Inside Straight: Hot Heir

Ko Torigoe, head of Pentax's Imaging Division, leaned forward and asked in a conspiratorial manner, "Can we have a little secret conversation? Please forget about what I'm going to ask you."

I assented.

"What would you think of a digital successor to the Pentax K1000?"

"Go do it," I replied.

K1000's successor? Is the Pentax K100D bare enough, that is the question.

This inquiry took place three years ago in Pentax's Tokyo office. I wouldn't have revealed it if a digital variation on a K1000 theme hadn't recently appeared on dealers' shelves. But first, for those uninitiated in the mysterious K1000 cult, let me explain why I think it's such a nifty idea.

In 1964, at the Cologne, Germany, Photokina international trade show, Asahi Optical Company (Pentax) showed an attractive, compact, 35mm eye-level prism SLR called the Spotmatic. Its technical claim to fame was a swing-out arm with a sensor beneath the focusing screen that read the light on a central picture spot when you pushed a button on the camera's back.

The spot device was never made. Instead, two cells on either side of the viewfinder eyepiece measured the light from the entire viewing screen. But the name "Spotmatic" stuck to the camera, spot or no spot.

In ensuing years, the usual gingerbread was added to various Spotmatic models: self-timer, hotshoe, autodiaphragm, autoexposure, bayonet lensmount, mirror lockup, exposure information in the finder. Accessories included bulk film and data backs and autowinders.

In 1977, 13 years after the first Spotmatic, Pentax took the unusual step of producing a similar camera model, but one that was stripped bare: no autoexposure, self-timer, provision for back accessories or motors. All that was left on the K1000 was a plain focusing screen (sometimes with a split-image rangefinder) plus a meter needle that provided proper exposure when centered by the correct mixture of shutter speed, aperture, and ASA film index settings.

To everyone's surprise, including Pentax's, the K1000's simplicity and modest price proved a success for nearly 20 years, selling particularly to beginners and students. It was first made in Japan, then in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and finally wound up in China where, alas, it was said, Pentax ran out of sources for reliable meter needle galvanometers. So the K1000 became history.

Scratch a former K1000 owner's memory and you still find affection if not love. And a good used K1000 will run you around $200 or more.

The name K100D was not chosen by Pentax without knowledge of its closeness to K1000. And while many camera writers have lauded 10MP DSLRs in recent months, at least two reviewers have now joined the chorus Pop Photo started in October 2006, showing great enthusiasm for the 6.1MP K100D. Veteran photo writer and Photo Trade News columnist Don Sutherland devoted an entire king sized February page to praising the K100D and its features. And DPReview.com stressed Pentax K100D's Shake Reduction, use of easy-to-find AA cells, good image quality at high ISO equivalents, and mused, after making comparison tests, whether there was much difference between the K100D's 6 megapixels and another's 8, and whether even 10 would show much difference in detail. There was great enthusiasm from these two sources, so cut me in too, especially with the $50 rebate (as I write this), which brings the street price of the K100D body down to an incredible $430.

Crisp at ISO 1600: With Shake Reduction, the Las Vegas Excalibur's turrets at night are rendered cleanly by my handheld Pentax K100D at 1/30 sec and f/5.6, using a 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 DC Sigma lens at 80mm.

But now we come to a user dilemma for students of digital photography. How can a learner's instrument have "Auto Pict" and auto ISO selector modes? While these may be highly desirable for mass-market snapshooters seeking as much automation as possible, they're counterproductive for those who really want to learn photography. In addition, much of the shooting information for the K100D is contained in multiple LCD menus, unlike the discontinued Pentax *ist D, where critical controls such as ISO and white balance are accessed far more swiftly and conveniently by the main selector knob.

If stripping bare is still a must for a learning camera, and Pentax finds enough of a market for one, these eliminations and changes are what I would recommend in a Pentax K100D2, in addition to the well dressed Pentax K100D.

Would the beginner-aimed Nikon D40 and D40x sink a Pentax K100D2? Not necessarily. Pentax does have Shake Reduction, and it is compatible with a much wider range of older autofocus lenses. And Pentax could provide a 10MP K100D if competition with the D40x became a reality.

