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: Excellent Camera.....FIVE STARS!
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this camera and I am very pleased with it. Pentax quality speaks for itself and IMHO Nikon and Canon do not have significantly better quality lenses to justify the much higher price. (I have owned Nikon equipment and used Canon, so I am not speaking out of ignorance.) The 6.1 MP cameras from each company actually use the same SONY CCD, so the only difference in the body is the software and feature set. Again they are not worth the extra money.
Now to answer the question on everyones mind, YES the shake reduction really does work. It works VERY well in fact. I can verify that, for me anyway, it adds a 3.5 stop advantage. I have been able to shoot at 300MM in fairly low light with no blur HANDHELD!!!! This is something I would never do without a tripod before, but now I can take shots when I don't have my tripod that I would otherwise have to pass up. Don't get me wrong on this point though, because it won't make up for poor technique or make the impossible happen, but it will give you an added advantage that can make the difference between getting a shot or missing one.
Also the ease of use is a great bonus, especially for the beginner or if you are experienced and just working under fast moving conditions where you don't have the time to think out every detail. This camera is equally impressive whether in full auto or full manual mode. If you are a Pentax owner, this camera is worth looking at to upgrade to. If you are new to DSLR's, this camera is worth your time and money as a first camera....the next real stop up is $2000 away.
My advice is get this camera! It is worth it!
Digital camera Review: Excellent first Digital SLR camera
Summary: 4 Stars
I was looking for my first digital SLR and chose this camera over the other brands (Canon Rebel/Nikon D40/80 /Sony/Olympus..) as well as Pentax's own K10D. I compared prices/features and reviews on other web-sites and the reasons for selecting the K100D were the quality and features offered for the price.
Price - The current price of around usd five hundred with the 18-55mm lens is extremely competitive compared to other cameras that are now available in this range.
Features - (a) In camera shake reduction was a big plus - helps avoid having to purchase expensive image stabilized lens of Nikon / Canon. The live view feature of the Olympus line was attractive, but the image quality reviews I read were more favorable for the Pentax than for the Olympus or the Sony.
(b) Pentax advertises the fact that the cameras are backward compatible with numerous older manual / older auto focus lenses - to a far greater degree than other competing brands. This was not a deciding factor for me as I did not anticipate wanting to buy such lenses.
(c) I searched the internet and read reviews comparing numerous cameras / lens systems and Pentax does seem to have a strong reputation for very high quality lenses at reasonable prices.
(d) as against the K10D - this camera is at least two to three hundred dollars cheaper. It has numerous shooting "modes" similar to a point and shoot camera such as portrait/action/night shorts etc.. that should help a newcomer to these type of cameras. The K10D is a higher specification camera with a lot of control options that provide experienced photographers with better control - however I, as a beginner, preferred the simpler K100d. The K100D has an ISO capability of upto ISO 3200 and is said to be a better low-light performer.
For a person like me (limited budget, new to digital photography wanting to move up from point and shoot) this camera has been a very good fit and I am happy with the purchase. Buying the 18-55mm lens together with the camera helped me learn how to use the camera. It also gave me an idea of what other lenses I would need. Subsequently, I bought a zoom lens for range greater than 55mm.
ps: a new "super" k100d is expected to be released that has the ability to use the soon to be released Pentax DA* SDM lenses. The 'super' model also has in camera dust reduction. However, I am told that in case you want to use the new lenses, the current K100D model is compatible and operates at the regular auto focus speed, without the fast focusing SDM feature. The current model is fast enough for my current skill level and I am not too concerned.
I have enjoyed my past few months with the K100D + lens and have nothing negative to report. This camera (+ lens) has been a great starting point for learning digital photography.
Digital camera Review: Excellent performance for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
Got this camera for myself for my birthday... sad I know... but what a great camera it is. It shipped with a 18mm-55mm lens which is ample for taking great photos out of the box. I recommend rechargable batteries. I bought 8 so I always have a set - takes 4 AAs. It has a very good image stablization feature you can turn on and off easily. The Auto Focus is fast and the variety of shooting modes means you can get just about any photo, quickly, once you learn how to work with them.
This camera is a great value and provides all the functionality needed to take excellent photographs.
Digital camera Review: Excellent!
Summary: 5 Stars
Having much experience with DSLR's over the past three years, I was initially reluctant in plunking down my money for the K100D having used Nikon almost exclusively. To my surprise, it is a great entry level DSLR and affords the serious amateur great IQ, shake reduction (about two stops), low noise at high ISO's, and superb handling along with great build quality. The kit lens is a few notches above many other kit offerings and the camera really shines when using one of the Pentax prime lenses and their better quality zooms. The Pentax line up is very satisfactory and the lenses are extremely good and rather inexpensive when compared to the Canon and Nikon selection. Has to be the best deal in current DSLR offerings!Digital camera Review: Exellent for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
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.