Re: The Pentax *ist D

pathfinder · December 18, 2004

Humungous, our new Challenge winner was asking about the Pentax DSLR called *1st. "Anyone tried a Pentax ist DS? Going real cheap here with 200 mm equiv lens thrown in (under $1K USD). They are very small & compact."

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gus - Michael Reichman has a very worthwhile review of the Pentax *ist here http://www.luminous-landscape.com/r...ntax-istd.shtml

and after reading it I would seriously consider an alterntive choice.

I recommned highly that you read his review before purchasing. Two flaws he finds offputting are the inablilty to remove the chip from the camera without using tweasers and that there is no post shooting review image with a histogram. You can get a histogram with playback of the image, but not without pushing a few buttons and leaving shooting mode. And even then you cannnot see blown highlights on the review or playback image.

Essentially the *ist does not have a real useful histogram which is a prerequisite for a serious digital camera - this is according to his review. I have not seen or shot with one myself. It apparently uses the same Sony sensor chip that is in the Nikon D100. M Reichman has several very nice things to say bout the *ist, but in his opinion, the flaws just limit the *1st far from the league of the 10D or the D70.

gus · December 18, 2004

Ta PF...always keeping my options open. Have to look at everything. Will have a read now.

Andy · December 18, 2004

i've called in for reinforcements. good friend, john faith...

here is his *ist d gallery

how about a warm dgrin welcome for john faith? ya gotta shout loud, he's in new jersey

pathfinder wrote:

Humungous, our new Challenge winner was asking about the Pentax DSLR called *1st. "Anyone tried a Pentax ist DS? Going real cheap here with 200 mm equiv lens thrown in (under $1K USD). They are very small & compact."

****************************************************************

gus - Michael Reichman has a very worthwhile review of the Pentax *ist here http://www.luminous-landscape.com/r...ntax-istd.shtml

and after reading it I would seriously consider an alterntive choice.

I recommned highly that you read his review before purchasing. Two flaws he finds offputting are the inablilty to remove the chip from the camera without using tweasers and that there is no post shooting review image with a histogram. You can get a histogram with playback of the image, but not without pushing a few buttons and leaving shooting mode. And even then you cannnot see blown highlights on the review or playback image.

Essentially the *ist does not have a real useful histogram which is a prerequisite for a serious digital camera - this is according to his review. I have not seen or shot with one myself. It apparently uses the same Sony sensor chip that is in the Nikon D100. M Reichman has several very nice things to say bout the *ist, but in his opinion, the flaws just limit the *1st far from the league of the 10D or the D70.

LRandyB · December 19, 2004

Re: Pentax *ist DS
I recently bought a Pentax *ist DS and I am pretty impressed with it so far. It does have a histogram function as well as a few other enhancements over the original *ist D. As soon as I have amassed a few shots, I'll post some. I have older Pentax 35mm cameras and thought that the ability to use my old lenses would be a big plus but in reality, the newer technology AF lens that you get with the *ist DS outperforms the older models. I've played with them a little but have found that I'll probably stick with the 18-55mm lens provided with the camera.

Randy

pathfinder wrote:

Humungous, our new Challenge winner was asking about
the Pentax DSLR called *1st. "Anyone tried a Pentax ist DS? Going real cheap here with 200 mm equiv lens thrown in (under $1K USD). They are very small & compact."

****************************************************************

gus - Michael Reichman has a very worthwhile review of the Pentax *ist here http://www.luminous-landscape.com/r...ntax-istd.shtml

and after reading it I would seriously consider an alterntive choice.

I recommned highly that you read his review before purchasing. Two flaws he finds offputting are the inablilty to remove the chip from the camera without using tweasers and that there is no post shooting review image with a histogram. You can get a histogram with playback of the image, but not without pushing a few buttons and leaving shooting mode. And even then you cannnot see blown highlights on the review or playback image.

Essentially the *ist does not have a real useful histogram which is a prerequisite for a serious digital camera - this is according to his review. I have not seen or shot with one myself. It apparently uses the same Sony sensor chip that is in the Nikon D100. M Reichman has several very nice things to say bout the *ist, but in his opinion, the flaws just limit the *1st far from the league of the 10D or the D70.

pathfinder · December 19, 2004

LRandyB wrote:

I recently bought a Pentax *ist DS and I am pretty impressed with it so far. It does have a histogram function as well as a few other enhancements over the original *ist D. As soon as I have amassed a few shots, I'll post some. I have older Pentax 35mm cameras and thought that the ability to use my old lenses would be a big plus but in reality, the newer technology AF lens that you get with the *ist DS outperforms the older models. I've played with them a little but have found that I'll probably stick with the 18-55mm lens provided with the camera.

