Reviews of the Pentax *ist DS2
-
CNET Review
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.
-
alaTest.com
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.
-
asia.cnet.com
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.
-
pcmag.com
Review Summary: With just passable image quality and performance, the *ist DS2 is outclassed by the competition.
-
No Rating
digital photography blog
Review Summary: The Pentax *ist DS2 will hit stores in September of 2005 - it's price will be $799.99 (body only)
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
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- New Online Dashboard for IT Leaders
-
Read about top issues IT decision-makers face every day, plus get cost-effective solutions to real-life IT problems.
- Learn more >>
- The best support in the Linux business
-
If Linux is going to power your mission-critical applications, you'd better have the best support known to business. Novell was rated the top provider of Linux technical support.

- Learn more >>
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online - Free Six-Month Trial for Eligible Organizations
-
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides fast online access, simple contact management and better sales performance for a low monthly cost - the best value on the market today.

- Learn more about the free, six-month trial offer>>
- Learn more about tools to grow your business
-
The Business Essentials Guide provides you useful tools and templates to help grow your business and save you time with automated shipping solutions.
- Save time with the UPS Business Essentials Guide










