Digital-SLR Reviews

I have been a Nikon user for over 20 years, and owned at least six different bodies and lots of lenses. My all time favorite is the FM2N. Why Nikon? It's the lenses! Nikon seems to understand this is the main selling point of their system. SO they have never changed the F lens mount. You can use older manual focus AI and AIS lenses on the D70. The bad news: The meter won't work. However on a digital SLR, the LCD confirmation mitigates this since you can check your exposures. You could also use a handheld light light meter. More good news: depth of field preview works with AI and AIS lenses! So I've been having a great time using my manual lenses on the D70. This camera is really a winner and costs no more than some of the ridiculous "prosumer" digicams out there. It's far more versatile.

It's easy to use-if you've used another digicam or even a recent Nikon 35mm SLR. The fact that I've been able to figure out most settings necessary without even cracking the manual is impressive.
The flash syncs at 1/500! This makes for some really creative fill flash outdoors or in the studio. All necessary settings are within easy reach, and no stupid five click deep menus for stuff like ISO. All the important stuff like ISO, Metering pattern, Exposure modes, White Balance, etc. have a dedicated button right on the body. No fumbling to change stuff while shooting.

Shutterlag is virtually non-existent. It's almost as good as my FM2N. But face it, if you want zero shutter lag then get a manual 35mm camera! However with the D70, you will not notice it.

The Lens-the kit lens is a 18-70mm (27 to 105mm). It's pretty good, and the color has that gorgeous Nikon hue. It's bright for a zoom. A lot of people are criticizing this lens unjustly. It does have a lot of barrel distortion on the wide end, but for landscapes you'd never know. It's got a very good wide angle range for a digital lens. It's a great value, and way better than any junk Sigma puts out.

ViewFinder-Some have slammed the viewfinder. It does take a little getting used to, like looking down a long dark corridor at first. But it's just as bright as any AF SLR once you get used to it. I think Nikon designed it this way to get people used to the CCD aspect ratio. It's kind of like watching a DVD in letterbox format. Good news: the viewfinder has a diopter for eyeglass wearers.

Picture Quality-This is where the rubber meets the road. At all ISO settings, the images are superb. Colors are saturated and lifelike, with the "Nikon Pop". They remind me of a good ISO 100 slide film like Kodak E100G, or Fujichrome Velvia 100. Best of all, the grain is very low, even ISO 1600 is not bad when printed to 8 x10. This is a huge advance over my older Canon G2 digital. Like I said, think ISO 100 slide film.

This is destined to be one of Nikon's legends, like the N8008, N90, FM2N, etc. You get a lot of value for your money, much more than the Canon Digital Rebel. A lot of pros are buying D70s for backup, and the Press Photographers Association of Japan just picked the D70 as new camera of the year! What else could you ask for? This is a top drawer camera with a great lens.

Simply put, the Nikon D70 is the finest camera I have ever used. As an amateur photographer I have owned a variety of Nikon SLRs during the age of film photography. That is until the digital bug hit me with the introduction of the Olympus C2020 (a superb camera in its own right). I have anxiously awaited the day when I could return to the SLR and do it digitally. The D70 has made my day! This camera is incredibly easy to use and intuitive right out of the box. You can easily operate exposure controls, flash, and etc. without going through menus. All the settings can be seen in the viewfinder and the control dials are in the right places so you don't have to take your eye off the subject. It felt like coming home again to use an SLR, shoot through a viewfinder, and quickly and easily adjust exposures. Since there is no shutter-lag with this camera, and image writing to the card is fast, you don't have to anticipate your shots. Image quality is phenomenal and the 6 megapixel count assures you of excellent "darkroom" control. There are so many image capture options available in its menu that it pays to test the camera for settings that satisfy your needs (e.g. regulating sharpness, contrast, and tonal distributions). But even the default automatic settings provide photographs that can be beautifully printed right out-of-the-box. The 18-70mm DX lense that comes with the kit (equivalent to 27-105mm for 35mm film) is a great buy and delivers excellent image quality. I only wish its filter size (67mm) matched any of the filters that I had acquired for my old lenses. For the serious amateur who wants the level of control and image quality that only an SLR can provide, the Nikon D70 is definitely it. The affordable digital SLR has arrived! Sorry, Kodak, the era of film photography has truly come to an end.

Lets get to the main point of buying a DSLR - I wanted fast & sharp results with versatility included. This is what I wanted and this is what I got! The price couldn't get much cheaper or it'd be an absolute steal (not that it already isn't). I feel like a real professional just HOLDING the D70. Truth is, I wouldn't give up this baby for the world. Digital SLR's are so much better than some cheap point and shoot restraintive camera. Break free and buy a D70! Look at the flawless reviews, try it out, and see for yourself. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

I just received my camera last week and so far I love it. I haven't found any negative things yet. I bought the kit with the 18-70 lens. The Nikon is better than the Canon Rebel I had a month ago. I also bought the SB-800 flash and it's great. I love the flash sync of 1/500 second. It will take me a few weeks to learn the new features but I'm loving every photo I take.

