[chromo]

I thought of that with my brother's camera, but it even fails with a 256 Mb card, smallest I have.

Edit: charged up some AAs to try more stuff. I get a 241K three-star JPG. If I change the menu to record a 4M or 2M image, I get the right number of pixels, 2400x1600 or 1536x1024. If I reduce the 6M JPG to 2 stars, I get a 218K image, which stays the same as a 1 star image. RAW files are ~9200K. The auto white balance never changes, even pointing at a tungsten bulb or a northern sky. It is always 5000k, +3. If I open a RAW image in ACR 6.7, raise exposure +4 stops, blacks to zero, brightness to 150%, I get this:

Looks more like you've taken a photo of a Finnish rug to me.

[wlachan]

Have you looked at the shutter curtains and see if it opens properly?

[cliffordapotter170]

Has anyone tried any of these trouble shooting tips and if so, did they work? Sucks that you spend that much on a camera and it turns out to be an OVER PRICED Paper weight because the problem is not repairable or is too expensive to even fix!

[6BQ5]

After seeing this thread bumped up I'm curious to know if the problem was resolved. Looking at the picture sample I would think that the problem is a fried sensor or broken connection to the sensor. This doesn't look like a mechanical problem.

[Just1MoreDave]

I have my brother's broken one, and bought another broken one from someone here. Both have the same symptoms and nothing here has helped. I intended to take them both apart just for fun but haven't done it yet.

My brother hardly used his. I have taken 10 times as many shots with my DS, and it's still fine. The DL seems plagued with weird battery and sensor issues that I've never heard of in the DS or K100D/K110D, cameras that share a lot with it. I would encourage any serious photographer with a broken DL to upgrade instead of repair. Any other Pentax model is better in some way, and most are a lot better.

[cliffordapotter170]

Ok, so now that I'm pretty much stuck with a very expensive paper weight, how about the lens that came with the *istDL -
Mine came with a: SMC Pentax 18-55mm F3.5 - 5.6 AL lens....
Will this fit on any other Pentax digital cameras?
I originally bought this istDL because I had so many other "K-Mount" lenses for my old K-1000 35mm film camera and they were supposed to all fit on the *istDL.
What other Pentax digital camera accepts the "K-Mount" style film lens as well as the one that came with my istDL?
Also, which of these cameras are the cheapest, the best made and most reliable? I do not want to end up with another expensive dud!

[patrick9]

Ok, so now that I'm pretty much stuck with a very expensive paper weight, how about the lens that came with the *istDL - Mine came with a: SMC Pentax 18-55mm F3.5 - 5.6 AL lens.... Will this fit on any other Pentax digital cameras? I originally bought this istDL because I had so many other "K-Mount" lenses for my old K-1000 35mm film camera and they were supposed to all fit on the *istDL. What other Pentax digital camera accepts the "K-Mount" style film lens as well as the one that came with my istDL? Also, which of these cameras are the cheapest, the best made and most reliable? I do not want to end up with another expensive dud!

All the The Pentax DSLR's are K mount ( not counting the Q line) and accept the same lenses that the DL did. I upgraded from the DL to a K-30. My DL still works I just out grew it and wanted more than The DL offered. I still shoot and enjoy the DL, but the K-30 is the one that is in my hands more often when shooting digital

[Just1MoreDave]

The lens will fit and work fine with any Pentax DSLR. But a couple of years after the DL, they improved the lens optics because the sensors had more pixels. The newer versions are better, not a huge amount. The Pentax mount is still the same so anything that fits on the DL will fit and work the same on any Pentax DSLR. The models that came after the DL nearly all have shake reduction (SR) except for the DL2 and K110D, which improves all your lenses, old and new.

Reliability, who knows. I read about some common issues here but then again, some models were very popular and some were not. The weather sealed models feel more solid, and the magnesium body (K-7, K-5 and K-5 versions) feels more durable. The upper tier cameras all have a rated shutter life of 100,000 activations, the only durability spec.

[cliffordapotter170]

The lens will fit and work fine with any Pentax DSLR. But a couple of years after the DL, they improved the lens optics because the sensors had more pixels. The newer versions are better, not a huge amount. The Pentax mount is still the same so anything that fits on the DL will fit and work the same on any Pentax DSLR. The models that came after the DL nearly all have shake reduction (SR) except for the DL2 and K110D, which improves all your lenses, old and new.

Reliability, who knows. I read about some common issues here but then again, some models were very popular and some were not. The weather sealed models feel more solid, and the magnesium body (K-7, K-5 and K-5 versions) feels more durable. The upper tier cameras all have a rated shutter life of 100,000 activations, the only durability spec.

So out of all these Pentax DSLR's, which ones on the Cheaper end would be a good choice? I've seen the K-30 range anywhere from around $498 on up to around $800!!.... that's quite the price range - any idea why such a big difference?
Also, are there other brand names (Nikon, Canon, etc....) that will also accept the "K-Mount" Pentax lens?

I found this CNET site which does show some pricing and gives reviews on Pentax DSLR's:
Pentax Digital Cameras - CNET Reviews

Also found this at Bizrate.com - The Prices here seem pretty good for a K-30:
http://www.bizrate.com/digital-cameras/pentax/digital-slr-cameras/259-43745/...761/buy?sort=5

[patrick9]

out of all these Pentax DSLR's, which ones on the Cheaper end would be a good choice? I've seen the K-30 range anywhere from around $498 on up to around $800!!.... that's quite the price range - any idea why such a big difference?

The price difference is generally decided by which lens or lenses are with the body. The k-30 is sold body only 499 (469 on amazon right now ) . With kit lens a bit more, two lens kit, a bit more and the kit with 18-135 a bit more.. The thing to remember is that the K-30 is not WR with out a weather resistant lens mounted.

[cliffordapotter170]

The price difference is generally decided by which lens or lenses are with the body. The k-30 is sold body only 499 (469 on amazon right now ) . With kit lens a bit more, two lens kit, a bit more and the kit with 18-135 a bit more.. The thing to remember is that the K-30 is not WR with out a weather resistant lens mounted.

So the K-30 WILL accept my current SMC Pentax 18-55mm F3.5 - 5.6 AL lens that came with my *istDL?
How about other NONE Digital / Manual focus K-Mount lenses? I have several from 35mm K-1000, although they are NOT made by Pentax - Albinar I know is one make.

[normhead]

They should work... incidentally , I had a *ist, that had exposure problems and the final bill was $789 which was covered by an extended warranty. Any K mount lens should work, but if it doesn't have an A setting you'll be setting your exposure manually in Green mode. If it isn't an F, FA, or DA you won't have auto-focus. But your 18-55 will work fine. I've had 3 DA 18-55s and the AL that came with my *ist was the best, so, my guess is the variation in lens samples is greater than the improvements made. If you got a good AL, there would be no reason to get another one. IN fact, its not the kind of lens where you'd want another one anyway. Once you have a better lens, you won't use it much, no matter what version you have.