*ist DS on the way
Do let us know how you get on!
I know how you feel. My father brought home a then new Spotmatic II when I was a teenager. From that moment on I wanted a Pentax. I had to wait about another 10 years to get one though and eventually it happened. My then girlfriend, bought me a KX as an engagement present. Nearly 30 years later and I am still a Pentaphile.
Regards
Kim
I only purchased the *ist DS with the 18-55 lens. I'm thinking of getting a bit of equipment in France on my holiday (in August), since prices here in Portugal are unrealistic (probably due to the distributor).
So, I'm thinking of getting a nice, fast, maybe 512MB or a 1GB SD card, like a Viking or a Sandisk Ultra II. Then, I'll be getting a telephoto objective, perhaps the new Pentax-DA 50-200mm ED if it is already available by then, or a Sigma 55-200mm DC. Then I'll need a K-M42 adapter so I can play around with some old Zenit screw-mount lenses I have. I'm also thinking about a new tripod, if the old one doesn't cope.
As you can see, I'm just getting into the DSLR world through the Pentax door. Can you guys please advise me on anything else I might need? What about maintenance? I'm reading about how to clean the sensor, lens, etc, and apparently I'll need some special stuff for that as well...
Thanks in advance!
Maybe it timed out... but that's me on that last post.
Oh boy, it is actually more than I was expecting! I'm going to spend the next few days studying this baby and shooting like a small child!
It's light, it's pretty, it starts almost instantly, my compact took ages... the quality is not even comparable (in JPEG)! I'll try some RAW shots and play around with it for a while!
It's beautiful, everything I always thought of a Pentax as a kid and more!
My *istDS arrived yesterday.
So far I've opened the shutter in some very tough places for a camera and i'm impressed with the results. from my limited experience the camera's a better camera than I am a photographer and will serve me well. At some point I'll get a longer zoom to complement the kit lense that came with the camera, but for the moment I'll stick with the one i've got.
I suspect that unlike the pros/better amateurs out there i'm the target audience for the camera, 90% of the time i'll want to point the camera at something, and get a good quality image. The remaining time i'm going to want to use the camera underground, switch to manual focus and light up the perpetual night with a selection of torches / Sunpaks.
For me, the advantage i'll get with digital is, using a film SLR I'd use 2 rolls of film and get maybe one usable shot. (I'm not that bad hnest)
Happy snapping
I've had my iST DS for a week now and I too am absolutely delighted with it.
I've traded up from a Dimage 7i and so far I'm very glad I chose the Pentax over the 350D (who needs 8Mp anyway and it is just not comfortable in the hand - grip is far too shallow).
It ticked just about every box for me especially as I don't need proprietry Li-On batteries (I was happy to change from CF to SD as memory cards are cheap now and nearly a GB of CF cards helped the sale of my Minolta).
I'd like program shift ("Hyper Program") in P mode but I'll live without that and I'd give up the "auto scene selection" (in fact I'd give up the scene modes completely) - just P,A,S & M would do nicley but these don't detract from the wonderful ergonomics/ease of use and the quality of the images.
What's more ISO 3200 is perfectly useable - no more trying to determine
which noisy blur is one of my children on a poorly lit school stage 100 feet away.
London, England
K-30, Optio Z10, Optio S5i, LS465, Nikon P7100
Have fun and shoot lots of great pictures!
Add Comment
To leave a comment - Log in to Pentax User or create a new account.
151 posts
18 years
Vale de Cambra,
PORTUGAL
I'm a very nervous purchaser of a brand new Pentax *ist DS. I've ordered the DS + DA 18-55mm kit last week and I'm impatiently waiting for it to arrive.
Anyway, my first real camera was a Zenit EM + Helios 58mm prime lens + National external flash + tripod. I still have this kit and like it a lot. I used it ever since I was a kid, for it was my father's camera and I ended up inheriting it. Then I succumbed to the wonderfull world of the digital point-and-shoots... photography was never the same again, to me.
I am now going back to my roots and getting a DSLR... I have been studying Canon, Nikon and KonicaMinolta (namely the 300D/350XT, the D70/D50 and the Maxxum 7D), but I ended up prefering the Pentax. Ever since I was a kid (I'm now 26) I always wanted to have a Pentax. It was like the crème de la crème of photography to me, and even if I never even got to hold a Pentax in my hands back then, I drooled over the magazines, pictures and articles...
Now I'm a grownup (yeah, right, more like a kid who has earned a little money by working), and my photographic dream is about to come true when I receive my DS. I guess I would get the Pentax even if some other camera was a bit superior because of this ideia I carried from youth.
Nevertheless, I have this feeling I will not be disapointed!