I have had Nikon cameras for most of my adult life, and that is more years than I care to count. The Nikon D70 is the best I have ever used. It is fast, comfortable, and elegant. Its pictures are sharp, properly exposed, and always in focus with Nikon's fast AF system.

The batteries last for months with regular use, provided you don't upload your pics direct to your PC from the camera. I suggest you purchase an inexpensive card reader for the upload process.

I suggest buying the package, which includes the body, a battery, and a great 18-70mm AF lens. I do not recommend that you buy from Amazon. They are several hundred dollars more than most of their online competitors.

In closing, take the plunge with this great camera. It is easy to use, versatile, and an absolute best buy that will give you many years of pleasure. Great for the professional, the amateur, and those happily in between.

Simply an amazing piece of work. I'm an advanced amateur who felt somewhat dejected that Nikon had let Canon outdo them with the 10D vs. D100 comparison. Thankfully, that was a short reign for Canon as this camera blows the doors off of both the 10D and D100. It has everything, and everything done well that all be the professional photojournalist would want in a dSLR.

If you are considering a 300D, please, please reconsider. This is a far superior camera. It is better than the 300D's big brother the 10D and is untouched by any of the other <$2k range cameras out there.

If you have no interest learning how to use the flexibility the D70 will provide you, consider asking yourself why you are spending over a thousand dollars on a camera.

I'd strongly recommend getting a 512M CF card of the faster type (min speed maybe 12x). Why? because one of the neater things about he D70 is the ability to shoot very, very fast. With a normal speed card, like the standard Sandisk 512, you slow down and wait for the card. In most digitals, it is the camera that is slower, not the card.

The kit lens is quite nice. It isn't a drop dead top of the line Nikon, but it is better than most, and is a great standard every day lens. Given the crop factor of the CCD, it is equivalent to a 27-105mm lens on a 35mm camera. You may want to get a 70-200mm Nikkor to go with it, or to save money one from Sigma or Tamron. I also use a Tamron 28-200mm, which works well for this camera since its one major flaw, vignetting at large apertures, goes away completely for the same reason, the crop factor. Note that a 70-200 acts like a 105-300, and the 28-200 behaves like a 42-300.

A final note, shoot in raw format, not jpeg. One of the nicest things is that you can really, really see a significant improvement in picture quality by doing some quick touch up of the 12 bit image before saving to jpeg for printing or emailing. Also, for reference, the 512 Meg card holds 95 raw images even though the camera indicates half that when powered up. That is the one bug in the firmware I've found, but it is a very minor issue.

Get 2 of these bad boys (or the 420EX) plus the ST-E2 Transmitter and you rule wireless multiple flash photography! That's right: 2-head flash set-ups JUST like the pros do it.

Nothing better than Canon's SUPERB "E-TTL" flash sensing ... and the 550EX is a high-powered workhorse you can rely on. Expensive but worth the bucks.

Excellent flash for my canon 10d. Adorama saved me about $140.00 dollars. Service was great.

This is one fantastic flash. I had it on my Canon A2e for four years, and was ambivilent, but if you match this lens with one of Canon's newer bodies that has the funcionality to access all of the 550EX's features, you have an awesome, powerful, flexable flash that can change the way you shoot.

Before buying this little gem, I looked at almost every digital on the market. This was the only one that accepts both types of flash memory (CompactFlash and SmartMedia), it's also one of the very few digital SLRs that don't cost a fortune. Camera is a cinch to operate, whether you're a pro or an amateur. Only real quibble I have is the oddball size of the lens (43mm) - try finding a 43mm step-up ring in your corner camera store! Autofocus is supurb, the resolution is incomparable, and coupled with a good photo-printer, this cannot be beat.

I am new to the world of digital cameras. After spending a month of reading online reviews, and review sites, I decided on the C2500L. It was very easy to start using right away. The defaults for point and click use produced very nice images. I've been playing with the customizable settings (manual white balance, aperature, and shutter speed) for the last few weeks. The pictures I'm taking now are even better. I'm still learning, but am quite satisfied.

I tend to take a lot of pictures under flourecent type lighting, as I take pictures of my reptiles. The camera has the ability to adjust the auto-white balance, by calibrating it on a white surface under the light you will be taking the picture. That does a great job. And if it isn't precise enough, I can manually select the color temperature.

It does a great job at focusing. I still need to work on having a steadier hand, especially for those close-up shots. Now, speaking of close-ups. This camera does a GREAT job at macro shots. To test it out, I put the lens cap on the table. I was about an inch away from it, and it came out crystal clear... lettering and all.

