Did I just downgrade to K100D Super, or actually upgrade?

**pentaman** · 10-31-2009, 12:04 AM

Long time observer, first-time poster - I also maintain the same ID on DPR. This is just an introductory post, so please don't waste your time reading the rant

I sold my K10D some time back thinking I would buy K7 when the prices go down a little. In the meanwhile, I wanted a cheap camera to shoot occasionally and also to teach. So went and bought a K100D Super from CraigsList, for what I think is bargain. Anyways, couple of things I noticed:

- Pictures I am taking with my Tamron 28-75 lens is coming out sharper. I always thought K10D had some focusing issues, but I could never prove it as it was never consistent.

- The shutter noise on K100DS is much louder than K10D - anyone notice that?
- The Av dial seems to be in an odd place - since K10D was bigger, I can mis-dial easily
- I took a long exposure shot (with NR on and off) of a building, and I noticed the night sky had orangish grain to it. Could it be because I forgot to put the eyepiece into the viewfinder?

But other than that, what I considered a downgrade, is not a downgrade at all. I am loving this camera, and will probably keep it even after I buy my K7. Also, I might just delay K7 until the holiday season.

Hope to contribute as I go along...

**Ash** · 10-31-2009, 01:00 AM

Shutter is significantly louder on the K100D, that I agree with.
The K10D's dial has more space between each mode by virtue of not having any scene modes. I also prefer the K10D's layout and speed, but the K100D is a fine and capable camera, with better high ISO capabilities.

You've answered your own question about light leakage through the viewfinder in long exposures - this is not exclusive to the K100D.

Enjoy the camera - it was my first love (with Pentax) and will always have a place in my heart...

pxpaulx · 10-31-2009, 07:25 AM

I always thought my k10d was alittle off too! K20 fixed that, haha. As far as the shutter being louder - perhaps simply the sealing on the k10d provided some dampening over the k100. To your last question regarding long exposure. This is probably a white balance issue, and the sky (if cloudy) is likely reflecting city/ambient light - which you wouldnt necessarily see as much with the naked eye, as it is amplified with the longer exposure. Unless there were odd streaks (that dont conform to the sky/clouds) to the image I dont think it has to do with the eyepiece

Igilligan · 10-31-2009, 07:47 AM

Welcome to the best downgrade in the world...

I have always got better results with my Tamron 28 75 and my DA 40 with the K100d over my K20d... Much better actually.

I will take the K20 for all my old manual focus stuff but I will always love my K100.

kittykat46 · 10-31-2009, 07:50 AM

The K100D may be "only" 6MP but there is nothing low-end about the results it produces, especially in daylight.
I decided to keep mine as a back-up body after I got the K-7.

It does lack some refinements, single e-dial, AF-S/C buried in the menu, slow low-light AF, too warm indoor AWB, and, of course, a very loud shutter mechanism. I sometimes attracted attention when shooting indoors - sounded perhaps like a faulty camera.

adwb · 10-31-2009, 07:59 AM

I can't prove it since I sold my K100d to get a K10 but I have always had the feeling that using the same lenses on both bodies the K100d gave more accurate exposures.[to match what I see]
I have to either stop down or use the menu setting to alter what the K10 produces naturaly, but there again it might just be my K10.
I do prefer the K10 controls, but the 6MP vs 10mp does not seem to be much of a issue either to me.
Alistair

bobore · 10-31-2009, 01:58 PM

Coming from a ways back in the film era, I truly need that loud shutter slap to feel complete in my shooting experience! The K100d (and super) are great cameras. Very reliable & consistent results. For me, an upgrade to the K200d was enough, but I'm keeping the DL, K100, and Super bodies that came before it. That 6mp sensor is sweet. Also still have my mint PZ1p as well (shutter slap @ 1/8000 sec - cool!), and although the program shift & two dials are nice to have, most bells & whistles are often not essential in general shooting applications.

**LeoTaylor** · 10-31-2009, 02:19 PM

I agree with pxpaulx about the orange sky. Leakage though the viewfinder is more often associated with exposure problems or a glow on one edge. Sky glow, usually from Sodium lights that are orange, will be even or a gradient that gets brighter toward the horizon. I take a lot of astrophotos and orange glow is a major problem. I now have a $199 light pollution filter that helps considerably but also taints the color spectrum.

