Author: | | New Member Registered: May, 2020 Posts: 2 | Review Date: October 30, 2023 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 7 |
Pros: | simple and easy to use, good renditions, an entry into DSLR cameras, inexpensive | Cons: | old technology, limited to 6 Mb, needs good rechargeable batteries | Years Owned: 18 years
Ergonomics: 9
Build Quality: 9
User Interface: 8
Autofocus: 7
Features: 8
Value: 8
Image Quality: 8
Noise: 6
New or Used: New
| | Good old camera. Easy to use. Enjoyable to shoot.
I've added an image somewhere... of a wheat silo art
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: September, 2021 Posts: 28 | Review Date: October 8, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $485.00
| Rating: 10 |
Pros: | Nice Optics, was ahead of it's time | Cons: | The only thing I can think of is I always needed to have spare batteries on hand. Eventually I ended up buying 8 Eneloops batteries. | Years Owned: 16
Ergonomics: 8
Build Quality: 9
User Interface: 10
Autofocus: 8
Features: 8
Value: 9
Image Quality: 9
Noise: 8
New or Used: New
| | This camera was my first DSLR. I still have it! It's 16 years old and still works. What I like most about Pentax cameras is the optics. I bought it in July, 2005. I went to the Cape with my wife and three sons. Here's a photo I shot with the camera when we were walking around the docks in Wellfleet, MA. | | | | Junior Member Registered: August, 2021 Location: Rotterdam Posts: 28 | Review Date: September 5, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $48.00
| Rating: 9 |
Pros: | AA batteries; compact build; easy to use | Cons: | None | Ergonomics: 8
Build Quality: 8
User Interface: 7
Autofocus: 7
Features: 8
Value: 10
Image Quality: 8
Noise: 7
New or Used: Used
| | Acquired this camera a week ago for Eur. 15,00 (USD. 18,00) as it was advertised as being defective. Put in a fresh set of eneloops and got things running again. Bought a Pentax DA 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 AL for Eur. 25,00 (USD. 30,00) to complete the set. Updated the firmware and inserted a 16 Gb. SDHC. Checked the number of shutter actuations: 17,330. Not bad. Love the set-up. The colour tones of RAW are beautiful. Such a basic and easy camera, it's so much fun to really learn with this set; I also have some manual Pentax and Ricoh glass to play around with, makes such a nice challenge with 6 megapixel only. And, honestly, unbelievable that a camera like this could be made in 2005. It's so well thought out. No negative aspects, nothing's missing, it does what it needs to do: takes pictures. And it's very good at that.
| | | | Veteran Member Registered: August, 2012 Posts: 678 | Review Date: June 27, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $165.00
| Rating: 8 |
Pros: | Lightweight, simple to use | Cons: | Only takes 2GB cards | Ergonomics: 8
Build Quality: 8
User Interface: 8
Autofocus: 8
Features: 8
Value: 8
Image Quality: 7
Noise: 7
New or Used: Used
| | I can't believe I never reviewed this camera. It was my first Pentax DSLR but I had it for all to short of a time. I got it second hand in August 2012 with a DA 18-55 zoom lens with all of its original packaging. It looked like it had never been used. I'd had the camera for all of two weeks when I decided to upgrade the firmware to enable it to use SDHC memory cards, which even in 2012 were much easier to find than the smaller capacity cards. Sadly, my attempt to update the firmware went horribly wrong and I ended up bricking the camera. Thankfully, I had purchased a SquareTrade warranty and was able to get my purchase price refunded.
That sad story aside, I really liked the camera. It reawakened my interest in photography, which had all but gone dormant over the previous 10-15 years. Up until that point, I had not had a digital camera with which I was remotely satisfied. Even at just 6 megapixels, it rendered very nice images. I liked it well enough that I ended up replacing it with its Samsung clone, a GX1L and have been firmly in the Pentax fold ever since.
