Aftermarket Grips for the K100D

The Makeall prototype grip on a K100D.

The K100D, and by extension the K110D and the K100D Super, were never designed by Pentax to have an accessory grip. There are options out there, though, so if you've got a fever for aftermarket grips, read on.

Why do people love grips so much when in contrast camera companies are trying to do everything they can to reduce the size of cameras? Usually it's because they like the added handheld stability and the usefulness of at least one of the following: motorized winders (old school SLRs only), battery packs, and vertical shutter releases.

Another reason, I assume, is one that's often unspoken. Maybe they inflate the ego. To a camera manufacturer, grips have typically been regarded as advanced amateur or professional requirements only, in other words they are lofty possessions that entry-level camera (cheap) owners aren't predisposed to purchasing. But despite what your camera looks like, especially if it's at the low end of the totem pole, you want to be taken seriously. I suppose that the iconic professional silhouette (a bulky camera that looks like an expensive and deadly ninja brick) is so much more professional looking that entry-level users who don't have one just seethe with jealousy. (I know I would if I didn't have a K10D and my wonder vertical battery grip, the BG-2. People know I mean business when I walk into a room and wave my camera grip around. And I'm sure to wave it under their noses in case they miss it. It's powerful. And it looks like I spent real money on it, like at least $100. Which is true. I'm a big spender (I'm not going to lie). And besides that, it's not like I'm totally ego driven, because any SLR fanatic worth his salt knows that the true look of professionalism is to have a bulky black camera that was intentionally designed without a pop-up flash. But I digress.*)

Alienated K100D users who want a grip dream about them. Sometimes in the same way that a redneck wants to build a limo out of junkyard trucks (pictured on the right). So if you absolutely must, there actually are ways to get a grip for your camera.

You can build your own (some skill, creativity, and glue required). Here's a link to an infamous example that I first saw on Pentax Life. Or you can look up a manufacturer who's taken up the dream.

The Makeall Grip, with Data IO door cover.

DiCain previously made a vertical grip for the *ist DS, but so far they don't make a K100D version, and the *ist DS version is really hard to find. However, another manufacturer, Makeall, is testing out new some possibilities that resemble the DiCain grip, but with smoother styling. It's not yet available for retail, although some people are already using it in South Korea. Essentially, it's a vertical shutter release grip that uses the Pentax remote IO to operate the button. There is no battery support. I imagine it won't add much weight to the camera, either. Thanks to Won at Tobogi for letting me know about this.

Ownuser Battery Grip. Photo by J. Milo.

If you're looking for a grip with both vertical shutter release and additional battery power, the only contender right now isn't as cosmetically successful, but it works. It's an FBH from Taiwanese manufacter Ownuser. Note that the camera's data port door must be left uncovered. And it does look heavy. Here's a link to a thoughtful review about it.

Ownuser FBH on the K100D. Photo by J. Milo.

So, there may not be many options out there, but maybe that's because it's not to everyone's tastes to add an additional grip to the K100D, which is plenty of fun all on its own.

* Sarcasm alert.

Links: Makeall Prototype K100D Vertical Shutter Release Grip, Ownuser, Ownuser K100D battery grip review, DiCain SG-1 *ist DS Grip, Homemade K100D grip

New Coupon: Pentax's Picture Perfect DSLR System Rebate

I just found out about this today, but I guess Pentax USA updated their seemingly perpetual rebate coupon for May 1st with some new deals. If you're looking for a new K10D or the K100D, you might want to do the math.


It gets you up to $50 off a K10D or K100D, and as much as $150 off when you buy the kit with the DA 50-200 lens. Honestly, the DA 50-200 is such a nice lens, I'm pretty amazed that Pentax is practically giving it away for about $50 bucks when you buy it with a camera. Seeing as the upcoming DA* lenses that should be out this summer aren't listed, I'm thinking we may not seem them shipping until August.

All the usual lens rebates of $50 to $100 are still running, as well as the $25 to $50 rebate on flashes, and a special rebate of $125 when you buy the K10D and BG2 battery grip together. One coupon at a time, though.

