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Back to Full Pentax *ist-D Review
Go to Pentax *ist-D Data Sheet
Go to Pentax *ist-D Pictures Page
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	*	First d-SLR designed for compatibility with Pentax system components.
	*	6.3-megapixel CCD, 3,008 x 2,008 pixel images.
	*	ISO range from 200 to 3200
	*	Shooting-priority design, touch shutter button in Play mode, and camera will snap a picture.
	*	Compatible with all Pentax K-mount lenses
	*	Excellent user interface, many clever (and useful) features.

Manufacturer Overview
The *ist D (also known simply as the Pentax ISTD or IST-D) is currently the most advanced digital camera available from Pentax. Pentax is a camera maker with a long tradition in the film-based world, but a relative newcomer to the digital arena. They initially co-developed several cameras with Hewlett Packard, but now have stepped out on their own, with digicams entirely of their own design. Their "Optio" line of compact digicams are widely known for their compact designs and rich feature sets, featuring point-and-shoot control with a few additional exposure features, great for average shooting situations.

With the *ist D, Pentax introduces a true digital SLR with a traditional 35mm body style. The Pentax K lens mount accepts most Pentax K lenses, and will be a big draw for enthusiasts already shooting with Pentax film cameras. The *ist D has a 6.31-megapixel CCD for high quality images, a full range of exposure control modes, and enough custom settings to tailor the camera to specific needs. In a field that's rapidly becoming crowded with d-SLR models, the *ist D holds its own very well, in terms of image quality, capabilities, features, and shooting experience. Read on for all of the details!

Highlights

• 6.31-megapixel interline/interlace scan CCD with primary color filter, delivering resolutions as high as 3,008 x 2,008 pixels.
• Single-lens reflex digital camera with interchangeable lenses (supports most Pentax K mount lenses).
• Variable ISO (200 to 3,200 equivalents).
• TTL optical viewfinder with detailed information display.
• 1.8-inch TFT color LCD with 118,000 pixels and backlight.
• Auto, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, and Bulb exposure modes.
• Consecutive Shooting, Auto Exposure Bracketing, and Multiple Exposure modes.
• Variable White Balance with ten modes, including a manual setting.
• TTL phase-matching autofocus system with 11 AF points and Single and Continuous modes, as well as a manual setting.
• Topside hot shoe for external flash connection of Pentax dedicated flash unit accessories.
• External flash PC sync socket for connecting a secondary flash unit.
• Built-in, pop-up flash with Auto, Auto with Red-Eye Reduction, On, Off, and Red-Eye Reduction modes.
• 16-segment Multi, Center-Weighted, and Spot metering modes.
• Adjustable exposure compensation from -3 to +3 exposure equivalents (EV) in one-third or one-half step increments.
• Shutter speeds from 1/4,000 to 30 seconds in one-third or one-half step increments, and a Bulb setting for unlimited exposure times.
• Cable release socket for long exposures.
• Two- or 12-second Self-timer mode, plus a remote control mode for the optional remote.
• Image storage on CompactFlash Type I or II memory cards, or Microdrive.
• JPEG, uncompressed TIFF, and RAW data file formats.
• sRGB and Adobe RGB options.
• DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) compliant.
• Powered by four AA-type batteries or two CR-V3 battery packs.
• Optional IR remote control.

Executive Overview
After much success with their Optio line of consumer digicams, Pentax has now ventured into the high end of the prosumer digicam market, releasing a true digital SLR, the *ist D. Surprisingly compact and light weight for a digital SLR, the *ist D looks a lot like a traditional 35mm SLR, and ought to make current Pentax film camera owners feel quite at home with its familiar styling. Featuring a Pentax K lens mount, the *ist D accepts a wide range of Pentax lenses, which should make the transition from film to digital even easier for current Pentax users. The *ist D features a 6.31-megapixel (6.10 effective) CCD, which delivers high quality images as large as 3,008 x 2,008 pixels. Though built around a stainless steel chassis, the *ist D has plastic (yet rugged) outer panels, which help keep the weight down, while retaining a pleasant heft. Without the lens, the body weighs about 24.7 ounces (701 grams) with memory card and batteries installed, which is fairly light weight by d-SLR standards. The camera is also pretty compact, at only 5.1 x 3.7 x 2.4 inches (129 x 95 x 60 millimeters). In fact, Pentax boasts that the *ist D is one of the world's smallest, lightest camera bodies for its class.

