Pentax *ist DS

A overall good compact DSLR, good price from second hand

my package include Tokina 75-300 blue collar in New Zealand Dollar 600.00

small, less space needed, construction all good, not many stuff to present on surface, some people list this as weakness, I don't think so!. for a small body, what can you do? you cannot get all.
Manu setting are logically good and reasonable. ISO3200 is a good value, have ISO Auto, that looks cool to me.
the handle designed pretty good unless your hand is so wide, otherwise, fit.

I like SD cards and NiMH batteries, easy to get, cheap,. you can use Mini SD as well, interchangable with Mobiles.

shorter Focal lengh, can use M42 lenses + Nikon mount easier to convert - I personally recon Nikon make supereme lenses in Late 1970s - Early 1980s, where with multi coating and no cheating on materials.

Year 2000? they making junks. everything , plastic.

I also like the 11 point continuous AF mode, fast and accurate.

no SR or VR or IS function, neither the lenses nor the body.

I wish ISO100 supplied as an option.

heard story happened to the button at the back, quality not very good.

not using standard USB cable to computer.

Like others complaint, AF slow, oh well, a small body+big lens how much power would you expect the motor supply?

Nikon D70

Pentax Optio MX4

Not yet, may need later

What can I say I love my camera. It has served me very well. I had a 35mm film camera before this one and had a difficult time changing to digital. I like the point and shoot and that my lenses from my film pentax fit my new Pentax ist DS. The built in camera flash is not great at much distance so I purchased an external flash that works great. There are so many features on this camera that I have not mastered near all of them so I am still learning. I would recommend this camera to anyone.

Great overall camera.

Built in flash.

Pentax 35mm film camera

Pentax in the past has been very good with my film camera. They have very good customer service and have used them on many occations. Haven't had problems with my new camera.

I have 2 of these bodies with the kit lens and a number of K-manual lenses. I am getting a DL body for my son.

Construction quality is very good.

Relatively cheap price.

Ergonomics are great. It fits my smaller hand very well. I can grip the camera in one hand and do the job. Placement of switches and buttons are quite good.

Use of AA battery is one of the main reasons I invested in these cameras. I think it really gives you the freedom compared to the use of proprietary Lithium battery.

Use of SD card is great. SD is cheap now.

Auto focus works well. May not be the fastest but it is good enough.

Picture quality is quite good, even though some people quibble about it.

Weight. I heard this is one of the lighter DSLRs around but I have not handled any other kinds of DSLRs so I cannot comment. But I have no complants about the weight.

Noise and Vibration - nothing to complain.

Backward compatibility to old Pentax lenses makes this camera very appealing.

Menu system is user friendly.

Ability to download updated Firmware keeps you abreast of bug fixes or new features. Easy to update Firmware.

Hard to use built in flash with K-manual lenses. Extenal flash with auto-thyristor works well with manual lenses.

Does not have mechanism to record Aperture info from K-manual lenses.

View finder screen is not the greatest for manual focus (need split image screen). Pentax does not offer it; there are some aftermarket ones on the net.

No mirror lock feature but I use the 2 second delay feature to achieve the same result.

Not needed.

I've been a "Pentaxian" all my life - I never had to think about it. My dad had his ME SUPER which was passed down to me - I shot and still shoot with the SUPER even now- its a wondrful camera - so when it came time to purchase a digital - I thought - hmmm the lenes will work so - let s stay with PENTAX and I am very glad I did.

I find the DS a very versital camera, great build quality, quality optics, long company history, reputation and products and accessories. It was an easy choice for me.

I carry the A30 and my DS with me everywhere. And I am saving my pennies for the PENTAX K10D as the top of the line replacement for my DS.

- ENJOY and KEEP CLICKING!

Long company history, great product line, loads of third party accessories, lenses and excellent build quality. Light, responsive, intutive and generally an enjoyment to use anytime.

Once they discontinued the model - its become a bit more difficult to get the accessories to build a complete system. So I may hav e to upgrade to the K10D to get all the extra stuff I like.

BUT -

the only weakness I found so far is - PENTAX software is not really great on MAC - its fiar at best - and the MAC will not see the PENTAX plugged into it.

Easily overcome with card reader, etc - but just a note

ALSO

It would be really nice if EVERY model had weatherseals built into the body!!!!

I also use the PENTAX A30, ME SUPER 35mm

STILL WORKING WITH THEM NOT THRILLED SO FAR - BUT GIVING THEM A CHANCES TO MAKE GOOD

I wanted my chosen DSLR to match the traits of my Olympus OM film system, namely small size, great viewfinder, and great selection of lenses. I could eliminate the D70/D50, Rebel XT, and Olympus cameras with a simple look through the viewfinders - way too tiny - but the Nikon D200 was tempting.

I put the ~$1400 I saved over the D200 towards lenses. The kit lens is OK but I'm mainly using FA 35/2, A 50/1.7, FA 77/1.8, and M 135/3.5 - exceptional lenses all. Any K-mount lens will work with this camera - with some metering limitations on pre-auto focus lenses - and m42 screw-mounts, 645, and 67 lenses will work with an adapter. That's a wonderful feature as it opens up the options to some classic Pentax glass from decades gone by. I spend way too much time on ebay these days.

Construction feels very solid, plastic over a metal frame. The viewfinder, while nowhere near as nice as an OM or other film SLR, is adequate and about the best you can get for an APS-C-sized sensor (similar to the Nikon D200). I'd prefer more infor in the viewfinder, such as metering mode and ISO speed.

It's a tiny SLR but feels good in your hand thanks to a nicely shaped rubber-covered grip. I am able to get the camera plus my 5 lenses into a mid-sized holster camera bag - great for hiking! I wouldn't have minded a bit larger camera if it had allowed for an extra control dial. That is my main shortcoming with the camera, that to change ISO, white balance, or metering type requires a trip to the menus which means taking your eye away from the viewfinder.

Image quality has been very good, great for 8x10 prints. Noise levels are decent but a step behind Canon at higher ISO. The image tone defaults to "Bright" which is oversaturated. "Natural" is a better choice and should be the default. Or shoot raw and don't worry about in-camera processing. Note that if you shoot JPEGs and don't want to do post-processing you should bump up the sharpening levels.

Overall I'd say it's a great beginner/intermediate camera. It has the standard beginner picture modes that I never use (portrait, sport, nightshot, etc.). It also includes some more pro features, such as spot metering, mirror lock-up via the 2-second timer, and auto-ISO levels with adjustable range. A simple, straightfoward, fun camera! Very close to 5 stars, say, 4.4...

-Lens selection, spanning decades
-Viewfinder (for an APS-C sensor)
-11-point metering
-Small size but good handling, especially with smaller lenses
-Construction feels solid

-Relies too much on menus - would prefer dial adjustment for ISO, white balance, metering mode
-Auto focus is a little slow
-Hard to find, replaced by DS2? Samsung GX-1S?

Olympus OM-1 OM-2S (film)
Pentax 645 (film)
Nikon 4500 (swivel body)

None needed
Pentax needs to quickly clear up the future of the DS2 vs. the Samsung GX-1S, at least in the US. Right now it's next to impossible to find the DS, DS2, or GX-1S.