It looks like a pretty nice camera. It's bigger than I have come to like, but it is what it is. So it goes. I find it a bit ungainly at the moment, and a little unbalanced. I don't have the vertical grip yet, not sure when it will arrive. They did a better job of delivery with the *istD, the grip was available with the camera. Fit and finish is more of the same compared to the istD, but the overall feel is improved by the way the card and battery doors open. I never liked the doors on the istD, I was always afraid of breaking them. I like the feel of the istD cover material more, and the istD feels better balanced to me. I find the latches a bit fiddly to operate. It feels better than it has a right to, given the cost. It sure is fast. The white balance is going to be a joy to use, anyone who hasn't read that part of the book should do so. I miss not having a PC socket. I find the control wheels a bit badly placed, but I'll get used to it, I'm sure. The 4-way switch on the istD was a sore point with me. I still wish they had gone with buttons, but this control wheel looks like it will work well enough. I like how customizable the camera is. The Fn menu is nice and fast. The format command is a bit deeper in than I like. I would prefer it on the Fn menu somewhere. As has been discussed, it would be nice if the shake reduction could be configured to tie it to the meter-on duration, though I bet it would be a real battery hog that way. It is certainly as fast to be ready as the AF can secure focus, I expect it will be fine for most shooting situations. I quite like the digital preview, it is like making a soft Polaroid. It will be a help for shooting product for sure. I am curious to see how it works with the remote assistant, wondering if the screen shot will transfer to the computer for previewing. Note to Pentax: Give me this and I'll forgive the lack of PC socket...... The AF switch is fiddly, a bit bigger and thicker lever would be nice. I decided to modernize my portable flash, the old Metz 60 CT/2 will still work fine, but sometimes a shoe mount flash is nice. I came home with an AF540FGZ, which seems nice enough. Wireless with the built in would be nicer still. I was afraid the flash was going to have menus, but I haven't found any yet. It seems to be accurate enough, though taking pictures of my dogs in the living room is not definitive testing.
I'll be shooting studio with it tomorrow. I had to buy a really expensive little flash shoe adaptor to make up for the lack of a PC terminal. Have fun William Robb Note to Pentax: I'd like a PC terminal on the next camera you put in front of me, and you may as well put an aperture simulator in it as well, since it will have to be upscale from the K10 to attract me. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