Although these cameras are teetering on the edge of obsolescence, they can be found very cheaply these days and would be a great low-stakes option with which to learn digital photography.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: June, 2011 Posts: 485 1 user found this helpful | Review Date: December 19, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 9 |
Pros: | These days super cheap! Nice colors | Cons: | You'll notice limited high ISO abilities and autofocus | Years Owned: 1
Ergonomics: 8
Build Quality: 8
User Interface: 9
Autofocus: 7
Features: 7
Value: 10
Image Quality: 9
Noise: 6
New or Used: Used
| | I know it may seem weird to rate this lens a 9 overall and 'would recommend' but hear me out.
I bought this for $19.49, and not even on a bid snipe or anything - that was the BIN price with shipping - and there are more and more of these around that price point popping up. This means a lot of things. It means you can get a DSLR for $20, and spend the rest of your money on excellent Pentax glass (make sure the autofocus is compatible). It means you could spend $20 on a DSLR and $10-20 on vintage Pentax lenses and get some images with effects you cannot get on even the excellent $800 smartphone cameras.
The camera has everything I need. Super simple controls. Small and light. Takes pictures.
If you are in the market for a cheap DSLR and can nab a cheap K-7 or K-5 for sub $100, then I would recommend that over this even if just for the upgraded body design with more dials. Otherwise, you cannot beat this camera for $20, really.
(straight out of camera JPEG with my cheap lens setup - $30 total for camera and lens everyday) | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2012 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,437 | Review Date: November 16, 2016 | Not Recommended | Price: $20.75
| Rating: 7 |
Pros: | Light, CCD sensor, few megapixels, inexpensive | Cons: | Penta mirror instead of a penta prism, only the AF points | | For less than $21, I couldn't pass on this. It's a dated and old camera, yes, but still amply capable and the CCD sensor delivered great image quality.
| | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2013 Location: Nevada, USA Posts: 3,348 1 user found this helpful | Review Date: August 23, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $95.00
| Rating: 8 |
Pros: | Ease of optical preview, build quality, TTL metering | Cons: | Clumsy menus, some operational steps, focusing | Ergonomics: 7
Build Quality: 8
User Interface: 3
Autofocus: 3
Features: 5
Value: 8
Image Quality: 8
Noise: 9
New or Used: Used
| | I got this camera from a fellow forum member for two reasons. First, I wanted a low cost backup camera in case my K-30 is out of service. Second, I was really curious to compare a legacy Pentax DSLR to today's modern marvel. This camera satisfied both requirements wonderfully! I was delighted by some features present in this camera that are seemingly missing from my K-30. Some of the operational aspects do feel clumsy but the great image quality more than makes up for it.
I have to remind myself that this camera is from 2005/2006 and it is a simplified version of a camera that came out in 2003! With this in mind I see myself as using a 10 year old camera. That is ancient in the world of digital electronics. Yet, this camera still performs admirably if you consider it's used market price which may be less than $100. The image quality is great. Metering is spot on with both modern autofocus lenses and "vintage" manual lenses. The colors in my shots are evenly balanced and neutral with enough remaining dynamic range in the exposure for me to saturate them and make them more vivid or pleasing to the eye. This is the most important performance characteristic to think of here. All else is second to image performance.
Since my copy of this camera is somewhere around 8 years old I have to compliment Pentax on how well this camera has survived. There are lots of wear marks on the body from it being handled but nothing squeaks, rattles, or shakes. It's built well! The camera is also quite light too.
Ergonomics are generally good. Some of the buttons are in different spots than my K-30 but that's not bad. Once you get used to the differences you work with them. One feature I really like is the optical preview for depth-of-field presentation. It is integrated in the power switch as a spring loaded third position! This is missing from my K-30 and I would vote that Pentax/Ricoh restore this. On the flip side, having to hold down the central OK button to take a picture if the camera doesn't have autofocus is rough. I'm sure there must a setting somewhere that I can adjust but I have yet to comb through the whole owner's manual.
The menus are a bit crowded and awkward to move through. Text/Descriptions are too long so vowels were removed to shorten the lines. Bad. It's just too much to funnel through a small screen.
Focusing is a bit slow, especially in low light. In some cases the focusing fails and you have to go manual. The dim pentamirror system doesn't help with this.