FYI, USA only, and it takes about 6-8 weeks for the rebate check to arrive. This has been my experience with the rebate coupon I sent in this year. You send in the filled out coupon form, the UPC code from the box of the item you bought, as well as the original receipt and you're set to get a check in the mail. I typically photocopy everything before I mail it in, just in case.

From Pentax USA: "Cash in on a plethora of rebates on purchases of K10D/K100D, AF-360FGZ/AF-540FGZ flash units, BG2 Battery Grip and an array of PENTAX lenses. Download the rebate coupon and act now to build the system that is essential to your experience. Rebate offer valid May 1, 2007 through July 31, 2007."

Links: PDF Coupon, Pentax USA Rebate Offers

Hell Freezes Over. Apple Updates Aperture with Pentax Raw Support: K10D, K100D, K110D Now Work

Finally. Along with OS X 10.4.9, this afternoon Apple has officially released support for all the recent K series Pentax digital cameras. This works for iPhoto as well, once you update your software.


The Mac OS X 10.4.9 Update:
"Adds support for the RAW image formats of these third-party cameras: Leaf Aptus 17, Leaf Aptus 22, Leaf Aptus 65, Leaf Aptus 75, Leaf Valeo 11, Leaf Valeo 17, Leaf Valeo 22, Leica Digilux 3, Nikon D40, Pentax K10D, Pentax K110D, Pentax K100D, Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1, Samsung GX-1L."

Links: Aperture Notes Doc, Apple OS X 10.4.9 Update

Pentax Releasing A New Firmware Update To Add More SDHC Support

Pentax is presently offering a free firmware update through Pentax Japan's website that adds new compatibility for recent SDHC memory card (SD cards with over 4GB capacity). There is nothing else mentioned in the update notice, so the firmware update is just for SDHC compatibility and only for the following cameras:

PENTAX *ist DS Firmware update Version (2.02)
PENTAX *ist DS2 Firmware update Version (1.02)
PENTAX *ist DL Firmware update Version (1.03)
PENTAX *ist DL2 Firmware update Version (1.02)
PENTAX *K100D Firmware update Version (1.02)
PENTAX *K110D Firmware update Version (1.02)

To play safe, the update should be available in localized websites like Pentax USA shortly, so it's best to wait for your region to offer the download so that if you have issues you'll be able to follow up there for support.

Link: Pentax Japan Download Page

Gizmodo: Wired and Pop Photo Give Pentax Acclaim

Yep, you heard right. Gizmodo comes a bit late to the dinner table, but at least they smell what's cooking in the kitchen. Wired's Editor's Choice for budget-DSLR was the K100D (the article is now online) and Pop Photo drools all over the K10D, in their K10D test article which went online the other day to preview a big shoot out they're doing for the upcoming February issue ("The K10D not only proves that Pentax belongs in the big leagues, it's an all-star player."). The slideshow Pop Photo set up of pictures in NY by the K10D is great. Both these major reviews are glowing, and while these may be articles you've probably already read, go check them out ASAP. However, I love that Gizmodo, one of my favorite tech blogs (from Nick Denton's Gawker team), is giving out some play to these stories, too.

Gizmodo's Brian Lam: "Looks like Canon and Nikon have another worthy competitor in the DSLR range."

Coincidentally, Pentax has also been getting their ads on Gizmodo lately, but I don't think one influences the other here. Gizmodo's views can be pretty biting when it comes obvious graft, which is one of the reasons they came down so hard on Microsoft's Zune player (MS was practically drowning the tech blogs in PR).

Links: Gizmodo Story "Pentax DSLR Acclaim: Both the K100D and K10D Receive Great Scores", Wired Editor's Choice Test 2006, Pop Photo Reviews the K10D

K100D: Highly Recommended by DP Review

Finally, it's been reaffirmed that the Pentax K100D is pretty much the underdog favorite camera to get if you're in the market for a new DSLR between 6 to 8MP, according to the latest review by Phil Askey at DP Review. A couple years ago, he appreciated the 6MP Pentax *ist DS and now he feels that any shortcomings that camera may have had have been fully resolved by Pentax in this year's model. Just like the postive K100D review at Steve's Digicams in September, this is a review that should be an eye opener for a lot of people looking for a new camera this Christmas. It's especially thoughtful of Phil that for once in a major review of the K100D proper attention is paid to the build quality, the impressive user interface, and long battery life. Way to go Pentax!