Be glad, your K100D lets you turn off Noise Reduction when desired.

Andi Lo · 10-31-2009, 02:51 PM

I went the other way... I have K100d and only very recently got hold of K10D. I dont think of it as much of an 'upgrade' but rather a 'range increase' like I usually think when I'm buying a lens of a new focal length / aperture.

I feel that with the K10D what I get is:
Pentaprism (for takumars); the metering is sadly not as accurate as K100d, but I'll live with it.
Weathersealing; I have a 18-55 WR coming as well. Come! Halifax snowstorm!

ISO 100; K10d iso 100 is love... above that honestly I dont see much difference from K100d. It's got a very different flavor, though.
Dual Wheel; doesnt matter much when you're shooting mostly takumars really. Why doesn't the front dial do exposure compensation like with DA lenses?? why?

Grip; my hand is molded to the K100d now but I find K10d much nicer than the K-7. Grip makes me look like I'm all serious business as well. I like this when I need to get some recognition from people that haven't seen my pictures...
Faster processor; yesssss. Very welcome

TAv mode, program shift, etc is just icing on the cake, but I dont find them too much of an essential. I dont consider the K10d a in-a-rush-to-shoot camera. I think my future k-x would actually be better for that.

Other than that I dont feel any significant upgrade at all over the K100D.... so I'd say you didnt get a downgrade... you got a 'range decrease'

jsherman999 · 11-01-2009, 06:30 AM

Originally posted by pentaman

Long time observer, first-time poster - I also maintain the same ID on DPR. This is just an introductory post, so please don't waste your time reading the rant

I sold my K10D some time back thinking I would buy K7 when the prices go down a little. In the meanwhile, I wanted a cheap camera to shoot occasionally and also to teach. So went and bought a K100D Super from CraigsList, for what I think is bargain. Anyways, couple of things I noticed:

- Pictures I am taking with my Tamron 28-75 lens is coming out sharper. I always thought K10D had some focusing issues, but I could never prove it as it was never consistent.

- The shutter noise on K100DS is much louder than K10D - anyone notice that?
- The Av dial seems to be in an odd place - since K10D was bigger, I can mis-dial easily
- I took a long exposure shot (with NR on and off) of a building, and I noticed the night sky had orangish grain to it. Could it be because I forgot to put the eyepiece into the viewfinder?

But other than that, what I considered a downgrade, is not a downgrade at all. I am loving this camera, and will probably keep it even after I buy my K7. Also, I might just delay K7 until the holiday season.

Hope to contribute as I go along...

.

Handling and shooting the excellent K100DS in the camera store is what orignially pulled me away from the EOS/D40 brink. I had gone into the store not even considering Pentax.

It's a class-leader and a joy to use. (The high-ISO performance is great also.)

.

**rparmar** · 11-01-2009, 07:25 AM

The K100DS is a great camera and I use mine as a backup to the K20D. I very much prefer the ergonomics of the latter camera and am disappointed that in some ways the K-7 returned to the K100 button positioning. I still recommend the K100DS to those who can find a cheap one and want to get into Pentax DSLRs.

**interested_observer** · 11-01-2009, 09:44 AM

I kept my K100 when I acquired the K20 6 months ago. I like the K20, however I really really like the K100 even more. I pulled out my Spotmatic II the other day and its mirror slap was LOUD compared to either the K100 or the K20 - no complaints. I really like the K100's size - its absolutely perfect. I went after the K20 for the dual wheels, ISO 100, the larger buffer (for HDRs), orientation sensor (small thing, but got tired of flipping every portrait image), and the Pentaprism - I should probably get a katzeye, since I like the Spotmatics's viewfinder so much (I have had it and used it for almost 40 years now).

I will keep the K100 and let the K20 go when I upgrade to maybe the K8 (expecting it to be the best of the K7 + KX - dark frame subtraction + more) about 6 to 12 months after it comes out. Bypassing the K7 - the K20 is good enough. Maybe my skill set will improve by then.... My wife tells me I need a better "artistic" eye.

Steve Beswick · 11-02-2009, 11:46 AM

I think that the k100ds was the end of the line of an evolutionary design methodolgy, which is very different from the current methodolgy at Pentax. For example, since the k100ds was the last camera to use the 6MP sensor, it has the most refined use of it. The 6MP sensor was used in 7 different Pentax models, and was the only sensor Pentax used for many years. By comparison, the 10MP sensor was only used in three models before it was discontinued.