The camera also does a good job at adjusting brightness levels, without messing up the color. It gets a little grainy under the lower light conditions, but it hasn't been too much of a problem for me. I am impressed with its ability to get a solid focus in very low light conditions.

Some of the drawbacks are: You can't use the LCD as a view finder. It will display the image on the LCD right after you snap it, but you must use the optical view finder for aiming. I don't mind this too much, as I like to look through the lens! Yes, through the lens. This being an SLR gives me a comfortable feeling that what I see it what the camera sees. Actually, that's really my main gripe. I'm pretty much satisfied with everything else, so far.

In summary, if you are willing to spend the money, it's a great camera. I've been reading up on photography now, and believe that this camera should be good enough for my abilities for a good long time.

-Alex

If you can get past the price for this baby online, than I would recommend you buy. This is a real nice 35mm type digital camera.

Plenty of settings from f-stop to zoom to format to size. Remote is real handy if you feel like being in the picture for a change, instead of someone saying where are you in this photo.

Zoom lens, Macro lens and plenty of filters. Shop around though you can get it cheaper.

Someone please comment on the quality of and ability to take pictures of the stars and moon with this camera please/thanks.

...This is a really great camera to say the least. It was pretty easy for me to figure out how to use it after playing with it for an hour. I love that it can shoot in both color and black & white. It can also take QuickTime movies. It works with both Smart Media and Compact Flash cards. If you have a 128 mb card and use the cam in a the lowest resolution, it can take almost 1,500 photos!! Pictures are high-quality (crisp and detailed). Colors are vibrant and true. Works EXCELLENT in low-light conditions. There are tons of other things and settings to play with and you can even program your favorite settings into it. It has Telephoto, macro mode, and image-stabalization. One feature that I found particularly useful is the tiny remote. Just put the cam on a tripod, (press a button & a red light shows you exactly where to stand), get in position and take your self photos. I absolutly LOVE this camera! FYI, this camera is somewhat heavy, not a big deal if it doesn't bother you. I recomend getting a good sturdy tripod. The camera also comes with very high-quality batteries. None of the rechargables I bought lasted nearly as long, but I would recommend getting at least 2 spare sets of rechargables for when you're "out and about". An ac-adapter would be a good investment if you plan on using the camera for extended periods of time indoors. Oh, it also comes with Adobe Photoshop 5 LE. The other software that comes with the camera is "ok", I didn't really need it since my preffered method of downloading photos is with a card reader.

Hope this helps!

I have used a Kodak DC-215 which I felt was a great value when I purchased it for [PRICE] a couple of years ago. It has a 2X optical zoom and produces excellent quality pictures.

I have used this and other digital cameras with a great deal of success, but have been dissapointed with the lens limitations compared to my SLR on which I can change lenses from 28mm wide angle to a 70 to 210mm zoom.

The E-100RS is the answer to all of my concerns about digital photography. Even without the external flash unit, which is really slick too, the camera as delivered from Olympus is complete and needs nothing to give you great digital photos.

Given that most digital photography ends up on the Internet, the 1.5 MegaPixel rating is not an issue at all. Photo quality is excellent even at 1.5.

The only thing limited is that it comes with an 8MB card, which is almost useless. Thankfully, memory card prices have dropped and a 128 MB Smart Media card can be purchased for less than [PRICE], and Compact Flash cards are even less expensive.

Oh and the camera can hold both at the same time and only requires you to make a menu selection to store your photos on one or the other. You can even copy from one card to the other! Then, using the supplied USB cable, you can access the active card from your computer just as if it was another hard drive. Excellent!

The "rapid shot" features work well. The issue of not taking shots right away is not a problem at all.

I charged the supplied 1600maH NiMH batteries right away after getting the camera. I played with it, taking lots of shots, quick time movies(it'll do those too), rapid-shot sessions, and only then, after a full week of this, did the batteries go weak. High maH batteries are a must for this camera. Extra sets of 1800 maH (even better) batteries are economical.... Keep one set in the camera and one in the charger to be safe. I did run one set of Energizer alkalines through it and they did not last very long.

This is a professional quality camera and slightly above a consumer price range. The improvements are well worth it.

Get one while your can!

Over the years I have used a variety of systems ranging from Pentax to Nikormat to Canon to Olympus and eventually back to Pentax. Why back to Pentax? Size and ergonomics. All of the major brands are good and some offer truly best in class - at a price - in optics such as Nikon and Canon.

However, for overall good value Pentax holds its own. While I would be happy to use equipment from any of the major brands, I am quite satisfied with Pentax - but I had to wait until last autumn to get my hands on a decent Pentax digital camera. The *istD, weird name and all, is such a camera. Overall I'm a happy camper and I have been taking some of the best photographs in my 30 years experience with this camera.

