Pentax *ist D

I had a Pentax K1000 which is totally manual set camera. When I started to have problems with the light meter, I decided to go digital. I thought I would stick with Pentax so I could use my zoom lens. The lens I had couldn’t be used with the Pentax *istD. I bought the Pentax *istD as a package with a QUANTARAY 70 - 300 zoom lens. Any lens used on this camera has to be an automatic exposure lens. Tried using the manual setting on the aperture and the camera would not work.


I have not been satisfied with the Pentax *istD camera. I was getting better pictures with the Pentax K1000 Camera. I keep getting frustrated with the Pentax *istD camera because I can not get it to do what I want it to do. I bought a DVD for the Pentax *istD to try to learn more about the camera. The camera version on the DVD was different from the camera I had.

When taking pictures with the Pentax *istD the exposure is off. The picture is either too dark or too light. With the many programs for processing pictures a lot of them are going to Auto Edit instead of letting use make the changes yourself. If you are fussy on how your pictures turn out this is not the camera for you! Taking pictures in continuous the setting change from one picture to the next. One will be light and the next will be dark. When using the flash I ran into the same problem. The metering keeps changing the camera settings. It didn’t matter if I used the camera flash or the Pentax AF-360FGZ flash.

Taking pictures in low lighting is a big problem with this camera. You basically have to go to manual focus. It has a hard time focusing on what you want to take a picture of or taking pictures of fireworks.

Easy to hold onto.
Can use four AA batteries. Using Lithium AA batteries last a long time.
Automatic shut off.
Uses a SD Memory card which any one can find on the internet at a low price.

1GB card gives you 332 pictures on JPEG. You only get 342 pictures with a 4GB card. It isn’t worth getting the bigger card with this camera.
Can not use manual setting on the exposure part of the camera.
Does not have an exposure light meter.
Doesn’t have a usable histogram
Pictures come out light or dark.
Need to touch up pictures.
Auto focus doesn’t work or it has a hard time focusing in low light or dark background.
Can make all the changes in the menu the pictures still don’t come out right.
ISO doesn’t go below 200.
You can miss a shot in automatic focus while the camera is trying to focus.
I would not recommend this camera to anyone. I am presently looking for another digital camera. Presently looking at Canon or Nikon which the camera stores cater to which most professional photographer use.

No DSLR camera
Used a Canon Manual set Camera and Pentax K1000

Took it back to Ritz Camera and didn’t get anywhere.

Sure, the *ist D lacks many of the modern “gimmicky” features, such as live view, face detection, AF tracking, smile shutter, etc. But it retains all of the essential ones – like viewfinder, sensor, and image processor.

My overall experience with the *ist D is mixed. I came from shooting with a Panasonic FZ7K for a little over two years, and the *ist D is my second camera ever.

Here are the three interchangeable lenses which I currently use, also a TC and an external flash:

• Takumar-A ZOOM f3.5-4.5 28-80mm lens.
• PENTAX SMC PENTAX-F f2.8 100mm MACRO lens.
• SMC PENTAX-A* f4 300mm lens.
• 2X MC7 TAMRON-F AF tele-converter.
• PENTAX AF-330FTZ flash.

First off, handling: Excellent! The grip is actually quite ergonomic, matching the natural curves of the hand and fingers. However, if you have large hands, then you will not be comfortable holding this camera for long, as the grip is somewhat “shallow”. For small/medium-handed persons, the grip will be just fine, and allows room for the “pinky finger” – unlike my FZ7K.

I only wish that there was more room between the grip side and the lens mount. I find myself at times "digging in" to try to get a better hold. The grip surface isn't exactly glamourous either – thin, crinkly, plasticy/rubbery material. No big deal, though.

Body finish is nice and durable-feeling. Another thing worth noting is that the *ist D has a fair amount of levers/dials/switches on the body's exterior. Film SLR users might like it, kind of an "old fashioned" feel.

Menus and ease-of-use are OK. There is only 1 main menu page, but several “custom pages”, where the user can configure camera settings and preferences to suit his/her style of photography. I am impressed with the number of custom features available – there are so many, more than everything the main menu contains. You can set prefences like EV compensation steps of 1/2 or 1/3. Even stuff like pixel dimensions of the smallest file are customizable, and shutter release enable/disable without CF card inserted. Great job on the custom functions number, PENTAX!

