Pentax K100D Super: Review

Posted to Digital SLR 2010-12-12

Pentax K100D Super review:

The Pentax K100D Super Digital SLR is an upgrade to Pentax's highly successful K100D digital SLR. The camera now features compatibility with SDM system lenses for smoother, quieter autofocus, a new ISO 3200 setting and a sensor-shake dust reduction system. The camera features the same 6.1 megapixel sensor, a 2.5-inch LCD display, a bright viewfinder with a 96% field of view and an 11-point wide-frame autofocus system.

The K100D Super is compatible with Pentax K, KA, KAF, and KAF-2 mount lenses without an adapter. The camera features an Auto Picture mode which automatically chooses one of 5 scene modes for true point-and-shoot simplicity. There's also an in-body sensor-shift image stabilization system which is not dependent on the lens being used. The camera also features a burst mode that takes 5 shots at up to 2.8fps and a 16-segment multi-pattern metering system.

Rating:

4.4 out of 5

Value

The Pentax K100D Super is a bit pricey when compared to its entry-level competition, but you get a lot of features for the price, including the sensor-shift image stabilization, which can be important when shooting with a telephoto lens or in low-light situations. It also has a very good build quality, and feels more solidly built than the competition with similar features. You can purchase a Nikon D40 (which is also a 6.1MP camera) with lens for less than the cost of the Pentax K100D Super body alone.

Performance

The Pentax K100D Super delivers solid performance. The continuous shooting times are very good, as is autofocus under good lighting conditions. The autofocusing system is a little slow in lower-light settings, however. Image quality is excellent, with the only complaint being the fact that the auto white balance often doesn't' get it right, particularly indoors. But it's easy to set the white balance manually.

Summary

If you're looking for a well-made, versatile entry-level DSLR, give the Pentax K100D Super a test drive. One advantage that it has is lens compatibility - it's compatible with virtually every Pentax lens ever made, which means that you can get some excellent used glass for this camera for not very much money. And the performance and image quality are pretty much on par with the competition.

Pros

6.1MP resolution
Sensor-shake image stabilization
11-point autofocus system
Compatibility with previous Pentax lenses
Large, bright viewfinder

Cons

There are no cons for this product