From Phil's conclusion: "Not only has Pentax improved in-camera image processing but they appear to have overtaken some of the competition, the amount of detail delivered is about as much as we could expect to see from a six megapixel CCD. [...] Our side-by-side comparison images show that there's really no advantage going from six to eight megapixels, jump to ten megapixels and you will get more detail although you do have to ask yourself how many times that extra detail will be visible in your final output (have you ever printed larger than A3, do you need to?).

One thing that may have helped to keep the K100D's price down is the choice of using AA / CR-2 Lithium batteries to power the camera rather than supplying a rechargeable Lithium-Ion and charger which are more common these days. That said we used CR-2 Lithium batteries in our K100D and the original set are still going strong after many hundreds of shots.

The clear step forward in image processing and the addition of Shake Reduction are enough to tip the K100D into our Highly Recommended category, this is the camera the *ist DS should have been and is a refreshing change from another strong Canon or Nikon."

To read more at DP Review, just click the image below:

Link: K100D Full Review at DP Review, K100D review at Steve's Digicams, Pentax K100D

Toronto Star Is Happy With The K100D

The Toronto Star has a nice little write up on the K100D, comparing it favorably to the Nikon D70 and Canon Rebel XT. The title is "Pro quality for the masses." This is good to see, especially considering they came to the same conclusions my mother did this summer when she chose the K100D herself over the competition.

Toronto Star: "Its 2.5-inch monitor outclasses the D70's two-inch screen and the Rebel's puny 1.8-inch offering. Its 11-point autofocus is a class-topper. And unlike the other two, it has the built-in shake reduction, a big throw-in for the same price. You'll also save a few dollars buying its SD cards rather than the Compact Flash cards the other DSLRs use."

Above, Pentax K100D article at the Toronto Star Online.

Of course, the K100D doesn't use as much plastic as the other cameras, either, so it feels both durable and nimble, unlike any other DSLR camera out there right now. And it's to Pentax's credit that their kit lens, the SMC-P DA 18-55mm, has better flare resistance and contrast acutance than the other kit lenses, as well as Quick-Shift two touch focusing.

This shopping season, the K100D may not be as small as the Nikon D40 or have as many megapixels as the latest Rebel, but unlike the other new low-end models that are coming out in the same price range, the K100D isn't as functionally crippled for more advanced amateurs, or deceptive about lens compatibility. I've been astonished to see that it's possible to find this camera for sale now around $500 US (without lens). Just like I discovered back in August, the Toronto Star says it's really important to go try the camera out for yourself to make the comparison.

Link: Tornoto Star "Pro quality for the masses"

Adobe Camera 3.6 Supports K100D and K110D

Post Updated Nov. 1: Adobe has posted the official download of Camera RAW 3.6 and the DNG converter. There are also appropriate updaters for Photoshop CS2, Elements, etc. Even though they were silently supported since version 3.5, it's now good and properly documented that the K100D, K110D and the Samsung GX-1L are all supported. Now if only Apple would get its act together on Aperture and iPhoto support for the K100D!


Links: Camera RAW 3.6 (Mac OS X), Camera RAW 3.6 (Windows)

K100D in Wired Magazine

If you can pick up the November issue of Wired Magazine (not online yet), you'll find that the Pentax K100D is amongst their entry-level DSLR camera roundup picks, and they find it's arguably the best one of the lot. Ha ha! Now if only it would get reviewed by Steve's or DP Review, it might just make this Christmas very happy for a lot of people out there who have yet to know they need this camera.