I love my k100ds. My k10d makes me say "meh."

pxpaulx · 11-02-2009, 01:38 PM

Originally posted by Steve Beswick

I think that the k100ds was the end of the line of an evolutionary design methodolgy, which is very different from the current methodolgy at Pentax. For example, since the k100ds was the last camera to use the 6MP sensor, it has the most refined use of it. The 6MP sensor was used in 7 different Pentax models, and was the only sensor Pentax used for many years. By comparison, the 10MP sensor was only used in three models before it was discontinued.

I love my k100ds. My k10d makes me say "meh."

I tend to agree - but the sensor upgrades also provide a new path...for the same reason your k100DS makes you say Meh to your k10d, the k20d did the exact same thing for me! I have no doubt that the K-m squeezed as much as it could out of the 10MP sensor they used for the 10MP lineup.

Now, I am afraid my K-x might very well do the same thing to my K20d (I think if it were sealed to match the 50-135 I would probably have a single body right now...at the same time I felt no need to upgrade to the K7, strange)

Marignac · 11-02-2009, 04:04 PM

I downgraded from K200d to K100dS, most happily. The K100dS is certainly the best camera I've ever owned. Excellent high isos, exceptional good tempered metering, very good WB (if you don't fail to change to bulb when artificial light gets into the mix) and excellent rendering of any of my lenses, a size that perfectly fits into my hands - I will never give away this camera. Only downside for me is the loud shutter. But that really doesn't matter that much.

What comes next - Kx or K7? Don't know yet. But the K100dS won't go.

And yes, especially the Tamron 28-75 fits to it incredibly!

10-31-2009, 12:04 AM	#1
pentaman Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2009 Photos: Albums Posts: 253	Did I just downgrade to K100D Super, or actually upgrade? Long time observer, first-time poster - I also maintain the same ID on DPR. This is just an introductory post, so please don't waste your time reading the rant I sold my K10D some time back thinking I would buy K7 when the prices go down a little. In the meanwhile, I wanted a cheap camera to shoot occasionally and also to teach. So went and bought a K100D Super from CraigsList, for what I think is bargain. Anyways, couple of things I noticed: - Pictures I am taking with my Tamron 28-75 lens is coming out sharper. I always thought K10D had some focusing issues, but I could never prove it as it was never consistent. - The shutter noise on K100DS is much louder than K10D - anyone notice that? - The Av dial seems to be in an odd place - since K10D was bigger, I can mis-dial easily - I took a long exposure shot (with NR on and off) of a building, and I noticed the night sky had orangish grain to it. Could it be because I forgot to put the eyepiece into the viewfinder? But other than that, what I considered a downgrade, is not a downgrade at all. I am loving this camera, and will probably keep it even after I buy my K7. Also, I might just delay K7 until the holiday season. Hope to contribute as I go along...

10-31-2009, 07:47 AM	#4
Igilligan Guest	Preachin to the choir... Welcome to the best downgrade in the world... I have always got better results with my Tamron 28 75 and my DA 40 with the K100d over my K20d... Much better actually. I will take the K20 for all my old manual focus stuff but I will always love my K100.

10-31-2009, 02:51 PM	#9
Andi Lo Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Posts: 2,924	I went the other way... I have K100d and only very recently got hold of K10D. I dont think of it as much of an 'upgrade' but rather a 'range increase' like I usually think when I'm buying a lens of a new focal length / aperture. I feel that with the K10D what I get is: Pentaprism (for takumars); the metering is sadly not as accurate as K100d, but I'll live with it. Weathersealing; I have a 18-55 WR coming as well. Come! Halifax snowstorm! ISO 100; K10d iso 100 is love... above that honestly I dont see much difference from K100d. It's got a very different flavor, though. Dual Wheel; doesnt matter much when you're shooting mostly takumars really. Why doesn't the front dial do exposure compensation like with DA lenses?? why? Grip; my hand is molded to the K100d now but I find K10d much nicer than the K-7. Grip makes me look like I'm all serious business as well. I like this when I need to get some recognition from people that haven't seen my pictures... Faster processor; yesssss. Very welcome TAv mode, program shift, etc is just icing on the cake, but I dont find them too much of an essential. I dont consider the K10d a in-a-rush-to-shoot camera. I think my future k-x would actually be better for that. Other than that I dont feel any significant upgrade at all over the K100D.... so I'd say you didnt get a downgrade... you got a 'range decrease' Last edited by Andi Lo; 10-31-2009 at 03:03 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Upgrade path from K100D Super	ismaelg	Pentax DSLR Discussion	4	03-31-2010 09:12 PM
Any compelling reason to upgrade to K100D Super?	raider	Pentax DSLR Discussion	13	11-29-2009 12:14 PM
K100d super vs K20d?--Worth Upgrade?	pentaxian_tmb	Pentax DSLR Discussion	31	09-02-2009 02:12 PM
Time to Upgrade from K100D Super?	fatdaddy	Pentax DSLR Discussion	5	02-12-2009 08:48 AM
k100d super bios upgrade	loopingz	Pentax DSLR Discussion	2	11-12-2008 10:05 AM

