Pentax DL 6.1 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera Body with Lens Kit - 0.71"-2.17"

A great Digital SLR at this price level!

Strengths: Good size and weight to fit hands, excellent image quality as a Digital SLR at this price level (around $500), 2.5" LCD looks much better than 1.8" and smaller LCDs.

Weakness: Design of the LCD makes it is nicked more easily unless to use some protecting stuff. The LCD can be only used to review but not frame and shoot.

When I tried to find my first digital SLR, I just focused on Nikon D50 kit and Pentax *ist DL kit (both with a 18-55 lens) because of the price I can accept. After a long time waiting (hope the price down),I finally choose the Pentax *ist DL kit. This Pentax *ist DL SLR is perfect fit for my hands because of its size and weight. Although its using of 4 AA batteries makes its weight rising a...

Read Full Review

Great camara

Strengths: Looks,Price and the pictures are great.

Weakness: None for me.I got a PDA screen protector from RadioShack $5 or so.Cut it to fit back and top screen and so far in 4Moths or so of use not one scratch.

I was looking for an SLR Digita camara for a long time (3 Years).I did look at the Canon Rebel and the Nikon D70 and D50 but the rebel was too big.Nikon D70 was also big,the D50 was OK but all of them felt too plastic and also I wanted AA batteries and the SD memory.My thinking is that if for some reason I need batteries. I can go any ware and get them to get me out of trouble.Well I'm glad I...

Read Full Review

Best Value on the Market, Great Entry/Midlevel SLR

Strengths: Inexpensive but not cheap. Wide range of used lenses available, better viewfinder than most, easy to hold, easy to use.

Weakness: Flash seems to give more Red Eye than I expected, auto white balance under incandescent lights leaves orange cast - this is common with a lot of cameras however.

This is a great camera, even my wife thinks so! We love the speed over most of the pocket/point-n-shoots out there. The optical viewfinder is very nice. I looked at the Nikon and the Canon, and was not impressed with their viewfinders. I've already purchased an old Pentax manual 50mm lens, and its very easy to focus - takes some getting used to of course, but not bad. All the controls are very...

Read Full Review

The Pentax *ist-DL is a great camera

Strengths: Compatibility (with existing lenses, existing flash, existing SD cards, existing rechargeable AA NiMH batteries, etc.), compact size and excellent pictures at a reasonable price.

Weakness: The LCD on the *ist-DL is pretty exposed in the current design and it would be nice if it was slightly recessed to minimize the risk of damage.

I had been looking for a digital SLR for a couple of years (to replace either my Pentax Superprogram or Nikon 2020 film based SLRs), but I was unwilling to pay $800 to $1500 to upgrade. Recently Nikon and Pentax have released 6+ MP cameras at a reasonable price point and I decided to take the plunge. In addition to price, compatibility with my existing gear was a major concern: manual focus...

Read Full Review

Finally a camera with real manual focusing...

Strengths: Built to last,comfortable, through the lense focusing easy menu choices ,well laid out,can change lenses, fast shooter and thekit lense is not bad at all. Choose a Tamron 28-300 to avoid censor dust

Weakness: Would love the option of using the lcd in the early stages of framing and shooting and not only to view after

This is my first digital slr and I have been prowling for over a year waiting for prices to come down. I,ve owned all the high end prosumer cameras and out grew them and the limits of their functions so when this kit went on sale for $599 on HSN I jumped and landed with a beautiful camera that is inspiring me to do more photography for its own sake. I am pro painter and up until now used camera...

Read Full Review

Recommended for those ready for

Strengths: Good image quality - Ergonomic design - High compatability with accessories (non-proprietary) - Easy-to-use (with expert capabilities as well) - Low battery consumption

Weakness: Lack of RAW+JPG option - Inability to use LCD for record view* - No motion recording capability** - Battery cover seems flimsy

Despite having owned a half-dozen digital cameras, starting with a 1.3 megapixel Olympus point-an-shoot, I still consider myself a novice at this. I chose to plunge into the digital SLR market for an upcoming trip to Europe, and went with the Pentax *ist DL for its level of value. Reviews touted many of its features as being at--or above--the level of its competitors, at 80% of their price (more...

Read Full Review

Great value.

Strengths: Quality build, price, largest LCD in its class, lightest in its class.

Weakness: No focus indicator in viewfinder.

The *ist DL is a great camera for sure. It's the lightest in its class, and offers the largest (2.5") LCD. The LCD has high resolution (210K pixels), which makes previewing realistic. You can truly see color rendition and focusing accuracy in the LCD after picture is taken. The only downside is there is no focus indicator in the viewfinder. There are three focus points. But after focus is...

Read Full Review

Pentax istDL is a good Digital Camera.

Strengths: Use the popular SD card as memory. Use regular AA batteries. Good pictures with affordable price.

Weakness: The flash light is too bright. My portrait object always closed his or her eyes.

This is my first digital SLR camera. I have a Pentax 35mm autofocus SLR for about 7 years and took a lot of excellent pictures. That is why I choose the *istDL. I like this camera, too. I may use all my old lens from 35mm and accessories with no problem. Picture quality is excellent, too. I could get very large capacity memory for very low price. Recording time much shorter than my other point...

Read Full Review

SLR performance for compact price

Strengths: Price, intuitive controls

Weakness: Low light AF, deceptive LCD, mirror flip causes camera shake

I got the Pentax a few days ago. After two years of compacts, I was so ready for a real camera, and what a relief. It delivers much of what I learned to like about a D70 I used for a while. It feels like the $1000 camera, pulled back just a little bit, evenly in all areas of performance. A bit smaller. My hands are big and I like the way the larger cameras feel. The things controlling aperture...

Read Full Review

Pentax *ist DL

Strengths: chockful of features at an astounding price

Weakness: the strange sounding name, lousy camera control software and USB1.1 (hello ? in this age ?)

well exposed images with the right contrast and saturation levels. sharp lens included with kit. can extend functionality with afforable 3rd party lenses. dont let the dimunitive 6.3mp deter you. The megapixel count is more than sufficient if you can learn to handle this baby. am happy with the purchase