Link: Wired Magazine

Pentax AF x1.7 Teleconverter Back In Production? E-fotografija.com's K100D Review Bonus

Way down at the bottom of e-fotografija.com's excellent review of the K100D, there's a neat little note about Pentax's teleconverter being back in production.

E-fotografija says: "Apparently, Pentax has restarted production of the AF 1.7x converter. A few of these are coming to Slovenia this week. We will bring you more news on that from Photokina."

Now, they put together an excellent review of the K100D, even though they sort of get a little over zealous with their ISO noise tests (I have no idea why they made so many "brutal" (in their words) adjustments to hunt for problems). But this little bit of news about the teleconverter just squeaks in at the bottom of the review. They haven't followed up with any information yet, so I don't know what the scoop is yet, but hopefully they're right. The x1.4 teleconverter is usually out there, and the 2.0L is presently "accepting orders" at BHPhoto.com, but the AF x1.7 converter hasn't been seen for quite a while, and it would be great to have it back on shelves.

Links: E-fotografija.com's Reviews the K100D

Pictures of K10D and K100D Side-By-Side

Some more pictures of the K10D have popped up, including shots of the K10D with its battery grip compared to the EOS 1D-MkII with its battery grip. Ned Bunnell has posted some pictures of the K10D sitting right next to the K100D, and the size difference is noticible, but not too bad. Looking at all his photos, you can see the K10D is almost half an inch taller and wider, but acceptably so.

Ned says: "Yes, the K10D body is approximately 3/8" wider and 3/8" taller than the K100D. However, most people who have held it will likely comment that it has a compact yet solid feel to it. And, even with the battery grip it still feels lighter and more manageable than other high-end slrs I have owned."

K100D on the left, K10D on the right. Photo copyright 2006 by Ned Bunnell.

Link: Ned Bunnell's notes on size of K10D

E-Fotografija Review of the K100D: "A Mercedes for the price of a Skoda"

One of the most in-depth European reviews of the Pentax K100D to date has just been posted up in English at E-Fotografija, and Matjaz really sings some great praises for the camera.

From his review: "The Pentax K100D is very suitable to all users of Pentax 35 mm and medium format cameras. It is also suitable for all those who are only entering the DSLR world and want to get an inexpensive camera that is chock-full of features for the advanced user. And finally, I personally consider Pentax DSLRs to offer some of the best, if not the best handling and usability."

"No camera company, no matter how much you like it, will give you a Mercedes for the price of a Skoda, to use a car analogy. This is just impossible with entry level cameras. It is this fact that makes the Pentax K100D that much more valuable. It has everything the competition has, and more in some cases, even though the competition may have more alluring brand names for those who are buying their first (D)SLR camera and know little of how these cameras function. All this at a considerably lower price."

I'm also glad to see this is another review which points out that the quality of Pentax SMC lenses, compared to Nikon and Canon, makes the K100D an excellent investment: "The camera is priced very competitively, with the kit bundle costing around 700 EUR, while the double lens kit, which also includes the 50-200 mm lens costs around 850 EUR. This is less than one would pay for another manufacturer’s camera with only one lens and no image stabilisation.

The rest of the review is heavy on the standard revisiting of features and technology inside the camera, but E-Fotografija take the camera through some typical paces in their gallery, and the photograph examples taken inside a low-lit theatre are nothing short of astonishing for handheld shots (with Shake-Reduction).

Thanks to T.O.P. for the heads-up on this! The above photo is copyright 2006, E-Fotografija.

Link: E-Fotografija Review of the K100D

Digitalfotonetz.de Speculates On Rumors Of Power Zoom Lens Support In Future Pentax DSLRs

I'm not going to foray too far into the rumor zone, because it's usually hard to substantiate, but Digitalfotonetz.de has posted some interesting photo comparisons of the Pentax MZ-S, the *ist DL, and the K100D which seem to indicate something or other regarding power zoom contacts (see here, "Current contacts in the K10D-Bajonett?"