Other reviews here will tell you the camera's virtues and those features are real and not over stated. This is a professional class camera - though most professionals use Nikons and Canons when it comes to digital work for a number of reasons - usually due to optics and employers' standards. The optics from Pentax are still well respected and 99% of the folks reading this will be more than satisfied.

While battery life with this camera is very, very good, I would recommend considering getting the optional additional battery attachment that screws into the bottom of the camera. It looks like an old fashion motor drive but it provides excellent ergonomics when shooting side-wise (portrait) complete with the thumb and fore finger controls replicated for ease of use. It adds peace of mind by providing redundant power plus if you often shoot protrait framing, you can really hold this camera much better than most other cameras.

So what is the single, significant flaw of this camera? It is undoubtedly the flash card interface that is accessed via a door that doesn't swing completely open, tempting the user to push the card in a slightly wrong angle. Of course there are internal guides within the flash card holder assembly but even with care, over time, it is possible to break one of the tiny pins of the camera's interface to the flash card. I know. I have done it. The cost and speed of repair was minor, but suddenly one day out in the field I had a camera that was suddenly inoperable.

So that is why I give this other wise great camera only 4 stars. If you have a good investment in 35 mm Pentax gear, you really have no choice but this camera. But the good news, particularly if you are shooting in RAW, the output is incredible. Now that PhotoshopCS has upgraded its RAW import program via a free download from Adobe, the results from this camera can be absolutely stellar. But user beware when swapping out those flash cards!

OK, if you're here, you probably have read all the online reviews. Here's my answers to some of the major criticisms I've seen about this supurbe camera on the web. (And my opinion is based on a 20 year career as a professional photographer...for what that's worth! :) )

1.)Criticism: Memory card is hard to remove. OK, maybe this could use a little work on Pentax's part. Not really a big deal if you're careful. Just be careful...it's not THAT hard!

2.)Criticism: Batteries are not proprietary and rechargeable!? WHAT? THANK GOD! This is in my opinion not a mistake but a MAJOR PLUS! Only Pentax would have the forsight and understanding to give the user TWO (more if you consider all the AA posibilities...)onboard options for battery power both available almost anywhere for Pete's sake! Batteries are the life blood of digital photography, more options can only be better! For my part I'm running 2300 milliamp hour rechargable AA's and am thrilled with the performance!

Well that addresses the two biggies I've read about. As for the rest of it, the price is now where it should be and the camera performs fantastically. Now that Pentax has a 14mm coming out, all is wonderful in the digital world. My advice, BUY IT and you won't ever look back! The 13x19 prints are superb, I shoot weddings and fine art landscapes, and this camera gets the job done!!!

After nearly 3 years of playing with other digital cameras I finally took the leap back into SLR-land and purchased this great Pentax camera. Though I am just beginning to explore its capabilities, so far I am delighted: there are a lot of advantages to SLR camera use that I missed from the film days.

As with any of the current crop of digital SLR's, you get a ton of flexibility and shooting speed at a price that would have been unthinkable just two years ago. If you are used to using film SLR's, and have been frustrated by certain aspects of using a typical digital camera, you will be happy to be back in the land of no-shutter-lag shooting; the ability to use a ring on the lens barrel for zooming; tons of manual flexibility combined with idiot-proof program modes; and of course the flexibility of many lens choices. What has particularly driven me crazy about the current crop of high-end non-SLR digicams is the use of EVF viewfinders -- by contrast, the viewfinders on digital SLR's are great.

So why this Pentax vs the other competitive models? (The others worth considering in this price range at this time are the Canon EOS 10D; the Canon Digital Rebel; the Nikon D70; the Nikon D100; or even the Sigma models). This Pentax has the same sensor as the Nikon models, and the imaging capabilities of any of these cameras is doubtless well beyond my skills in any case. So to me it came down to ease of use, size and build quality. Size in particular is important to me: if you just look at the specs of this camera on a cubic-inch basis it's 38% smaller than the Nikon D70 and 26% smaller than the Digital Rebel. The Canon 10d is even bigger, and looks like a house sitting next to the Pentax.

After handling all of these cameras, I concluded that the Pentax is the one I would use most often. Too often my film SLR's sat at home when I was using film -- I would grab a point-and-shoot instead. I really wanted something I would use a lot.

On the other hand, some published complaints (and my conclusions) about the Pentax have been:
(1) Images are too "soft" (this is super-easy to adjust if you use something like Adobe Album, Elements or Photoshop, and in return the camera is not "sharpening" the image for you, which can introduce sharpening noise)
(2) Not as many lenses as available as in the Canon or Nikon lines (There seem to be plenty for my purposes, both new and used)
(3) Memory cards are hard to eject (Doesn't seem that hard to me; you need to be careful no matter what camera you use).