Like most digital SLRs, the *ist D's 1.8-inch color LCD monitor is reserved for image playback and menu display. For framing, the camera offers an accurate TTL optical viewfinder, complete with information display so you can quickly check on the exposure settings. (There's also a top status display panel which reports more detailed camera information.) A dioptric adjustment adjusts the eyepiece for eyeglass wearers, and a soft, rubbery cup provides some cushion when peering through the viewfinder. The *ist D features Pentax's newly-developed SAFOX VIII phase-matching autofocus system, which uses 11 AF points across the image area. (And which our tests indicate provides exceptional low-light focusing ability.) You can manually set the AF area, or leave it up to the camera. Focal ranges will vary depending on the lens in use, but you can select Single or Continuous AF modes, or switch over to manual focus.

When it comes to exposure, the *ist D offers "Green" Program AE (full Auto exposure), Hyper Program AE, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, and Bulb exposure modes. The main difference between the two Program modes is that Hyper Program AE mode lets you rotate the camera's command dials to select from a range of equivalent exposure settings, while the Green Program mode acts like a full automatic exposure mode. The Mode dial on top of the camera quickly sets the exposure mode, and provides quick access to the White Balance, ISO, and Resolution/Quality settings as well. Exposure settings are easily changed by using a combination of control buttons and dials, and most can be made without delving into the LCD menu system. An extensive Custom Settings menu adjusts a larger range of camera settings, and lets you save as many as three complete sets of adjustments which can be quickly returned to just by selecting a different Custom Settings group. Shutter speeds on the *ist D range from 1/4,000 to 30 seconds, with the Bulb exposure mode available for even longer exposures (as long as the Shutter button or remote control shutter button is held down, and the camera has power). A Noise Reduction option helps reduce the amount of image noise resulting from longer exposures and higher sensitivity settings. You can adjust the overall exposure from -3 to +3 exposure equivalents (EV) in either one-third or one-half step increments, and choose between 16-segment Multi, Center-Weighted, and Spot exposure metering modes. Light sensitivity ranges from 200 to 3,200 ISO equivalent settings, while White Balance options include Auto, Manual, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent (white, neutral, or daylight), Tungsten, and Flash options.

The *ist D's Drive setting offers Auto Exposure Bracketing, Consecutive Shooting, Self-Timer, and Remote Control modes. The auto bracketing feature takes three consecutive exposures of the same subject at different exposure settings (the variation of which either you or the camera can control). Consecutive Shooting mode lets you capture a rapid series of images at short frame intervals (about five consecutive frames at intervals of 0.41 seconds in my testing). The total number of frames and the shooting speed depends on exposure, resolution and quality settings, and the amount of available memory card space. Self-Timer mode offers a 12-second countdown before firing the shutter, while the Remote Control mode enables the camera to work with the optional IR remote unit. There's also a Multiple Exposure mode, which lets you combine as many as nine separate exposures to create one image. You can also manually adjust Contrast, Sharpness, and Saturation settings. Built into the *ist D is a pop-up flash unit, which operates in Auto, Auto with Red-Eye Reduction, On, Off, and Red-Eye Reduction modes. For a more powerful flash or more control over the flash exposure, the *ist D also has a top-mounted hot shoe for connecting Pentax dedicated external flash units, as well as a secondary X-sync terminal for connection to off-camera strobe systems.

Three main image resolutions are available (3,008 x 2,008; 2,400 x 1,600; and 1,536 x 1,024 pixels), with an option to access two smaller resolutions if needed. Image quality options include Good, Better, and Best JPEG compression levels, as well as uncompressed TIFF and RAW data formats. Image storage is on CompactFlash Type I or II, and the *ist D supports MicroDrives for huge on-the-go storage capacity. The camera utilizes either four AA-type batteries or two CR-V3 battery packs for power, or an optional AC adapter. A set of CR-V3 battery packs comes with the camera, but I strongly recommend purchasing a couple of sets of high-capacity NiMH AA batteries and a good charger, and keeping a spare set of batteries charged at all times. Click here to read my "battery shootout" page to see which batteries currently on the market are best, or here for my review of the Maha C-204F charger, my longtime favorite.

The *ist D has a nice selection of exposure controls, which combined with the 6.31-megapixel CCD and Pentax K lens mount, make it a good option for experienced amateurs and Pentax enthusiasts.

The front of the camera features the standard Pentax K lens mount with AF coupling. A lock button on the lower right side of the lens (when looking from the rear) unlocks the lens from the mount so that it can be turned and removed. On the left side of the lens are the self-timer LED, X-sync flash terminal, Manual White Balance button, and Focus mode switch. At the top of the large hand grip is the Tv dial (Pentax's term), which adjusts a variety of settings in conjunction with other camera controls, or the LCD menu system.

The hand grip side of the camera is populated by one of the neck strap eyelets, and the memory card compartment door. The hinged compartment door opens from the camera's rear panel with a spring-loaded locking latch, and swings out to reveal the memory card slot and small, black card eject button.

