Obnoxious cross posting - new Pentax *istDS test shots

I posted this in the DSLR forum, but I would really like some opinions and that board is so dead that I thought I'd post over here. I don't mean to be obnoxious, but I so rarely hog board space so I figured it was forgivable.

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The new Pentax *istDS is slated for release next week to eager Pentaphyles and a big shrug from the general public.

This camera is priced at $900 body and $1000 kit ($850 & $950 on Amazon now), putting it right in line with the Digital Rebel, and much lower than the $1700 retail of it's predecessor, the *istD (as reviewed by John here)

Here are some of the first test shots I've seen posted. The site is in Korean but the photos aren't ;)


http://dizin.co.kr/dipeople/proreview/ds/01.htm

http://dizin.co.kr/dipeople/proreview/ds/02.htm

Note: these are not taken with the kit lens, but the Pentax limited lenses, though lenses of aguably equal quality can be secured at rather reasonable prices (one of the draws of Pentax).

Thoughts?

I saw your post and took a quick look at the images, last night. I didn't feel like they really helped me evaluate the camera. But I liked the orginal so much that I'm not much concerned. And I plan to get a tester from Pentax as soon as possible. Then we'll get some real test images.

Sorry to hear that the DSLR board isn't very active. I'll see about starting to push more of the digital SLR discussions there. I think Uwe is away, for a seminar, right now. That might be part of the reason. Or maybe it just needs more attention.

I guess it's just that collective yawn I was talking about. :D

Apparently, some people are getting theirs today and others are saying it will be in tomorrow, so full res shots can't be far away.

I'm just so eager, but I guess anyone within a 10 thread radius could figure that out. The DSLR board is crawling, but I guess there's just not much news in the DSLR world right this minute. It just confuses me that this camera doesn't even appear on most people's radars while the DigiRebel is flying off the shelves. All about marketing and distribution, I guess.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tijean

It just confuses me that this camera doesn't even appear on most people's radars while the DigiRebel is flying off the shelves. All about marketing and distribution, I guess.

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It's also about prior investment. Pentax had only a token presence in the pro market after they abandoned the LX. I bought into the Canon Rebel because I have a lot of Canon lenses now. If I were starting fresh, Pentax would be at the top of my list. Unfortunately, I really believe that most buyers already have an investment regardless of how small and will stick with that brand.

Not many people have an investment in Pentax because their marketing & distribution has been so bad for so long. I mean, dicontinuing the LX. "Offical Camera of the Internet"? Lack of trade promotions to retails to help push their brand.

I know some of it is prior investment, but people like my mom do account for a good bit of it. She wants a digital rebel because she wants a good, inexpensive (comparatively) DSLR and knows the name Canon. She can go to any store that sells DSLRs and try one out. She wouldn't know the *istD or *istDS existed if it weren't for me, and even now that she does, there's no real reason for her to special order or track on down.