Peted Wrote:The Pentax *ist Ds has pretty much all the features of the 350D except the 8MP, some better in fact and it is small and light so why does everyone bag them out so much?
The only "bagging out" of the *ist D I've really heard has been about the camera's name and Pentax's rediculous "official digital camera of the internet" slogan.
Their products seem fine, but their marketing team needs a bullet!
Whether "fine" equates to "better than a 350D" is a subjective question, but regardless of my own thoughts I wouldn't "bag out" the *ist any more than I would the Nikon D70 or Olympus E-300... They are all different cameras that appeal to different people with different needs and perhaps different budgets. None of them are "bad" cameras at all, but some better suit certain people than others.
I agree that the 350D is over-hyped at the moment - anyone would think it will turn you into Ansel Adams, costs under $10, will bring peace to Iraq, and solve the greenhouse problem the way some people seem to be talking.
Having said that, I'm still happy I've got a 350D on order
It seems to suit MY needs and budget better than the others at the moment, and I would prefer to "play it safe" and get locked into a Canon or Nikon lens system. Digital Cameras will continue to evolve and become obsolete quickly (which is one of the reasons I'm not as concerned about build quality as I would be with a film SLR), but I plan to build a lens collection I can keep with me. Even if Pentax lenses are identical quality to both Canon and Nikon (an argument I'm not qualified to have yet), it is a lot easier to buy and sell Canon or Nikon glass 2nd-hand.
Peted Wrote:And from 4x NiMh AA's I take 600 shots including flash and all at highest jpeg res with some using RAW without using a greay big heavy grip battery holder!!!
I am 6ft and have good sized hands and the thing justs sits in my hand perfectly, you pick it up and you want to take photos.
Yeah, I'm a big fan of AA's in cameras too. That's impressive getting 600 shots from 4xAA's (I get around 300 from 4xAA's in my Oly), but it seems most DSLR's these days seem to aim at getting around 600 shots from a normal battery charge (ie without grip)? Why do we need a million battery formats???? It's crazy!
I also don't quite understand these people that aren't happy unless their 35mm DSLR is as big as an 8x10" view camera!
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I belive in "smaller is better" with most things, cameras included. Nobody seems to have trouble picking up a lens with no camera attached, so why would a small light camera cause more problems than a big heavy one? Just support the lens not the camera! I remember the first time I picked up a 300D, it felt like a brick! I'm glad the 350D is smaller, but the *ist is is smaller still isn't it?
Is this just me?
Cheers
Adrian