New review of the K100D Super

JJJPhoto · 09-19-2007, 11:12 AM

Just in case anyone here at Pentax Forums is interested, my review of the K100D Super was just published over at DigitalCameraReview.com:

Pentax K100D Super Review

Matjazz · 09-19-2007, 12:26 PM

Too bad you didn't test it with SDM lenses. I bet many people wonder how they improve AF performance on K100D Super

JJJPhoto · 09-19-2007, 12:48 PM

I requested the SDM lenses for review as well. Unfortuantely, the PR contact for Pentax USA didn't have access to loaner SDM lenses for the review ... and I just spent several grand of my own money on new computers and equipment for my studio so purchasing the SDM lenses myself was out of the question right now.

That said, when Pentax releases their next DSLR (and, NO, I don't know when that will be) I will pressure the PR contact to see if I can get my hands on the SDM lenses for the next review.

That said, based on my experience with Nikon and Canon lenses using in-lens motors, I can say that AF should be quieter and "a little" snappier but it probably isn't a night-and-day difference in terms of speed.

UnknownVT · 09-19-2007, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by JJJPhoto

Just in case anyone here at Pentax Forums is interested, my review of the K100D Super was just published over at DigitalCameraReview.com:

Pentax K100D Super Review

Thank you for the link and fine review -
I was really impressed with the battery life you managed to get using lithium AA batteries -

"During my review I used AA lithium batteries. I expected between 500 and 1000 exposures with the lithium batteries. However, much to my surprise, the camera still indicated the batteries had a nearly full charge after 1480 shots! My shooting was mostly done with autofocus, shake reduction on, dust removal upon each startup, and a mixture of flash and non-flash shots using both the built-in flash and an external hot shoe flash."

I downloaded the respective manuals for the plain K100D and the new K100D Super -
ref:

http://www.pentaximaging.com/files/p...D%20Manual.pdf

http://www.pentaximaging.com/files/p...uper_e_web.pdf

and these are the respective battery life ratings -

K100D

K100D Super -

these look identical to me - so it would seem that the new K100D Super may not have improved the battery handling or life over the plain K100D - which has a reputation for being fussy about batteries - especially rechargeable NiMH.

It would seem that with primary Lithium AA's the new K100D Super from your tests did really well - more than double the rated capacity according to the K100D Super manual -
did you do any testing with rechargeable NiMH AA's?

JJJPhoto · 09-19-2007, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by UnknownVT

It would seem that with primary Lithium AA's the new K100D Super from your tests did really well - more than double the rated capacity according to the K100D Super manual -
did you do any testing with rechargeable NiMH AA's?

I did not do any testing with NiMH because the press loan agreement with Pentax gave me limited time with the camera and the first set of lithiums I used didn't die ... and I was hoping to use the camera enough to kill them so I could give a final exposure count of how many shots you can get before lithiums die.

Unfortunately (for the review that is) the lithiums were still alive and kicking after 1480 exposures! The lithiums I used were Energizer e2 lithiums but I suspect brand doesn't matter that much. That said, I have several sets of Energizer 2500mAh NiMH batteries and they only last half as long as my Rayovac 2000mAh NiMH batteries or my eneloop 2000mAh NiMH batteries.

I usually get about 400-800 exposures with either the Rayovac or eneloop NiMH batteries in my *ist DL (yes, I know that's a huge range) but I only get about 250-500 exposures with my Energizer 2500mAh NiMH batteries in my *ist DL.

I really was amazed that the lithiums lasted as long as they did in the K100D Super. I don't know exactly how much charge was left in the lithiums but both of the LCD battery bars were lit on the K100D Super's display ... so I guess the camera was detecting at least half charge or more.

Still, even if the camera's battery meter was wrong and the batteries were almost dead, it's impressive that I got 1480 exposures with one set of batteries ... especially since I had shake reduction on all the time and dust removal each time I powered on the camera.

As far as the published Pentax battery life is concerned, I suspect they may be taking into account battery life drainage over time (such as if you left the camera sitting in your bag for a week before you used it again). I used the camera almost non-stop for two weeks during the review period.

UnknownVT · 09-19-2007, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by JJJPhoto

I did not do any testing with NiMH

I really was amazed that the lithiums lasted as long as they did in the K100D Super. I don't know exactly how much charge was left in the lithiums but both of the LCD battery bars were lit on the K100D Super's display ... so I guess the camera was detecting at least half charge or more.

Still, even if the camera's battery meter was wrong and the batteries were almost dead, it's impressive that I got 1480 exposures with one set of batteries ... especially since I had shake reduction on all the time and dust removal each time I powered on the camera.

As far as the published Pentax battery life is concerned, I suspect they may be taking into account battery life drainage over time (such as if you left the camera sitting in your bag for a week before you used it again). I used the camera almost non-stop for two weeks during the review period.

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply.

The battery usage on you test sample of the K100D Super on lithium Energizer e2 was very impressive -
this is what made me wonder if Pentax have actually improved the battery handling and/or life on the new K100D Super.

Regarding the battery level meter - lithium batteries hold their voltage level almost until depleted - so half or low battery indication probably would only show for a short while before the batteries were truly depleted

The K100D Super manual entry might just be a carryover from the plain K100D manual.

UnknownVT · 10-10-2007, 08:05 AM

"Popular Photography" magazine has published

Camera Test: Pentax K100D Super - - PopPhotoNovember 2007

One can compare this with -

Camera Test: Pentax K100D - - PopPhotoOctober 2006

RiceHigh · 10-11-2007, 05:51 AM

Originally Posted by JJJPhoto

Just in case anyone here at Pentax Forums is interested, my review of the K100D Super was just published over at DigitalCameraReview.com:

Pentax K100D Super Review

I am afraid that the Super is exactly the same as the Non-Super from what I can see from all the latest reviews and the sample photos posted. Well, even the Auto ISO bug is still there. The user manual has yet mentioned this bug, though. You may call it a "limitation" if you like, anyway.

For anyone who won't plan to use any SDM lenses on the body, just get the K100D and save quite some bucks - I can guarantee that you could get *nothing* extra from the "Super" (which is nothing "super).

For removing dust, a simple air-blow at a clean place does the job totally and never hope that the so-called DR system can help you in any way :-)