Pentax announces the release of the K-100D and its sibling, the K-110D.

The K-100D features an eleven-point auto-focus system, sixteen-point metering, and a new ANTI-SHAKE technology! The K-110D does not include the anti-shake technology, but, everything else is the same.

Image stabilization is a BIG thing for Pentax enthusiasts. In fact, it is an absolute necessity in today's market. This design, like Minolta's, does not require any special lenses, the anti-shake mechanism is built into the camera body.

Both cameras sport "6.1 mega-pixels" (Pentax is going to release a ten-mega-pixel camera in the fall season). We're betting that it also will use the "K" designation in its name. By the way, Pentax says the K-100D will go for "less than $700 (USD). Great value!

Most other features remain the same, but Pentax has a few scene-mode changes compared to the popular *ist DS. They now have night, snow, sunset, kids, pets, candle-light, and museum (no flash).

In the specifications, there is very little change. To MOST shooters, the big benefit of this camera is the image stabilization. Pentax needed this to compete with Canon and Nikon.