Wired rates K100D "Best of Test"

This week ended on high note at Pentaxville. We just received our advance copy of Wired Magazine's November issue. This is their "Test" issue featuring "The Best Gadgets and Gizmos on the Planet 2007". Low and behold, the K100D was rated the "Best of Test" in the Digital SLR category. Other cameras reviewed were the Canon EOS 30D, Nikon D200, Olympus EVOLT E-330 and the Sony Alpha A100. Despite the wide range of models, features and price points, Wired picked the K100D by saying "Pentax's retro-cool K100D offers professional single-lens reflex quality at a price any photographer can afford." It was also re-assuring to read in their review of the Sony A100 that its antishake system was less effective than Pentax's. I think I'll open a bottle of Penfold's Grange tonight. Or, maybe I should wait until the K10D reviews come out :-)

ROXY

Amsterdam with DA 70mm "Pancake"

I left Photokina Friday to spend three days with my wife in Amsterdam. As we both like to walk and explore, it gave me a great opportunity to test the new DA f/2.4 70mm "pancake" lens. The lens is from the final, pre-production run. Typically, these sample lenses exhibit the same quality as a full production unit.
I used the lens with a K100D. Photos were shot at various ISO's (from 200 to 800) and various apertures to see how the lens performed. All images were shot in RAW, and procesed in SilkyPix 2E.
(NOTE: If you click on the small images in my post, you should get a larger image in a new window.)