review: Pentax *istDS

background

I am at once an avid photographer and a slow adapter of new technology. With a burn rate of about three roles of film a week, have always been quite happy with my existing film cameras (SLR and rangefinder) and was unsure whether I was going to enjoy the transition to digital photography. But by the summer of 2006 I was ready to take the plunge.

Since my existing lens collection (Minolta manual focus) was not supported by any modern manufacturer, I was free to chose any model on the market. Comparing the different offerings at the time, the Pentax *istDS stood out because of the decision by Pentax to support their huge stable of outstanding K-mount lenses. Here was a body that built on Pentax's well-received *istD that would allow me to pick up a collection of top-quality used manual-focus lenses without demanding a huge up-front investment.

I decided that the *istDS met my needs, and made the purchase looking at this body as something I would likely upgrade in two years time. As of this time of writing it's now been nearly three years and well over 14,000 frames. And I'm still discovering new ways of getting great images out of this camera.

I have used this camera primarily on the street and for travel, as well as for get-togethers, for night-time long-exposure work and even for jewelry product photography. I have done a small amount of sports photography, but have not attempted nature/bird-in-flight photography. I have used both manual-focus and autofocus lenses for the *istDS, and have used similar products from Olympus and Nikon, as well as many film cameras from Pentax and other manufacturers since ~1990.

benefits

Briefly put, this camera has these chief benefits for a hobbiest photographer: controls that are well placed, easy to use, and simple; solid construction; good (if not great) low light / high ISO performance; support for both made-for-digital and legacy film lenses (including manual focus); a very powerful built-in flash; and a basic complement of the features that are useful.

controls

This camera is now a few generations out of date, and as such does not have many of the more modern features found on Pentax cameras, such as anti-shake, ISO-priority exposure mode, automated dust-removal, or video capture. These limitations are reflected in the controls for this camera: they are dead simple and laid out in a way that for the most part is both logical and ergonomically pleasing.

The four-way control to the right of the LED is the one weak element. The thing is a bit finacky, and I've found it impossible to use if I'm wearing gloves. Also, it's not clear why there's a 'Fn' button in addition to the 'Ok' button in the centre of the four-way controller. But that aside, the controls for the display and menu are reasonable and I've never noticed any missed pushes or other errors as with cheaply-made point-and-shoot buttons. For an entry-level DSLR, these are quite satisfactory.

The rear wheel has just the right roll and resistance, and the shutter is responsive if lacking any real shutter-release sensation.

You have to use the four-way controller to set the ISO for some reason. That is the only real mis-step in the design and layout of the controls, in my opinion. Otherwise, I took to the layout of the controls quite quickly and have no complaints in daily use. One plus is that unlike some older film cameras, nothing is every accidentally set because some dial got partially turned, and none of the controls seem like they will ever wear out.

The placement of the other features is also good. The metal tripod mount is centre to the body, the strap lugs are placed very well (unlike late model Olympus bodies), the large battery chamber is well placed and manages to both be easy to open and not prone to accidentally falling open. Pentax obviously learned a thing or two over the many years since its famous hey-day of simple film cameras, during which despite their popularity they lagged the competition when it came to ergonomics (comparing, for instance, a Pentax K-1000 to a Minolta SRT-101, or a Pentax MX versus a Minolta X-700).

construction

As a long-time user of all-metal body film cameras (Minolta SRT-101 and XD, Pentax MX) and later plastic-on-metal-frame designs like the Minolta X-700, I was put off by the molded plastic look of the *istDS. But the camera has a significant heft to it that at once stabilizes the body during use and acts as an anchor for weighty metal lenses. The body is very solidly made, more so I found than Nikon cameras of about the same vintage (e.g. D70) and the Canon Kiss-series body I've used (which was very lightweight).

While not a lightweight like a modern Olympus DSLR, this camera can take a few knocks and has the simple feeling of being well-built. I would rate this Pentax, in this regard, more highly than I would the venerable Pentax K-1000 and MX, both of which I have used. The latter in particular was an example that the good ol' days of all-metal film cameras weren't necessarily better—a camera that felt reasonably solid but which seemed dogged by problems (shutter getting stuck, batteries inexplicably dying, dials feeling at times iffy, etc).

lens support

As with all Pentax DSLR's, the *istDS supports all K-mount lenses and through the use of an adapter can be used with the antique M42 lenses. There are K-mount lenses from a variety (more than fifty!) of vendors, as this lens mount is both an open standard and one that's been around since 1975. Naturally, this includes manual focus as well as autofocus lenses.

Support for manual-focus lenses is accomplished through setting the "Using Aperture ring" menu item to "Permitted". When you're shooting with the manual-focus lenses, metering requires that you thumb the 'AE-L' button on the back of the camera. Thus, support is not exactly 100%, and hence the term 'crippled KAF2' in the name of the mount.

