Pentax *ist D Digital Camera

Pros: Solidly built, SLR, easy manual zooming/focusing, TIFF/RAW, picture quality
Cons: No 640x480 resolution, no ISO100 setting, slow image writing, solid disc for menu control

I had a chance to use the P entax *istD Digital SLR camera over the last weekend. It is owned by a relative of mine, who has been using it in the full auto mode. The camera uses an APS-sized CCD, which is ...

Pros: Compact, Lightweight, Excellent Viewfinder, Very User Friendly, Top Notch Image Quality, Free Software Bundled.
Cons: No major drawbacks but simply some minor aspects aren't ideal - see review text.

After several brief trials during these few months, I finally got my *ist D on the 10th of January. And now, I have already used it to shoot hundreds of wonderful photos. In this review, I shall focus mainly on my personal observations and findings which ...

Pros: Great viewfinder, flexible auto options, legacy Pentax compatibility, good ergonomics (for small hands)
Cons: Inflexible RAW processing, a few functions hidden in the menu, bad ergonomics (for larger hands)

First, a little background to put this review into perspective.... I've been a fairly sophisticated amateur film photographer for more years than I care to admit. I own 3 Pentax bodies (ME, LX and 645) and many Pentax-compatible lenses, flashes and ...

Pros: intuitive, great quality results
Cons: it's still an SLR, which means it is somewhat complex

I am much more of an amateur photographer than some of the prior reviewers, so I won't get into the level of technical detail they have. I have used a lot of point and shoot cameras (print and digital), and have an 11-year-old Nikon SLR print camera ...

Pros: The smallest and lightest DSLR built, unobtrusive and easy to carry all day long.
Cons: Slower auto-focusing but adequate. Many built-in features that requires actively learning to use.

Very pleasing images without added artificial saturation, contrast or sharpness. Very pleasing images and good natural tones, especially on faces.

Pros: I have found the camera very easy to use. Light weight.
Cons: Long process times when taking dark sky photos.

I use my *IST D for night time photography. I have found that when using the bulb exposure with a tripod mount 50 MM lens @ 2.8, I can expose up to 20 seconds without much star trailing. Milky Way shots on the tripod start to show color and much detail. Mounted on a tracking telescope and using exposures up to 1 minute, the detail and colors of the Milky Way really pop out. Star clusters become apparent and nebula show up quite well. No processing needed to provide detail.

Pros: Great image quality and possibility of using various Pentax lenses.
Cons: No complaints so far expect limited choice of NEW Pentax lenses for this camera.

This is my third digital camera and the best one. I tried different functions (not all though as it is only one month old) and the quality is perfect. The body size is small and handy and convenient in use. The viewfinder is very bright and clear. The possibility of using various lenses (both new and old ones). No regrets for money spent as my wife says!

Pros: Beautiful colors, sharp images, accurate exposures, pretty pixels, feels good in your hand.
Cons: It is harder to remove the Flash Card than it should be.

After 30 years of using Pentax SLRs with Kodak film and a half dozen lenses to produce beautiful photos and slides, I now have a digital SLR that produces beautiful, faithful photos with the gorgeous look of Kodachrome, but with the advantages of digital photography. The colors are faithful, the exposures are excellent, and the features and handling leave nothing to be desired. I don't know what the reviewers who complained about lack of sharpness are talking about, but maybe they need to focus better. I'm glad i waited for a digital SLR, and I'm glad Pentax made one that uses all my trusty lenses. I don't know what I'll do with my old Pentax bodies, but I don't see any future for film when a digital camera performs this well. This new camera has revived an old hobby. I've already shot over 500 beautiful images in less than a month, and each new one is more breathtaking than the last.

Pros: All the features more than I needed.
Cons: Media card difficult to extract from camera.

So far so good. Handles very nicely. Everything easy to read and and understand. Tried a large (20x24) print and was very impressed. Bought camera to take images for large prints.