| A | is outstanding and exceptional, rated in the top 10% of digital cameras. |
| B | means they are good, with some standout features. |
| C | means they are mediocre, and probably more trouble than they are worth. |
| D & F | mean they are absolutely awful or old. Avoid at all costs. |
- 5 out of 5
- 5 out of 5
Submit your own Pentax *ist DS review!
- 37th of 40 in 6 Megapixel (#1 is Nikon D40)
- 50th of 51 in SLR/Professional (#1 is Canon 50D)
- 25th of 29 in Pentax (#1 is Pentax K-7)
- 60th of 71 in Over $600 (#1 is Canon 500D)
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| 47digital | $988.00 |
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- 5 out of 5
Best DSLR for the $
(George - 4/23/08)I've been a Pentax user for many years, so I was predisposed to purchase a Pentax DSLR. I was partly influenced by the backwards compatibility with older Pentax lenses, of which I have a few, and partly by legendary pentax quality and ergonomics.
Eventually I got tired of waiting for the price of a K10D to fall within my reach and started looking at other models and makes. Doing some research I came accross some favourable reviews of the *istDS and was lucky enough to find a used body in excellent shape at a very good price, just after Christmas.
I am really impressed with this camera. Despite the luke warm opinions in some reviews of it's JPEG image processing capabilities - verified by my own experience - the RAW image quality is outstanding. It is feature packed, yet very easy to use (this from a guy who made the leap to electronic autofocus camers just a year ago). I love the multi autofocus modes and exposure modes. I don't use the preset modes much, but often use aperture priority.
The viewfinder is excellent: large and very bright with lots of information without data overload. The brightness is an essential feature if you want to use manual focus lenses, and is a result of using a solid glass prism instead of a mirror box. I understand proper split image and microprism focus screens are available for this camera, but haven't tracked any down yet.
My only problems were shooting fast action under poor lighting conditions in a hockey arena. Autofocus struggled and auto white balance just gave up. This is partly due to unfamiliarity with the camera (use the flash for focus assist, set white balace manually). Also, in my experience, the compatibility with AA rechargeable batteries is greatly exagerated. I got no where near the claimed number of exposures with AAs. Stick to the CR V3 litium batteries.
In summation, the *ist DS is a very well thought out camera. Image quality in RAW format is second to none. I foresee no problems obtaining prints up to 16x20 with the DS. The autofocus is fast and reliable, at least in normal lighting, as is exposure control.
The camera has been out of production a while but is still available on the secondhand market for about $300 CDN or less. If you see one - grab it. You won't be sorry.