Curiously, the meter tends to overexpose when using manual focus lenses, and I find that it's best to either bracket all shots made with a manual focus lens, or to us ethe thumb wheel to reduce exposure by 1/3 of a stop.

low-light performance

My wife and I regularly use this camera at ISO 1600. I find the noise to be inline with ISO 1600 film. Both are only usable under certain circumstances, and both can fail badly under difficult conditions. The *istDS's sensor doesn't seem to be prone to reciprocity failure the way that film can.

Using the camera's very useful two-second timer, I have got pleasing results using the ISO 1600 sensitivity under very low-light conditions while holding the camera in my hand (no tripod).

For an entry-model camera dating to 2004, I find the higher speed sentivity ratings (ISO 800, 1600) very usable. ISO 3200 is another story; it's more noise than signal.

flash

The built-in flash on this unit is surprisingly strong, with a guide number (at full strength) of 15.6 at ISO 200. With autofocus lenses, the flash unit is both powerful and versatile. With manual-focus lenses, you need to do a bit of tinkering in the menu to determine the appropriate level of flash compensation to apply for the lens you're using. I've found that for anything close to the camera, ISO 200 and a shutter speed of 1/160s are required to get appropriate exposure using a guide number of 15.6.

This camera, unlike all later Pentax DSLR models, has true TTL metering for external flash units. I've played with some external flashes and had mixed results—this is more of a failing on my part to find manuals for the flashes I've found than any fault of the camera.

battery-life

This camera takes for AA cells. I find that these will last for hundreds of exposures before needing recharging. I sometimes go a month without charging the batteries. To qualify that, I'll say that my style of usage includes fair use of auto-bracketing, very little use of the LED screen, little use of the flash, no autofocus, and near-constant use of RAW mode. And I use Eneloop batteries from Sanyo, which are superb. This camera is easy on the batteries—I suspect that Pentax could have gotten away with two AA batteries for this camera.

useful features

A full list of the features in this camera is beyond the scope this review. That said, the ones I find most useful are:

• 2-second timer (poor man's antishake)
• configurable bracket values (e.g. set them to +/- 1/3EV, +/- 2/3EV, etc)
• custom white balance (product photography is hopeless without this)

This camera is missing very few features that I look for as someone who uses this unit both in day-to-day walking about and in producing images for my business. This is the list of things I'd want to see in a camera with these specs:

• Meter adjust in manual mode: the meter in this camera consistently overexposes by 1/3 of a stop. Using the thumb button to meter, then compensating 1/3 of a stop with the wheel is annoying. If I could set it to 'always underexpose by 1/3 stop' my photography would be more enjoyable.
• Auto ISO (see below).
• a dedicated ISO control.

weaknesses

Like all cameras, this model has some weaknesses.

Auto ISO

Listed as a feature of this camera, the Auto ISO is one of the configurable items. Unfortunately, it seems to do nothing. I don't know if the mechanics behind this were ever even built, I've never seen any hint of it actually working.

It's been pointed out by another owner of this camera that the AutoISO might not work because I override the exposure calculated by the camera. But I suspect that it's simply that AutoISO doesn't work in Manual mode. Which is kinda crazy.

the thumb button for metering

I tire of using the AE-L button all the time to meter with manual focus lenses. I'm not sure why this design comprimise was necessary but it's something that I have a hard time reminding people about when I hand them the camera and rightly so: it's dumb.

slow buffer

Even JPG's can take a while to write to memory card, but when shooting repeat RAW images, the buffer just can't cope. Even for its time, the buffer in this camera was poor. Now it's a standout, even behind those upper-tier point and shoot cameras that feature RAW capabilities.

abysmal autofocus

I bought a 21mm Limited autofocus lens to go along with this camera. But the lens sits on the shelf, passed over for my SMC 28mm f/3.5. The reason being the godawful autofocus on this camera. It's not just that the autofocus hunts unnecessarily or can't make up it's mind: it's that the camera sometimes (about once a day, at my rate of use) simply refuses to take the photo. It's so bad that I simply can't tolerate it.

Since refusing to take a photo is counter to a camera's basic functionality, I consider this to be a major detraction for anyone shooting with autofocus lenses. My 21mm Limited was simply a fancy (and expensive) paperweight until my son was born; now I don't even see it. This is very disappointing.

viewfinder

I find the viewfinder constrictive. It's not as bad as a 4/3 system viewfinder, but the image is quite a lot smaller than "full frame" beauties like Pentax's fabled LX which has a viewfinder that of course can't be reproduced on the *istDS's APS-C format. And yet, the 95% view in the viewfinder means that poles and wires and manhole covers have a tendency to creep into the edges of the frame, and I've had occasional problems with lens flare for the same reason (cured by the adoption of some cheap hoods).

summary

My *istDS is in extra innings and will continue to see daily use. I appreciate its strengths more than its weaknesses, and believe that Pentax could still offer a model very similar to this unit if they perhaps updated the buffer and autofocus, and of course slapped in a larger LED. I find the 6MP size of the RAW images perfect—not too big for editing hundreds of files, and not too small to produce A4-size prints for my wall.

All in all, I recommend this camera for anyone looking for a relatively compact used body to support manual focus lenses.