Re: Status of *ist 35mm?
Last October, I've been told by Italian importers that they had no more film *ist's in stock, and no more will come from Pentax. So I believe the *ist was discontinued in 2005, if not in 2004, as remaining stocks are being sold very very slowly. Dario - Original Message - From: Unca Mikey [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: PDML pentax-discuss@pdml.net Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 6:31 PM Subject: Status of *ist 35mm? Has anyone read or heard anything about the status or future of the Pentax *ist 35mm SLR? It's still shown on the Pentax USA site, but is no longer in the catalog for BH or Adorama. Amazon shows it as not in stock and some other sites show the model as discontinued. Is there any official word? I emailed Pentax, but no answer yet. I know the *ist is not highly regarded in PDML-land, but I love my *ist -- if they really are discontinued, I may have to buy one on closeout somewhere or on ebay, just to have a backup. *UncaMikey
Re: Status of *ist 35mm?
Another thing against (well, that's personal preference) is that you place the film cartridge the opposite of the usual way. I don't care IMO... On 4/11/06, Unca Mikey [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The only thing I've heard against the *ist is the crippled mount -- and since I don't have any of the older lenses, it's not a big deal to me. I thought about the MZ-S, but it doesn't work that well with lenses without an aperture ring, and it's much bigger/heavier than I would like. I had a Spotmatic for 30+ years, but after about two years of using the *ist, I must have a thumbwheel! LOL. I could never go back to the old way of changing aperture and shutter speed, I am now addicted to having aperture and exposure compensation and DOF and AE lock all there at my thumb and forefinger. I've tried manual focusing, but the camera is so much faster and more accurate, I gave up and just select the focus point instead. Good luck with the primes, Scott -- I have the DA 40mm and the FA 50mm f1.7, and they work great with this body, very handy. *UncaMikey --- Scott Loveless wrote: For a while now I've been considering buying an MZ-S or PZ-1 to complement the *ist. -- -- Thibouille -- *ist-D,Z1,SFXn,SuperA,KX,MX, P30t and KR-10x ...
Re: Status of *ist 35mm?
On 4/10/06, Unca Mikey [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Has anyone read or heard anything about the status or future of the Pentax *ist 35mm SLR? It's still shown on the Pentax USA site, but is no longer in the catalog for BH or Adorama. Amazon shows it as not in stock and some other sites show the model as discontinued. Is there any official word? I emailed Pentax, but no answer yet. I know the *ist is not highly regarded in PDML-land, but I love my *ist -- if they really are discontinued, I may have to buy one on closeout somewhere or on ebay, just to have a backup. KEH usually has a couple in stock. They don't now, but the last few they've had have been listed as LN condition, which means they come with everything that was originally in the box. You might keep an eye on their site. -- Scott Loveless http://www.twosixteen.com -- You have to hold the button down -Arnold Newman
RE: Status of *ist 35mm?
If you like the camera, find one and buy it ASAP. Everyone needs a backup camera at some time. Shel [Original Message] From: Unca Mikey Has anyone read or heard anything about the status or future of the Pentax *ist 35mm SLR? It's still shown on the Pentax USA site, but is no longer in the catalog for BH or Adorama. Amazon shows it as not in stock and some other sites show the model as discontinued. Is there any official word? I emailed Pentax, but no answer yet. I know the *ist is not highly regarded in PDML-land, but I love my *ist -- if they really are discontinued, I may have to buy one on closeout somewhere or on ebay, just to have a backup. *UncaMikey
KEH (was Re: Status of *ist 35mm?)
Anyone want a D digital should also check out KEH. They've marked down several of them. Collin KC8TKA
Re: Status of *ist 35mm?
I agree with Shel. Manufacturers are closing production on 35mm cameras very quickly due to the abyss that sales figures have fallen into. If you like the camera and want to continue using them, buy a new backup ASAP if you can afford to, and if you can find one. Godfrey On Apr 10, 2006, at 10:11 AM, Shel Belinkoff wrote: If you like the camera, find one and buy it ASAP. Everyone needs a backup camera at some time. Shel [Original Message] From: Unca Mikey Has anyone read or heard anything about the status or future of the Pentax *ist 35mm SLR? It's still shown on the Pentax USA site, but is no longer in the catalog for BH or Adorama. Amazon shows it as not in stock and some other sites show the model as discontinued. Is there any official word? I emailed Pentax, but no answer yet. I know the *ist is not highly regarded in PDML-land, but I love my *ist -- if they really are discontinued, I may have to buy one on closeout somewhere or on ebay, just to have a backup. *UncaMikey
RE: Status of *ist 35mm?
