I thought I'd reply, mostly to give Fred something more to think about. Answers interspersed:
Shel > [Original Message] > From: William Robb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > You will probably find that a DSLR pretty much replaces the use of > 35mm colour print film. Was thinking about that while out walking this morning. Since color neg has greater latitude than a digi, it would seem that color film might be a better choice in contrasty situations. Am I off base here? > The istDS looks like it has a dumbed down interface compared to the > istD. > This might be good or bad, depending on how you feel about picture > taking "modes". Picture Modes don't concern me as long as the camera can be used in other ways like a regular camera - i.e., manual focus, overriding settings, and so on. > The istDS looks like it won't have the nice feel of the istD. > If you value a solid, nice feeling camera, this might be an issue. > If the camera is just a picture taking tool, and it's esthetics don't > matter to you, then it may be a non issue. I value the way a camera feels, but am open to the different ways a camera can feel. > The istDS has a larger buffer, and might even write to the card > faster. > The istDS supports USB 2.0, and should tranfer data faster during > downloads. Nice to know, although using the card readers built in to my computer, that may be an irrelevant concern. The buffer thing sounds cool, though. > The istDS has a wider image parameter control (saturation, sharpness, > contrast) from the look of the spece. Don't know enuf about that to comment. > The istDS doesn't support TIFF, which bothers me not at all, I never > shoot TIFFs anyway. That might bother me a bit only because I'm not used to RAW and because the Sony makes TIFF files. > The istDS won't mount the battery grip. If you shoot a lot of > verticals (I do), the grip is nice. Been shooting verticals all my life without grips and add-ons. Might be a nice feature to consider, though. Never used a camera that offered such a feature. I might come to like it. > If you are already using a digital P&S that uses SD cards, the istDS > uses them. A non-issue in any case at this point. One of the things that struck me just now is that I'd be making the jump from older cameras, without the buffer of all the newewr features like autofocus, modes, viewfinder information, flashing lights, grips, battery operation, and so on. My expectations may be different than one who's used all these other cameras made between todays digital marvels. Thanks for that synopsis, Bill. Shel
