Could this be the best value 6MP DSLR out there?
Could this really be the best bang for the buck out there? There are tons of cheap CCD DSLRs out there with a lot more features, better viewfinder, etc. I have owned a few CCD DSLRs before like the Pentax K10D, K200D, the original ist D, a Canon 10D and another Sony alpha mount I can't remember on top of my head. Naturally, I tend to ignore the K100D series. Why wouldn't I? The K10D is far superior. The ist D has a proper pentaprism, two dials, etc.
So long story short, I got a K100D Super as part of a package deal when I bought a set of Canon lenses. For the price I sold those lenses for, the camera was basically free. 
IMG_9524 by Tristan Carlos, on Flickr
Ok, I was ready to flip the camera for a small profit. I tested it quickly and it had really bad back focusing. Perfect donor camera for a newer Pentax body with aperture block. I was going to get the white solenoid to fix one so I opened one up and noticed markings and three allen screws and turns out that I can do focus adjustments on the older Pentax cameras that do not have AF adjusments via software. (let me know if you want me to do a writeup for this but basically turn clockwise to correct back focus. I ended up turning mine clockwise halfway to correct heavy backfocusing. 🙂
So I adjusted it accordingly and boom...what a surprise! The camera just felt great nailing shot after shot.
Here are the first SOOC JPEGs I took the last days.. no adjustments done to the picture profile whatsoever:
IMGP0021 by Tristan Carlos, on Flickr
IMGP0017 by Tristan Carlos, on Flickr
IMGP0012 by Tristan Carlos, on Flickr
IMGP0016 by Tristan Carlos, on Flickr
IMGP0003 by Tristan Carlos, on Flickr
Look at those colours! It doesn't have the green cyan tint of the K200D and K10D. It's leaning towards magenta which I like. Look at the sharpness! I read that the K100D super had a very week AA filter and it shows!
Also, as far as I know, this is the only 6 MP CCD sensor camera with IBIS. I am genuinely impressed with this camera and I would rate this THE Pentax CCD camera to have.
edit.. who needs the new Sony A1 when you can have a global shutter for cheap?? 🙂
Alright, take two - I wrote a whole message and then accidentally deleted it 😛
What a fantastic find! I have never heard of the manual adjustment for focusing on these older models. I'm surprised that never came up on PentaxForums. A quick write-up would be awesome, but even just a explanation of where the screw is and how easiest to access it.
The pictures look fantastic straight out of the camera. Great colors and exposure. I really enjoyed my Pentax *ist that I don't have anymore. Maybe I'll need to get another 6mp body one day to make an updated video about for the channel. It's been lacking some Pentax love as of late.
The addition of IBIS is a really nice touch. The Pentax K200D was my first DSLR years and years ago. Man I love that camera. It got the 10mp CCD sensor upgrade, but shared a lot of the niceties you're mentioning.
I just had a chance to look at these images on my computer monitor. All I can say is wow. Those look great and very sharp. What lens did you use?
Quote from James Warner on December 6, 2023, 2:10 amAlright, take two - I wrote a whole message and then accidentally deleted it
What a fantastic find! I have never heard of the manual adjustment for focusing on these older models. I'm surprised that never came up on PentaxForums. A quick write-up would be awesome, but even just a explanation of where the screw is and how easiest to access it.
The pictures look fantastic straight out of the camera. Great colors and exposure. I really enjoyed my Pentax *ist that I don't have anymore. Maybe I'll need to get another 6mp body one day to make an updated video about for the channel. It's been lacking some Pentax love as of late.
The addition of IBIS is a really nice touch. The Pentax K200D was my first DSLR years and years ago. Man I love that camera. It got the 10mp CCD sensor upgrade, but shared a lot of the niceties you're mentioning.
If I had known this before, I wouldn't have sold the ist D with D-BG1! That was such a cool camera but the backfocusing annoyed me.
An updated video on the 6 megapixel club is quite nice! Though I must admit I have been thoroughly enjoying the podcast videos lately. 🙂
So AF adjustment...It is very easy to do and apparently it can be done with the K-5 and K-7 too (albeit harder to access). For the K100D, as soon as you remove the bottom plate, the adjustment screws will be accessible.
- Remove the bottom plate ( 7 screws)
- Once removed, you will see 3 holes as per picture attached where you can access the AF adjustment screws.
- for Back focusing issues, turn the screws CLOCKWISE.
- For Front focusing issues, turn the screws ANTI-CLOCKWISE
I ended up turning all 3 half a turn each CLOCKWISE for a pretty gnarly back focus issue.
I had to find a picture in the internet and found that there's already a writeup in Pentax forums so I borrowed it from there instead of opening up my camera again.
Quote from grover on December 6, 2023, 7:42 pmI just had a chance to look at these images on my computer monitor. All I can say is wow. Those look great and very sharp. What lens did you use?
I used the cheap Pentax-F 50mm 1.7 . Such an underrated lens. It is as sharp as my 43mm limited.
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The F-Series 50mm 1.7 is an autofocus rehouse of the optical block from the a series.
