Pentax Digital ist and manual Pentax lenses

The D is the oldest, uses CF for storage. The DS is newer,
uses SD (as do the others), is faster writing to the card
and has a few minor missing features compared with the D:
the pop-up flash on the D can be used to operate remote
P-TTL flashes wirelessly (the DS can't) and the D has two
"command" wheels, the DS has one. The D has "hyper manual"
mode like some film bodies used, the DS has "plain" manual.
Both the D and DS are "discontinued" but still available
from some suppliers.

The DS2 is a replacement for the DS, with a larger LCD. At
the time of release it also offered some extra functionality
over the DS but Pentax has since released firmware for the
DS which gives the extra features too. So for all practical
purposes the DS2 is just a DS with a bigger LCD.

The DL is a bit more cut-down. It users mirrors instead of a
prism making the viewfinder... different. Some people like
the change - it makes the camera lighter - but I'm not at
all fond of "pentamirror" finders. It also cuts down on
certain other features like it's inability to use TTL flash
(it uses only P-TTL) and a few other bits and pieces.

They're all good cameras which will deliver similar image
quality; the D and DS can often be bought at bargain prices
because of the existence of newer models. I bought the DS
after all consideration, and I'd make the same choice today
based on price/performance. The DS2 is the same camera, I'd
have no hesitation buying one if the price was right. I
wouldn't buy the DL having looked through its viewfinder,
but other opinions will differ. Finally the D... in many
ways it's the "best" of the *ist digitals but showing its
age a little compared with the more recent models. But it's
a fine camera and well worth considering if the price is
right.

--
John Bean

John Bean <waterfoot.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> The DL is a bit more cut-down. It users mirrors instead of a
> prism making the viewfinder... different. Some people like
> the change - it makes the camera lighter - but I'm not at
> all fond of "pentamirror" finders. It also cuts down on
> certain other features like it's inability to use TTL flash
> (it uses only P-TTL) and a few other bits and pieces.

How can a DSLR do TTL flash? I thought it had to be done
off the film, and because CCDs do not reflect light like film,
it's technically impossible. That's what Minolta says anyway.

Does P-TTL involve preflash?

Thanks, I really appreciated your summary of Pentax DSLR models.
It's just the kind of thing that corporate websites never convey.

The Minolta 7D and 5D hve 2.5" LCD, which is barely large enough.
People my age can't really see anything smaller. According to
photozone.de, *ist-D has 1.8" LCD, *ist-DS has 2", and *ist-DL 2.5".
Is the DS2 same as the DL, 2.5"? I did not know that.

The Pentax *ist-D and *ist-DS have better viewfinders than the
KM 7D, which has much better viewfinder than Canon 20D or 350D.