The gist is that the MZ-S (circa. 2001) had 2 additional KAF contacts for power zoom lenses (see picture above left), but later DSLR cameras, such as the *ist DL (circa. 2005), had them completely erased from the lens mount. However, now, the K100D (2006) has the vestige of something that could be for a return of power zoom contacts, but the contacts themselves are replaced with plastic. What does it all mean? Well, nothing really. The K100D is an entry-level DSLR and the MZ-S was a flagship professional SLR. But it's food for thought about what goes through the minds of camera designers and it hints at what might show up in future cameras.

Photo copyright 2001, Steve's Digicams (here).

Links: Digitalfotonetz.de News 28.08.2006, English Translation

Digitalcamerareview.com Reviews the K100D: Positive

Digital Camera Review, despite getting a few minor details wrong about the specs of the camera (re: APS-C sensor), has posted their review of the Pentax K100D. Essentially, they underscore that the K100D is a consumer-level camera, but that it does its job really well. Well enough, in fact, to be recommended as a new standard camera for basic photography lessons.

From DC Review: "Serious amateur shooters may have a few issues, but family snap-shooters, P&S digicam users just making the jump to a dSLR, student photographers, casual shutterbugs, and old timers with a collection of Pentax glass will appreciate the K100D's reasonable price, robust construction, operational simplicity, use of available anywhere AA batteries, image stabilization, and solid performance. Institutions that teach basic photography should very seriously consider the K100D since no currently available dSLR offers a better balance of features and capabilities and compatibility with thousands of KAF, KA, K, S (M42), and Pentax Medium Format optics. The K100D may actually be a more practical and useful imaging tool than its illustrious predecessor. Shooters who don't need image stabilization can opt for the Pentax K110D (which is identical to the K100D -- minus IS) and save a hundred bucks."

The best parts of the review dip into the really good color fidelity (although they did not use any of the DA lenses Pentax offers in a kit with the K100D). The low points are when they berate the AF a bit for causing some shutter lag in difficult AF scenarios. But, again, the best news is that this is another site commending the K100D as a worthy successor to the legacy of the 35 year-old Pentax K1000.

Link: K100D at DC Review

Mike Johnston Reviews K100D at Luminous-Landscape

Mike Johnston, aka. the Online Photographer, who's known for his excellent columns about general photography, has finally weighed in with his opinions on the Pentax K100D, after using it for a few days this summer. I think he appreciates the new camera as deserving of being in the highly competitive marketplace, as you should be able to tell from his article's title, "Totally, Completely...Okay."

To quote part of his article: "In use, the K100 is totally, completely...okay. It won't blow you away. Neither will it frustrate or dismay you. In fact, you may end up appreciating its tough, cheerful, scrappy can-do character. It's good-looking and very ergonomic for a very small SLR – a nice, clean, sculpted design – and feels solid and well constructed within the parameters of the "light to moderate" usage I was talking about earlier. Although it's light for a DSLR (or even for an SLR), it feels heavy because it's so small.

Especial care seems to have gone into the interface. It's not so different than most other DSLRs, which are starting to standardize in terms of controls, but the K100 is admirably straightforward, simple, and easy to use. It appears to have had its controls and input parameters designed and refined through actual use – that is, in the course of actual picture-taking by actual photographers. Its controls are arranged with economy and solid common sense. I especially liked the fast and easy LCD zooming.

I compared the viewfinder to my friend Scott Hill's Konica-Minolta 5D, and found that the K100's viewfinder is very slightly smaller and very slightly brighter. It's thus typical of its (woeful) genre, but (like the 5D) on the good side of typical.

The only other things I noticed are that shutter lag is good, and that shutter noise is fairly high but has a crisp, clean sound that implies precision and contributes to the camera's subjective sense of responsiveness." - Mike Johnston at Luminous-Landscape

Additionally on his blog, Mike writes, "It's a small, light, workmanlike entry-level DSLR. How much you would like it probably depends on what you want to do with it and where you're coming from. If you've been using more professional DSLRs or mid-level and above film SLRs (say the level of the F100 and higher), then you'd likely be underwhelmed by the Pentax. But if you're coming from the world of "prosumer" and pocket digicams, the increase in quality and capability will be considerable, at a price that's singularly easy on your wallet, your shoulder, and your clamber up the DSLR learning curve."