On the opposite side of the camera are the second neck strap eyelet, cable release socket, and PC/Video and DC In jacks. Both of the connector compartments are covered by flexible, rubbery flaps, which remain tethered to the camera. Also visible on this side of the camera is the pop-up flash release button, on the side of the flash compartment.

The top of the camera features the pop-up flash compartment, external flash hot shoe, and a small status display panel. To the left of the flash compartment is the Mode dial, which controls the camera's exposure mode and accesses a few exposure settings as well. On the right side are the Power switch, Shutter button, Green, Drive Mode, and Flash Mode buttons. A series of icons lines the bottom of the status display panel, indicating the available white balance modes. Also on top is a diopter adjustment slider for the optical viewfinder.

The *ist D's flat bottom panel holds the battery compartment, backup battery chamber, metal tripod mount, and a terminal for connecting an accessory battery grip. The battery compartment has a sliding switch that locks it into place, and is just far enough away from the tripod mount to allow quick battery changes while working on a tripod. The battery grip terminal has a sliding cover for protection, and lets you connect the battery handgrip unit, which is helpful for shooting vertically. The circular backup battery compartment cover has a slit for inserting a coin or flat head screwdriver tip for opening, and protects the backup CR2016 lithium battery.

It's hard to get an idea of the scale of a camera from images of it shot in isolation, so I shot the photo above, showing the *ist D with a CompactFlash card in the frame as a size reference. - You can see from this image that the *ist D is indeed very compact.

In my tests, I was surprised by how well the *ist D could achieve focus lock in very dark conditions. While the AF speed slows significantly at low light levels, I found that my test unit of the *ist D could routinely focus at light levels as low as 1/4 foot-candle, and sometimes focus as dark as 1/8 foot-candle, without using its focus-assist illuminator, and with a lens with a maximum aperture of f/4.0. (This is a pretty impressive performance, 1/4 foot-candle corresponds to an exposure time of 8 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 100.)

As noted, the *ist D does have an AF illuminator, which will let it focus in complete darkness. It actually uses a burst of very brief pulses from its flash unit for the AF-assist lighting, which gives it a very good working range. The only problem is, the AF-assist illumination is only available when the flash is enabled, so on the face of it, it looks like you couldn't use it for available-light photography. There is a workaround available though, as long as your subject will cooperate and stay in the same place for a few seconds. The trick is to pop up the flash, half-press the shutter button to trigger the AF mechanism and AF-assist light, then release the shutter button, switch the focus control on the camera's body to "manual," and finally fire the shutter. That's all a little convoluted, but it does at least give you a way to take advantage of the AF assist for available-light shooting.

The *ist D's front-panel Focus Mode switch puts the camera into either Manual, AF Single, or AF Continuous modes. In Manual mode, you adjust the focus using the focus ring on the lens. AF Single mode sets the focus when the Shutter button (or AF button) is halfway pressed, while AF Continuous mode adjusts focus constantly whilst the shutter button is pressed. Continuous mode is good for moving subjects, as it "tracks" a subject using a predictive AF algorithm.

Everyone understands that lenses sometimes get dust on them and need to be cleaned, and there are a lot of lens-cleaning cloths, solutions and other accessories on the market that work well. BUT, what do you do when your sensor gets dusty? Dust specks on the sensor tend to show up when shooting at very small apertures, appearing as dark blobs on your images. They're distracting at best, a terrible nuisance at worst, if you end up having to retouch every image to rid of them.

Most of us are naturally leery about the idea of poking around inside the delicate innards of our d-SLRs to wrestle with recalcitrant dust specks. Gently blowing the sensor surface (actually, the surface of the anti-aliasing filter) with compressed air gets rid of some dust, but there's invariably a lot that just stays stuck, no matter what. So what do you do?

If you've got dust specks on your sensor (and sooner or later you will), you're going to need to clean it. There are a lot of products out there intended to address this need, but a distressing number of them work poorly (if at all), and many are grossly overpriced. Advertising hype is rampant, with bogus pseudo-scientific jargon and absurd product claims run rampant. And prices - Did I mention prices? How about $100 for a simple synthetic-bristle brush?

So how do you know what product to use?

We don't pretend to have used everything currently on the market, but can tell you about one solution that worked very well for us. The "Copper Hill" cleaning method is straightforward and safe, and in our routine usage here at Imaging Resource, highly effective. Better yet, the products sold by Copper Hill Imaging are very reasonably priced. Best of all, Nicholas R (proprietor of Copper Hill) has put together an amazingly detailed tutorial on sensor cleaning, free for all.

Sensor cleaning is one of the last things people think about when buying a d-SLR, but it's vital to capturing the best possible images. Take our advice and order a cleaning kit from Copper Hill right along with your d-SLR, so you'll have it close at hand when you need it: You'll be glad you did!