Good advice all, thanks. I've started scoping out some possibilities to get a backup *ist. I had already planned on getting a FA 20-35mm fairly soon, so it looks like a MasterCardĀ kind of month! *UncaMikey
Re: Status of *ist 35mm?
On 4/10/06, Unca Mikey [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Good advice all, thanks. I've started scoping out some possibilities to get a backup *ist. I had already planned on getting a FA 20-35mm fairly soon, so it looks like a MasterCardĀ kind of month! For a while now I've been considering buying an MZ-S or PZ-1 to complement the *ist. The main reason for this is that I have quite a few M series primes and would like a body that will allow me to use them while maintaining the full functionality of modern auto focus lenses. However, the more I use the *ist the more I like it. The meter is absolutely amazing when it comes to exposing slide film, auto focus is fast, and with the grip it's very comfortable (and still very light). I'm now considering selling off my manual focus gear and taking that big step into the modern world - auto focus primes! This is most likely Bill's fault. -- Scott Loveless Luddite http://www.twosixteen.com
Re: Status of *ist 35mm?
The only thing I've heard against the *ist is the crippled mount -- and since I don't have any of the older lenses, it's not a big deal to me. I thought about the MZ-S, but it doesn't work that well with lenses without an aperture ring, and it's much bigger/heavier than I would like. I had a Spotmatic for 30+ years, but after about two years of using the *ist, I must have a thumbwheel! LOL. I could never go back to the old way of changing aperture and shutter speed, I am now addicted to having aperture and exposure compensation and DOF and AE lock all there at my thumb and forefinger. I've tried manual focusing, but the camera is so much faster and more accurate, I gave up and just select the focus point instead. Good luck with the primes, Scott -- I have the DA 40mm and the FA 50mm f1.7, and they work great with this body, very handy. *UncaMikey --- Scott Loveless wrote: For a while now I've been considering buying an MZ-S or PZ-1 to complement the *ist.
Re: Status of *ist 35mm?
- Original Message - From: Unca Mikey Subject: Status of *ist 35mm? Has anyone read or heard anything about the status or future of the Pentax *ist 35mm SLR? It's still shown on the Pentax USA site, but is no longer in the catalog for BH or Adorama. Amazon shows it as not in stock and some other sites show the model as discontinued. Is there any official word? I emailed Pentax, but no answer yet. I would be very surprised if Pentax is still making film SLR cameras. Film as a consumer commodity is pretty much a dead horse, the camera manufactureres aren't likely to continue making something that won't get bought. William Robb
Re: Status of *ist 35mm?
The *ist viewfinder is small and hard to manually focus with - especially compared to the MZ-S or PZ-1p. I have one (actually my daughter's) and it is pretty poor from that perspective. All else about it is reasonable. So using A series lenses on it is more difficult. She also has an MX - and that gets the nod whenever possible because of the big difference in viewfinder. She has become a preferred manual focusser and so mostly shoots the MX. -- Best regards, Bruce Monday, April 10, 2006, 3:00:33 PM, you wrote: UM The only thing I've heard against the *ist is the crippled mount -- UM and since I don't have any of the older lenses, it's not a big deal UM to me. I thought about the MZ-S, but it doesn't work that well with UM lenses without an aperture ring, and it's much bigger/heavier than I UM would like. UM I had a Spotmatic for 30+ years, but after about two years of using UM the *ist, I must have a thumbwheel! LOL. I could never go back to UM the old way of changing aperture and shutter speed, I am now addicted UM to having aperture and exposure compensation and DOF and AE lock all UM there at my thumb and forefinger. I've tried manual focusing, but UM the camera is so much faster and more accurate, I gave up and just UM select the focus point instead. UM Good luck with the primes, Scott -- I have the DA 40mm and the FA UM 50mm f1.7, and they work great with this body, very handy. *UncaMikey UM --- Scott Loveless wrote: For a while now I've been considering buying an MZ-S or PZ-1 to complement the *ist.
Re: Status of *ist 35mm?
William Robb wrote: - Original Message - From: Unca Mikey Subject: Status of *ist 35mm? Has anyone read or heard anything about the status or future of the Pentax *ist 35mm SLR? It's still shown on the Pentax USA site, but is no longer in the catalog for BH or Adorama. Amazon shows it as not in stock and some other sites show the model as discontinued. Is there any official word? I emailed Pentax, but no answer yet. I would be very surprised if Pentax is still making film SLR cameras. Film as a consumer commodity is pretty much a dead horse, the camera manufactureres aren't likely to continue making something that won't get bought. William Robb Agreed. Likely the only 35mm cameras in actual production right now are coming from Cosina Voightlander and Leica. Film is now a niche product. -Adam
Re: Status of *ist 35mm?
