Pentax ist DS Digital Camera
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- Digital Zoom: Without Digital Zoom
- Camera Type: SLR/Professional
- Weight: 1.11 lb.
- LCD Screen Size: 2 in.
- Resolution: 6.1 Megapixel
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Look before you leap
Pros
Excellent pictures, light weight.
Cons
Slower shot to shot time, slower auto-focus
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
Speed was disappointing compared to Canon Rebel and Nikon D70. If the Pentax had been my only option I would have waited before buying. Picture quality was excellent.
I was looking for my first digital SLR (6th digital camera) and I narrowed it down to the Canon Rebel, Nikon D70, and Pentax *ist DS. The Pentax was very difficult to find because it was so new, but it got great reviews, so I persevered. I am glad that I did. Based on what I was reading on the net it sounded pretty good. I was particularly interested in the light weight.
Once I got to shoot one I did so in a store that also carried with both Canon and Nikon, so I got to do a side by side comparison. One of my main desires for a digital SLR was speed. I wanted instant on and fast shot to shot times. I also wanted to get away from shutter lag.
The Nikon blew every one away on speed. It turns on instantly. It focuses very fast and the shutter lag is unnoticeable. Even using flash I could shoot pretty much at will.
The Canon Rebel was impressive for a $300 lower kit price. It was not as fast as the Nikon from shot to shot, but it would have definitely met my needs. It also had a 3 second start up delay, which I would have endured. It would have been my second choice overall (Nikon was what I bought). I really liked the feel of the camera in my hand and the overall ergonomics better than Nikon). It is important to point out that the Canon kit lens (18mm-55m zoom) was not really competitive with the Nikon 18-70mm zoom. Canon was throwing in a $200 lens for $100, while Nikon was throwing in a $450 lens for $300. The Nikon lens operated quieter and smoother than the Canon. Also, while you could manually focus the Canon, it was very touchy ( a little movement changed focus a lot) and flimsy feeling. You also had to put the lens in manual mode before focusing because it locked when in auto. The other 2 cameras let you manually focus without thinking, even in auto mode. The auto-focus on the Canon worked so quickly and accurately, however, that I would have over looked its manual quirks.
Now to the surprise. While the Pentax *ist DS was indeed the lightest of the three, it did not fit my hand quite as well. I was wishing that the grip was a little thicker for a more secure grasp. The start up was a little quirky if you needed flash and you were in automatic mode with the flash down. I found that I would get a little confused about when it was ready to shoot and end up pushing the shutter several times before I got it going. This happened several times (slow learner?).
My biggest disappointment with the *ist DS was the speed. It was noticeable slower than the other two. While the other two could take three quick flash shots, the Pentax could not keep up with my shutter finger. The auto-focus delay was pretty noticeable. It was also sort of noisy. Even when I just took one shot the shutter lag was apparent, when compared with the other two.
All three cameras took very nice photos. The photo quality under the in-store test conditions would not have been a differentiator. The lens included with the Pentax kit was about the quality level of the Rebel.
The bottom line is that the Nikon D70 was my first choice (although it is definitely heavier than I like), the Rebel my second, and I would have waited rather than buy the Pentax. By the way, most of the extra weight that bothered me on the Nikon came from the lens, which is much heavier than that on the other two cameras. Of course, the extra size and weight was part of the price of the outstanding performance.
All of this illustrated why you have to actually use something as personal as a camera before you make a choice. Specs and even reviews are only guidelines.
Once I got to shoot one I did so in a store that also carried with both Canon and Nikon, so I got to do a side by side comparison. One of my main desires for a digital SLR was speed. I wanted instant on and fast shot to shot times. I also wanted to get away from shutter lag.
The Nikon blew every one away on speed. It turns on instantly. It focuses very fast and the shutter lag is unnoticeable. Even using flash I could shoot pretty much at will.
The Canon Rebel was impressive for a $300 lower kit price. It was not as fast as the Nikon from shot to shot, but it would have definitely met my needs. It also had a 3 second start up delay, which I would have endured. It would have been my second choice overall (Nikon was what I bought). I really liked the feel of the camera in my hand and the overall ergonomics better than Nikon). It is important to point out that the Canon kit lens (18mm-55m zoom) was not really competitive with the Nikon 18-70mm zoom. Canon was throwing in a $200 lens for $100, while Nikon was throwing in a $450 lens for $300. The Nikon lens operated quieter and smoother than the Canon. Also, while you could manually focus the Canon, it was very touchy ( a little movement changed focus a lot) and flimsy feeling. You also had to put the lens in manual mode before focusing because it locked when in auto. The other 2 cameras let you manually focus without thinking, even in auto mode. The auto-focus on the Canon worked so quickly and accurately, however, that I would have over looked its manual quirks.
Now to the surprise. While the Pentax *ist DS was indeed the lightest of the three, it did not fit my hand quite as well. I was wishing that the grip was a little thicker for a more secure grasp. The start up was a little quirky if you needed flash and you were in automatic mode with the flash down. I found that I would get a little confused about when it was ready to shoot and end up pushing the shutter several times before I got it going. This happened several times (slow learner?).
My biggest disappointment with the *ist DS was the speed. It was noticeable slower than the other two. While the other two could take three quick flash shots, the Pentax could not keep up with my shutter finger. The auto-focus delay was pretty noticeable. It was also sort of noisy. Even when I just took one shot the shutter lag was apparent, when compared with the other two.
All three cameras took very nice photos. The photo quality under the in-store test conditions would not have been a differentiator. The lens included with the Pentax kit was about the quality level of the Rebel.
The bottom line is that the Nikon D70 was my first choice (although it is definitely heavier than I like), the Rebel my second, and I would have waited rather than buy the Pentax. By the way, most of the extra weight that bothered me on the Nikon came from the lens, which is much heavier than that on the other two cameras. Of course, the extra size and weight was part of the price of the outstanding performance.
All of this illustrated why you have to actually use something as personal as a camera before you make a choice. Specs and even reviews are only guidelines.
