I really like my MZ-S interface too. I would have been
happy if Pentax had just taken their MZ-D design (you
know, the full-frame DSLR that they never released) and
redone the electronics with a sensor like that in the
*istD. It would be soooo nice to have a consistent user
interface between digital and film SLRs.
Of course that approach would have precluded a couple of
the cost-saving elements of the *istD, namely the plastic
body and less-functional version of the K mount. Oh well.
--Mark
Well the *istD body I "accidentally" bought on eBay for £732.56 arrived OK. It appears brand new, the batteries are sealed, and it has a proper Pentax UK
warranty registration card. Seems a bargain.
I've started to play with it and have a couple of observations:
1) The viewfinder shows much less of the image than the LCD Monitor. Perhaps the film cameras are like that too but the delay between taking the picture and getting the result makes it less obvious. Strange thing is that the effect
seems more pronounced with distant subjects than with closeups.
2) Ergonomically it is nowhere near as good as my MZ-S. It's not bad, but the MZ-S is a masterpiece. Why Pentax couldn't have left at least some of the controls in the same place mystifies me. The green button is in a particularly
awkward place given the frequency with which it is used.
I need to get out to take some proper pictures to see how it handles in the field, and to see what the 1.5 crop means in practice. I am well pleased with
it though, and think I got a bargain.
Nick
