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Reviews of the Pentax *ist DS2

  • 7.2

    CNET Review

    March 27, 2006

    The Good: Relatively compact; beginner-friendly mix of manual and automatic features.

    The Bad: Poor high-ISO photo quality; sluggish autofocus in dim lighting.

    The Bottom Line: The compact and inexpensive Pentax *ist DS2 performs well and blends automation and manual controls into a beginner-friendly dSLR. For those approaching the dSLR market with a bag of Pentax lenses--or no lenses at all--it's worth considering.

    Read the full review

  • 4.0

    alaTest.com

    By alaTest | November 23, 2009

    Review Summary: Experts rate this product 64/100 and users 90/100. Comparing these reviews to 128960 other Digital SLR Cameras reviews gives this product an overall alaScore™ 40/100 = Fair.

    Read the full review

  • 7.2

    asia.cnet.com

    By Lisa Gidley, CNET.com | April 4, 2006

    Review Summary: The compact and inexpensive Pentax *ist DS2 performs well and blends automation and manual controls into a beginner-friendly dSLR. For those approaching the dSLR market with a bag of Pentax lenses--or no lenses at all--it's worth considering.

    Read the full review

  • 4.0

    pcmag.com

    By Terry Sullivan | February 23, 2006

    Review Summary: With just passable image quality and performance, the *ist DS2 is outclassed by the competition.

    Read the full review

  • No Rating

    digital photography blog

    By Darren | August 22, 2005

    Review Summary: The Pentax *ist DS2 will hit stores in September of 2005 - it's price will be $799.99 (body only)

    Read the full review

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Manufacturer: Pentax

Part number: 18476

General

  • Product Type Digital camera - SLR
  • Width 4.9 in
  • Depth 2.6 in
  • Height 3.7 in
  • Weight 1.1 lbs
  • Body Material Stainless steel

Main Features

  • Resolution 6.1 megapixels
  • Color Support Color
  • Optical Sensor Type CCD
  • Total Pixels 6,310,000 pixels
  • Effective Sensor Resolution 6,100,000 pixels
  • Field of View Crop Factor 1.5
  • Light Sensitivity ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO 3200, ISO auto
  • Analog Video Format NTSC, PAL
  • Shooting Programs Action, Landscape, Night scene, Portrait mode
  • Max Shutter Speed 1/4000 sec
  • Min Shutter Speed 30 sec
  • X-sync Speed 1/180 sec
  • Exposure Metering Spot, Multi-segment, Center-weighted
  • Exposure Modes Bulb, Manual, Program, Automatic, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority
  • Exposure Range EV 1-21.5 ( ISO 200 )
  • Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
  • Auto Exposure Bracketing 3 steps in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
  • Exposure Metering Zones 16
  • White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic
  • White Balance Presets Flash, Shade, Cloudy, Daylight, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light (daylight), Fluorescent light (cool white), Fluorescent light (warm white)
  • Status LCD Display Illumination Yes
  • Status LCD Display Information Program, Aperture, Drive mode, Film speed, Flash mode, Frame counter, Metering mode, Photo quality, Shutter speed, Self-timer mode, Battery condition, Exposure compensation, Remote control indicator, White balance indicators
  • Still Image Format RAW, JPEG
  • Remote Control Optional
  • TV Tuner None

Memory / Storage

  • Flash Memory None
  • Supported Flash Memory SD Memory Card
  • Floppy Drive None
  • Image Storage RAW 3008 x 2008 : 11 - With 128MB card, Super-fine JPEG 3008 x 2008 : 34 - With 128MB card, Fine JPEG 3008 x 2008 : 70 - With 128MB card, Normal JPEG 3008 x 2008 : 117 - With 128MB card, Super-fine JPEG 2400 x 1600 : 51 - With 128MB card, Fine JPEG 2400 x 1600 : 96 - With 128MB card, Normal JPEG 2400 x 1600 : 161 - With 128MB card, Super-fine JPEG 1536 x 1024 : 106 - With 128MB card, Fine JPEG 1536 x 1024 : 173 - With 128MB card, Normal JPEG 1536 x 1024 : 271 - With 128MB card

Camera Flash

  • Camera Flash Pop-up flash
  • Guide Number (m / ISO 100) 11
  • Flash Modes P-TTL, Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
  • Red Eye Reduction Yes

Lens System

  • Auto Focus TTL phase detection
  • Auto Focus Points (Zones) 11
  • Lens System Mounting Pentax KAF

Additional Features

  • Self Timer Yes
  • Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 12 sec
  • Flash Terminal Hot shoe
  • Additional Features AE lock, AF lock, DPOF support, Direct print, Auto power save, Histogram display, PictBridge support, PRINT Image Matching, USB 2.0 compatibility, Digital image rotation, Digital noise reduction, Depth-of-field preview button

Viewfinder

  • Viewfinder Type Optical - Fixed eye-level pentaprism
  • Viewfinder Color Support Color
  • Field Coverage 95%
  • Magnification 0.95x
  • Dioptric Correction Range -2.5 to +1.5
  • Viewfinder Frames Autofocus frame
  • LCD Display Information AE lock, Aperture, Shutter speed, Metering system, Red-eye reduction, Exposure compensation, Flash charge completion

Display

  • Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.5 in - Color
  • Display Form Factor Built-in
  • Display Format 210,000 pixels

Digital Player (Recorder)

  • Type None

Microphone

  • Type None

Connections

  • Connector Type 1 x USB, 1 x Composite video output, 1 x DC power input
  • Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card

Software

  • Software Drivers & Utilities

System Requirements for PC Connection

  • Operating System Support MS Windows ME, MS Windows XP, MS Windows 2000, Apple Mac OS 9.2 or later
  • Peripheral Devices USB port

Miscellaneous

  • Carrying Case None
  • Included Accessories Body cap, Shoe cap, Carrying strap, Eyepiece cover
  • Cables Included 1 x USB cable, 1 x Video cable

Power

  • Power Device None

Battery

  • Supported Battery AA, CR-V3
  • Supported Battery 4 x AA Alkaline battery, 4 x AA NiMH rechargeable battery, 4 x AA Lithium battery, 2 x CR-V3 Lithium battery

Product Photos

  • camera on
  • top
  • side
  • back

User Opinions

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Pentax *ist DS2
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