DSLRs are meant for the serious shutterbug who would go any lengths to get that one perfect shot. They are tough and sturdy, with a magnesium alloy body that is reserved primarily for them. They are the ones that can withstand weather and shock much better than the average consumer or compact camera. When it comes to the lenses, however, one has to be extremely careful. They are the most vulnerable part of a camera and can easily get damaged, catch dust particles and such. Since the lens of a DSLR is the most exposed part of the camera, unlike a compact camera, every DSLR much come with a reliable dust reduction mechanism. The Pentax K100D, for instance, comes equipped with a dust reduction system. This is a 6.1mp entry level DSLR that comes with some extremely handy features.
Design and FunctioningThe new rounder, softer appearance to the K100D's body is certainly more appealing and appears to have become the 'family trademark' as it has been repeated with the recently announced K10D. The front of the camera carries some interesting curves, one of which crosses the face of the hand grip which interestingly isn't just for looks; it matches the increasing width of your fingers in the grip. The K100D provides two 'tone' options of Bright (the default) and Natural. These define the color mapping, tone and sharpening baseline for image processing. The K100D is the first Pentax digital SLR to feature built-in Shake Reduction, this operates by stabilizing the CCD sensor, while similar to the Anti-Shake feature seen in Konica Minolta digital SLR's Pentax claim their system is superior because it is the only fully 'free floating' design. The K100D features an auto sensitivity control function, which automatically sets the optimum standard output sensitivity - up to 3200. This camera also offers the exclusive PENTAX Auto Picture Mode, which automatically and instantly selects one of the five Picture modes — including Portrait, Landscape and Macro — by calculating various photographic factors to assure optimum results. This camera is compatible with SD/SDHC cards.
