Pentax Corporation has actually been working hard to regain their ground in the digital camera industry. With their new line of DSLRs set for release in the year 2008 (although no real date has been suggested officially), one must wonder about what will have to its more recent products; in particular, the Pentax K10D, which has a few elements that will inspire the release of the K100D Super in August of 2007.
The Camera
Its almost a year since the Pentax K10D was in the market and the arrival of the K100D in August is just about right. However, there are a couple of features that will be included in the K100D such as the dust removal system found in later versions of the K10D and a full Supersonic Drive Motor lenses support. The K10D, it seems, was ahead of its time on its release. Its Pentaxs current best selling DSLR and has garnered a few prizes of its own, including DSLR of the Year as awarded by the magazine American Photo. And this is all for good cause. The Pentax K10D packs 10.2 effective mega pixels and a Pentax developed Shake Reduction system that is believed will become pretty much standard in the DSLRs to follow this model.
The Technologies That Will Stick
The Shake Reduction system is designed to minimize camera shake and therefore give more advantages at taking sharp, blur-free images even under the most difficult of shooting conditions, like low light areas. Pentax also developed what is known as the Pentax Real IMage Engine (PRIME) which will only ever appear in Pentax products such as the Pentax K10D and those to follow. This helps the camera to produce true-to-life images. There is also a 22 bit converter built into the camera that will speed up the transfer of images with accurate color tones from the CCD and into the imaging engine. Talk about fresh shots. The earlier mentioned Dust Removal system is something that seems to have picked up in the Pentax K10D and we believe this is the reason why it will appear in newer Pentax DSLR models such as the K100D. What this does is incorporate a Special Protect coating to help the CCD surface be dust-free and there is a built-in shift mechanism that will help shake off any dust that does get into the CCD area.
Other Features
There are also a few other things that have made the Pentax K10D a success which will most probably find there way into upcoming models of Pentx DSLRs. This includes the all weather body that allows for use of the camera in almost any weather condition and the ergonomics that the camera was built around. In fact, the K100D will most probably look a lot like the K10D in more ways than we originally anticipated.
For fans of Pentax products, the moment is soon to arrive when they get their hands on the new K100D. A lot more consumers who have the Pentax K10D will more than likely stay with what they have which is advisable until Pentax fixes up any glitches that may be experienced with the release of the K100D in August.
It used to be that you could go out there, buy a camera and load it with all kinds of film. Quality of that film was defined by brand like Kodak, Fuji, etc. There was no real basis for telling which film was the best for your pictures. Only through a trial and error method was it possible and this meant that you had to spend a lot of money for film. This no longer holds true with digital cameras. Through mega pixels alone you can tell what kind of quality you get. Its a simple process: the higher number of mega pixels, the better the quality. Don’t know that your mega pixel choice is? Here is a list of the recommended camera per mega pixel category.
5MP
For digital cameras at a cheaper price, its not the number of mega pixels that will help you. Its actually what other features the camera has. You can actually get a really good camera with 5 mega pixels and a high price tag. A good recommend for choosing a camera by mega pixel is to go with one that has other good features too like the Fuji FinePix S5200 Zoom. For just under $250, you can have a 5.1 mega pixel camera with 10x optical zoom that allows you to choose between auto and manual focus.
6MP
An obvious choice for a good 6 mega pixel camera is the Canon PowerShot S3 IS. It doesnt break the $300 mark and it packs in a 12x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom, optional conversion lenses can be attached to its body, and it runs on AA batteries. The build is probably what makes this camera stand out from the rest; it is painted with a dark, metallic gray and it doesnt feel weak in the hands at all. One of the most solid of digital cameras, this is definitely a winner when choosing a camera by mega pixel.
7MP
For a fairly price deal on a 7 mega pixel digital camera, you may want to look in the direction of Panasonic. The Panasonic Lumix FZ8 is one of the best cameras out their in its price range. A few bucks under $300, the camera lets you to reach almost professional standards without having to change the lenses when required. The Lumix FZ8 is great casual camera and packs a whopping 12x optical zoom lens; yet it manages to retain a form factor that is small and portable. This is definitely something for the creative individual choosing a camera by mega pixel.
For choices above the 7 mega pixel mark, you may want to look into the DSLR territory where professional photographers focus their attention. Prices may be a little steeper than usual but if you do have the budget and the expertise, you may find good bargains with Nikon and Canon. Sony DSLRs tend to be over priced but over time, the prices do drop to acceptable levels. Otherwise, your other option is to buy a digital camera off of someone who has no use for it; which is highly unlikely.
It was once believed that 5 mega pixels would be the lasting standard for all digital cameras in the world. This is almost similar to Bill Gates saying that 64kb was all computers ever needed. The fact is that digital camera manufacturers all over the world are pushing their own standards to their limits. And this cant be said more about the point and shoot variants that are available in the market today. Lets take a look at a few 10 mega pixel point and shoot cameras that are pushing the envelope for average photographers.
Sony Cybershot N2
It was only about a year a half ago that the 5 mega pixel craze hit the entire planet and Sony was there every inch of the way. They promoted all sorts of products that were hopefully going to be the leaders and standard in mega pixel quality. Today, Sony joins the race with others in making 10 mega pixel point and shoot cameras just as successful as the once famous 5 mega pixel variants. With the Cybershot N2, Sony has proven that you can pack that much power into such a small package. This little compact monster has an amazing touch screen interface in the form of its massive 3.0-inch LCD screen. A free-spot focus feature is one of the gems of this product. All one has to do is select a desired area to focus on and the camera will do as its told. Stylish and powerful, this 10 mega pixel point and shoot camera is causing waves in every resellers shop.
Canon Powershot SD900
The first thing that you will notice about any Canon camera is the solid build. Its an unmistakable trademark that Canon is built with some kind of metal that gives off just how solid it is. The PowerShot SD900s body is titanium and if anything, it is nice and shiny. A huge 10 mega pixel point and shoot sensor isnt obvious from this tiny camera. With the standard 3x optical zoom and movie mode that Canon offers, its obvious that they are playing it safe with innovation this time, providing their market with a toy thats just like the older models, only a lot more powerful and precise. With all the 10 mega pixel point and shoot offerings from Canon, the Powershot SD900 is not one that will be easily ignored.
Casio Exilim Z1050
Casio was one of the first companies to put out some of the highest quality slim digital cameras in the market. The Casio Exilim Z1050 is no exception. Still retaining many of the physical features of its predecessors, the Exilim Z1050 is probably one of the thinnesr cameras in the 10 mega pixel point and shoot category. With 10.1 effective mega pixels, its a camera that will fit in any small space like pockets in bags or shirts. Its stylish and commands its own kind of respect; the kind that will attract the market to its fair price as well. Expect more models of this kind from Casio and the Exilim series.
