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"Solid, easy to figure out and great images" on by stuartclan
Pros: Solid feel, great images, relatively easy menu, good price, uses AA batteries
Cons: flash sync maybe a little slow at 1/180 sec.
Summary: I spent 10 years as a photographer for some small town newspapers, using strictly film slr's. I bought my first digital two years ago- a point & shoot Canon A60. I was impressed with the image quality coming out of that little 2 megapixel camera, but hated the lack of manual flexibility and the terrible shutter lag. The shutter lag became more of an issue as I started doing equine photography for my wife's horses, and then the occasional paid shoot. I finally decided to move up to a digital slr, and after two weeks of painstaking review, decided on the Pentax K100d. I couldn't be happier with my choice. I looked closely at the Nikon d50, and even though it got good reviews on shooting speed and image quality, I was turned off by the lack of RAW support, mediocre viewfinder, and lack of image stabilization and/or dust reduction. I liked the Olympus E500's value for the money, and it's dust reduction, along with its 8 megapixel sensor, but it had a pretty poor viewfinder, along with only reasonably good image quality. The Pentax k100d has a very solid feel, large, bright viewfinder that makes manual focusing easy, and the images I've gotten out of it so far have been crystal clear, sharp, and full of vibrant color. I've just scratched the surface with it as far as its controls, but it only took me 10 minutes to figure out how to utilize it's manual settings, including using the built in flash for fill. I opted for the body only, with a 28-200 Tamron zoom lense from Beach Camera. They were a pleasure to order from. They just took my order and sent the camera out immediately. No pushy salespeople calling me later with a "conformation call" trying to get me to buy the extended warranty or a camera bag. I honestly believe anyone looking for a high quality digital slr will do well with this model from Pentax.
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"Has some great features that sets it apart from the rest of the entry level pack." on by SaintViper
Pros: Shake reduction works great with any lens. Uses AA batteries which can be found anywhere.
Cons: Smallish buffer, doesn't support new USM lenses.
Summary: For people moving up from point and shoots, you really can't go wrong with this camera or Pentax in general. All of the standard SLR features are there. Features like the large SLR sensor, the great manual controls, and the ability to add an external flash and use different lenses. The shake reduction feature really sets it apart from other entry level dSLR's. To get this feature with Canon or Nikon, you need to buy expensive lenses with the feature built in. On the other hand, Canon and Nikon offer more accessory choices like flashes and grips. They also support USM lenses which are quieter.
The fact that this camera uses AA is a huge advantage in my opinion. No more worrying if your rechargables have gone flat while the camera hasn't been used. Just drop in some lithium AA's and your good to go for about 1000 shots no matter how long the camera sits between shoots. If you shoot alot, you can use rechargable AA's and get around 400 shots on a fresh charge. Or if your really in a pinch, throw some cheap AA alkalines in there which will barely get you 100 shots, but you can find them anywhere. It still beats bumming a charge when your proprietary lithium battery goes flat on any other camera.
Some notes about the review: The review states that the camera doesn't have a focus assist light. The camera uses the flash for focus assist, so you have to raise it if you are shooting in low light to get it to work. Not as convenient as a seperate lamp on the front of the camera, but it's there if you need it. A single control dial is pretty much standard in this price range and works very well for most adjustments. Six megapixels is kind of a sweet spot for balancing noise at high ISO vs. having enough pixels for cropping or enlargements. 10 megapixels is becoming the standard but the high ISO noise performance of this camera is better than any of the current 10 megapixel cameras, so it's a trade off. I've blown pictures up to 11x14 with plenty of detail available. More megapixels would be nice but I'm not sure I'd be willing to trade the high ISO performance for it. Keep that in mind if you plan to shoot indoors without a flash.
Overall, for entry through intermediate level users this is a great camera. It has enough features to satisfy most entry level SLR photographers and the price is unbeatable. You'd have to know quite a bit about photography before the features it doesn't have vs. more advanced camera start to limit what you can do with it. -
"For the price and the features, it's all the camera that 75% of "casual" users need." on by gtay
Pros: Well balanced and feels great during operation. First time I've used RAW and with the processing program provided it cranks out some really great pics.
Cons: As reported by many, white balance is a problem but using RAW makes for good pictures in very low light situations. 6 mp is problematic--for me it's no big deal since my hard copies will all be 4x6.
Summary: Hard to believe that all the features are packed into this small unit at such a reasonable price. On top of that, I've pulled all my Pentax lenses out of the closet and am getting results like I used to dream about with my family of retired Pentax SLR cameras. As one reviewer already said---with a bunch of good old Pentax lenses, buying this camera really was a no-brainer.
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"looking good so far" on by najsnarf
Pros: body, lenses, legacy compatible
Cons: still some low light issues
Summary: I have to be honest;the initial response after buying this camera was: what is the difference between this one and my previous 3mgpx point and shoot?
It just needed a little bit of experimenting to find out, pictures from this camera are truly spectacular.
Putting them on my computer screen really blew me away... especially when you start to enlarge and look for detail... WOW !
I know, coming from a P&S camera there is still a lot to be learned when it comes to all the features. I realize that I had become a very lazy in trying to make a good picture as you often just randomly shoot with little feeling for lighting, composition etc.
I bought the Twin kit ( including the Pentax telezoom 70-200mm ) and am very pleased with the zoom results till now.
I am concerned about the performance in low light, till now I have not been able to figure out how to make the camera perform in an acceptable manner, more experiments I guess but I think the build in flash is not quite what I expected.
My buying selection - to a large extend - focussed around the body. I have big hands and this camera allowed a more solid grip compared to Canon or Nikon in the same segment ( XTI , D50 ).
Maybe I am old fashioned but I also like 'some' weight. The alternative camera's were full plastic ( even their lenses ) and had a flimsy feeling.
You will find in the K100D a rigid metal body design.
Sure, some people will question my choice for a 6.3 mgpx 'only' but I know my limits in this hobby as well as photo printing needs and therefore choose to stay away from that hype.
Differences are often small in this segment but prices start to vary a bit more if you are looking for a complete package.
I was able to get this kit (18/55 + 70-200mm)and ALL needed initial accesories for a starter (2gb high speed, bag, filters, cleaning, protectors etc) for just $ 900.00.. Comparable sets for Nikon and Canon would pushed me up to 1300-1400... ( with brand related lenses )
I bought this with a local camera shop as I value service and face-to-face technical support if I need it. They even added free SLR classes and all kinds of additional incentives (valued at $199).
Conclusion: Great Starter Kit, more than you can handle in your first DSLR adventure, great value for money, great legacy lense compatibility ( so,search your family's attic for unused stuff
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"Excellent choice for Entry-level DSLR" on by krkurtz1962
Pros: Responsiveness of shutter, built-in flash, unlimited feaures, ability to use previous Pentax mount lenses
Cons: None found yet
Summary: Having grown up using Pentax SLR Cameras and Lenses I was very intrigued by the K100D and the ability to reuse some of my K mount lenses. I am extremely impressed so far with image quality, the built-in flash (no red eye problems so far) and the almost instantaneous shutter of the camera. Having been oppressed for so long by the compact digital cameras I have reinvigorated my love of photography and can't wait to explore the many features of the K100D. The auto-focus has been very good so far with just one occasion where it didn't seem to adjust properly, but that also could have been operator error.
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