On Jul 11, 2005, at 8:12 AM, Shel Belinkoff wrote:
This is for those of you who purchased an istDs: Why did you choose
it over
the istD? Availability? Price? Size? Features? Which features?
Image Quality.
Good lenses at reasonable prices. (I had never owned Pentax gear
before the DS.)
Size and weight.
Ergonomics.
Speed.
Battery options.
Price.
* I don't need or want a battery/portrait grip ... been there, done
that, sold it fast.
* I don't need multiple custom setups ... have that on two other
cameras and I never use it.
* I don't need multiple control wheels ... the simpler user interface
is easier to
learn and remember, I often forget their functions on my other
cameras that
have them.
* I've not yet found a need for the in-camera wireless flash mode.
* Hyperprogram I have in another camera and I rarely if ever use it.
* SD cards are smaller, easier to handle, and the same price (at the
same speed)
as CF nowadays. No, you can't get much bigger than 2Gbyte cards,
but then
1G = 100 PEF files, and it's very rare that I need more than 1G
for an entire
weekend's shooting. The SD card interface is well known to be
more reliable
than the fine wire multipin CF interface as well.
It's not a perfect camera. I wish it had C-AF selectable in all
exposure modes, I wish it had the LCD illuminator of the D, and I
wouldn't need the program preset modes if it had C-AF. I wish it had
the Olympus sensor auto-cleaning built in. But these are minor
concerns and don't get in the way of my photography very much if at all.
If you're familiar with the features of both cameras, do you now,
after
using the istDs, think you'd have been better served by the istD
(leaving
price out of the equation), and why?
I've considered the possibility of buying a D a couple of time. Then
I think about how fussy it is to handle CF cards by comparison, the
speed issues, and know that I'd just be fooling myself into thinking
I'd purchased any advantage for the same or more money.
Godfrey