Another issue (price) with this camera has been fixed: when it was introduced it was more expensive than the others in its class. But the price has been reduced and now is typically available at a price that slots it in as a bit more expensive than the D70 and less than the 10D.

All of these current digital slr's are great, and it seems to me that if you already owned Canon or Nikon lenses you wouldn't go wrong with one of their models. On the other hand, if you are starting from scratch (or like me, you own brands you can't use on any of these), the Pentax is worthy of serious consideration.

Over the years I have used a variety of systems ranging from Pentax to Nikormat to Canon to Olympus and eventually back to Pentax. Why back to Pentax? Size and ergonomics. All of the major brands are good and some offer truly best in class - at a price - in optics such as Nikon and Canon.

However, for overall good value Pentax holds its own. While I would be happy to use equipment from any of the major brands, I am quite satisfied with Pentax - but I had to wait until last autumn to get my hands on a decent Pentax digital camera. The *istD, weird name and all, is such a camera. Overall I'm a happy camper and I have been taking some of the best photographs in my 30 years experience with this camera.

Other reviews here will tell you the camera's virtues and those features are real and not over stated. This is a professional class camera - though most professionals use Nikons and Canons when it comes to digital work for a number of reasons - usually due to optics and employers' standards. The optics from Pentax are still well respected and 99% of the folks reading this will be more than satisfied.

While battery life with this camera is very, very good, I would recommend considering getting the optional additional battery attachment that screws into the bottom of the camera. It looks like an old fashion motor drive but it provides excellent ergonomics when shooting side-wise (portrait) complete with the thumb and fore finger controls replicated for ease of use. It adds peace of mind by providing redundant power plus if you often shoot protrait framing, you can really hold this camera much better than most other cameras.

So what is the single, significant flaw of this camera? It is undoubtedly the flash card interface that is accessed via a door that doesn't swing completely open, tempting the user to push the card in a slightly wrong angle. Of course there are internal guides within the flash card holder assembly but even with care, over time, it is possible to break one of the tiny pins of the camera's interface to the flash card. I know. I have done it. The cost and speed of repair was minor, but suddenly one day out in the field I had a camera that was suddenly inoperable.

So that is why I give this other wise great camera only 4 stars. If you have a good investment in 35 mm Pentax gear, you really have no choice but this camera. But the good news, particularly if you are shooting in RAW, the output is incredible. Now that PhotoshopCS has upgraded its RAW import program via a free download from Adobe, the results from this camera can be absolutely stellar. But user beware when swapping out those flash cards!

OK, if you're here, you probably have read all the online reviews. Here's my answers to some of the major criticisms I've seen about this supurbe camera on the web. (And my opinion is based on a 20 year career as a professional photographer...for what that's worth! :) )

1.)Criticism: Memory card is hard to remove. OK, maybe this could use a little work on Pentax's part. Not really a big deal if you're careful. Just be careful...it's not THAT hard!

2.)Criticism: Batteries are not proprietary and rechargeable!? WHAT? THANK GOD! This is in my opinion not a mistake but a MAJOR PLUS! Only Pentax would have the forsight and understanding to give the user TWO (more if you consider all the AA posibilities...)onboard options for battery power both available almost anywhere for Pete's sake! Batteries are the life blood of digital photography, more options can only be better! For my part I'm running 2300 milliamp hour rechargable AA's and am thrilled with the performance!

Well that addresses the two biggies I've read about. As for the rest of it, the price is now where it should be and the camera performs fantastically. Now that Pentax has a 14mm coming out, all is wonderful in the digital world. My advice, BUY IT and you won't ever look back! The 13x19 prints are superb, I shoot weddings and fine art landscapes, and this camera gets the job done!!!

After nearly 3 years of playing with other digital cameras I finally took the leap back into SLR-land and purchased this great Pentax camera. Though I am just beginning to explore its capabilities, so far I am delighted: there are a lot of advantages to SLR camera use that I missed from the film days.

As with any of the current crop of digital SLR's, you get a ton of flexibility and shooting speed at a price that would have been unthinkable just two years ago. If you are used to using film SLR's, and have been frustrated by certain aspects of using a typical digital camera, you will be happy to be back in the land of no-shutter-lag shooting; the ability to use a ring on the lens barrel for zooming; tons of manual flexibility combined with idiot-proof program modes; and of course the flexibility of many lens choices. What has particularly driven me crazy about the current crop of high-end non-SLR digicams is the use of EVF viewfinders -- by contrast, the viewfinders on digital SLR's are great.