(Other than a few backlinks on their site, we receive no promotional consideration from Copper Hill. We just think their sensor cleaning products are among the best on the market, and like their way of doing business. - We think you will too. Check them out.)

What Pentax calls "Green Program" mode is more like a traditional full Auto mode on other digicams, as the camera automatically controls the entire exposure. Hyper Program AE mode leaves the camera in charge of aperture and shutter speed, but you can turn the Av and Tv command dials to select from a range of equivalent exposure settings. Turning the Tv (front) dial biases the exposure toward shutter speed, while the Av (rear) dial biases the exposure toward more or less depth of field. (You can disable this feature through the Custom settings menu.) The *ist D offers more control over the Program AE mode than most digicams, as you can set up the metering system to bias the exposure toward a faster shutter speed (Hi Speed Program Line) or more depth of field (Depth Program Line). You can adjust the program line through the Custom Function menu, which offers an unusual "MTF" program setting to bias the exposure towards the aperture at which the lens will be at its sharpest, as well as a Normal setting. (This "MTF" mode is unique, as far as I know. It's no secret that most lenses are at their sharpest at medium aperture settings, getting softer and showing more distortion at both very large and very small apertures. What the "MTF" mode tries to do is to set the lens aperture somewhere near its "sweet spot," and then adjust the shutter speed to produce the correct exposure. Pretty slick!)

Shutter and Aperture Priority exposure modes provide control over one exposure variable while the camera controls the other, and Manual mode provides total user exposure control. If the camera disagrees with your chosen settings, the aperture and shutter speed values blink in the status display and viewfinder. An interesting feature in both Manual and Hyper Program modes is the Green button on top of the camera, which returns you to the default metered exposure settings. By default, pressing the button adjusts both aperture and shutter speed to the default exposure, though a Custom menu option sets the button to adjust either aperture or shutter speed only. In Bulb mode, the exposure time is limited only by how long the Shutter button (or cable release) is held down and the amount of battery time available (a good case for the AC adapter). (Of course, there'll be a practical limit to how long you can expose for, as sensor noise will swamp the image of your subject after a while.) There's also a depth-of-field preview feature, accessed by turning the Power switch to the aperture icon. This stops down the lens to the set aperture, giving you an idea of what the depth of field will be, and also turns on the backlight for the top-mounted LCD info display.

ISO can be set to a range of values from 200 to 3,200 by turning the Mode dial to the ISO selection and rotating the Tv dial to select the value. A Custom menu option offers "Wide" and "Normal" ISO ranges, with the Normal setting ranging only from 200 to 1,600, and the Wide setting expanding the available range to 3,200. Like any digital camera, the *ist D's image noise will increase as you boost the ISO setting, but I found that the *ist D generally did very well in the noise department. Its noise levels are generally a bit below those of its competitors, up to ISO levels of 800 or so. (A little lower than the Canon EOS-10D and Digital Rebel, a good bit lower than the Nikon D100.) Beyond that, it does a bit worse than the competition, but not by much.

The *ist D has another handy feature that relates to ISO setting. Called "Sensitivity Correction," it lets the camera automatically adjust the ISO value (either up or down) if your chosen shutter speed or lens aperture in Hyper Program or Shutter or Aperture Priority mode would result in an incorrect exposure with the current ISO setting. You can turn this function on or off via a Custom Function menu entry, but it strikes me as being very useful for times when you care more about just getting the shot than what the particular ISO speed you happen to be shooting at. It's a little like telling the camera: "OK, try to shoot at ISO 400, but if you really have to, go ahead and boost (or cut) the ISO beyond that point to get the shot for me." There will certainly be times when you won't want the camera to do this, but for those times, it's easy enough to just disable this option in the Custom Function menu.

White balance can be set to Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent (with options for white, neutral, and daylight fluorescent lighting), Tungsten, Flash, or Manual modes. In Manual mode, you can set the color balance by holding a white card in front of the lens and pressing the Shutter button while holding down the Manual White Balance button on the front of the camera.

Three metering options are available on the *ist D: 16-segment Multi, Center-Weighted, and Spot. The 16-segment Multi setting divides the image area into 16 zones and determines the level of brightness in each zone and the contrast levels between zones before determining the best overall exposure. Center-Weighted metering measures light from the entire frame but places the greatest emphasis on a circular area in the center. Spot metering is pretty self-explanatory, taking a reading from the dead center of the image (most useful when using the AE Lock function). Exposure compensation is adjustable from -3 to +3 exposure equivalents (EV) in one-half step increments, and is controllable in all exposure modes. (Through the Custom menu, you can set the step size to one-third step increments.) The AE Lock button on the rear panel locks the exposure reading until the button is pressed a second time, or the Shutter button is fully pressed. Through the Custom menu, you can set the AE Lock feature to link the AE area to the selected AF area, useful for photographing off-center subjects.

