 Pentax claims 96 percent coverage and 0.85x magnification for the Pentax K100D's viewfinder. 96 percent coverage is typical or maybe a little better than average for DSLRs in general. Our sample camera was well-aligned – the viewfinder image was centered on the final image.
The Pentax K100D uses a penta-mirror optical system, which is less expensive than a penta-prism, but it is also less durable and generally less bright. The K100D's viewfinder is dimmer than other DSLRs, and with a relatively low magnification of 0.85x, its image is small. These two problems make the viewfinder hard to use.
The viewfinder displays shutter speed, aperture, flash status, shake reduction status, focus information, picture mode, scene mode, ISO warning and autofocus mode in the viewfinder. Both the screen and the shooting data are easily visible, even for users who wear glasses.
 LCD Screen (6.5)The 2.5-inch, 210,000-pixel color LCD is sharp and bright, with pleasing color. The image solarizes moderately when viewed off-axis, but it remains visible over a wide angle of view.
The monochrome display on top of the camera is large and easy to read. It displays Exposure Mode, Shutter Speed, Aperture, Flash Mode, Burst Mode, active Autofocus Site, Exposures Remaining and Battery status. The monochrome display is a definite plus – cameras that display comparable information on the rear LCD use much more power to do so. With a few exceptions rear LCDs are inconvenient to use because the light from the display is distracting when the user is looking through the viewfinder.
 Flash (6.0)The Pentax K100D's pop-up flash has a guide number of 15.4 at ISO 200, with distance measured in meters. That means it's effective to about 13 feet at f/ 3.5. The K100D's maximum flash sync speed is 1/180, which ought to allow some use of the pop-up as an outdoor fill flash, though not in bright sun.
The K100D accepts Pentax dedicated flashes, which are capable of wireless operation. Unfortunately, the K100D does not act as a wireless controller – the user must have at least two dedicated flashes; one off the camera to light the subject, and another on the camera to control the off-camera unit.
The K100D has flash exposure compensation, but the control is menu-based, so it's a pain to use. The K100D offers the following flash modes: On, Off, Auto, and red-eye reduction in auto or modes.
Lens and Mount (8.5)
The Pentax K100D's kit lens is an unimpressive 18-55mm, f/3.5-5.6 optic. Many users will be content with the lens, because it's cheap and covers a useful range of focal lengths. We didn't note much color fringing (halos of color at contrasting edges), but we noticed barrel distortion at the wide-angle setting.
 The lens is not made as durably as the rest of the camera, and the maximum apertures aren't good enough for low light and are limiting even in moderate brightness. Pentax makes many very good lenses and has a long history of doing so. To get the best out of the K100D, users will need to upgrade to a better lens.
Pentax has maintained the same bayonet mount for decades and provides options for users to mount old lenses to the K100D with various levels of functionality.
The K100D features Pentax's Shake Reduction system, which moves the sensor horizontally and vertically to compensate for camera movement. Pentax claims that the SR system allows the user to shoot at 2 to 3.5 EV longer shutter speeds. We don't yet have a quantitative test to evaluate those claims, but in casual use, we gained 2 EV of shutter speed, by our subjective judgment. The effect was most obvious at the 1/8 to 1/30 second range.
It's important to note that the SR system measures camera movement, not image blur. That means that it estimates the amount of correction needed, rather than measuring it directly. The significance of this aspect is that the camera uses data about the focal length of the lens as well as the movement to calculate the amount of compensation needed. When older Pentax lenses are mounted, the user must manually enter focal length information via a menu to enable the Shake Reduction system. Given that many manufacturers have abandoned their legacy equipment, Pentax should be commended for offering the option to input the data.
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