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 Pentax says that a digital SLR can never be too light or too simple. The new *ist DL comes in even lighter and simpler than the *ist DS, which was already a record-setter in both categories. And at $750 street with an 18–55mm f/3.5–5.6 Pentax lens (and $650 body only), the *ist DL comes in extremely light on the wallet. It's expected to cost about $150 less than the *ist DS2 (the new version of the DS. But can a camera aimed unabashedly at the point-and-shooter also cut it as an enthusiast's camera? Let's see.
Something both serious and casual shooters will appreciate is the 2.5-inch backlit LCD monitor, half an inch bigger than that on the *ist DS, and, at 210,000 pixels, relatively high-resolution. It makes the already very readable menus even more legible, and reviewing pictures becomes a real pleasure. The viewfinder uses a lighter, less expensive pentamirror instead of the pentaprism of the *ist DS; surprisingly, the view through the DL is brighter, due to an improved focusing screen, and boasts the same high magnification and high accuracy. However, the data readouts below the screen are smaller and dimmer, which will make readings tough for eyeglass-wearers.
Replacing the DS's 11-point autofocus array is a simpler, three-point AF system, delineated by a central circle flanked by brackets. You can activate the central AF point only, or all three points for auto selection. While this setup is decidedly point-and-shoot, all three focusing points are cross-type sensors (i.e., sensitive to both horizontal and vertical lines), and we found they snapped onto most detail with authority. And AF speeds were virtually identical to the speedy-focusing DS.
Another minor downgrade: The DL's continuous burst buffer drops to five high-res JPEGs or three RAW files at 2.8 fps, from the eight JPEGs/five RAWs of the DS. But the DL gains a few things as well. You can switch the DL from single-shot to continuous AF in all standard exposure modes; the DS provides continuous AF in only the sports mode. The DL also adds an auto ISO setting, and its digital soft-focus filter can be set to three levels.
Aside from that, the external control layout of the DL is identical to the DS, and the camera has virtually the same feature set. As we noted in our reviews of the DS (March 2005 and April 2005) the menu-based controls may be a boon for the tyro, but the more careful shooter who likes to fiddle with settings will be slowed down menu-surfing for things like meter patterns, AF modes, and flash compensation. Frequently used settings, though—like drive mode, ISO, white balance, and flash—can be accessed quickly via the Fn button, and the DL retains the excellent ergonomics of the DS.
Tested picture quality was, as expected, similar to the DS. We were surprised, though, that the color accuracy of the DL was a hair below that of the DS, and the average resolution was lower by about six percent—surprising, since the DL and the DS use the same CCD imager. Noise is well suppressed, just reaching moderately low at ISO 1600. Overall image quality is very high, and, as with previous digital *ist models, the DL is a fine choice for low-light shooting.
Fundamentally, if you liked the DS, you'll like the DL. The only serious difference is the AF system, and if you don't need or want a camera with 11-point dynamic focusing across the frame, you can save yourself about $150 and get a camera with the same capabilities as the DS. Sounds like a pretty good deal to us.
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