Randy

Welcome Randy - Was the addition of the histogram function a firmware update in the camera or is this a real change in the basic machine?

Glad to have you point out the eror of my post. You really don't want to get 'gus upset!

LRandyB · December 20, 2004

Re: Pentax *ist DS
Thanks for the welcome! I look forward to learning all I can and passing on what I can to others here.

It seems to me to be a real change in the basic machine. The firmware version used in the *ist D is version 1.11 while the version used in the *ist DS is 1.0. I should also mention that not only did they address the issue of a histogram, they also addressed the other issue that was mentioned as a downside to the *ist D.... the difficulty in removing the memory card. In the *ist DS, Pentax completely changed the type of card used from the compactflash card to an SD card. In the *ist DS, the SD card is spring loaded and you simply have to push the card in and it pops out at you. In inserting the card, you simply push it into place.

I'm not presenting myself as a big advocate of the camera as I've only had mine a few days but so far, I'd recommend it.

pathfinder wrote:

Welcome Randy - Was the addition of the histogram function a firmware update in the camera or is this a real change in the basic machine?

Glad to have you point out the eror of my post. You really don't want to get 'gus upset!

gus · December 20, 2004

LRandyB wrote:

I recently bought a Pentax *ist DS and I am pretty impressed with it so far. It does have a histogram function as well as a few other enhancements over the original *ist D. As soon as I have amassed a few shots, I'll post some. I have older Pentax 35mm cameras and thought that the ability to use my old lenses would be a big plus but in reality, the newer technology AF lens that you get with the *ist DS outperforms the older models. I've played with them a little but have found that I'll probably stick with the 18-55mm lens provided with the camera.

Randy

Tks randy..im totally lost as to what move to make next re camera. Do all your old 'K' lens's fit it ok ? Im assuming it is 'k'

gus · December 20, 2004

andy wrote:

i've called in for reinforcements. good friend, john faith...

here is his *ist d gallery

how about a warm dgrin welcome for john faith? ya gotta shout loud, he's in new jersey

I think he heard i was here andy.

Andy · December 20, 2004

Humungus wrote:

I think he heard i was here andy.

could be, 'gus - but we'll keep trying!

jdfaith · December 20, 2004

Hello All,

I have been summoned by Andy and am reporting for duty! :lol

I've had my *istD for nearly a year and have been absolutely thrilled with it. Prior to taking the DSLR plunge I was a Sony guy for many years.

As I'd sold of all my lenses a couple of years ago, when making the switch I had no "built-in" allegiance and considered the 10D and D100 along with the *istD (don't you just love how that rolls off the tongue!).

They are all fine cameras and it was my contrarian nature that probably swayed me toward the Pentax. No bazillion dollar marketing machine behind its launch, just a company with a stellar reputation for making damn fine cameras.

While some consider the lack of "immediate" histogram a strike against it, accessing the histogram once you've become familiar with the camera is a no-brainer. The body is a bit on the smaller side but it's sturdy and well constructed and since purchasing the vertical grip a couple of months after the camera, it has rarely come off. My hands are of average size and I find the fit with grip to be perfect. Reichman's comment about needing tweezers to remove the CF or microdrive might be appropriate for Shrek but I haven't run across anyone else with such a dilemma. He's all about the drama! lol

My bag contains a few different lenses (Pentax 16-45 f/4.0, Pentax FA 50 f/1.4, Sigma 24-135 f/2.8-4.5, Sigma EX 70-200 f/2.8 and Sigma 2x converter) and I am very happy with each. In the spirit of full disclosure, I had a Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 but wasn't thrilled with it (off to fleabay for it). The camera has a 1.5x crop factor and I find the 24-135 and 16-45 to be great walking around lenses, the 50mm to be wonderful for portraits and the 70-200 quite reliable and an excellent performer for sports. If I can just dig up the nerve to pick up the Bigma!!!!

While I'm a relative hack compared to many of the fine photographers here and on other boards, I think my Pbase site http://www.pbase.com/jdfaith provides a decent showing of the equipment (at least Pentax hasn't asked me to cease and desist...yet).

Please let me know if you have any questions and all feedback is welcome and appreciated.