10-31-2009, 01:00 AM	#2
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	Shutter is significantly louder on the K100D, that I agree with. The K10D's dial has more space between each mode by virtue of not having any scene modes. I also prefer the K10D's layout and speed, but the K100D is a fine and capable camera, with better high ISO capabilities. You've answered your own question about light leakage through the viewfinder in long exposures - this is not exclusive to the K100D. Enjoy the camera - it was my first love (with Pentax) and will always have a place in my heart...

10-31-2009, 07:25 AM	#3
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	I always thought my k10d was alittle off too! K20 fixed that, haha. As far as the shutter being louder - perhaps simply the sealing on the k10d provided some dampening over the k100. To your last question regarding long exposure. This is probably a white balance issue, and the sky (if cloudy) is likely reflecting city/ambient light - which you wouldnt necessarily see as much with the naked eye, as it is amplified with the longer exposure. Unless there were odd streaks (that dont conform to the sky/clouds) to the image I dont think it has to do with the eyepiece

10-31-2009, 07:50 AM	#5
kittykat46 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 923	The K100D may be "only" 6MP but there is nothing low-end about the results it produces, especially in daylight. I decided to keep mine as a back-up body after I got the K-7. It does lack some refinements, single e-dial, AF-S/C buried in the menu, slow low-light AF, too warm indoor AWB, and, of course, a very loud shutter mechanism. I sometimes attracted attention when shooting indoors - sounded perhaps like a faulty camera.

10-31-2009, 07:59 AM	#6
adwb Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bristol UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,636	I can't prove it since I sold my K100d to get a K10 but I have always had the feeling that using the same lenses on both bodies the K100d gave more accurate exposures.[to match what I see] I have to either stop down or use the menu setting to alter what the K10 produces naturaly, but there again it might just be my K10. I do prefer the K10 controls, but the 6MP vs 10mp does not seem to be much of a issue either to me. Alistair

10-31-2009, 01:58 PM	#7
bobore Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: North Oregon Coast Posts: 162	Coming from a ways back in the film era, I truly need that loud shutter slap to feel complete in my shooting experience! The K100d (and super) are great cameras. Very reliable & consistent results. For me, an upgrade to the K200d was enough, but I'm keeping the DL, K100, and Super bodies that came before it. That 6mp sensor is sweet. Also still have my mint PZ1p as well (shutter slap @ 1/8000 sec - cool!), and although the program shift & two dials are nice to have, most bells & whistles are often not essential in general shooting applications.

10-31-2009, 02:19 PM	#8
LeoTaylor Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Connecticut Photos: Gallery Posts: 679	I agree with pxpaulx about the orange sky. Leakage though the viewfinder is more often associated with exposure problems or a glow on one edge. Sky glow, usually from Sodium lights that are orange, will be even or a gradient that gets brighter toward the horizon. I take a lot of astrophotos and orange glow is a major problem. I now have a $199 light pollution filter that helps considerably but also taints the color spectrum. Be glad, your K100D lets you turn off Noise Reduction when desired.

