Pentax K100D vs Pentax I-10

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Pentax K100D versus Pentax I-10, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both are manufactured by Pentax. There exists a significant gap among the resolutions of the K100D (6MP) and I-10 (12MP) and the K100D (APS-C) and I-10 (1/2.3") posses different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The K100D was announced 4 years prior to the I-10 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Pentax K100D being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax I-10 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise summation of how the K100D matches up vs the I-10 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax K100D and Pentax Optio I-10. The whole galleries are available at Pentax K100D Gallery and Pentax I-10 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to carry your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Pentax K100D features outside dimensions of 129mm x 93mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs) and the Pentax I-10 has specifications of 101mm x 65mm x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 153 grams (0.34 lbs).

See the Pentax K100D versus Pentax I-10 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the K100D compared to the I-10.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the K100D and I-10 is 64 and 93 respectively.

Normally, it's hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizing only by researching specs. The visual below may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the K100D and I-10.

All in all, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The K100D using its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Pentax I-10 will provide you with more detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older K100D will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.