Regards and Happy Holidays,

John

fish · December 20, 2004

jdfaith wrote:

I have been summoned by Andy and am reporting for duty! :lol

Welcome to da grin, mr. faith.

Does Pentax make autofocus SLR lenses?

I kinda lost track after the K1000.

btw, it's a little known rumor that smugmuggers get priority treatment here.

jdfaith · December 20, 2004

Thank you. They make some great lenses. The F and FA series are generally great quality and their 77mm f/1.8 and 85mm f/1.4 primes are supurb!!!

Andy · December 20, 2004

jdfaith wrote:

Thank you. They make some great lenses. The F and FA series are generally great quality and their 77mm f/1.8 and 85mm f/1.4 primes are supurb!!!

welcome, john! happy to have you aboard the good ship dgrin. you'll recognize a few of the folks 'round here, they're really quite nice most everyone. keep yer eye on yer wallet and watch when fish is around though

gus · December 21, 2004

Thanks JD...i will trawl the lens info now. Can you use any 'k' lens ?

4 entries found for contrarian.

con·trar·i·an

([font=verdana, sans-serif] P [/font]) Pronunciation Key (k

n-trâr

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n)
n. One who takes a contrary view or action, especially an investor who makes decisions that contradict prevailing wisdom, as in buying securities that are unpopular at the time.

jdfaith · December 22, 2004

Hi,

K lenses will work but those without "A" will require the aperture to be set manually. BTW...The Pentax SLR forum at DPReview is a pretty good source of imformation (you know, instead of relying on my rockhead).

John

gus · December 22, 2004

jdfaith wrote:

Hi,

K lenses will work but those without "A" will require the aperture to be set manually. BTW...The Pentax SLR forum at DPReview is a pretty good source of imformation (you know, instead of relying on my rockhead).

John

Tks john..they appear compact...not like that boat anchor fish has.

DoctorIt · December 22, 2004

pathfinder wrote:

I recommned highly that you read his review before purchasing. Two flaws he finds offputting are the inablilty to remove the chip from the camera without using tweasers and that there is no post shooting review image with a histogram. You can get a histogram with playback of the image, but not without pushing a few buttons and leaving shooting mode. And even then you cannnot see blown highlights on the review or playback image.

1. why would you worry about removing the chip on your own anyway?

2. sounds like this cam has the same flaw that a Drebel has - you can't get a histogram unless you go to preview mode either (hit 2 buttons). Never heard anyone bash the Drebel so much just for this flaw??

If anything, I would not recommend the Pentax simply for lack of good glass options. I had a Pentax SLR at one point, and after a few years of owning it had a total of 1, ONE, lens. Traded it for a Rebel 2000.

gus · December 22, 2004

My olympus has a histogram but i dont use it as it just gets in the way of a good chimping session.

DoctorIt · December 22, 2004

Humungus wrote:

My olympus has a histogram but i dont use it as it just gets in the way of a good chimping session.

nerd

pathfinder · December 22, 2004

DoctorIt wrote:

1. why would you worry about removing the chip on your own anyway?

Erik - Don't you remove the CF chip and read it in a card reader? Or do you download directly via the camera itself? If you plan on shooting more images than fit on one card, removing and replacing the card is necessary, and apparently M Reichman felt that was significantly more difficult than most DSLRs.

If anything, I would not recommend the Pentax simply for lack of good glass options. I had a Pentax SLR at one point, and after a few years of owning it had a total of 1, ONE, lens. Traded it for a Rebel 2000.

This returns us to Andy's argument ( and Patch's and mine also) that the choice IS NOT which camera to buy, but which LENS SYSTEM because it is the lens system that you will live with, long after the camera body is an old discarded lover..... Pentax does make some nice lenses, but certainly not with the breadth and depth of Nikon or Canon or even Minolta.

fish · December 22, 2004

This thread reminds me of my last Pentax camera. The rewind knob came off in my hand and I couldn't find anybody to fix it. Feh. I'm sure their dslrs are much much better.

DoctorIt · December 23, 2004

pathfinder wrote:

Erik - Don't you remove the CF chip and read it in a card reader? Or do you download directly via the camera itself? If you plan on shooting more images than fit on one card, removing and replacing the card is necessary, and apparently M Reichman felt that was significantly more difficult than most DSLRs.

ah. never heard it called a memory "chip" before. I thought they were referring to the sensor... which was why I thought it was a ridiculous comment.

as you were

Re: The Pentax *ist D

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