Quote Originally Posted by Digital fence sitter
As a newbie here, I wonder if I can seek some input to my upcoming big (for me) investment. I am planning to upgrade from my old Spotmatic, and am currently focussing (!) on the choice between an Ist and a IstD.

I am inclining towards the IstD, but can't afford/don't want to upgrade every few years (says the man still using a 30 yo camera).

My question is - just how good is the image quality of the 6mp sensor, compared to 35mm film. I am not interested in comparing the best film outputs with digital, just in getting the closest like-for-like comparison.

I guess the bottom line is, how quickly will a IstD become noticeably obsolete in so far as it's image quality is concerned?

As a side issue, is it the same sensor in the EOS300D, D70 (and others?)?

I am following Photo-John's trial with interest, and would be very interested in your comments P-J ...
I had both the D70 and the 300D in my hands yesterday (at the Paris PMA). I think that Nikon are going to sell a lot of D70's but I still find the viewfinder of both cameras too small. I liked the D2H, though.

The D100, Pentax 1stD and D70 are all based on the same Sony 6Mpix CCD sensor. Improvements in the last two years have not been so much on the sensor as in the power of the onboard processor. The D70 boots up instantly and does much more image optimisation in the camera than the D100 did (according to French press).

If you're looking at a long term investment then you want a manufacturer who is dedicated to supporting the APS-sized sensor in your camera so you can continue to buy lenses that are optimised for it.

Charles