An Auto Bracketing feature takes three shots of the same subject with varying exposure values determined by either the photographer in Manual mode or by the camera in all other modes. Exposure settings for bracketing can vary from -1.5 to +1.5 EV (values are added to the already chosen exposure compensation value), with step sizes of one-third or one-half EV unit, and the bracketing biased toward either underexposure, overexposure, or centered around the main exposure value. The *ist D also features a Self-Timer mode, which counts down from either two or 12 seconds once the Shutter button is pressed before actually making the exposure.

Through the camera's settings menu, you can adjust the image Sharpness, Contrast, and Saturation levels, in three steps. A Color Space option under the Custom menu offers sRGB and Adobe RGB color options as well.

Consecutive Shooting Mode
The *ist D offers a Consecutive Shooting mode that captures a rapid series of images, at intervals of 0.41 seconds in my testing. I noticed that the camera could capture a maximum of five images, regardless of resolution setting, before slowing down to transfer files from the buffer memory to the CompactFlash card.

Multiple Exposure Mode
The Auto Bracketing button on the *ist D also accesses the Multiple Exposure mode, which lets you overlap multiple images to create a single image. You can capture as many as nine exposures for a single image, and the current combined image is displayed on the LCD monitor for a few seconds after each image is captured.

Flash
Built into the *ist D is a pop-up flash unit, which operates in Auto, On, Off, or Red-Eye Reduction modes. A small button on the side of the flash unit releases the flash, while the Flash Mode button on the top panel cycles through the available modes. The built-in flash has a guide number of 15.6 (at ISO 200/m), and 11 at ISO 100/m. This rating matched my own test results pretty well, giving a range of about 9 feet with the 18-35mm f/4.0-5.6 lens I did most of my shooting with. The *ist D also features a top mounted hot shoe with X-contact for Pentax dedicated flash units, and a sync socket on the side for connecting an additional external flash.

The *ist D supports the Pentax AF360FGZ dedicated external flash unit, which provides a range of enhanced features. With the internal flash alone, the maximum flash-sync speed is 1/150 second. With the AF360FGZ attached though, a high-speed flash sync mode permits proper flash synchronization at any shutter speed the camera is capable of. The *ist D can also control the AF360FGZ as a wireless remote strobe, while still retaining full TTL flash metering. In this mode, the *ist D's internal flash can either be used solely as a controller of the remote flash, or can be configured to contribute to the flash exposure as well. When an external flash is connected, you can set the built-in flash to fire as the master, or as the controller for the other flash unit.

Shutter Lag / Cycle Times
When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time or delay before the shutter actually fires. This time allows the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this important number is rarely reported on (and even more rarely reported accurately), I routinely measure it, using a custom-built test setup. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.)

Lens Release Button

• ISO: Enables the ISO adjustment, either from 200 to 1,600 or 200 to 3,200, depending on the Custom menu setting. Turning the Tv dial makes the selection.
• Resolution/Quality: Lets you adjust the image resolution and quality settings. Turning the Av dial sets the resolution to 3,008 x 2,008 (L); 2,400 x 1,600 (M); or 1,536 x 1,024 (S) pixels (two lower resolutions can alternatively be selected for the (S) setting through the custom functions menu). Turning the Tv dial sets the quality to RAW, TIFF, Best, Better, or Good.
• White Balance: This position enables the white balance adjustment, with options of Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent (white, neutral, or daylight), Tungsten, and Manual, accessed by turning the Av dial.
• Green Program: Puts the camera into full Auto exposure mode, which eliminates all exposure decisions except for zoom, flash, and drive mode.
• Hyper Program AE: In this mode, the camera adjusts the aperture and shutter speed settings, while the user maintains control over all other exposure variables. Turning the Tv or Av dials adjusts the exposure based on either shutter speed or aperture settings.
• Shutter Priority: This mode provides user control over the shutter speed, from 1/4,000 to 30 seconds, while the camera adjusts the aperture setting.
• Aperture Priority: Opposite of Shutter Priority, this mode puts the user in control over aperture (which varies with the lens in use), while the camera selects the best shutter speed.
• Manual: In this mode, the user has complete control over the exposure. Pressing the Green button returns to the default metered exposure.
• Bulb: Here, the user again has control over exposure, though shutter time is now limited only by battery power and the length of time that the Shutter button is held down.

Playback Mode: Accessed by pressing the Playback button on the rear panel, this mode allows you to review captured images, as well as delete or protect them and set them up for printing.

LCD Menu System: The following menus are available in any camera mode, and are called up by pressing the Menu button.

