Destined for big business this Christmas, and retailing for around £200 more than a snapshot camera, the wealth of creative opportunity offered by digital SLRs (DSLR) with interchangeable lenses means it's the fastest-growing sector of the photo market. Pentax's K100D is one of a trio of DSLRs it has released in as many months.

The £549 price tag makes it an entry-level model. The user-friendly camera's main specifications include 6megapixel resolution, 2.5in screen, plus a built-in shake reduction system to avoid blurred images when shooting in low light or using long exposures.

Like Sony's A100, a sensor detects external wobble and adjusts things inside the camera to compensate. As a result, almost all existing Pentax K-mount lenses, when used with the camera, become stabilised.

Being a DSLR, you can choose your lens to best suit the subject. Our sample was supplied with an 18-55mm zoom lens: standard-issue perhaps, but adequate as a 'catch all' lens. Should you already own a couple of Pentax lenses, the K100D can be bought 'body only' for £410.

Sophisticated features include an 11-point auto focus system that keeps your subject sharp even when not centre of frame, continuous shooting at 2.8 frames per second, JPEG or RAW (optimum quality) capture, plus light sensitivity all the way up to ISO3200, which is impressive for its class.

Five picture modes, which are selected via a top wheel, automatically optimise settings for common subjects such as portraits and landscapes. These allow you to point and shoot to begin with, then swap to favoured settings as confidence grows.

With stainless steel frame and plastic moulding, the compact K100D feels reassuringly weighty in the palm. Disappointingly, to save money, power comes courtesy of four bog-standard AA batteries, stored in the camera grip. There's no memory provided, so you'll have to budget extra for an SD card, plus rechargeable batteries.

The camera powers up for the first shot in a second; unlike a typical compact, pictures are composed via the optical viewfinder (apart from a brief flash of settings upon powering up, the LCD screen remains blank in capture mode). Main functions appear in a separate LCD window atop the camera so you can keep track.

There's no discernable shutter delay or wait between one full resolution image being saved and the camera being ready to take the next. Images are sharp and vividly colourful, noise only really intruding beyond ISO800 (though ISO1600 is still useable) with the camera erring on the side of underexposure if anything. With anti-shake on, we were also able to get some crisp close-up shots.

If you feel six megapixels isn't enough, look to the newly announced 10megapixel Pentax K10D; but at just over £400 for body only the K100D represents very good value for amateurs seeking a versatile DSLR with high-quality results.

Also consider:
Canon EOS 350D
Overall: Much loved market-leading 8megapixel digital SLR, recently upgraded to the 400D, which means there are good deals to be had, putting this in the same price bracket as the Pentax.
Rating: 3
Price: £550 (body only)

Nikon D50
Overall: If you want more control over your images than your digital compact currently allows, or simply want to take more professional pictures, then the D50 delivers on all counts.
Rating: 4
Price: £550

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