The LCD is dim and is of low resolution compared to today's standards but you can still get a histogram which is really all you need from it at the end of the day.
In using this camera I can see how the Pentax theme must have evolved through their products to the K-30. Some things such as the preview zoom and menu item names stayed the same. That is comforting.
Designers and users had different goals and expectations. What may have acceptable in 2003 may seem awkward in 2013. Comparing to today's standards with a strict pass/fail filter in mind is the wrong way to go. Look at this camera as a historical piece that can be used by photographers as a nuts and bolts tool to learn the craft. There are no fancy features which can help make up for the photographer's deficiencies. It may lose a war on features and it will lose in the megapixels race but this camera can shine in the right hands of a good user.
| | | | Moderator Man With A Camera Registered: June, 2010 Location: The Great Pacific Northwet, in the Land Between Canada and Mexico Posts: 28,027 | Review Date: January 27, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 8 |
Pros: | AA batteries and the ability to use the NiMh rechargeables. Lightweight. The Pentax K mount backwards compatability. | Cons: | Within a short time after buying this camera, the K10D was released with better features and a higher resolution sensor.DSLR's lose their value too quickly. | Years Owned: Since 2006
Ergonomics: 9
Build Quality: 10
User Interface: 8
Autofocus: 8
Features: 9
Value: 9
Image Quality: 8
Noise: 8
New or Used: New
| | I decided to make the change from film to digital around 2005. So after some research I settled on the *istDL. Because I already had a Ricoh XR2S and a number of Pentax and other brand K mount lenses, I chose to stick with Pentax, rather than move to one of the other DSLR brands and have to replace the lenses.
The camera came with the DA 18-55 F3.5-5.6 AL kit lens. A decent combination.
I also made use of a Pentax 40-80 manual lens that also had Macro, and a Sigma 600mm mirror lens I had. Having used manual lenses for so many years not having auto focus was not an issue, and the camera/lens combinations produced some great images.
The ability to use the AA NiMh batteries was one of the other factors that sold me on this camera. At the time the proprietary batteries that other cameras had were not well developed, and I felt that having to spend lots of money for a battery that may not perform well was too much of a risk.
The serial number is 1088738.
Here are a couple shots of the camera:
There have been some adjustments I have had to make since giving film up for digital.
I used an eyepiece cup on my film camera, and was disappointed that there were none available for the new DSLR cameras, and the one I had on the Ricoh would not fit.
It does kind of suck that these cameras cost so much new, and in a very short time they are worth so little.
But I no longer have to buy another file cabinet to store all the slides and negatives from the rolls and rolls of film that I burned through every year.
| | | | New Member Registered: July, 2010 Location: Chico ca Posts: 2 | Review Date: March 29, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 9 |
Pros: | Better than my point and shoot, lots of lens available
| Cons: | Only 3 image burst (in raw), slow writing to card
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Pros | Better than my point and shoot, lots of lens available | Cons | Only 3 image burst (in raw), slow writing to card | Rating | 9 | Price (U.S. Dollars) | 300 | Years Owned | almost a year |
I can recommend this camera: Yes Value, Features, Performance & Size
Better than point and shoot. If you can find one new or barely used its about as much as an expensive high end point and shoot. Most of the feature are explained in the review. Camera Review
I bought this camera last summer (july 10') for about 300 dollars, brand new on ebay. Its my first DSLR and I love it. Its served me well and I have only a few minor complaints, things that I easily overlook because of the fact that the camera does its job well. I have no complaints about the "only" 6MP size. If you get in photo shop and crop, you can crop like 1/30th(maybe more, just a guess, but really you can crop a really small portion of the picture) the size of the picture without it being pixelated. Pentax lenses are more common and probably cheaper, you also have the m42 adapter to expand your choice of lenses even more. The pictures it takes are pretty good, not as clear or sharp as other cameras, but I've no complaints about that. The lens its comes with is a great combination. My only complaints are the view finder is too small compared to my other cameras, it makes focusing a task and a half. The write speed to flash cards is agonizingly slow, and my biggest gripe with that is in RAW, you can only burst 3 pictures before it has to load those to the flash card. That sucks if say you're photographing sports, or in my scenario people discharging firearms. If you buy rechargable batteries they should last longer than regular double A's and they'll save you money too. The stop down feature ( think thats it) where it sets the exposure works pretty good, but I feel like it only gets you in the general area, I usually end up going a few turns higher in shutter speed.