But… all these great menu items are browsed by means of a flat, four-way contoller on the camera’s back. The contoller isn’t very predictable in which way it will go when pressed, and can be frighteningly possible to accidentally format the CF card while trying to set a custom number. Not a good design.

Burst mode is respectable, though not hyper fast. More like a steady “slap-slap-slap-slap-slap”, you can actually count along. Faster shutter-speeds increase burst speed, but this still isn’t an ideal camera for action photography. Also when using burst mode, I find that the camera will often "choke up" after a few shots, squeeze off a few more, pause, let loose a rapid sequence, freeze up temporarily, resume shooting, etc.. Not an issue-free burst sequence.

Image quality is definetely a big step up from any compact-digital. Pictures are perfectly useable all the way up to IS0 1600. ISO 3200 shows a moderate amount of noise. You will not be disappointed with the *ist D’s image quality, so long as you use good lenses and hold steady, since there is no "shake-reduction" mechanism.

Battery life is reasonably long, when you use rechargeables. Alkaine batteries will die very fast.

Image write times are rather slow. Even with a Lexar 133x speed professional CF card. TIFFS and RAW files are even slower to transfer. Browsing photos in "playback mode" is also quite slow.

Overall, this might be a great camera for the beginner to advanced amateur, or someone who is upgrading from a P&S/compact digital. A great camera to learn on!!!

• Smallish, not too heavy either.
• Green in-focus indicator lights up when using MF. This means that all you have to do is tap the shutter-button (or press the AF button), turn the focus ring and the camera will tell you when it thinks the subject is sharpest. Of course, you can completely ignore this feature, and use eyesight to focus manually.
• Relatively easy-to-use.
• Comfortable hand-grip for small/medium-sized handed people.
• Great image quality when the body is matched with the right glass.
• Low “noise” all the way up to ISO 1600.
• Solid, sturdy build.
• Great feature set, including DOF preview.
• Huge number of custom functions. You can literally "build" your own personal version of the camera with them. (No kidding).
• Viewfinder is big, sharp, clear and bright. Better than an EVF or tiny P&S optical one.
• ON/OFF switch is conveniently located right around the shutter-button.

• No live histogram.
• Flat, joystick-style four-way controller isn’t very predictable in which direction it will go.
• CF card compartment is awkwardly placed, you need to dig in with your fingers in order to extract/insert a card. People with bigger fingers and hands will likely need tweezers.
• No SR image stabilization system. (Better hold steady or use a tripod).
• Lack of automatic sensor cleaning function.
• Minimum ISO sensitivity is only ISO 200.
• Burst speed isn’t enough for fast-action photographers, and isn't "issue-free".
• Slow buffer-clearing time.
• Trouble AF'ing in low light or on very cloudy days.
• Smallish, 1.7in LCD screen. (By today’s standards, not at camera release date).
• WB, ISO and image resolution only accesible through mode dial.
• No live view on LCD screen.

• No other DSLRs.

• Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7K digital compact camera.
• Kodak C300 digital P&S camera.
• Kodak 835 Star AF 35mm-film P&S camera.

• Haven’t contacted PENTAX.

Just got the camera and having been using my old film lenses on it and it works great. I use the Nikon d70s at work and this is built very similar in fact the body plastic is identical only it is smaller and lighter and easier to carry. It was as if Pentax copied the d70 and made a smaller version of it. I did a lot of research before I bought it and really I found out that it uses the same sensor as the Nikon d100 d70 and d40. The image quality really depends on your lens and your white balance. I have gotten some great collor images with this camear. I have read that there is an issue with softness and really I don't see it. I think it depends on your lens. All my lenses are old and use glass not plastic so that might help. This camera is really the predecessor to the K10d. It has full pofessional features. It is very responsive and I like using it. The only fault I have with it is that auto focus syste4m in dim lighting. Get use to focussing manually. In the day it is fast, faster that the Nikon I would say as fast as a Canon. This cameara is the inbetween of Nikon and Canon.

Small and compact. Great shooting responsiveness.

