Thanks, Heiko, for the effort. Truly rewarding. What strikes me first of all is the *ist d viewfinder being as big as that of MZ-S. That is 0.95x magnification in terms of 35 mm, not APS - great news! Also glad to hear Pentax commitment for K/M lenses support, although would have been happier if your M 50/1.7 effectively worked on the *ist d.
All in one, it seems Pentax still has a lot to work on the *ists, while we're talking USM and IS. It's time to get real. Servus, Alin Heiko wrote: HH> I'm just back from my Cebit visit. It was a perfect day and I presume a HH> great success for Pentax. The best: I was allowed to handle a *ist and a HH> *istD ! Before proceeding please realize: HH> - that I'm quite tired and don't guarantee that I will get all facts HH> 100% correct HH> - I was talking to sales people, not to technicians. HH> - I was so overwhelmed by the fact that I'm actually holding a *ist-D HH> that I have forgotten to check certain details, ask this or that HH> question and to try each feature HH> Here are my observations: HH> *ist D HH> ------- HH> The *ist D was an early pre-production modell. I was told that it was HH> handmade, costing a small house and that there exist only three pieces HH> in the whole world. The one in the USA was killed at the first day... HH> The *ist D that I saw was working, but you could see that many functions HH> had prototype status. Also the buttons were working but really handmade. HH> The printings were very delicate. HH> - The *ist-D feels great: good shape, good weight. HH> - The viewfinder is comparable to that of the MZ-S, the infos in it a HH> very good to read HH> - The DOF-preview works as on the MZ-S HH> - The mount has all 7 KAF contacts HH> - I took a SMC-M 50/1.7 with me ;-) and they let me attach it! HH> Unfortunately it didn't work because of the early production stage. But HH> I was told, that it will work in the final modell. "Anything else would HH> be madness..." they said. HH> - Now the bad news: I forgot to check if there is a stop-down coupler... HH> All in all a great experience. I also tried the other DLSRs (10D and the HH> F80 based Nikon/Fuji/Kodak). Those were even for my large hands bulky HH> and I was really pleased by the *ist D concerning size and weight. As a HH> Pentax rep said - it is the first really useable DSLR (at least for a HH> Pentax guy like me...;-)) HH> *ist HH> ---- HH> I could also handle a *ist. It is really small, smaller than the *ist D HH> (I think afterwards). But is has a great user interface. HH> - The viewfinder is smaller (iirc) than that of the *ist D HH> - The AF is VERY fast! It shows you in the viewfinder, which sensor has HH> been chosen. HH> - The mount has all 7 KAF contacts HH> - It has no stop-down coupler. HH> - I put my SMC-M on it and it didn't work - there was only "Av" blinking HH> in the display HH> - I changed the custom function 17 HH> - now it seemed to try to meter (it showed no aperture number but the HH> time), but the metered times were wrong. I was told that this was HH> because of the pre-production stage of the camera. In the final version HH> it should work in aperture priority. HH> *FAJ (18-35) HH> ------------ HH> - Plastics mount HH> - there is a stop-down-coupler, but it doesn't seem to be moveable HH> Optio S HH> ------- HH> - FANTASTIC! HH> - Super fast (2 seconds from switching on to the first picture) HH> - Because of the surface it is very good to hold (despite its tinyness) HH> - Perfect toy for the time to the *ist D launch (in July) HH> Optio 550 HH> --------- HH> - 12 aperture numbers! (I didn't check that myself) HH> - Makes a really professional impression. A real G3 killer... HH> That's all for today. I'm really pleased with what I saw. Thanks, HH> Pentax! HH> Cheers, Heiko