Comments

[GB Mukherji]

Whatever anyone may say, I have turned from a die-hard Pentax fan to a "will rather die than again buy a Pentax". The reason is quite simple. All reviews are time topical. There is just no way that one can know how a product will perform on the long run. The first Pentax I bought was a P30 T, followed by a P30 N. Both went out of order in about five years of light use. The shutter would not click. Then I bought a Mz 50, a Mz 10 and a MZ5n. Within about five years all but the MZ10 was 9and still is) working. (Incidentally Pentax discontinued the MZ10 within a few years of its release).

Electrical shorting is what I think is the problem. I remember reading in an electronic magazine that electronic parts come in three categories of quality. Some SE Asian countries use the third quality, and hence the prices are low. I am convinced that Pentax source their parts from these low quality shelves; hence the comparatively lower price. Nikon and Canon go for the better ones, I presume.

The short point is now I have gone in for Canon. Hopefully, time will prove me right.

GB

[ron scharven]

the first "real" camera i used was a pentax spotmatic from the air force...the first real camera i ever owned was a k1000. not having gone through a plethora of pentax cameras to digitals....resting on my shelf, ready to use, is my k1000 that in great shape and frequestly used. will i ever get rid of my k1000...not for any amount of money

[B Demers]

My first real film camera was a Pentax ESII back in the 70's. I passed it to my dad who then passed it to my daughter. It is still going strong.
Cheap components? I think not.

My first real digital was a Pentax istDL. I've now passed this on to my daughter and have purchased a K100D for myself. A bonus is that the old 70's lenses work with the new camera and benefit from shake reduction as well.

[Gordon Lucas]

My favorite camera of all time was the Pentax 645. I had to sell this camera in the mid-seventies to buy a car. I still remember that camera as the instrument I took the best pictures with of any camera I'd ever owned. Now I have a K10D and a K100D. The 10D is great, feeling just as solid as another premium DSLR that gets much more attention (for not much reason, either, methinks)

But you know what? I'm just as likely to have my little Pentax K100D in my hands. It feels to me NOT like a K1000, but more like a miniature 645. It's solid, versatile, incredibly good in low light and I take good pictures with it. It seems like an extension of me, like me old beloved 645. If I was mugged tomorrow, I would rather the thief take my K10 than my K1000, believe it or not. This camera has charisma and charm!

[Michael Perham]

I have owned Pentax MX, LX, SP and MZs and now the K10D, all funcutioned superbley and serve, or served, me well.

I am seriously contemplating buying a K100D and the 21mm and 70mm pancake lenses to replace my P&S camera. I would realy like to see the striped down K100D2 as suggested my Mr. Keppler.

[Derek Heeps]

I think GB above has been unusually unlucky .

I started out with a KM in the mid 1970's , that was the only new camera I ever bought . A few years later I got a secondhand Pentax ME , followed by two MX's then two LX's . These cameras served me well for many years and I only recently went digital with a used *ist D and also bought a used MZ-S due to secondhand prices dropping sufficiently .

I still have all of the above cameras , together with many lenses and accessories collected over the years . All of my cameras still work (the only fault being the light meter no longer functions on the KM , but the camera still works otherwise) . While most of the older cameras are now kept in a display cabinet , I still am confident that I could pick up any one of them and use it .

Out of the few friends I have who also use Pentax equipment , I have never heard of any having trouble with their cameras ; this includes a couple of P30 owners , an MZ-50 owner , besides people with ME supers , MX's , LX's and even screw mount bodies .

I use my cameras every day ; these days I primarily use the *istD and the MZ-S , still carrying one LX as a backup . My 20 year old daughter has one of the MX's to learn on .

I am somewhat surprised , therefore , that one person could have so much bad luck as GB , above .

[Michelle Knight]

It was sometime last year that I was talking with a friend and wished for that exact same thing on which Ko Torigoe questioned you.

It was by pure luck that I entered in to the world of SLR use in the very early 90's by buying a K1000 from a fellow student. Even today I take it out and use it for relaxation. It has another outing scheduled in August.

I did a brief stint as a sports photographer with an ME, but ran it in to the ground.

Lately, after toying with digicams a friend persuaded me to the *istDS, a fine camera apart from the autofocus speed. At that same friends insistance I went to a K10D ... great camera and I love it to bits ... but after reading your article I find myself wondering if the K100D was the way I should have gone.

Now I am to buy a house, so if the K100D is still around when baked beans are not the only food I can afford, I will definately look it up.