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Photo Forum / Digital Photography / DSLR Cameras / July 2005Pentax *ist DS
My friend bought a Pentax *ist DS kit at Costco for $760. It's a very neat and small camera. The kit even comes with a case and a 128MB SM card. We promptly bought a 1GB SanDisk Ultra II SD card and Costco has a $15 discount for all 1GB Sandisk memory cards this week. It handles RAW well. It's snappy when comparing to the original Canon Digital Rebel which I had (and sold). Focusing is quick but is pretty bad under low light situation when comparing to my Canon 20D. The 18-55mm lens is well built. It puts Canon's same kit lens to shame. The focus ring is not filmy as Canon's. The Canon 20D is easy to use without reading manual. I had to dig the manual a bit for the *ist DS. Besides slow focusing in low light, selecting the focusing point is clumsy. You have to do that using a menu. The best feature of all the DSLR at that class, even better than 20D, is the viewfinder. It's BIG and you can get a different focusing screen. I wish Canon do that for their xxD series! If one is new to SLR and don't need the vast selection of Canon or Nikon glasses or IS, this is a very good choice. > My friend bought a Pentax *ist DS kit at Costco for $760. It's a very neat > and small camera. The kit even comes with a case and a 128MB SM card. We [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > manual a bit for the *ist DS. Besides slow focusing in low light, > selecting the focusing point is clumsy. You need to read a bit more, you can select the focusing point on the move with the four way switch. Cheers. You have to do that > using a menu. The best feature of all the DSLR at that class, even better > than 20D, is the viewfinder. It's BIG and you can get a different focusing > screen. I wish Canon do that for their xxD series! If one is new to SLR > and don't need the vast selection of Canon or Nikon glasses or IS, this is > a very good choice. The low-light performance is due to the slow kit lens. Put a fast, quality lens on it and it's as basically as good as the others in its class. I'm using 3 lenses on my DS: K30/2.8, A35/2, FA50/1.4. While only one of the 3 is AF, it works beautifully. IOW, a faster lens will cure the problem. Every brand has it's trade-offs. Nikon has the more rugged bodies and the networking capabilities. Canon has the very, very fast AF. It depends on what you need or want. Also, the selection of Pentax glass is just as vast. More depends on the city you are in than anything else. This is more of a trade-off issue. Nikon has a shifting bellows. Canon has the super-fast AF (on the better models). Pentax has the outstanding 31mm & 77mm Limited series lenses that will make you beg for more. And a beautiful little 40/2.8 pancake -- a New AF version for film or digital -- continuing the tradition of the old Pentax-M 40/2.8 pancake. A very good lens. The SD card system makes the Pentax more compact. I didn't think the grip of the DS would be pleasant. But I've gotten used to it. Battery life is very good. The User Interface (UI) is ok. Nothing special. (But then nothing is as bad as the old Nikon N70.) Lens compatability is excellent. Get an old Super Multi Coated Takumar 50/1.4 and 35/2 and use 'em on your DS. They work. Not with a mechanical i/f, but you can take pictures with them. Stop-down metering, the old fashioned way. For other lenses, the unique Pentax Reflex Zooms would be excellent for sports like Soccer ("Football" for those on the metric system) and wildlife. You'll not lose anything with Pentax. Every brand has its trade-offs. Penatx is no slouch in the industry. Maybe a little slow to market, but very good stuff. Collin > For other lenses, the unique Pentax Reflex Zooms would be excellent for > sports like Soccer ("Football" for those on the metric system) and > wildlife. What unique about the "Pentax Reflex Zooms"?  SignatureBen Rosengart (212) 741-4400 x215 Sometimes it only makes sense to focus our attention on those questions that are equal parts trivial and intriguing. --Josh Micah Marshall For a long time Pentax was the only mfg with such, unless Canon or Nikon now have one. http://www.pentaximaging.com/products/product_details/camera_lens--smc_P_Reflex_ 400-600mm_F8-12/reqID--3056/subsection--Digital_35mm_zoom A pretty compact 400-600 option. (I don't keep up too much with hardware. My new Java/Domino/Websphere work is too consuming.) > For a long time Pentax was the only mfg with such, unless Canon or > Nikon now have one. > > http://www.pentaximaging.com/products/product_details/camera_lens--smc_P_Reflex_ 400-600mm_F8-12/reqID--3056/subsection--Digital_35mm_zoom > > A pretty compact 400-600 option. Ah -- a long telephoto-to-long telephoto zoom? That is pretty neat. Thanks for explaining. SignatureBen Rosengart (212) 741-4400 x215 Sometimes it only makes sense to focus our attention on those questions that are equal parts trivial and intriguing. --Josh Micah Marshall >> For a long time Pentax was the only mfg with such, unless Canon or >> Nikon now have one. