Pentax K100D digital camera review
| Design |
| There’s little variation in design when it comes to digital SLRs, after all you can’t go and dramatically change the style, although perhaps someone would be brave enough to go for a different colour but they don’t. And as such the Pentax K100D is the usual dusty black in colouring with a sturdy hand grip on the left of the camera and the lens at the front. Around the back you’ll find the 2.5 inch 210,000 pixel LCD screen and to the left of this you’ll find the delete button together with menu, info and play and there’s a small button for popping up the flash. On the right of the LCD is the four navigation buttons, and a function button and there’s a sliding button that lets you turn on or off the image stabilisation. The function button provides access to those features that are used quite often like ISO, flash, white balance. There’s also a dial that lets you play around with the exposure and shutter speed. On the top of the camera you’ll find the flash and the mode dial. |
| Setup/Installation |
| Play around with the camera and within minutes you'll get the hang of it. The idea is that even an enthusiast can pick it up and start using it. |
| Features |
| The Pentax K100D comes with a whole array of features that will keep everyone happy. The 6.1MP digital camera comes with an easy to see 2.5 inch LCD with antiglare and wide-view design allowing you to check the monitor image over 140 degrees vertically and horizontally. We’ll start with the first, the Shake reduction. And if you prefer you can use the clear viewfinder with a 0.85 times magnification. Many cameras these days have this facility which makes sure it reduces camera shake providing sharp, blur-free images even under difficult shooting conditions, like when you’re using a telephoto lens, shooting in the dark or at night without a supplementary flash illumination, or using extended exposures for sunset scenes. The K100D comes with Pentax’s sophisticated SAFOX VIII autofocus system which features 11 sensor points (with nine cross-type sensors in the middle) to automatically focus on the subject accuracy. There’s a choice of two AF modes: the conventional single AF, and the continuous AF, which allows you to focus on moving objects. There is an ISO level of 3200. You’ll also find with the K100D DSLR an Auto Picture Mode, which automatically selects one of the five Picture modes so you don’t have to think about which one to opt for. You get a top shutter speed of 1/4000 second to freeze fast-moving subjects and capture decisive moments. It also features a flash synchronization speed of 1/180 second and a bulb setting for extended exposures. Continuous shooting mode provides approximately 2.8 images per second. There’s 19 customised functions, eight scene modes, an SD memory card, and a noise reduction mechanism. |
| Performance |
| We really like this camera. Picture quality is really good on the Pentax K100D. Star up time took no time and powering up and capturing the first image took around 1.2 seconds. And in between without the use of a flash it took around half a second. Shutter lag measured around 0.4 seconds. The scene modes were easy to operate and the autofocus and white balance functions worked really well. Whether you’re a novice or an experienced user the performance of the Pentax digital camera was really good. |
| Overall Opinion |
| If you're looking for a camera that doesn't make a lot of fuss yet gives you a really good experience then we suggest you grab hold of the Pentax K100D and don't let go. The camera is full of great features and takes lovely pictures. All in all it really will be a good contender for the Sony or Canon. |
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Pros + Easy to use + Lots of features + Anti-shake + 11 sensor points |
Cons |
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Picture Quality 8/10
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Battery Life 9/10
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Setup Simplicity 8/10
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Build Quality 9/10
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Ease of Use 8/10
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Overall Rating 
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By Babita Wakelin
20/10/2006 at 4:13:42pm
20/10/2006 at 4:13:42pm
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