Pentax announces the release of the "K-100D Super" digital SLR. The camera is esentially a K-100D with the added dust removal technology found in the K-10D digital SLR.

This camera should be of interest to anyone looking for an easy-to-use digital SLR camera that takes high-quality images and doesn't want to get the heavier K-10D. This camera is not much heavier than the *ist DS or the K-100D. The new "Super" feature is worth the little added weight.

One of the things I hate about digital SLRs is the invasion of dust particles. Eventually you will encounter spots on your pictures. It is destined to happen. Even using caution, you cannot escape this fate.

I shoot a lot of landscapes and after a recent trip to the "Park of Roses" in Columbus, Ohio, I found pollen on my sensor. I didn't even change lenses while I was there. The pollen made its way onto the camera's sensor when I was in the car and changed lenses before I put it in my bag. Pollen must have been on my clothing and just changing the lens was enough movement to scatter some of it in the air... and it found its way to my camera's sensor.

Thanks to the "Green Machine" (dust removal tool previously reviewed in DSLR-MAG), and a swab afterward, I was able to clean the sensor and I am ready to shoot pollen-free on my next outing. If I had the K-100D, I would not have to worry about it. Anyone contemplating a six-mega-pixel digital SLR should take a good look at the K-100D "Super" before they decide what to buy. It's a good investment.