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >Ah -- a long telephoto-to-long telephoto zoom? That is pretty neat. A long telephoto to long telephoto lightweight compact zoom. Pentax also offer a 250-600/f5.6 zoom, but it's definitely not a lens you could describe as either lightweight or compact. > For a long time Pentax was the only mfg with such, unless Canon or > Nikon now have one. http://www.pentaximaging.com/products/product_details/camera_lens--smc_P_Reflex_ 400-600mm_F8-12/reqID--3056/subsection--Digital_35mm_zoom > A pretty compact 400-600 option. I tried a 500mm f/8 reflex lens on my *ist DS, and found it very difficult to use. This one wasn't made by Pentax, so it is probably not unique to them. The Pentax zoom reflex may be a nice, compact lens, but is it really applicable to the *ist DS? It is strictly manual focus. At f/8 to f/12, you probably can't even use the camera's AF system in focus-assist mode. I would expect it to be "dark" in the viewfinder, so manual focus would be difficult. Perhaps a good nature lens when using a tripod, but maybe not good for sports. The only autofocus reflex lens I know of is the Minolta 500mm f/8 AF reflex lens. Zoom would be nice, but they would have to start with a larger aperture so it didn't zoom to anything less than f/8, so AF could work. Fred I find myself occasionally using trap focus with longer lenses. A very handy feature. "Trap Focus" is this: 1. Set the camera to Manual focus mode. 2. Focus where the object will be. 3. Hold down the shutter release. 4. When the object comes into focus, the camera will fire. Automatically. (Is this feature unique to Pentax? My Nikon acquaintenance was intrigued by the feature.) I've not tried this with sports, but it's certainly useful for people in general. A Tokina 80-200/2.8 is on its way to me, and I'm going to try it with the DS' spot focus & birds in the back yard. Collin >I find myself occasionally using trap focus with longer lenses. > A very handy feature. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Collin Collin, your "trap focus" concept baffles me. I've tried on my *istDs with a Sigma 55-200 f/4-5.6 DC zoom (in manual mode) without success. Can you please expand on your method? Thanks and regards, Jean. I had a brain death moment yesterday. With a manual focus lens (I put on my A35/2) and set the camera to Auto Focus. Then follow the prodcedure. >I had a brain death moment yesterday. > With a manual focus lens (I put on my A35/2) and set the camera to Auto > Focus. > Then follow the prodcedure. Thanks for the answer, but I still don't get it... Do you mean that you press the shutter realease halfway down and the camera will fire when the subject gets into the pre-arranged focal distance? >>I had a brain death moment yesterday. >> With a manual focus lens (I put on my A35/2) and set the camera to Auto [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >Do you mean that you press the shutter realease halfway down and the camera >will fire when the subject gets into the pre-arranged focal distance? To be precise, the camera will fire when the central auto-focus sensor indicates that there is an in-focus subect. And it will only do that if the shutter is pressed all the way down, not just halfway. This only works with manual-focus lenses. >>Thanks for the answer, but I still don't get it... >>Do you mean that you press the shutter realease halfway down and the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > This only works with manual-focus lenses. Thanks John, I got it. Now I have to think hard to find how this can be an advantage... after all, isn't it faster to focus the good old way? Could be of some use in sports mode maybe or when an elephant is unexpectedly charging at you? Jean. With walking people it works well. I've not shot a wedding in a long time, but it might be nice to catch those coming down the aisle and not have to fuss with any camera or hand-twist delays. I'm looking to try it with soccer in the near future. And I'm looking for a way to make it work with AF lenses. >>>Thanks for the answer, but I still don't get it... >>>Do you mean that you press the shutter realease halfway down and the [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >Now I have to think hard to find how this can be an advantage... after all, >isn't it faster to focus the good old way? If you think so, then just leave the camera set to manual