Bruce Dayton wrote: The *ist viewfinder is small and hard to manually focus with - especially compared to the MZ-S or PZ-1p. I have one (actually my daughter's) and it is pretty poor from that perspective. All else about it is reasonable. So using A series lenses on it is more difficult. She also has an MX - and that gets the nod whenever possible because of the big difference in viewfinder. She has become a preferred manual focusser and so mostly shoots the MX. It's unfortunate that they couldn't put a Viewfinder as nice as the *istD's in the *ist. I would have bought one when I had my D if the viewfinder hadn't been so unimpressive. -Adam
Re: Status of *ist 35mm?
On 4/10/06, Adam Maas [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Bruce Dayton wrote: The *ist viewfinder is small and hard to manually focus with - especially compared to the MZ-S or PZ-1p. I have one (actually my daughter's) and it is pretty poor from that perspective. All else about it is reasonable. So using A series lenses on it is more difficult. She also has an MX - and that gets the nod whenever possible because of the big difference in viewfinder. She has become a preferred manual focusser and so mostly shoots the MX. It's unfortunate that they couldn't put a Viewfinder as nice as the *istD's in the *ist. I would have bought one when I had my D if the viewfinder hadn't been so unimpressive. The viewfinder is certainly not it's highpoint. The magnification and coverage are sub-standard. The brightness, considering it has a pentamirror, is really not that bad, and certainly better than similar cameras from Nikon and Canon. For manual focusing I do prefer the K1000 or the MX, though it's not unusable and my Super-Takumar lenses get some use on the *ist. The crippled mount is a bitch. It's too bad a workaround similar to the green button wasn't possible. Auto focus is a different story. It's fast and accurate. Mike's 100% dead on with his observations. I'm leaning toward an FA50/1.4 and an FA35/2 to start with. Since my wife's been wanting to get a DSLR and a decent macro, I may skip the 50/1.4 for the time being and go for the DFA50/2.8 instead. Did I mention that the meter is phenomenal? Who knows? Next week I may decide to ditch all of the K-mount gear and stock on up on M42 lenses. It's still Bill's fault. -- Scott Loveless http://www.twosixteen.com -- You have to hold the button down -Arnold Newman
Re: Status of *ist 35mm?
Scott Loveless wrote: The viewfinder is certainly not it's highpoint. The magnification and coverage are sub-standard. The brightness, considering it has a pentamirror, is really not that bad, and certainly better than similar cameras from Nikon and Canon. For manual focusing I do prefer the K1000 or the MX, though it's not unusable and my Super-Takumar lenses get some use on the *ist. The crippled mount is a bitch. It's too bad a workaround similar to the green button wasn't possible. Auto focus is a different story. It's fast and accurate. Mike's 100% dead on with his observations. I'm leaning toward an FA50/1.4 and an FA35/2 to start with. Since my wife's been wanting to get a DSLR and a decent macro, I may skip the 50/1.4 for the time being and go for the DFA50/2.8 instead. Did I mention that the meter is phenomenal? Who knows? Next week I may decide to ditch all of the K-mount gear and stock on up on M42 lenses. It's still Bill's fault. -- Scott Loveless http://www.twosixteen.com -- You have to hold the button down -Arnold Newman I'm very picky about my viewfinders, have been ever since I picked up my old Nikon FA about 4 years ago (I'd been shooting with an F65, with a finder similar to the *ist's) and couldn't believe the difference. Never went back to pentamirror finders and never will. It's probably the second most important ergonomic convern for me, after control layout. -Adam
Re: Status of *ist 35mm?
On 4/10/06, William Robb [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: - Original Message - From: Unca Mikey Subject: Status of *ist 35mm? Has anyone read or heard anything about the status or future of the Pentax *ist 35mm SLR? It's still shown on the Pentax USA site, but is no longer in the catalog for BH or Adorama. Amazon shows it as not in stock and some other sites show the model as discontinued. Is there any official word? I emailed Pentax, but no answer yet. I would be very surprised if Pentax is still making film SLR cameras. Film as a consumer commodity is pretty much a dead horse, the camera manufactureres aren't likely to continue making something that won't get bought. They did announce recently the discontinuation of all film bodies except for the *ist, ZX-60 and ZX-M. I wouldn't be surprised if all film body production has been halted and the three remaining models were simply the models still in stock. It does seem that the *ist is simply gone. Interesting to note, though it really doesn't add too much to the discussion, are the sales numbers from Bic Camera in Japan for late December 2004. http://www.photoethnography.com/blog/archives/2005/02/news_recent_top_2.html Pay particular attention to the Pentax rank for SLR and DSLR cameras. Even more interesting is the lack of a Pentax camera in their top five medium format list. Granted, this only samples 11 days worth of sales. -- Scott Loveless http://www.twosixteen.com -- You have to hold the button down -Arnold Newman
