K100D and K110D

Just read a little bit about these two cameras - found them by chance so hardly a big launch...


I can see the K100D has the advantage of the anti-shake, but can't quite work out what the K110D actually does? It seems that between the *Ist DL, DS and DS2 pentax has saturated one area of basic SLRs, yet it's just released another.

Does the K110D have *any* advantages of the previous DL/DS range?

Also - apart from the anti-shake i don't see that the K100D does anything extra - especially when compared to the *IST D (in fact it seems that until the un-named new SLR is released that pentax has made a lot of cameras that have no real advantage over the D - the possible exception is USB 2 - but i'll happily live without that all the time it's got the great two dial Av/Tv system)

As far as i can see, the *istDS2 becomes the K100D and the *istDL becomes the K110D. The added feature is ant-shake technology and of course a new name!

As far as I can see the K100D is similar to the DL2 with the pentamirror viewfinder rather than the pentaprism on the DS2.

The specs on the K110D seem to be very similar to the K100D but with image stabilisation.

pros/cons of pentamirror against pentaprism?

I *think* my Ist D has the Pentaprism, is this the better more expensive version or the older outdated one?

I'm just a little confused as to why Pentax appear to have re-released a couple of it's existing cameras with just one extra feature (and still no twin wheel system!)

I just hope the new top end D-SLR is worth waiting for - i've now spent too much on decent glass to want to think about swapping for a 30D...

Mirrors induce problems because the light is refracted twice, once when it enters the glass of the mirror (at an angle), and a second time when it exits, having bounced off the silvering at the back of the glass.

With a penta-prism, the light enters at a right-angle, bounces around inside, then exits again at a right angle. So, no refracton.

The prism on the D is excellent. But the penta-mirrors on the cheaper Pentax DSLRs are considered much better than those on bodies from Nikon and the copier-cam company.

G

I have looked throught the viewfinders on some of Pentax's competitors and cannot believe that people buy these cameras. Compared to the Pentax, they are dreadful.

Surely the mirrors are surface silvered? Therefore not prone to refraction? However, there are more air/solid surfaces than in a prism, which I guess could cause degradation, and is a mirrored surface as smooth as a polished glass one?

Dan

Think about it. To bounce off the silvered surface at the back, the light has first to go through a layer of glass - at an angle. Then it comes back out again, at an angle. This happens several times before it exits through the view-finder.

With a prism, the light enters once, at right angles, then bounces the required number of times WITHIN THE GLASS, then exits at a right angle.

G

George,
Dan meant this: http://photonotes.org/cgi-bin/entry.pl?id=Frontsilveredmirror


My wife has an MZ-10, which is a penta-mirror, and there's not a great difference. As John rightly says, the Pentax viewfinders are lovely (especially compared to the competition!).

Matt

I stand corrected.

G

I seriously second that comment!!!!! In a LARGE way!
Give us the twin wheels again PLEASE!!

You will get your turn with the K10D. Do not worry about that. Dual wheel is by far the best way...

There speaks a PZ1-P owner. Hope it's still working fine!

G

K10D?

i'm guessing that's the current guess for a name of the un-named new 10mp D-Slr?


i really hope it's an *IST D but with 10mp and faster write speed/ bigger buffer. Then i'll buy one

having owned a copier-cam company D300 (love that term george shall use it allways hehe) the firts thing you notice is the lack of information in the veiw finder as with the nikon units

the one thing i hope thay do incorperate into the new MZ-D call it what you will is the slopping top plate used on the MZS which is so easy to use without moving from the veiwfinder

anyway my name is on the first order with jessops carnt wait to get my sticky mits on it

i may even go to photokina and have a play