focus mode. But if you're waiting for a subject to show up at just the right place (a bird on a bird table, or a race car at the apex of the turn), then trap focus lets you get the shot when the framing is just right. > Thanks John, I got it. > Now I have to think hard to find how this can be an advantage... It's wonderful for frightening squirrels. Place camera at ground level. Set the flash to fill mode. Place a few peanuts in front of the camera. When the little creature comes into focus, WHAM! Bwhhaaahhhaaaaahhaaaaaa evil mike II > To be precise, the camera will fire when the central auto-focus sensor > indicates that there is an in-focus subect. And it will only do that > if the shutter is pressed all the way down, not just halfway. > > This only works with manual-focus lenses. Ah, this makes sense. Brilliant! For some reason I thought I had heard this only worked on older Pentax film cameras, but I just tried it with my DS and it works exactly as described. Put camera in auto focus mode, with manual focus lens on. Focus where subject will be. Press shutter fully. Wait for subject to appear. Shutter releases when subject reaches the focus point. The only problem is that the camera does not seem overly quick in noticing this, so the suibject may have moved a little *out* of focus by the time the picture is actually taken. This is especially a problem if the lens is also manual aperture, unless you are in full manual mode and have guessed an appropriate exposure for the non-existent subject. Otherwise, the camera will shoot at the widest aperture, giving you the narrowest depth of focus, and smallest margin for error in terms of when to actually snap the shutter. But still, cool trick. Wish I had known about it a couple of weeks ago in Florence, where I took the most beautifully composed, heart-warming shot of a little girl in pink dancing to a gypsy band in a piazza, but nothing was in focus. -------------- Marc Sabatella marc@outsideshore.com The Outside Shore Music, art, & educational materials: http://www.outsideshore.com/ >>"Cheesehead" <dplotusnotes@yahoo.com> a ecrit: >>>I had a brain death moment yesterday. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >>camera will fire when the subject gets into the pre-arranged focal >>distance? > To be precise, the camera will fire when the central auto-focus sensor > indicates that there is an in-focus subect. And it will only do that > if the shutter is pressed all the way down, not just halfway. To my surprise, this works with a D2x (even with auto-focus lenses) if you set Custom Setting a5 to "off". I doubt I'll ever need it, but hey, it's there... Andrew. > Focusing is quick but is pretty bad under low > light situation when comparing to my Canon 20D. I'm assuming by "bad" you mean, slow (and ndeed, sometimes outright failure). This is largely due to the lack of a dedicated focus assist lamp - if you aren't using flash (and I rarely do), then it's going to be tough. Tough enough, in fact that I routinely switch to manual focus in these cases. And like you say, this feels much better than on the low end Canon kit lens. > I > had to dig the manual a bit for the *ist DS. And it doesn't help that the manual is pretty poorly written. But I found the basic functions of the camera perfectly self-evident. Selecting focus point doesn't interest me - if I need something other than the basic autofocus, I switch to manual. But FWIW, if you've got the camera in the mode where you can select a focus point at all, actually selecting it does not require a menu. It seems another reasonable option is to leave it at cetner focus all the time, focus with the focus point centered, then reframe with the shutter held halfway. I actually do this with the default focus mode all the time, and it generally works fine, but can still sometimes be fooled if the focus point is not the closest major object in the field. -------------- Marc Sabatella marc@outsideshore.com The Outside Shore Music, art, & educational materials: http://www.outsideshore.com/ >>Focusing is quick but is pretty bad under low >>light situation when comparing to my Canon 20D. [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > Music, art, & educational materials: > http://www.outsideshore.com/ Indeed it's the kit lens. It's very slow and noisy. I can't switch the focusing point without using the menu but I set it to center point it would be fine. [..] > Indeed it's the kit lens. It's very slow and noisy. I can't switch the > focusing point without using the menu but I set it to center point it > would be fine. You use the menu to tell the camera you'll set the focus point yourself. Then you set the focus point with the arrow keys. |
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