He wraps it all up by suggesting that the Pentax K100D has a good advantage in price and backwards compatibilty with older lenses that should allow it to be a competitive camera in the consumer DSLR category of cameras. It's also neat to see him write that the K100D "slaps its only direct competitor, the D50, smartly upside the head with its bargain anti-shake."

Overall, this is a nice review and a good indication that Pentax consumer DSLRs continue to be taken seriously in critical circles. It's also a good acknowledgment of the aggressive pricing and features that, I think, make the Pentax K100D the underdog champ of the summer of 2006.

Links: Mike Johnston K100D Review at Luminous-Landscape, Luminous-Landscape, The Online Photographer

RiceHigh's Pentax K100D Review

Editor's note: It has to be said that the following has sarcastic overtones which are intended to warn the reader about the dubious quality of the review. I've consequently made some changes to make this more overt. It's of popular opinion not to take this review too seriously.

In digital camera reviewland, there are your standard "commercial" reviews, which are written for consumers who are shopping, and then there are the "user" reviews, which tend to be a bit more subjective and personal. And then there's RiceHigh (cue theme music). RiceHigh's completely, ahem, "independent" methods are spurious and not always exact (remember, he's doing this anonymously), so take it all with plenty of salt and read this thread at DP Review.

A typcial user who writes something up about their own camera is a bit more invested in what they're experiencing, because they've already made the purchase. But, like RiceHigh, some user reviews can get so analytical about the nitty gritty that the review is no longer about the performance of the camera, it becomes a meta-review: a review about how well the review is documented with arcane measurements, for the purpose of revealing consumer power. Ken Rockwell called it "measurebating" when someone compulsively examines the pixel level attributes of photographs of graphs and and charts designed to calibrate cameras. And no one understands this quite like RiceHigh, a longtime Pentax user who has kept a website of his very meticulous inspections of Pentax DSLR performance, RiceHigh's (Pentax) DSLR and Lens Measurbation Page on Exposure Accuracy and More.

So, now, after many *ist D and *ist DS camera's have passed through his hands, RiceHigh has finally got a grip on the K100D. His review is not about how the K100D compares to Nikon and Canon, it's about comparing the K100D to his older *ist cameras, and, ultimately, unto itself. How fast is the camera from pressing the shutter release to AF lag to the final mirror return? RiceHigh digitally records the sounds of the camera and breaks down the camera's performance by the millisecond after analyzing the waveform. Is the K100D AF red point alignment illumination on the focus screen matched with the resulting focus? RiceHigh tests Pentax quality control with no less than 5 cameras at 5 different stores in Japan. Yep, it's a little over the top.

His verdict? There's improved focusing with fast prime lenses, better center-weighted averaging for exposures (at least as good as the Pentax film camera, the MZ-S, he says), and some tweaks have improved overall handling. However, he also chides Pentax with his longstanding criticisms (such as the histogram overlay issue, EV compensation breaks auto ISO, and general quality control). Yet, as always, it's because he's genuinely addicted to Pentax and sincerely wants to see them do the best they can. It's precisely these types of user reviews that keep a camera company on their toes, whether or not there's any truth to what the users say.

"A good but funny example is that some Pentaxians used to be very happy with their *ist Dx cameras but until they have got their K100Ds recently, they suddenly learnt that something were/are wrong and there have been "great" improvements!(?)" - RiceHigh

RiceHigh's other Pentax related pages are an interesting read for other Pentax owners to compare their experiences to, but bear in mind it's completely different than most other published results.

Links: RiceHigh's K100D Review, RiceHigh's (Pentax) DSLR and Lens Measurbation Page on Exposure Accuracy and More

K100D Is No. 3 DSLR In Japan

Thanks to a popular thread at DP Review, the corroboration of the high demand for the K100D I noted recently has been found at the DSLR Photo Blog, which posted the sales numbers for the top selling digital cameras in Japan. Sitting right behind the Nikon D200 and the Sony A100 is our friend, the Pentax K100D.

