I have one, and I agree pretty much with what's been said above.

It has an excellent built-in lens hood that screws into position, both in and out, so no slipping around. It also has an excellent detachable tripod bracket (unlike the FA*) which provides a great handle for holding the lens.

It's very hand-holdable, and the AF isn't too bad given that there's a fair weight of glass to move around.

In the UK they go for over £400, and are worth every penny.

G

Further to my last post, I would just say that Pentax were right to use CF in the *ist D because, at the time, no other memory format came near to CF in terms of capacity.

Now that SD cards offer multi-gigabyte capacity, I am sure that Pentax made the right decision to switch.

And given that the price of memory cards has come down so much, I don't think it is a good idea to offer facilities for both formats in one camera. Small size and low weight are two important characteristics of Pentax bodies.

G

I do agree about poor Pentax compatibility.

Have you noticed that there is no provision for using film on a digital SLR? This is a grave oversight.

And it's ridiculous that I can't use my bayonet mount lenses on my Spotmatic. What's more, the modern digital flash units are almost useless on forty-year-old camera bodies as well. Bad, Pentax, very bad.

It's high time manufacturers stopped foisting improvements on us. Just because SD cards are smaller and more robust doesn't mean we should be forced to use them. In fact, I personally think all digital cameras should be fitted with 5 1/4 inch floppy drives. That way I could download images to my original IBM pc of 1982.

Come to that, why aren't DSLRs made from mahogany and brass, like proper cameras?

Come to that, why do we need cameras at all? Why not just hire an artist?

What's that? Damien Hirst? Ah....., um......, yes, OK. I think I can see an advantage to having a camera.

But I don't want a massive great thing, and have to go around in a horse-drawn wagon, like Roger Fenton in the Crimea. I need something small, light, convenient. Something modern, with small, robust, memory devices. Like Secure Digital. Roll on progress, I say, and innovation!

G

You have to remember that the *ist D range is the successor of the SPOTmatic.

G

There are two main reasons for "spots" on photos:

1. Very small bright spots are failed pixels, only noticeable against a dark background, and

2. Much larger greyish spots are caused by dirt/dust on the sensor, which can usually be blown off, but might ocassionally require wiping or cleaning. These are part of life if you own a digital camera, unless you keep it in a vacuum.

G

Everybody will have their own ideas about what exposure mode to use in a particular situation, but if you are a photojournalist and used to having to do things in a hurry, you might prefer a standard program mode or Tv, and matrix metering.

JR is a thoughtful photographer, and takes his time. But in a hurry, you don't have the luxury of checking whether the point you are focussing on is the point you want to meter on, and you don't have the luxury of checking that the shutter speed is faster enough.

This is where automation is very useful.

G

With you and me contributing, who could doubt it?

G

The only way you can ever have too many cameras is if you have too few lenses. And the solution to that is to tackle the shortfall.

G

Do you have any of the Limited lenses yet? If not, you have a treat still to come!

G

Any f3.5 or FA f2.8

Or the 28mm f2, if you can find it.

G