It's best in class on a number of specification fronts, but does this entry-level DSLR deserve its 'Super' moniker?...

Product Overview

Overall rating:

86%

Pentax K100D Super

Overall score:86%
Features:80%
Value:90%
Performance:85%
Image Quality:90%
Design:85%

Pros:

  • Handling, Image Quality, Low noise, Built-in IS, Price

Cons:

  • Burst shooting performance, Too menu dependent, Menu interface, No Raw+JPEG option

Product:

Pentax K100D Super Review

Manufacturer:

Price as reviewed:

£399.00

Features: Page 1

Pixel Count
The first thing you’ll notice is that the K100D Super only has a 6MP sensor making it, along with the Nikon D40, the lowest-resolution DSLR on the market. However, as we’ve repeatedly argued, it’s not the number of pixels that counts it’s what the camera does with them. Six megapixels is ample for cracking A4 prints, which is all most people need. In fact there are advantages to fewer pixels – smaller file sizes take up less space on your card and PC, and are quicker to download, open, process and print.

The sensor is a CCD suspended between electro-magnets. These are linked to gyros that detect camera shake and enable the sensor to be shifted to compensate. This sensor-based anti-shake has an advantage over lens-based systems in that it works with whatever lens is attached to the body, and thus saves on the extra cost of stabilised lenses. Whether it works as well as lens-based IS is a matter of heated debate in techie circles, but it’s obviously much better than having no IS at all.

Dust Removal
The K100D’s sensor vibrates on start-up, with a vigour that you can both hear and feel, to shake off any dust that may have landed there. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Olympus’s high frequency dust-removal technology works better than methods that use the IS mechanism, like the K100D Super’s, but this is something that’s difficult to test empirically. Either way, it only adds about 1/2 a second to the start-up time. (There’s also a Mirror-Up mode for manual sensor cleaning, should that be necessary.)

  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. Features: Page 1
  3. 3. Features: Page 2
  4. 4. Design
  5. 5. Performance
  6. 6. Image Quality
  7. 7. Value For Money
  8. 8. Verdict
Page 2 of 8 - Show Full List