So why this Pentax vs the other competitive models? (The others worth considering in this price range at this time are the Canon EOS 10D; the Canon Digital Rebel; the Nikon D70; the Nikon D100; or even the Sigma models). This Pentax has the same sensor as the Nikon models, and the imaging capabilities of any of these cameras is doubtless well beyond my skills in any case. So to me it came down to ease of use, size and build quality. Size in particular is important to me: if you just look at the specs of this camera on a cubic-inch basis it's 38% smaller than the Nikon D70 and 26% smaller than the Digital Rebel. The Canon 10d is even bigger, and looks like a house sitting next to the Pentax.

After handling all of these cameras, I concluded that the Pentax is the one I would use most often. Too often my film SLR's sat at home when I was using film -- I would grab a point-and-shoot instead. I really wanted something I would use a lot.

On the other hand, some published complaints (and my conclusions) about the Pentax have been:
(1) Images are too "soft" (this is super-easy to adjust if you use something like Adobe Album, Elements or Photoshop, and in return the camera is not "sharpening" the image for you, which can introduce sharpening noise)
(2) Not as many lenses as available as in the Canon or Nikon lines (There seem to be plenty for my purposes, both new and used)
(3) Memory cards are hard to eject (Doesn't seem that hard to me; you need to be careful no matter what camera you use).

Another issue (price) with this camera has been fixed: when it was introduced it was more expensive than the others in its class. But the price has been reduced and now is typically available at a price that slots it in as a bit more expensive than the D70 and less than the 10D.

All of these current digital slr's are great, and it seems to me that if you already owned Canon or Nikon lenses you wouldn't go wrong with one of their models. On the other hand, if you are starting from scratch (or like me, you own brands you can't use on any of these), the Pentax is worthy of serious consideration.

Over the years I have used a variety of systems ranging from Pentax to Nikormat to Canon to Olympus and eventually back to Pentax. Why back to Pentax? Size and ergonomics. All of the major brands are good and some offer truly best in class - at a price - in optics such as Nikon and Canon.

However, for overall good value Pentax holds its own. While I would be happy to use equipment from any of the major brands, I am quite satisfied with Pentax - but I had to wait until last autumn to get my hands on a decent Pentax digital camera. The *istD, weird name and all, is such a camera. Overall I'm a happy camper and I have been taking some of the best photographs in my 30 years experience with this camera.

Other reviews here will tell you the camera's virtues and those features are real and not over stated. This is a professional class camera - though most professionals use Nikons and Canons when it comes to digital work for a number of reasons - usually due to optics and employers' standards. The optics from Pentax are still well respected and 99% of the folks reading this will be more than satisfied.

While battery life with this camera is very, very good, I would recommend considering getting the optional additional battery attachment that screws into the bottom of the camera. It looks like an old fashion motor drive but it provides excellent ergonomics when shooting side-wise (portrait) complete with the thumb and fore finger controls replicated for ease of use. It adds peace of mind by providing redundant power plus if you often shoot protrait framing, you can really hold this camera much better than most other cameras.

So what is the single, significant flaw of this camera? It is undoubtedly the flash card interface that is accessed via a door that doesn't swing completely open, tempting the user to push the card in a slightly wrong angle. Of course there are internal guides within the flash card holder assembly but even with care, over time, it is possible to break one of the tiny pins of the camera's interface to the flash card. I know. I have done it. The cost and speed of repair was minor, but suddenly one day out in the field I had a camera that was suddenly inoperable.

So that is why I give this other wise great camera only 4 stars. If you have a good investment in 35 mm Pentax gear, you really have no choice but this camera. But the good news, particularly if you are shooting in RAW, the output is incredible. Now that PhotoshopCS has upgraded its RAW import program via a free download from Adobe, the results from this camera can be absolutely stellar. But user beware when swapping out those flash cards!

OK, if you're here, you probably have read all the online reviews. Here's my answers to some of the major criticisms I've seen about this supurbe camera on the web. (And my opinion is based on a 20 year career as a professional photographer...for what that's worth! :) )

1.)Criticism: Memory card is hard to remove. OK, maybe this could use a little work on Pentax's part. Not really a big deal if you're careful. Just be careful...it's not THAT hard!

2.)Criticism: Batteries are not proprietary and rechargeable!? WHAT? THANK GOD! This is in my opinion not a mistake but a MAJOR PLUS! Only Pentax would have the forsight and understanding to give the user TWO (more if you consider all the AA posibilities...)onboard options for battery power both available almost anywhere for Pete's sake! Batteries are the life blood of digital photography, more options can only be better! For my part I'm running 2300 milliamp hour rechargable AA's and am thrilled with the performance!

Well that addresses the two biggies I've read about. As for the rest of it, the price is now where it should be and the camera performs fantastically. Now that Pentax has a 14mm coming out, all is wonderful in the digital world. My advice, BUY IT and you won't ever look back! The 13x19 prints are superb, I shoot weddings and fine art landscapes, and this camera gets the job done!!!

