Some have asked about my thoughts on the *istD, so here they are... if interested.
A week ago I got a call from my dealer letting me know the Pentax rep was going to be in town and he would have the DSLR. I was able to send some time with him. When I finally set the camera down the sales clerks waited a bit and then asked if I was through. They said it all with smiles on. I just love my store ;-P I walked and in and was warmly greeted by the rep. He pulled out the *istD and proceeded to talk me through it. As much as I was paying attention, I could not help but notice that it was a very easy camera to grab and use. There were not a lot of things hidden in menus and such. This was commented on by the clerk too - so much easier to explain to buyers. Everyone has commented on its size. It is in true Pentax tradition. I can honestly see myself carting it around with an LX or two or maybe an MZ-S or MX in a fanny pack with no problems at all. I truly enjoyed the white balance being readily available. I have it set to the button on the back of the Optio S. Whenever I used the D1X or H I always had to familiarize myself to where I could access it or see if the photographer had put it elsewhere. I like the ability to easily scroll through all the selections. And having the manual white balance on the front makes a lot of sense. The inclusion of a flash, like on the MZ-S, is key. I don't use flash much, but when needed it is great to have it on hand. Rather than having to tote one. Don't get me wrong, I use both shoe-mounted and handle-mounted flashes when I need to, but having one on the camera has been useful many a time for me. I can get used to changing the aperture via a wheel. If I can get used to stopping down a Takumar on my screwmounts, this is nothing out of this world. Much like I can change from an LX to an MZ-S nowadays, I can see the same with the *istD and another camera. I have not become that much of a creature of habit - I can adapt. Great viewfinder!!!! On a par with the MZ-S. I still like my LX - with appropriate screen - but I cannot talk badly on the *istD. But then again the slowest lens I usually use is an f2, occasionally an f 2.8. The sales clerks were raving about the *ist's focusing speed and focus points. They feel the *istD is leaps and bounds ahead of the D100 and he mentioned one of the Canon EOS something-or-other coming close. They are having trouble keeping the *ist on the shelf. The *istD is fast! I still enjoy using manual focus though. Thus I cannot comment too much on focus point selection. Much like the MZ-S I do not see myself using it too much. Like the MZ-S, I feel the grip will add to the enjoyment of holding the camera. Speaking of holding, my hand did not tire of holding it. Unlike the behemoths that are the other DSLRs that force me to move them around a bit when shooting with them. I love the fact that I can use my screwmounts on it!!! I have an 85/1.9 that I want to try out. I used an Auto-Takumar 55/1.8 for a couple of shots. The sales clerk just looked at me when I pulled out the screwmount-k adapter. But then again he is used to me by now... Being that I am used to using manual focus on the MZ-S, I had no problem focusing with the Takumar. Of course I played with the complete range of Limited Lenses. Beautiful! The only one I am missing is the 43. And the rep did not hesitate to let me use his. Then came the test with my 50/1.2 (not M or A, nor F or FA). The rep mentioned how some people turn the lens back a bit to use it. I could see him thinking about a disclaimer in terms of the lens falling. So, I set the aperture to 1.2 and used it to gauge how much to loosen the lens. Loosen is a poor choice of a word. The lens is very secure on the camera. I would not recommend swinging the camera around, but it is very useable. Not a problem that I could see. I use it mostly for available light shooting and can see no problem with using it in such an environment. I do use my handheld meter frequently with all my cameras - yes even the MZ-S, so I do plan to use it with the DSLR. I used it a lot with the Nikon DSLRs. A great touch is the PC sync terminal... One of the best shoots I had with the D1X was of a friend's retirement ceremony using a Pentax AF400T through the PC terminal. I used a flash meter and all the shots came out great! I like being able to do that with the *istD. No need to get any flash equipment for it - until I want to. The only negative I have on the camera is the slight difficulty in removing the Compact Flash. The door latching is well thought out, but I can see some people having to get used to removing the CF from it. The cover of the contacts for mounting the grip is another finely engineered part. No chance of losing it - possible with the MZ-S though I have not done so - as it slides into the body. Cannot really comment much on the LCD screen. I usually turn it off when I use a digital. The rep did show the ability to zoom in 12x (?) [doing all this from memory] to verify focusing. Nice touch - something I have used a bit on the Optio S. I did not ask if there is a cover for the screen. If there is not I will just use a PDA screen cover like I have on the Optio S. Being a pre-production I cannot comment on picture quality. I did take quite a few at ISO 3200. It looked much like my Kodak 3200 shots, only in color. I like having that option. Interested to see how it would look shooting wedding ceremonies. I did not pay much attention to the noise. So it must not have been bad. I did not compare it to the MZ-S, but then again I am used to the LX... Well, my three cents, back to your regularly scheduled program, C�sar Panama City, Florida