Auto focussing in Dim lighting

Nikon d70

Very good camera, especially for analog Pentax cameras users with K,M lens. For beginners not recommended, rather for intermediates.

Small, light, rigid body. Good controls. Multiple exposure, DOF preview, hyper program AE,. Individual AV and TV dials. Focus Point Switch Lever. Auto Bracketing (exposure). Works with K, M lens ( in manual mode). Powered from AA accumulators. Pentaprism viewfinder.

Sensitivity from 200 ISO. Difficult access to CF card. Cumbersome four-way controller. LCD monitor too small. Lack of image stabilization. RAW files too large (about 13 MB).

Canon EOS 350D (Rebel XT), Canon EOS 400D (Rebel XTi).

Not used yet.

I'm glad i held out for a Pentax DSLR. I almost jumped ship to the copier-company cameras, I;'ve used some of their cameras in the past. But I started in the 1960's, when it was Pentax and Zeiss if you wanted the best lenses, so I had a collection of really excellent glass.
The thing that sold me is that all my K mount (or even M42) lenses will work and meter on this camera. Of course, a manual lens is still manual, but Pentax is to be praised for letting us old codgers use our favorite old glass on the new sooper-dooper electronic cameras. Of course, I had to get the 12-24 super-wide because of the crop factor, but, hey, it's business expense!
I actually like the fact that Pentax has held back on the in-camera sharpening. I'll do my own #%^&$ sharpening in Photoshop, thank you very much!! The copier-company cameras seem to sharpen jpegs or tiffs so you get artifacts, so I like a camera thart lets me do my own sharpening.
I've been shooting RAW, which bypasses the whole in-camera processing nonsense. If you're shooting for a living you really need to go with RAW. Maybe I'm prejiduced, I'm one of those darkroom freaks with Dektol stains on m fingers! RAW puts me back in the driver's seat with my images, and it sure doesn't smell as bad as the chemical darkroom!
I congratulate Pentax on their commitment to backwards compatability. They have the most complete usability from old classics like my 45-125 K lens, totally manual. It works just like it does on my old MX cameras. Plus it has all the electro-techno connections for the new lenses that thind they're smarter than the photographer. I'm pleaed as punch with this camera, and it's the first Pentax professional grade camera that's not medium format in a long time. (Remenber the LX?)
It uses Lexars WA technology, so I can shoot a long string of RAW files without running into the dreaded buffer problem. The viewfinder is bright and clear, it makes C and N look like dark tunnels!! Imortant for an old codger like me whose eyes are not what they used to be!
This is not a camera for beginners, Pentax have the K100D and other simpler machines for the hobbyist market. But a serious photographer can't go wrong with this unit!

Well placed controls, easy to get used to and work quickly with. Uses all thosd old really classis lenses that some of us have collected over the yers. Very solid feel, I was worried that Pentax had given up on pro gear, but this goes a long way to redressing that issue. I anxiously await the new 10 megapixel DSLR with shake reduction.
I have a lot of hope for Pentax ressurecting their pro customers, we may be old but we have a lot of experience that transends the analog/digtial devide!

When the camera first came out, they left out the ability to use the old K and M lenses. Well, the howl of outrage was heard from Tokyo to London, and they quickly backpedalled with a firmware upgrade. Good job, Pentax, you listen to your customers!
They left out the cam to allow you to use ancient manual lenses in apeture priority mode, so we use them in manual (after all, they ARE manual lenses). Hopefully the 10 megapixel pro model will include the cam. I'm old and getting lazy. Even though I mostly use it in the studio with a flash meter, so it stays in Manual most of the time anyway. But for personal goofing around, I'd like the cam back in the mount, no more "crippled" KAF mount, please!

Nkon F, Canon T70 and other fancy Canon and Nikon film cameras, Olympus digital SLR's (the sensor is just too tiny), all sorts of lenses from old classic manuals to modern electronic marvels. Pentax MX cameras, and even a K1000 just for the sake of having one (no DOF preview, so the MX cameras with DOF preview got the most workout).

No direct experience, but their reaction to the outrage over the "crippled" KAF2 mounnt was swift and took care of the problem, so I suspect they actually listen to the customers.