After nearly 3 years of playing with other digital cameras I finally took the leap back into SLR-land and purchased this great Pentax camera. Though I am just beginning to explore its capabilities, so far I am delighted: there are a lot of advantages to SLR camera use that I missed from the film days.

As with any of the current crop of digital SLR's, you get a ton of flexibility and shooting speed at a price that would have been unthinkable just two years ago. If you are used to using film SLR's, and have been frustrated by certain aspects of using a typical digital camera, you will be happy to be back in the land of no-shutter-lag shooting; the ability to use a ring on the lens barrel for zooming; tons of manual flexibility combined with idiot-proof program modes; and of course the flexibility of many lens choices. What has particularly driven me crazy about the current crop of high-end non-SLR digicams is the use of EVF viewfinders -- by contrast, the viewfinders on digital SLR's are great.

So why this Pentax vs the other competitive models? (The others worth considering in this price range at this time are the Canon EOS 10D; the Canon Digital Rebel; the Nikon D70; the Nikon D100; or even the Sigma models). This Pentax has the same sensor as the Nikon models, and the imaging capabilities of any of these cameras is doubtless well beyond my skills in any case. So to me it came down to ease of use, size and build quality. Size in particular is important to me: if you just look at the specs of this camera on a cubic-inch basis it's 38% smaller than the Nikon D70 and 26% smaller than the Digital Rebel. The Canon 10d is even bigger, and looks like a house sitting next to the Pentax.

After handling all of these cameras, I concluded that the Pentax is the one I would use most often. Too often my film SLR's sat at home when I was using film -- I would grab a point-and-shoot instead. I really wanted something I would use a lot.

On the other hand, some published complaints (and my conclusions) about the Pentax have been:
(1) Images are too "soft" (this is super-easy to adjust if you use something like Adobe Album, Elements or Photoshop, and in return the camera is not "sharpening" the image for you, which can introduce sharpening noise)
(2) Not as many lenses as available as in the Canon or Nikon lines (There seem to be plenty for my purposes, both new and used)
(3) Memory cards are hard to eject (Doesn't seem that hard to me; you need to be careful no matter what camera you use).

Another issue (price) with this camera has been fixed: when it was introduced it was more expensive than the others in its class. But the price has been reduced and now is typically available at a price that slots it in as a bit more expensive than the D70 and less than the 10D.

All of these current digital slr's are great, and it seems to me that if you already owned Canon or Nikon lenses you wouldn't go wrong with one of their models. On the other hand, if you are starting from scratch (or like me, you own brands you can't use on any of these), the Pentax is worthy of serious consideration.

I just opened the camera package last night, and within acouple of hours I was experimenting with most of the features of thecamera. When people talk of digital cameras they love to talk numbers, but who cares? It's what you can do with it that matters. I took a picture of a dark hallway with the flourecent bathroom lights on, and it looked like something out of The Shining. It was dark and foggy outside, but with the aperture full open, ISO 400, and the shutter open for 8 seconds I was able to take pictures of the buildings and night lights. The camera is so light I didn't have to use a stand (at 8 seconds you have to be as steady as a sharpshooter, though... be sure to hold our breath). Using the flash, with the spot metering and the aperture closed I was able to take a crisp, detailed picture of our dog in the midst of the night, doing dog things. With the multiple picture thing I took 5 pictures of my friend in a row waving his arms, and the sequence of where his arm is going is clear when viewing the 9 pictures at one time from the LCD. I'm also going to throw out my slow ... scanner, which I was using for sending faxes. I took a picture of a page from Webster's collegiate dictionary, and it was readable from the LCD!

Make no mistake, this is not a replacement for an analog camera. The casing and the interface feel like a cheap digital camera. I think, however, that in many ways this is better than an analog camera. You can do the things that are possible with an analog camera (except maybe for star trails), but with greater simplicity. And you get instant feedback.

If you are a journalist, claims investigator, or web publisher, and you have some basic knowledge of analog photography (...), this is definitely the camera for you. I recommend you get the ATA adapter so you won't have to mess with stupid cables or limited software.

Gotta go take some more pictures....

I love this this camera. The pictures quality is excellent. The ease of use is 5 star. It comes with 32Meg flash, it's good for 50 pictures. Has easy dial for auto, semi-auto and manual modes. I took 50 pictures first day I got it. All 50 were excellent quality, compare to my "old" sony PC1 digital video recorder. Down load to my portable is easy with compact flash, if you don't forget to put 2 batteries included with compact flash. Camera also comes with batteries, and recharger.

Overall excellent, 5Star I am very happy with it.

