Why is the *istD so expensive

I hope I "spelled" that right..
Anyway, I gave a thought to buying a digital Pentax SLR, hoping the new model would drive down the price of the older-and noticed the L and S and other variants are considerably less expensive.

Any ideas?

If it's a 'new' ist D body (I trust you mean the 2003 original) then about 500-600 pounds is what you would expect to pay for one....

It's a much more substantial body than the DL and DS.

However new in 2003 it was 1200-1400 pounds. I guess that when the K10D arrives it might get cheaper than 500 pounds just to clear the stuff off the shelves....

The *ist-D is still more of a pro-spec'd camera than the DS and DL. Until the K10D arrives it's the only body that has a grip option, but now it's long discontinued. In fact Pentax stopped it when the DS came out, strangely enough.

Hopefully the K10D will have all that the *ist-D has and some... but there is still some doubt over a few features, and the *ist-D may still be better suited to some. Time will tell

Most *ist-D users are drooling over the K10D, but whether they'll sell their *ist-Ds we'll have to wait and see...

Matt

It's better made, it's easier to use - more features available via knobs and buttons rather than by menu-diving -and it has unique facilities such as wireless flash using just one external gun and the built-in flash. The AF motor is said to be more powerful too, making focussing easier with long lenses. My 300mm works fine, for instance.

It also has hyper-program, which Z1 users tend to like a lot.

The main downsides are that the later cameras tend to be able to shoot more pictures in quick succession, and have smaller RAW files.

For me, the pros outweigh the cons and justify the price, but for others the reverse may be true.

Right now, I would wait for the K10D unless you are on a very strict budget, in which case it would be the K100D or a second-hand *ist D.

G

No answering you question but - I will NEVER part with the istD.

That all depends on what you call expensive?

I have 2 X *istD bodies and I've used the *istDS. The D, when fitted with a battery grip, is a fabulous camera to use and much simpler than a DS. As George says, many functions are accessible through buttons or dials rather than having to go into the menu system.

Like many others here, I can't wait to get my hands on a K10D, but I'll not part with my D's just yet. I sold the DS I had and kept the D's. They are far more versatile than the later models.

Oddly enough, even though my D has been dropped and the DL has not disappointed whatsoever, I have thought about selling the DL to make way for the K10D, will see how the D survives the next few months...

I do agree with the points about the functionality of the D, the hyper modes and the fact you can add a grip. The disadvantage of the DL is that it's so light I have to check it's still there from time to time