 and do not use it much because the silk shutter is not repairable if it breaks. The Spotmatic is still going strong and has given excellent service even though I purchased it used for $100. A great bargain for sure.
I find that the K100D is just as intuitive and easy to use in any mode as was my PZ20. The principles I learned while using the H3 and Spotmatic have provided me with a lot of insight into what it takes to get great pictures.
One thing I have learned over the years is that you take many pictures so that you have the best chance of getting some great ones.
I like the AA format of the batteries for the K100. I can use either the specialized batteries or 4 AAs. One thing I have found is that if the Eveready Lithium batteries are used you get a lot more pictures. I also use 2GB SD cards all the time. I shoot in camera raw mode almost exclusively. You get a lot more quality to start with and can then save the pictures as jpg if needed although I find that the TIFF format has less loss in compression, so I will use it more often. I can get close to 200 pictures on a 2GB SD card.
On our vacation last year to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Canyon deChelly, Valley of the Gods, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Goosenecks State Park, and Dead Horse Point State Park. I took 700 digital photos and also shot 11 rolls of 35mm film in my PZ20. When you are only going to be at a location once or twice, the extra photos pay off greatly.
I have not found any real problems with the K100D and am very satisfied with it. The quality of the pictures is excellent for digital photos and the 6.1 MP has not been a disadvantage. Perhaps some day I might pick up a Pentax body with more resolution but only if it is justified. At the present time, I am doing great with my PZ20 and K100D systems and lenses.
I would recommend the Pentax cameras to anyone that wants good solid value for the money spent.
Digital camera Review: At last, a real camera
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the camera with the kit lens l8-55mm and I love it!
I really feel I have "arrived" with a real DSLR camera.
I've been thru a number of point and shoot digital cameras including kodak (2), Nikon(2), Canon A95,Canon S2is. And also used a canon DSLR D60 ($1200. camera) at work. I absolutely loved the S2iS which took great pictures, especially in conjunction with Adobe Photoshop with really remarkable results. The Canon D60 was not a good camera in low light, even considering that I did not have great lights. It was also extremely heavy to hold and around the neck. Even the Nikon 4300 (4MP) worked better than D60 with average studio lights, and took great quality pics.
Back to the k100d. Easy and fun to use. Perfect weight and balance.
Amazing sensor stabilization (every bit as good as S2is,and probably better stabilization). I plan to buy one or two used Pentax lenses although the l8-55 mm is excellent all around. Picture quality: I couldn't believe the great low-light performance! I took shots at 1/10th of a second at iso 800, in my living room, with no flash, that are better than any indoor shots I ever took even with a flash. The noise is practically non-existent up to iso 800. When the family is around and I'm taking snapshots I use the onboard flash along with a handheld slave (Phoenix) flash that helps keep the lighting absolutely natural looking and works great under different conditions (like with no lamps on). My outdoor shots were easy and wonderful. If over-saturated I can easily tone down the colors in Photoshop. I wish there was a way to adjust color saturation in automatic but it doesn't seem doable. Maybe I'll try in Program mode. If anyone is shopping for a dslr I highly recommend this one, an absolute bargain, with built-in image stabilization. Anyone can use this camera and get professional results.
Digital camera Review: Awesome Camera
Summary: 5 Stars
The Pentax K100D is compatible with all Pentax lenses. That is huge! If you are a previous Pentax owner, you can keep what you have. But even if you aren't, why purchase a camera from someone you know will probably be changing camera mounts in the future. I got the Pentax K100D for Christmas and I love it. This camera feels like a real camera should. It is responsive and fast. I recently shot photos at my niece's Quinceanera. I shot over 300 shots and 99.9% were first-rate. I had no out of focus or blurry shots and no shots that were delayed due to shutter lag. I used 2 CRV3 batteries and had no problems with battery life. Shots with flash and without flash came out great! Thanks Pentax for this gem of a camera.