[emptydam]

I have a 1stdl and it is great but I always want more. If 10 M pixels really better than 6 M pixels? The istdl has an "ASA" of 3200 which is great with low light. The 10d has only half the sensitivity. Is the shake reduction a big help or does it only work with bright light when slow exposure is not likely to be an issue? The istdl uses aa batteries so I can get NiMH batteries or other AA's and do not need special chargers when travelling. If someone has experience with both the 1stdl and k10 I would love to hear an honest comparison. Thanks.

[jms698]

10 MP is not really much better than 6 unless you want to create really big prints. Shake reduction however is really useful in many circumstances. Sounds like you should get a K100d. You get all the things you like about the *ist plus shake reduction.

[J.Scott]

This sounds like the same dilemma I was in a while back. I bought my *ist DS two years ago August. I recently bought the K10D. These are similar but different cameras. I decided to keep my DS and not sell it because I will probably not get much for it on the open market.

The K10D has other features you failed to mention; like 72 weather/dust seals on the body, the ability to utilize SDM lenses, 22 bit A/D conversion, improved buffer memory and frames /second ratio, dust removal system, 11 point auto-focus system (the DL has 3), 16 segment meter, a true penta prism and of course, the shake reduction system. The manufacturer claims you can gain a 4 stop advantage over non-shake reduction cameras but that seems to be debatable. Most uses experience a decent 2.5 stop advantage without any problems. I thought the Lion vs. AA battery would be an issue but it hasn't been for me yet. You should expect 500+ shots from a full charge and you can always buy extras for backup if you plan on backpacking in the wilderness for weeks on end. The Lion is definitely lighter than 4 AA's, but the camera is a bit heavier so it works out. The upgrade to 10 mega pixels from 6 was probably the least of the factors that influenced my decision to purchase. If I want to make larger prints I know I can, though.

There are lots of veteran K10D users here so hopefully a few of them can chime in and assist you in your decision. I can truthfully say I do not regret my decision to upgrade to the K10D.

[ChrisA]

10 MP is not really much better than 6 unless you want to create really big prints.

Or unless you want to use less than the whole frame.

[Mark Castleman]

I have a 1stdl and it is great but I always want more. If 10 M pixels really better than 6 M pixels? The istdl has an "ASA" of 3200 which is great with low light. The 10d has only half the sensitivity. Is the shake reduction a big help or does it only work with bright light when slow exposure is not likely to be an issue? The istdl uses aa batteries so I can get NiMH batteries or other AA's and do not need special chargers when travelling. If someone has experience with both the 1stdl and k10 I would love to hear an honest comparison. Thanks.

I had a *ist DL for about 9 months before I got my K10D. I was juggling between the K10 and the K100 because I did want the shake reduction. In the end I went with the K10 for the larger sensor (I do make some big prints) and the ability to use any of my old lenses, even the ones without an "A" setting, easily. I decided that I did not need the exposure modes (what is "Pet Mode" anyway?) and the price was not that much more. I have been very happy with it. The battery lasts a LONG time for me. I can easily go 2 or 3 days of heavy vacation shooting before I need to charge it and it is easier to carry one spare LiIon than a handful of AAs. The shake reduction works well for me in all light levels. The only time I ever turn it off is when I a using a tripod since I have seen that sometimes the processor will "find" something to compensate for that probably isn't there. To me the SR makes up for the ISO only going to 1600 as I found 3200 on the DL to be too noisy anyway. I much rather having the ISO go down to 100 (once again, I make some big prints).

[vrmp]

compared to DL:
a little quieter mirror,
less trouble with dust (thanks to the water and dust resistant body),
better dynamic range, less noise @ISO 400..800,
the noise seems to be more natural compared to the 6MP sensor.

[RiceHigh]

I have a 1stdl and it is great but I always want more. If 10 M pixels really better than 6 M pixels? The istdl has an "ASA" of 3200 which is great with low light. The 10d has only half the sensitivity. Is the shake reduction a big help or does it only work with bright light when slow exposure is not likely to be an issue? The istdl uses aa batteries so I can get NiMH batteries or other AA's and do not need special chargers when travelling. If someone has experience with both the 1stdl and k10 I would love to hear an honest comparison. Thanks.

You should wait for the next 10+MP DSLR which should not be very far away, I bet and Pentax should catch up in the game by replacing both the K10 and the K100. The K10D simply reaches the end of its product life now as fewer and fewer people are actually buying it now for new.

Also, as its price of the K10D has been cut significantly for two times now and I can buy one new at just more than $700 for the body, it is very probably Pentax want to get rid of the stock soonest, or, they just want to use the K10D to compete with the 400D? ;-)

[jfdavis58]

Well, in the off chance that you actually come back to this forum and read the messages, here's my take: STOP looking for internet advice! Look to your own needs, desires and budget.

The K10d is a camera; more than most people need, much more than many can handle. There is no visible or obvious replacement looming. It's not the end-all/do-all some say nor is it a raggedy old dog as others intone.

With a whopping 1 post to these forums under a subject line that smacks of troll-dom that's more information than you're entitled too or going to get.

I have a 1stdl and it is great but I always want more. If 10 M pixels really better than 6 M pixels? The istdl has an "ASA" of 3200 which is great with low light. The 10d has only half the sensitivity. Is the shake reduction a big help or does it only work with bright light when slow exposure is not likely to be an issue? The istdl uses aa batteries so I can get NiMH batteries or other AA's and do not need special chargers when travelling. If someone has experience with both the 1stdl and k10 I would love to hear an honest comparison. Thanks.

[Toshi]

Well, in the off chance that you actually come back to this forum and read the messages, here's my take: STOP looking for internet advice! Look to your own needs, desires and budget.

The K10d is a camera; more than most people need, much more than many can handle. There is no visible or obvious replacement looming. It's not the end-all/do-all some say nor is it a raggedy old dog as others intone.

With a whopping 1 post to these forums under a subject line that smacks of troll-dom that's more information than you're entitled too or going to get.

If you have nothing constructive to add regarding the OP's question, keep it to yourself. If you feel the OP is trolling, contact the staff instead of leaving your usual sarcastic comments and possibly scaring off a new user. Thanks.

[volosong]

...If someone has experience with both the 1stdl and k10 I would love to hear an honest comparison. Thanks.

Welcome to the forum.

For background, I do not have a DL, but have two DS bodies, a K100D body, and a K10D body. In brief, without explaination...

Since I purchased the K10D, I have not pressed the shutter release on either DS even once. That is how good, or how much I like the K10D. The K100D is my backup body now.

Only reason for keeping the DS bodies is because I plan to do some stereo photography when a new tripod mounting bracket arrives.

[emptydam]

Thanks to everyone for your advice. I think I need a k10d despite owning more bodies than I can use. The point about using older lenses is of interest. I have had trouble with the ist DS using some older lenses and I have a lot of old but useful lenses. I have a Russian fish eye that worked well with the Z1 but would not work at all on the DS. This is a manual focus lens. Has anyone had experience using a really basic lens on the K10? Thanks again for your replies.