In fact, it appears the K100D is no. 7 overall cameras sold, including point and shoot consumer cameras in the list, where the Fuijifilm FinePix F30 sits at the top. The ranking unfortunately doesn't show sales numbers, just pricing. It would be nice to see a graph of the sales numbers, and if anyone know where to find it, please let me know.

Links: DSLR Photography August Japan DSLR Sales, DP Review Forum Thread

K100D Popularity Japan: Stores Have Back Orders

According to Izumi Taniguchi's website, the Bisha-Kasha Blog, The Pentax K100D is actually so popular in Japan right now, Pentax has to keep production running 24hrs a day and is still facing a waiting list of over a week for some back order deliveries.

Taniguchi says that after speaking with a Pentax Sales Support Manager, it seems Pentax is running at full steam to supply the camera that is more popular than they first anticipated. His contact also speculates that the high demand is likely due to the low price and the success of their Anti-Shake mechanism that competes favorably against new cameras, such as the more expensive Sony Alpha, and pricey lenses with vibration reduction from Canon and Nikon. This is especially important given the attitude of point-and-shoot customers moving up to an entry level DSLR who expect a camera to have this feature.

Although I can't substantiate much of what is said in Taniguchi's blog because Pentax hasn't made a public statement regarding K100D sales in Japan, it stands to reason that it's entirely true.

Links: Bisha-Kasha Artcile, Alta Vista English Translation

Sigma Offers Free Service Upgrade For K100D Users of EF-500 DG and EF-500 DG ST Flashes

Sigma recently announced a solution for the incompatibility K100D (and, I assume, K110D) users experience with their EF-500 DG Super Pentax and EF-500 DG ST Pentax flashguns, which are P-TTL flashes that work with the previous *ist DSLR cameras. Sigma is now offering a free upgrade where they will replace parts in the flash to allow the flash to operate. I'm glad to see it's being addressed, although it means sending the flash out to them for service, which is annoying at best.

Apparently, the flashes will not fire properly on the K100D's mount without an upgrade of the Sigma P-TTL flash shoe:

"Sigma’s EF-500 DG SUPER and EF-500 DG ST model flashguns for Pentax mount do not operate when Pentax K100D D-SLR camera (recently introduced to the market by Pentax) is used. To overcome this, we will start supplying a free-upgrade service to our customers*. We regret any inconvenience this may cause our customers who own Pentax K100D D-SLR camera and we will take necessary steps for not causing any problem to our valued customers. This problem occurs with Pentax K100D D-SLR camera only.

* Update service is not available for non-DG version (EF-500 Super Pentax fitting and EF-500 ST Pentax fitting)"

For more information, you should contact your local Sigma distributor or visit the Sigma website for support and contact information.

Links: Sigma Photo, Sigma Japan Announcement, Sigma USA Announcement, Sigma Flashguns

Pentax Japan Lists K100D Firmware Update 1.01 For SDHC Card Support

Pentax Japan has posted firmware update 1.01 for the K100D camera (available for Mac and PC). Importantly, it will give the K100D the ability to use the new SDHC SD cards that offer larger memory capacity than regular SD cards. Also, the K100D's feature of user inputed focal length for Shake Reduction (important for M42 lenses) will now be acknowledged in Photo Lab 3. This update is not for other models.

It looks like the firmware update will be available internationally very soon. It's not yet listed at Pentax USA. I recommend that owners of the K100D wait until their respective region's Pentax website carries the firmware download before they install it, to avoid any support issues that may arise.

From the description: The following function added to the Version 1.01: Support for SDHC Memory cards; The focal length which is input on the [Shake Reduction] menu can be displayed with Pentax Photo Browser3."

The SDHC cards (Secure Digital High Capacity or SD 2.0, and which can potentially reach 32GB of storage) presently cannot be read with typical SD card readers (you'll need a new SDHC compliant reader for your PC), although the new format is being sold by Panasonic, Toshiba and SanDisk, who are starting to ship cards this summer.

Link: Pentax.jp Firmware Update Page