Main Menu:

• Format: Formats the CompactFlash card, erasing all files (even protected ones).
• Custom Function: Displays the Custom Function menu. You can choose from one of three preset Custom settings, and your changes are saved for later recall (even if the camera's main and backup batteries are later removed).
• Saturation: Increases or decreases color saturation in three steps.
• Sharpness: Increases or decreases in-camera sharpening in three steps.
• Contrast: Increases or decreases image contrast in three steps.
• Instant Review: Activates the instant review function or turns it off. Available review times are one, three or five seconds.
• Auto Power Off: Determines the period of inactivity before the camera shuts itself off. Choices are Off, 30 seconds, or 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, or 30 minutes.
• Beep: Turns the camera's beep sounds on or off.
• Date Adjust: Sets the camera's internal calendar and clock.
• World Time: Lets you set a secondary time in another city, useful when traveling to another time zone.
• Language: Sets the menu language to English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, or Japanese.
• Video Out: Establishes the video signal as NTSC or PAL.
• Brightness Level: Adjusts the brightness of the LCD display with fifteen steps from least to most bright.
• File Numbering: Designates whether the camera resets file numbering with each new memory card, or continues in a series (Serial setting).
• Slideshow: Enables an automated slideshow of captured images on the memory card, with options for playback intervals (from three to 30 seconds).
• Sensor Cleaning: Locks the mirror in the up position so that the sensor can be cleaned.
• Reset: Resets all camera settings except for those in the custom settings menu to their defaults.

Custom Function Menu:
The *ist D offers a fairly extensive range of "Custom Functions," which let you customize the camera's behavior in various ways to fit your particular shooting style and needs. These are accessed via the Custom Function Menu, reached via the second entry in the camera's main menu system. The camera can hold a total of three separate groups of Custom Function settings, letting you switch rapidly between completely different camera setups. (Note though, that changing between Custom Function groups only recalls the Custom Function settings themselves. Parameters such as white balance, color saturation, etc, remain as they were last set on the main menu, regardless of the group of Custom Function settings selected.)

• Program Line: Sets the program mode to Normal, Hi Speed, Depth, or MTF programs, as described earlier, in the "Exposure" section of this review.
• Exposure Setting Steps: Adjusts the exposure setting increment to one-third or one-half EV step size.
• Noise Reduction: Turns Noise Reduction on or off.
• Sensitivity Range: Specifies the ISO range as Wide (200 to 3,200) or Normal (200 to 1,600).
• Sensitivity Correction: Turns the Sensitivity Correction function on or off. If on, the camera automatically corrects the ISO light sensitivity setting in the Hyper Program, Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes if the exposure you've selected is outside the range that the current ISO setting could accommodate.
  
  
  
  
• Recorded Pixels of S Resolution setting: Changes the resolution setting for "Small" files to 1,536 x 1,024; 1,152 x 768; or 960 x 640 pixels.
• Hyper Program: Activates or deactivates Hyper Program mode, which lets you manually adjust the exposure across a range of equivalent values.
• Green Button in Manual: Controls the operation of the Green button in Manual mode, setting it to return to the default exposure setting (P), default shutter speed (Tv), or default aperture (Av).
• Link AF Point and AE: If set to On, this function links the AF point to the Autoexposure calculation in matrix metering mode. If enabled, the subject brightness under the AF point will have increased influence on the exposure determination.
• AF with Press Halfway: Designates whether the AF operates when the shutter button is half-pressed or not. (If disabled, the camera will focus only when the AF button is pressed.)
  
  
  
• Auto Bracketing Order: Specifies the order of Auto Bracketing shots, whether under/nominal/over, over/nominal/under, or nominal/under/over exposed.
• Shutter Release without CF: Establishes whether or not the shutter can be released without a memory card in the camera.
• F Stop other than A: Controls whether the shutter release is disabled or enabled when the lens aperture is set to any position other than the "A" position on the lens. (The A position allows the camera to take control of the aperture, whereas if the lens is set to a specific aperture, the camera may not be able to change the setting.)
• Release when Charging: Disables or enables the shutter release when the built-in flash is charging.
• Flash in Wireless Mode: If set to On, the camera fires the built-in flash as the master flash in Wireless mode. If Off, the built-in flash acts only as a controller in Wireless mode. (That is, when On, the internal flash will contribute to the exposure. When Off, the internal flash will fire, but only for the purpose of communicating with the external flash unit.)
  
  
  
• Flash with OK Button: If set to Off, you can disable the external flash firing with the OK button. The Test fires the flash with the OK button, and the Modeling option fires the external flash as a modeling light with the OK button.
• Meter Operating Time: Designates how long the exposure meter setting remains in effect. Choices are 3, 5, 10, 15, or 30 seconds.
• Self-Timer Delay Time: Sets the self-timer delay to 12 or two seconds.
• Remote Control Delay: Sets the remote control delay to Zero or three seconds.
• Superimpose AF Area: Designates whether the AF area appears in the viewfinder display.
  
