Gang, Having had my first hours of quality time with the *istD, there are some experiences I'd like to share with you guys. I'd be very grateful if other *istDers could comment on how you have experienced these issues.
In general, the first experience is that the *istD is a natural step in the Pentax camera evloution. Nothing revolutionary about the design, they have scraped together ideas from both the Z-series and the MZ-series. The interface is, as I guess everyone already know, very recogniseable from other autofocus Pentaxes. Still, there's room for more evolution here, IMO. So, here's some changes I'd like to see in an *istD II. First, I think the Av wheel is positioned too far to the right. IMO, swapping position with the +/- button would have improved handling a lot. Second, the on-off ring is too wide, making the distance between the shutter button and the Tv wheel too long. Third, the green button that takes you back to the program after messing about with the Tv/Av wheels is also too far from any finger. I would have preferred to have that button placed the way it is on MZ-S; high up on the front. Another thing that I know will annoy me in time to come, is that the eyepiece and rubber plugs in connectors are so loosely fitted. The eyepiece is exactly the same as on the MZ-S, btw... They got to bea able to think of something better than that. A personal frustration is that my hands are obviously too big for the *istD ergonomics, even with the grip attached. This leads to a few problems, like I cannot leave the shutter button on the grip in "on" position while shooting horisontally because I keep tripping the shutter with the palm of my hand. - I have already had a few confusing experiences of that...:-) ... Also, when walking with the camera at the ready, my hand aches after only a few minutes of just holding the camera. -Tested with a 31mm ltd, which isn't _that_ heavy... The same lens on the Z-1 is a breeze to carry by comparison. I guess I'm saying that I would like a camera to have ergonomics fitting more hands than the Japanese's. The *istD is very similar to all other DSLRs I have seen in that it does not handle well with gloves on. The buttons and wheels are simply too small to be felt and properly pushed with gloves on. IOW, it's a challenge to use it properly outdoors in 6 months out of 12 here in Norway. Small hopes for a fix on that one, though... Well, those are first thoughts anyway. Tomorrow, I will try to find a suitable spot and test colour aberrations with various tele lenses, including another FA-100/2.8 macro. I will try also to check out flare control with the wide-angles I have available. I will also bring a thinner pair of gloves...:-) Cheers, Jostein -
