*Ist DL, should I buy?

I seriously think of buying this camera to my brother. Since the price in

Germany dropped to EUR 444 including kit lens, I think it should be a good deal

for the money. I need a serious advice, since I am not familliar with Pentax. My

brother is a newbie, but would like to have a dSLR. Thanks a lot.

Well, someone else thought about it, too. I think I finally decided to wait for the K100D.... SR, better AF, other things...

Nice camera, you will not have any problems and you can use the Pentax mount to buy old good lenses for cheap money.

Hi Peter.

 

Obviously there are many different reasons to buy different makes of a given camera. Pentax offers many great reasons to buy their equipment.

 

1) There is a huge selection of lenses to choose from. Pentax gives you the possibility to use both lenses that are 'K' mount and 42M screw mount (with adaptor). I'd also note you can use Pentax medium format lenses on the bodies too but that's only relevant if you use those systems. You need to do a bit more when using older lenses without electrical contacts, but it is evidently easy to do.

 

2) Pentax digital bodies are small, light, have very large view screens, and are receiving a lot of acclaim.

 

3) Pentax, while not as well known as Canon, Nikon, or Minolta has been around a very long time. That means they have a strong following of loyal customers that are willing to keep on supporting the brand and with the popularity of Pentax's new dSLRs they are receiving lots of new users. Pentax is not likely to go away in the near future They seemed to have survived the switch from film to digital that killed other film camera companies.

 

4) It IS a good deal. The kit lens isn't everyone's favorite lens, but it is a good deal for the price.

Well, the results of the official tests in Germany say that this is a real winner. Very compact, solidly built and with good features. I'll go and buy it this evening. No doubt about it anymore. Thanx guys and esp. Douglas.

Bought it! And not regreting it! It is a really good thing. The kit lens is surprisingly sharp.

Nice for you and congratulations.

What about the AF? I read K100D will have a new better one with 11 points instead of 3. Is there much difference. I can stand to have only three points, but I need it to be fast and accurate. I'm leaving for holiday in a few days and need a serious digital camera. I would like to wait the K100D to be available in Italy, but I'm probably short of time. If there's not much difference, apart shake reduction, I could buy an *ist Dl, just to have it with me in my holiday. Otherwise I'll have to wait for K100D available after my travel, and go with my (quite good, I have to say) compact digital camera (Olympus C-60Z) and my glorious analogic Pentax MZ7.

Andrea, Ist DL is a nice device, although it has only 3 AF points. The autofocus was almos in every situation perfectly accurate. Maybe not sooo fast, but this also depends on the light conditions. I love the sharpness and built quality of the kit lens. Uncomparably better than canon kit or cheapo sigma 18-50. I am a canon shooter and did not have a chance to use pentax before, but I bought this one for my brother and tested it myself. Go for it and you will not regret. The price is unbeatable.