"Dario Bonazza 2" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >That's interesting to me. However, apart from more or less sexy body, more >or less complete line of lenses, more or less Pentax feeling camera (all of >them being important), the most important question among Pentax film camera >users (all of us) is: >Will the *ist D line capable to give pictures with a quality comparable to >Canon and Fuji? >Among film SLRs, the answer was undoubtably a big YES! Many of us choose >Pentax for their lenses, giving excellent results with an excellent film >(and a decent photographer behind them). > >With digital cameras, the technical quality is all inside the camera: lens, >sensor, software... (and meter, shutter, AF, of course). I believe the >lens+sensor+software mix to be very critical, doing the big difference in >overall picture quality.
Well, the technical quality isn't *all* inside the camera; the lens still counts for a lot. But you've hit upon a major point here. You're correct that a lot has shifted into the camera body, and the fact that *any* has shifted to the camera body is of significance. This is part of the fundamental paradigm shift of digital photography and we are at the crossroads now. This is why many of us will be holding out for a full-frame DSLR. Even though an APS-sized frame with a 6MP or greater sensor will probably yield 35mm film quality, and that will be good enough for the vast majority of users, there's no way around the fact that a full-frame will be better, in the same way (and for the same reasons) that medium format is better than 35mm. Now, as Mike Johnston has pointed out, APS-sized sensors will bring advantages of smaller size and weight in lenses and camera bodies and are capable of superb image quality; good enough for most people even though not as good as full-frame cameras like the EOS-1Ds. But here's the fundamental change in the universe of photography: Up to now, using film, you could potentially take your cheapest Pentax SLR (my Pentax ME, for example), equipped with a 50mm f/1.4, and produce a slide that was technically *every bit* as good as what an EOS-1v user could with any Canon lens. (Change to a Limited lens and you could do *better*. <g>) And don't think for a moment that Pentax engineers (and engineers at Canon!) aren't fully aware of this. This is the great equalizer that has kept most of us using Pentax, but with DSLRs of different sensor sizes, it's gone. You aren't going to get full-frame quality from an APS-sized sensor no matter what lens you stick on it. Any technical trickery that can be used to improve quality (better lenses, more pixels, etc.) can be applied to *both* formats, so the basic balance of power won't change. The good news is that Pentax engineers are certainly aware of this (remember, their first plan was a full-frame camera). I think plans for a full-frame DSLR are in the works to *complement*, not supplant, the "APS" digitals (the advantages of smaller sensors are worth keeping for many applications). They waited to release their first DSLR until technology and production volume allowed them to do so at a reasonable price and I expect they'll do the same for a full-frame camera. Give it a year for product announcement, another 6 months to a year for availability. -- Mark Roberts Photography and writing www.robertstech.com