I'm probably forgetting some things, but I'd say overall its a great camera despite its small draw backs, great entry level DSLR even today in the world of 12MP cameras and stuff. You learn to appreciate what you have, and also you know what you would LIKE to see in your next camera. Flickr: fgmachine's Photostream | | | | Senior Member Registered: March, 2011 Location: Windsor, Colorado Posts: 196 | Review Date: March 13, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 9 |
Pros: | small, light, solid build, top LCD
| Cons: | finicky with battery connection, 6MP
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Pros | small, light, solid build, top LCD | Cons | finicky with battery connection, 6MP | Rating | 9 (for its day) | Price (U.S. Dollars) | $450 in 2006 | Years Owned | 5 |
I can recommend this camera: Yes Value, Features, Performance & Size
Excellent image quality, LCD screen size large at the time, top LCD very handy, very reliable, works well even in very cold temps Camera Review
My first DLSR. Hooked me on Pentax quality, and it's how I learned to appreciate the underdog attributes associated with comparing Pentax to the other big companies. I remember my first photo trip with it.....shooting landscapes in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming. My friend owned a Rebel XT and had to concede the build quality of not only the body of the DL, but the kit lens as well was superior to his model.
What I like about it most beyond the image quality is that it seems so durable. It fits your hands well and has a nice texture to it. It's perfect from a size and weight standpoint if you do a lot of hiking and don't want to carry around a larger body.
One thing about it is you have to really tinker with it to find optimal settings. There are a host of variables to consider, but the key one is to change the default "bright" setting...it is WAY too vivid and creates excessive noise. Use the "natural" setting and it really does take some very nice JPEG images. The RAW are excellent, but it does not do both at the same time. Yes, it is only 6MP....but at least the file sizes are not that large accordingly, and as long as you don't crop too heavily the images do not degrade.
I would say this camera's IQ was better than anything else in its class at the time....esp. for the money back then. $450 dollars with a kit lens was a bargain.....and now you can get a used one for much less. Highly recommend it for a beginner DSLR or as a lightweight and small backup.
Instead of posting photos, I'll provide this link to my online albums.....most of them were taken with this camera: ccd333's photos and albums on webshots
Addendum #1 - This in reference to one of the cons redmutt alluded to.....the 2gb limit for sd card capacity. There was a firmware upgrade to allow the DL to utilize SDHC (as krugwaffle pointed out), and I've been using a 4gb Class 6 in mine for the last few months and it works perfectly. Also, it was one of the first DSLR's to use secure digital......the Canon Rebel used the cumbersome Compact Flash (which were anything but). I remember at the time, Canon users would refer to the Pentax sd card idea as a reason to not take it seriously as a camera (equating it with point and shoots). How things have changed.
| | | | Junior Member Registered: February, 2011 Location: Gilmer,Texas. Posts: 36 | Review Date: March 6, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $640.00
| Rating: 9 |
Pros: | A good light weight easy to use camera.
| Cons: | The 2gb limit on the sd card.