If your into computers and you'd like to integrate your photography into your computer world this is definitely the camera for you. If you already know how to use a 35mm SLR you'll find learning how to use most of this camera fairly easy. It has an auto mode that makes it possible for anybody to use and it has some manual modes that I've not yet totally conquered. It has enough pixels to blow your mind most of the time. You can't buy a monitor big enough to view the shots in SHQ mode all at one time with your browser.

You can change pixel density on the fly. You change the effective film speed in steps of 100, 200 and 400 ASA. You can vary your exposure plus or minus 2 fstops in 1/3 fstop increments. You can focus down to 0.8 inches and set it at infinity. You can get 150 or 200 shots out of a set of batteries. You can put on a slide show into a standard TV set right from your camera. You can take great remote control shots without even touching the camera or a cable. You can view your pictures on sight and zoom in to see quite good detail right on the camera. The controls are easy to use and and very ergonomically designed. You can delete pictures. You can transfer pictures from a smart media card to a compact flash card for extra storage. You can run off of AC power (I never do). The built flash works okay but the red eye feature sucks. You can use averaging or spot meter mode for exposure calculation.

It's really nice to have a laptop computer with a PCMCIA card in it. When you fill up a smart media card you can stick it into the PCMCIA card and the computer see's it as an extra drive on your machine with all of your JPEG files readily accessible. I normally put my laptop on my network and drag and drop all of the files on to a CD Burner in Adaptec mode. I've used the serial port adaptor but it's very slow and anybody who spent this much money for the camera probably wont tolerate such bad performance for long.

Don't spend all of your money buying this camera. Buy 3 sets of batteries. (3 hour charge time) and the PCMCIA card adapter (much faster and hot plugable). Get a CD Burner for your computer. I have a friend that has an HP for his laptop...He doesn't like. I have an HP and a Sony for two of my desktops and I like them both. I've had the camera for about 3 months now and I've taken about 2000 shots with it. I'm on my second CD. One day at work I spent the whole day taking pictures of old photographs on the wall to send to a guy at a trade show.

The CAMEDIA software is simple but very useful. It's good at renaming your shots in batch mode and it has a good browser mode for previewing new shots. The Adobe Photo deluxe is tolerable but slow. I've purchased Print Shot Pro and I like it a lot more. It's also good to have Image Robot and Smart Media Center as well (all from Jasc software). Smart Media Center has a feature that creates a HTML environment that allows you to create photo albums viewable totally by your browser. It's great for sending photo CD's to your friends and family. If you want to see some photos I've made go to http://www.studioavenue.com and search on for the album named "Singing Youth of Denver at Dahlia Street".

A lot of people have asked me the price of the camera and I've told them. However, the real price involves a lot more. You need to have some computer power available to you. You need to not be afraid of the technology. Installing a PCMCIA card is easy for me but my father would not have done it. This camera will force most people who purchase it to learn some new things and if they do so willingly then they will enjoy the experience. If you must see your pictures on paper (I don't) then be prepared for some additional cost. Your average printer will not do that great of a job.

I've been waiting for a digital camera of this performance for a couple of years and it's been worth the wait. I suspect that in five years everyone will have a camera like this. This is the perfect camera for a CEO. You can take useable pictures of anything and view them anyware with your laptop.

Unless you are prepared to spend $2500+ for a film scanner, the Dimage Scan Elite is the ideal choice for 35mm scans of color negative film. The Scan Elite produces much better tonal range from negative films than the Nikon offerings (although Nikon does a better job on slide scans). The SCSI interface is adequate for transferring huge files up to 45Mb. And the digital ice software is convenient for occasional scratched negative.

There are some compromises to contend with: the bundled software is mediocre, but many prefer Vuescan software which offers much more functionality for film scanning. Minolta is not going to release a OS X compatible driver, and the scan speed is much slower than the manufacturer specs in multiscan mode which is essential to minimize channel noise. However these are reasonable tradeoffs for the reasonable price point of the Dimage and outstanding 8x10 to 11x14 color prints which result from a good scan.

I'm a serious photo hobbyist, not a professional, but this scanner produces really professional results. I've had one about a year, installed it with the 2906 scsi card before Minolta supplied them. First, you CAN scan very fast, but I NEVER do-because I want those BIG image files around 30 MB from a color original. These have been taking upwards of 20 minutes on my older 400 mhz pc. The big file? You can make stunning prints on an Epson 1280 printer--say, as big as the printer will go, 13X19 inches. I spend the time to do it well, neither the scanning nor the printing are a quick process.

This scanner is phenomenal. While you're busy comparing the Nikon coolscan to the Canon film scanners, don't get tunnel vision and forget to consider the Minolta Scan Elite. Sometimes you do find a good deal AND a great product in the same package. Professional results for photographers needing high-res scans for stock or other commercial endeavors. GET ONE! You won't be sorry.