Pentax K100D Super

So many of the queries we get from people looking to buy their first digital SLR contain the sentence ‘I can’t decide between Nikon or Canon’ that a casual observer may conclude that there’s no other choice. In reality they make up only about 20% of the DSLR brands available, though they account for about 90% of sales.

Of the others, Pentax is one of the oldest and most respected names in photography – its Spotmatic was one of the best-selling SLRs of the 1960s. But in the digital era, the company has been rather quiet – its current range consists of just two models (if you exclude the K110D variant).

But quantity shouldn’t be confused with quality – we gave Pentax’s flagship K10D a 90% rating and a Gold Award. So what of its entry-level offering, the K100D? Since it launched it has been quietly selling by the bucket-load, despite its low profile.

Age catches up with us all eventually, though, and with no sign of a replacement, Pentax clearly felt that it needed to do something to freshen the K100D up a bit. The list of additions and improvements is somewhat short: the inclusion of a dust-reduction system, and the addition of the required contacts to make it compatible with Pentax’s new range of high performance, motor-driven SDM lenses. Oh, and the addition of the word ‘Super’ on the body. But is this superlative deserved? We’ll see.