Shel, I got my DS for just 4 weeks now, love it totally... It's just as I asked for in a camera... The choice was actually never between the D and the DS. I was quite capable to get the D, but I just don't want to spend that kind of money on Pentax 1st DSLR... Also, I just can't help shooting films... <g> I have set my eyes on the DS when it was announced. I was a little confused when I first saw the manual and thought my old lenses won't work properly on DS. But all questions answered, I went forward and got it. The DS is small, and small is my priority in choosing the camera. I just can't stand lugging 10kg of equipment and walk around taking photos... that's just not right. Before getting the DS, I have a LX and a ME-super which are just fantastic. They are small, lightweight and even with a prime lens for each body, I was able to put them into my working bag everyday! So, the size matters and DS has got it! Some people complained about battery grip, I just don't get it... I have a big hand and I have no problem using a ME-super, so why would I have a problem using DS which is larger than ME-super? DS has got all the functions I ever need and more. The majority of my photos are candid and some portraits. I hardly do any scenery and I don't do astronomical photos... So MLU, I don't care. I just push up the ISO and clean up later with Neat Image if necessary... Multiple exposures, never used before, so I'll never miss it. RAW+JPEG storage, I only shoot JPEG, just don't have time to deal with RAW, so storing one format at a time is fine for me. The buttons layout is simple and a little too simple. Need to press Fn button to go into menu to change ISO, which can be a pain when you are in a hurry... but I usually am not... Most of the changes are done with the MENU which is OK to me because I rarely change the settings once it's set. I had an Olympus c5050z before I got the DS, the menu works in a similar way. So I am quite used to it. I think Prosumer DC and DSLR are two different categories really... I would go for DSLR any day if the price is close. DSLR has larger CCD and a much cleaner image in high ISO settings whereas ProDC has no match against such... I chose DS, not only because I already have pentax lenses, but it's also very good value for money. It is certainly cheaper than my c5050 when I bought it last year!
I think that's about how I think of my DS... PS: did I mention that it has lightening fast USB2.0 compared to the torturing 1.1 <vbg> Cheers Andy -----Original Message----- From: Shel Belinkoff [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2004 11:25 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Who has an istDS? Some questions for those who've got the istDS: How do you like it thus far? Was your choice between the D and the DS, or between a higher end "prosumer" model and the DS? What factors influenced your choice and decision to go with the DS? Shel
