[ogl]

What does it mean? *ist in the name of Pentax *ist D/DS/DL.
Anybody knows?

[ogl]

I know that Japanese companies use IST in the name of goods.
Toyota ist, for example. What is it?

[séamuis]

this is the best I can find.

Officially, from Pentax, it's pronounced issed, (-ĭst).

As in "artist", but rhyming with "blissed." You're just to say, "ist D" or "ist DL" and forget about the asterisk. But if you say it after Pentax, you'll get something that sounds like, "Pentaxist," which isn't bad either.

Now try this, "Pentaxist D. Pentaxist DS2. Pentaxist DL."

OK1000 Pentax Blog: How to Pronounce the Pentax "*ist"

[JMS]

This is really the engineers having fun. In computer programming, an askterisk is what's known as a wildcard- it can replace any string. If I typed "Delete /Home/*", all the files in the "/Home" folder would be deleted. You're supposed to insert something you enjoy in there. So, if I'm politically active, my *ist would be Political Activ-ist.

[JCSullivan]

I suppose that's why I never liked the work Pentaxian - Pentaxist as in Cartoonist makes more sense.

Thanks for ask the question and thanks for the replies.

[SLC Flyfishing]

This is really the engineers having fun. In computer programming, an askterisk is what's known as a wildcard- it can replace any string. If I typed "Delete /Home/*", all the files in the "/Home" folder would be deleted. You're supposed to insert something you enjoy in there. So, if I'm politically active, my *ist would be Political Activ-ist.

Marx*ist?

Kidding of course

SLC

[JMS]

Marx*ist?

Kidding of course

SLC

Mmm. Right.

[filmamigo]

To me, the secret to decoding the * ist line is the *.

Pentax use the * to denote a special, high-end product. The "best in class." Like Canon's "L" designation. In that use, I believe, people say "star" not asterisk i.e. the D A star 16-50.

So to describe something or someone as "*-ist" is like saying "I discriminate and will only accept the best, I am a star-ist.

Kind of like some forum posters on some Canon-based forums being "L"-ist (snobs for anything except Canon L glass.)

Of course, any name that needs any kind of convoluted explanation is a bit counterintuitive.

And I still call my camera, the "eye ess tee - dee ell"

[ogl]

this is the best I can find.



OK1000 Pentax Blog: How to Pronounce the Pentax "*ist"

I think you are right!

[lithos]

It means "it's a real bastard to search for in a search engine that supports Boolean queries."

That, and marketing speak.

[WMBP]

Explanations aside, it has to be one of the stupidest product names ever, even stupider than "Zune".

Will

[falconeye]

Explanations aside, it has to be one of the stupidest product names ever, even stupider than "Zune".

Ah... Each name has a story. I don't know the one for *ist or Zune.

But for iPOD the story is known: It is named after one sentence in the movie 2001 and named after the POD in there, a one man space-craft to manoever between vessles.

[MJB DIGITAL]

our local pentax rep said that the name implies that what you do (the wildcard *) you are a (*title-ist) i.e. photojournalIST, artIST

stuff like that.

[24X36NOW]

What it means is that Pentax hired a prize idiot to market their first dSLR camera...

[benplaut]

all the other names were taken, so they had to start using symbols.