  
  
• Use LCD with Video Output: Allows the LCD monitor to operate when connected to a television set, or shuts it off when the video output cable is connected.
• Color Space: Sets the color space to sRGB or Adobe RGB.
• Reset Custom Function: Resets all Custom menu settings to their defaults.
  

The *ist D is also compatible with a battery grip, available as a separate accessory. The grip inserts into the battery compartment, and provides a vertical handgrip with secondary Shutter and AE Lock buttons, as well as Av and Tv dials. It also requires one CR2016 button battery to provide power for the camera's clock / calendar (the camera will still function with this battery drained or absent, but will require the clock to be set every time it is powered on).

Overall, the *ist D has pretty good battery life. Some d-SLRs do a good bit better, but the *ist D will run for nearly 12 hours in capture mode on a set of 1600 mAh NiMH batteries. Even in playback mode, it will run for nearly 3.5 hours. Using the latest cells with true capacities over 2000 mAh, will give run times of 15 and 4.4 hours respectively. I still recommend at least two sets of rechargeable AA cells and a good charger, but this is very good battery life indeed.

Included Software
The *ist D ships with the Pentax Photo Browser and Photo Laboratory software, which provide basic manipulation and cataloging capabilities for images captured by the camera, and which can interpret the camera's raw CCD format files.

In the Box
Included in the box are the following items:

• Pentax *ist D body with body cap and eyecup.
• Neck strap.
• Viewfinder cap.
• Video cable.
• USB cable.
• Two single-use CR-V3 batteries.
• User guides.
• Pentax software CD.
• Registration kit.

Not sure which camera to buy? Let your eyes be the ultimate judge! Visit our Comparometer(tm) to compare images from the *ist D with those from other cameras you may be considering. The proof is in the pictures, so let your own eyes decide which you like best!

As with all Imaging Resource product tests, I encourage you to let your own eyes be the judge of how well the camera performed. Explore the images on the pictures page, to see how the *ist D's images compare to other cameras you may be considering.

We also have a "Gallery" of random, more pictorial images available for your perusal, showing off the *ist D's capabilities with a broader range of subjects.

• Color: Generally good color, with accurate hue and saturation. A slight tendency to undersaturate flesh tones though. Indoors, good handling of incandescent lighting with the right WB settings. The *ist D produced pretty accurate color in most cases, though I often noticed a slight warm or cool cast, depending on the white balance setting. I typically chose the Auto white balance, though the Manual setting did a good job as well. Outdoors, the always-difficult blue flowers came out a little darker than in real life, and with a bit more purple in them, common problems with that subject. I also felt that Marti's skin tones there were a bit more pale than they should have been. Indoors, the camera's Manual and Incandescent white balance settings produced good results under incandescent lighting, but it's Auto setting failed miserably. Overall, I found the *ist D's color very pleasing.
  
  
• Exposure: A slight tendency toward overexposure, but generally consistent behavior overall. The *ist D's exposure system seemed a bit biased toward brighter exposures than those of most cameras I test. It required less positive exposure compensation on the Outdoor Portrait shot than most cameras do (a good thing), but the Davebox studio shot and the outdoor house shot in the Far Field test were a little washed out with the default exposure setting. In contrast, the Indoor Portrait test required a lot more positive exposure compensation than is the norm. Apart from the troubling indoor shot though, the *ist D's exposure behavior seemed pretty predictable, so it was easy to learn to allow for its quirks. (The large histogram display was also helpful in seeing whether it had gotten the exposure right or not.) Like most digicams, the *ist D responded to the deliberately harsh lighting of the Outdoor Portrait shot with a high-contrast image, but I found that its contrast adjustment control worked exactly as it should, knocking down the strongest highlights and opening the shadows a fair bit at the same time. I'd like to see a greater range of adjustment, with five steps instead of three, but overall, the Pentax engineers have got a good handle on contrast adjustment.
  
  
• Resolution/Sharpness: High resolution but a somewhat soft image, 1,350 lines of "strong detail." Average barrel distortion. The *ist D performed well on the "laboratory" resolution test chart, with clean detail (e.g., no artifacts) even as far as 1,000-1,200 lines per picture height. I found "strong detail" out to at least 1,350 lines (although some less conservative judges might argue for 1,400 lines). "Extinction" of the target patterns didn't occur until about 1,600 lines. With the *ist D though, Pentax has adopted a very conservative approach to in-camera sharpening, as its images as a whole came out fairly soft-looking. This is actually a preferable approach to over-sharpening as seen in many cameras, and as a result, the images do respond well to strong unsharp masking in Photoshop(tm) (try 250% at an 0.4 pixel radius or 300% at 0.3 pixel on any of my samples). This is arguably the best approach because as it avoids the introduction of any irreversible artifacts from the sharpening process, but many prospective users might pass over the camera if they don't take the time to play with its images a little in an image editor. That'd be a shame, because its images actually do contain quite a bit of usable detail, they just need a little more attention to extract all of it. (It's important to note that reviewer Phil Askey of www.dpreview.com found that the *ist D's images looked a fair bit sharper when processed from its RAW format files, vs what the camera produces on its own in the JPEGs.)
  