11-01-2009, 06:30 AM	#10
jsherman999 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,237	Originally posted by pentaman Long time observer, first-time poster - I also maintain the same ID on DPR. This is just an introductory post, so please don't waste your time reading the rant I sold my K10D some time back thinking I would buy K7 when the prices go down a little. In the meanwhile, I wanted a cheap camera to shoot occasionally and also to teach. So went and bought a K100D Super from CraigsList, for what I think is bargain. Anyways, couple of things I noticed: - Pictures I am taking with my Tamron 28-75 lens is coming out sharper. I always thought K10D had some focusing issues, but I could never prove it as it was never consistent. - The shutter noise on K100DS is much louder than K10D - anyone notice that? - The Av dial seems to be in an odd place - since K10D was bigger, I can mis-dial easily - I took a long exposure shot (with NR on and off) of a building, and I noticed the night sky had orangish grain to it. Could it be because I forgot to put the eyepiece into the viewfinder? But other than that, what I considered a downgrade, is not a downgrade at all. I am loving this camera, and will probably keep it even after I buy my K7. Also, I might just delay K7 until the holiday season. Hope to contribute as I go along... . Handling and shooting the excellent K100DS in the camera store is what orignially pulled me away from the EOS/D40 brink. I had gone into the store not even considering Pentax. It's a class-leader and a joy to use. (The high-ISO performance is great also.) .

11-01-2009, 07:25 AM	#11
rparmar Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2008 Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,819	The K100DS is a great camera and I use mine as a backup to the K20D. I very much prefer the ergonomics of the latter camera and am disappointed that in some ways the K-7 returned to the K100 button positioning. I still recommend the K100DS to those who can find a cheap one and want to get into Pentax DSLRs.

11-01-2009, 09:44 AM	#12
interested_observer Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Tumbleweed, Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,707	I kept my K100 when I acquired the K20 6 months ago. I like the K20, however I really really like the K100 even more. I pulled out my Spotmatic II the other day and its mirror slap was LOUD compared to either the K100 or the K20 - no complaints. I really like the K100's size - its absolutely perfect. I went after the K20 for the dual wheels, ISO 100, the larger buffer (for HDRs), orientation sensor (small thing, but got tired of flipping every portrait image), and the Pentaprism - I should probably get a katzeye, since I like the Spotmatics's viewfinder so much (I have had it and used it for almost 40 years now). I will keep the K100 and let the K20 go when I upgrade to maybe the K8 (expecting it to be the best of the K7 + KX - dark frame subtraction + more) about 6 to 12 months after it comes out. Bypassing the K7 - the K20 is good enough. Maybe my skill set will improve by then.... My wife tells me I need a better "artistic" eye.

11-02-2009, 11:46 AM	#13
Steve Beswick Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Ontario, California Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,736	I think that the k100ds was the end of the line of an evolutionary design methodolgy, which is very different from the current methodolgy at Pentax. For example, since the k100ds was the last camera to use the 6MP sensor, it has the most refined use of it. The 6MP sensor was used in 7 different Pentax models, and was the only sensor Pentax used for many years. By comparison, the 10MP sensor was only used in three models before it was discontinued. I love my k100ds. My k10d makes me say "meh."

11-02-2009, 01:38 PM	#14
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	Originally posted by Steve Beswick I think that the k100ds was the end of the line of an evolutionary design methodolgy, which is very different from the current methodolgy at Pentax. For example, since the k100ds was the last camera to use the 6MP sensor, it has the most refined use of it. The 6MP sensor was used in 7 different Pentax models, and was the only sensor Pentax used for many years. By comparison, the 10MP sensor was only used in three models before it was discontinued. I love my k100ds. My k10d makes me say "meh." I tend to agree - but the sensor upgrades also provide a new path...for the same reason your k100DS makes you say Meh to your k10d, the k20d did the exact same thing for me! I have no doubt that the K-m squeezed as much as it could out of the 10MP sensor they used for the 10MP lineup. Now, I am afraid my K-x might very well do the same thing to my K20d (I think if it were sealed to match the 50-135 I would probably have a single body right now...at the same time I felt no need to upgrade to the K7, strange)

11-02-2009, 04:04 PM	#15
Marignac New Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Germany Photos: Gallery Posts: 24	I downgraded from K200d to K100dS, most happily. The K100dS is certainly the best camera I've ever owned. Excellent high isos, exceptional good tempered metering, very good WB (if you don't fail to change to bulb when artificial light gets into the mix) and excellent rendering of any of my lenses, a size that perfectly fits into my hands - I will never give away this camera. Only downside for me is the loud shutter. But that really doesn't matter that much. What comes next - Kx or K7? Don't know yet. But the K100dS won't go. And yes, especially the Tamron 28-75 fits to it incredibly!