Pentax *ist DL

Manual Control Options
The *ist DL offers full manual control of exposure, plus aperture priority and shutter priority modes. White balance and ISO can also be set manually. This level of control is standard among SLRs. Also, exposure can be adjusted in either 1/2- or 1/3-stop increments.

Focus
Auto Focus (5.5)
The *ist DL offers both single and continuous autofocus. Unfortunately, the autofocus mechanism is limited and slow. Three autofocus sensor sites are packed close together in the middle of the frame. The system can be set to use only the middle sensor, or choose from among the three. The viewfinder indicator for the sites suggests that the sites are pretty large, so it can be hard to be sure that the camera is focusing in exactly the right spot – on the subject's eye, rather than on their nose, for instance.

In comparison, Canon's Rebel has seven very small sensor sites spread more broadly across the frame, and it's possible to select any of them. The Nikon D50 is comparable, with five sites spread pretty widely and similar controls.

In single-focus mode, the *ist DL offers a nice feature – after it locks in, the focus ring is freed, and the user can touch up the focus. That's great if the camera missed by a little, or if the subject moves slightly.

Manual Focus (6.25)
The *ist DL offers manual focus on its relatively bright viewfinder screen. Focus snaps in nicely.

Exposure (8.5)
The *ist DL has a full manual mode, as well as aperture priority and shutter priority modes. The exposure compensation control functions in aperture and shutter priority modes, as well as in program mode, and in the scene modes. Exposure compensation is also available in 1/3 or 1/2 – stops.

Metering (7.0)
The *ist DL offers spot, averaging, or evaluative metering. Spot measures exposure in a small circle centered in the frame, while averaging takes a measurement of the whole frame, with an emphasis on the center. The evaluative system takes readings of areas across the frame, and uses a logic system to figure out which readings to use and which to throw out. Evaluative metering should be able to figure out that bright spots in the upper corners of a view are patches of sky, and ought to be neglected in favor of darker subjects closer to the center of the frame. The *ist DL's evaluative system works well, and is the best option for automated modes. Spot and averaging metering are more valuable for manual modes.

White Balance (7.5)
The *ist DL offers eight white balance presets. They are: sun, shade, overcast, three shades of fluorescent, plus tungsten and electronic flash. That's a good selection. The camera also offers a custom setting, and a convenient option for making custom measurements: you can make a setting based on the average tone of the entire frame, or based on a spot reading from the center of the frame. That could be useful for photographing inaccessible subjects under distinctive lighting – a stage performance is a good example.

ISO (9.0)
The *ist DL offers ISO sensitivities in full steps from 200 to 3200, and not just for bragging rights. Though its 3200 is noisy, it's useful in the right setting. The *ist DL also offers an Auto ISO setting, which can be set with either an upper limit or a warning. The limit setting can keep the ISO below 400, 800, 1600, or 3200, or the warning will signal if the ISO goes above those levels.

Shutter Speed (7.75)
The *ist DL’s shutter speeds range from 30 seconds to 1/4000 of a second, plus "B" for manual timed exposures. In manual modes, the shutter speed can be set in either 1/2- or 1/3-stops. In automated modes, shutter speed is stepless.

As I went over the camera, I got the camera to make exposures as long as 20 seconds in the scene modes with the flash turned off. The display blinks, alerting the user to the slow shutter speed and the need for a flash, but the camera goes ahead and shoots. Of course, if the camera isn't on a tripod, the shot will be very, very blurry.

That's a good feature for experienced photographers who hate having to override "safety features" designed to protect inexperienced users from spoiling their shots. On the other hand, inexperienced users are going to get frustrated by all those spoiled shots.

Aperture (6.5)
The kit lens supplied with the *ist DL has a maximum aperture that runs from f/3.5 to f/5.6 as it zooms from 18 to 55 mm. The minimum aperture also varies, running from f/22 to 40. For a camera body with such good low light potential – a usable ISO 3200 is nothing to sneeze at in any price range – a kit lens with an f/5.6 aperture at one end of the zoom range is just a waste. Low light enthusiasts might want to skip the kit lens and get a brighter piece of glass.

Since there is only one exposure jog dial applied to the *ist DL, users will have to hold down the exposure button while moving the jog dial to alter the F-stop unless shooting in Aperture Priority mode. This is a bit tedious. The Nikon D70s includes two separate jog dials – one designated for aperture and the other for shutter speed controls.