Articles: Pentax K100D Digital camera – 52

Back in the dark ages of 35mm photography Pentax introduced the wonderfully basic K1000. It was a manual exposure, manual focus camera that was so reliable it became the standard for school photography for at least two decades. Unphased by the digital age, Pentax has released a little six megapixel SLR that is packed with features and, like the K1000, is incredibly easy to use.

The 2.5-inch screen on the back is wonderful to view. With 210,000 pixels packed into the LCD, you won’t have any trouble reading the menus or viewing your pictures.

The K100D comes with a razor-sharp 18-55mm lens, but it’s what’s under the hood that will really excite you. The 6.1MP CCD features a shake reduction system that moves the CCD to counter any movement you make. The bottom line with image stabilisation is that you can shoot two stops slower than you’d normally attempt handheld, which makes shooting in most available light a breeze. The image stabiliser can be turned on and off with the slip of the shaking hand control on the back of the camera.

Film sensitivity goes from 200 through 3200 ISO, with an automatic setting that will adjust from 200 to 800 depending on light levels. The automatic modes make using this camera as simple as using a compact – the only thing you have to do is manually zoom.

The 2.5-inch screen on the back is wonderful to view. With 210,000 pixels packed into the LCD, you won’t have any trouble reading the menus or viewing your pictures. Even when you zoom in on the subject, you will get a great idea of how sharp your images are. It has a minimalist approach to the menu system that makes navigation a simple process. If you alter ISO, white balance, flash overrides or the drive settings regularly, you will love the Fn shortcut and subsequent menu that shows you which buttons to push to get the desired result.

Pentax are one of the few companies to include a depth of field preview button on a camera in this price bracket. However, they give you two options for this control. The default is to do it digitally, where the camera gives you an image on screen to view how much depth of field you have. The second option is to do it the old fashioned way where the lens is stopped down and it goes darker in the viewfinder, but you are able to see the depth of field as a result.

This SLR, like the Nikon 50D, uses an SD card for image storage with the option to shoot in either RAW or jpeg files. Load a 1GB card in to this bad boy and you’ll get a wicked 333 large jpeg files or 92 RAW photos.

The K100D is a worthy replacement for anyone using an older Pentax camera. The large and clear 2.5-inch screen plus image stabiliser and the simplicity of use is worth every cent you’ll pay to own this SLR.

FRASER KITT

Pentax K100D Digital camera $1495

Contact: pentax@irl.co.nz

SPECIFICATIONS

Pixels: 6.1 million
Viewfinder: Fixed molded penta-mirror type
LCD Monitor: 2.5-inch, low-temperature polysilicon TFT colour LCD monitor (210,000 pixels), brightness adjustable, wide angle view
Shutter: 1/4000 – 30 sec
Lens: 18-55mm AL
Aperture: f3.5 – 5.6
ISO: Auto, manual (200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200) (standard output sensitivity)
Focus Modes: AF-single (with focus lock); Manual focus, AF-continuous available
Media: SD memory card
File Format: JPEG (Exif 2.21), RAW
Dimensions: 129.5 x 92.5 x 70mm (WxHxD)
Weight: 635g loaded with two CR-V3 lithium batteries and an SD memory card

PROS

SD card convenience
Pentax K mount
Beautiful 2.5-inch screen

CONS

Only six megapixels

VERDICT

A great one for shaky shooters

Aesthetics: 85%
Performance: 88%
Features: 90%
Functionality: 85%
Price Value: 75%

Overall: 85%