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Pros | A good light weight easy to use camera. | Cons | The 2gb limit on the sd card. | Rating | 9 | Price (U.S. Dollars) | $640 | Years Owned | I bought mine in Feb.2006,and still use it. |
I can recommend this camera: Yes Value, Features, Performance & Size
A very good value for a camera of it's size. The attached image is one that I took at a play-off game this last football season. Camera Review
This was the first dslr I bought. I use it for shooting high school football from the sidelines. It is a good camera for any type of photography. I would recommend it to anyone, Iam very pleased with mine. | | | | Forum Member Registered: January, 2009 Location: Medicine Hat,Alberta Posts: 68 | Review Date: January 26, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $590.00
| Rating: 7 |
Pros: | Light,great basic starter camera,uses AA batteries
| Cons: | Rather out-dated, 6mp,slow AF
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Pros | Light,great basic starter camera,uses AA batteries | Cons | Rather out-dated, 6mp,slow AF | Rating | 7 | Price (U.S. Dollars) | 590.00 (in 2006) | Years Owned | 3 years |
I can recommend this camera: Yes Value, Features, Performance & Size
My first DSLR...( replaced my Pz1p`s shutter problem on vacation)...great camera, decent jpegs,good colors,exposures were usually good too. Very user friendly,menu is easy to catch -on to, a bit slow with AF,also a little erratic showing battery strength(will display low reading but if you switched it to OFF then turned ON it would show full charge.!!) Camera Review
Overall this camera has served me well,shot over 8,000 pics with no serious issues, handed down to my son & it`s still going strong!! | | | | Site Supporter Registered: December, 2010 Location: Phoenix Arizona Posts: 893 | Review Date: January 26, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $599.00
| Rating: 9 |
Pros: | Modest size, solid feel
| Cons: | can;t find any!
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Pros | Modest size, solid feel | Cons | can;t find any! | Rating | 9 | Price (U.S. Dollars) | $599 | Years Owned | 4 1/2 years |
I can recommend this camera: Yes Value, Features, Performance & Size
Uses AA batteries, small size, good feel. Camera Review
This was my first DSLR. As soon as a I picked it up in the store, it felt right and I had to have it! It was also my first auto focus and auto everything camera, and it reignited my passion for photography! It provides fantastic images, even without shake reduction. It might be kind of humble next to a K10D or later camera, but it will hold it's own in image quality and a beginner will not be overwhelmed. My wife got my original istDL when I got a K10D, but I had to have another one! I use it as a travel and hiking camera with a Tamron 18-200. It is light and unobtrusive.
| | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2010 Location: St. Louis Posts: 705 | Review Date: December 3, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 10 |
Pros: | Price, ease of use, durable,
| Cons: | auto focus slow in low light conditions
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Pros | Price, ease of use, durable, | Cons | auto focus slow in low light conditions | Rating | 10 | Price (U.S. Dollars) | $350 | Years Owned | 5 |
I can recommend this camera: Yes Value, Features, Performance & Size
Auto focus, Auto and manual modes, downward compatible lense use. Good battery life with CR3V. Camera Review
The ist D is a great value and you get a lot of features for the money. It is very durable. I have taken thousands of images and it is still going strong, it was dropped once and suffered no ill affects. AA or CR3v batteries can be used
The ist D is downward compatible with older k-mount lenses.
You can buy more exotic camera's but this has all the basic features you really need. The ist D is to digital what the PentaxSuper Program is to film camera's.
It was a worthy replacement for my Pentax Super Program that I used for many yeas.
| | | | New Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Palm Bay, Fla-de-do-da Posts: 1 | Review Date: September 11, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 5 |
Pros: | AA batts, simplicity, Stopped-down/DOF preview function,
| Cons: | getting old/obsolete, no image stabilization, slow
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Pros | AA batts, simplicity, Stopped-down/DOF preview function, | Cons | getting old/obsolete, no image stabilization, slow | Rating | 5 | Price (U.S. Dollars) | $50 | Years Owned | about 9 mos. |
I can recommend this camera: Yes Value, Features, Performance & Size
Modern form and function in older design. Camera Review
I only bought this camera from a guy at work to have something to use as an eyepiece camera for telescope work and to mount my old Pentax film M-style lenses. I must say -- I've grown to like this camera. I like being able to use the AA batteries so I'm not stuck with another proprietary battery form to maintain and I like the amount of use it gets out of every charge. Much better than my Canon S2is digicam. I like the DOF preview/iris stop-down feature, something missing from every other digital camera I've used. As a manual camera user all the way back to the days of the Spotmatic, I really miss the little lever that closes the iris and lets me see the actual depth of field as it will appear in the image. The *ist DL is slow and noisy but it's already got the SD type memory card - with SDHC if you update the firmware, USB access and it will store RAWs. If it's made like any other Pentax I've had, it should last for many more years of service.
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