  
• Closeups: The power of interchangeable lenses: A very tiny macro area with the 100mm macro lens. This is a test I don't commonly perform for d-SLRs, as the results are entirely dependent on the lens employed. In the case of the *ist D though, I couldn't resist the lure of the Pentax 100mm f/2.8 macro lens. As you'd expect, it did an excellent job, capturing a very tiny minimum area of only 0.94 x 0.63 inches (24 x 16 millimeters). Resolution was very high, with a lot of fine detail visible in the dollar bill. However, details were again soft throughout the frame. The camera's flash was pretty completely blocked by the lens when shooting this close, so you'll need a macro ring or alternative lighting for shooting at this close range.
  
  
• Night Shots: Excellent low-light performance, with good color at even the darkest light levels. Excellent low-light focusing ability as well. The *ist D offers full manual exposure control, with adjustable ISO and a maximum shutter time of 30 seconds. Thus, the camera can capture bright images in very low lighting. The *ist D produced clear, bright, usable images down to the 1/16 foot-candle (0.67 lux) limit of my test, with good color at all five ISO settings. However, some slight color shifts occurred depending on the brightness level. The *ist D's optional Noise Reduction system has a fairly subtle effect on noise levels, but the noise wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be, even at the ISO 3,200 setting. Even though it has no autofocus-assist light, the *ist D can achieve focus lock at very low light levels. While the AF speed slowed significantly at low light levels, I found that my test unit of the *ist D could routinely focus at light levels as low as 1/4 foot-candle, and sometimes focus as dark as 1/8 foot-candle, without using its focus-assist illuminator, and with a lens with a maximum aperture of f/4.0. (This is a pretty impressive performance, 1/4 foot-candle corresponds to an exposure time of 8 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 100.)
  
  
• Viewfinder Accuracy: A pretty accurate digital SLR. The *ist D features a digital SLR (single lens reflex) viewfinder design, which shows about 96 percent of the final frame. I like to see SLR viewfinders that are 100 percent accurate, so the *ist D has a little room for improvement. Still, these results are pretty good, as "95%" viewfinders seem to be the norm on d-SLRs.
  
  
• Optical Distortion: Distortion will be entirely a function of the lens used... Optical distortion on the *ist D will vary with the lens in use. With the 100mm f/2.8 macro lens I used to shoot the res target with showed essentially zero distortion. The 16-35 mm zoom showed about 0.7 percent barrel distortion at its wide angle end. Chromatic aberration was quite low with both lenses, showing only a single pixel of fairly faint coloration around the target lines, and the 16-36mm about three to four pixels of color, also fairly faint. (This distortion is visible as a very slight colored fringe around the objects at the edges of the field of view on the resolution target.)
  
  
• Battery Life: Very good to excellent battery life. Overall, the *ist D has pretty good battery life. Some d-SLRs do a good bit better, but the *ist D will run for nearly 12 hours in capture mode on a set of 1600 mAh NiMH batteries. Even in playback mode, it will run for nearly 3.5 hours. Using the latest cells with true capacities over 2000 mAh, will give run times of 15 and 4.4 hours respectively. I still recommend at least two sets of rechargeable AA cells and a good charger, but this is very good battery life indeed.

Conclusion

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In a d-SLR field that's becoming increasingly crowded, the Pentax *ist D holds its own quite nicely. With "street" prices hovering around $1250 as of this writing in late March, 2004, it faces some very stiff competition from the less-expensive Canon Digital Rebel and the newly announced Nikon D70, but for anyone owning a complement of Pentax K-mount lenses, the *ist D is a camera that offers pretty much anything you might want from a d-SLR. I liked its color rendition, found its metering to generally be more accurate than most (albeit with a slight bias toward overexposure), and felt that a number of its user-interface and exposures were unusually well thought-out. It also has a very nice "feel" in the hand, with excellent build quality and a pleasant heft. - All in the most compact body of any d-SLR out there. Image noise up to about ISO 800 is also lower than average. On the down side, its images straight from the camera are rather soft, requiring sharpening in an image-editing program to extract the full amount of detail that's present there. As I noted in the body of this review though, a conservative approach to in-camera sharpening like this is actually desirable, as it avoids introducing sharpening-related artifacts that would be impossible to remove later. All in all, the *ist D is an excellent little d-SLR, easily earning "Dave's Pick" status.

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