Pentax *ist DS2 Review at Steves Digicams
DIWA member Steves Digicams has the first online review of the Pentax *ist DS2 digital SLR camera. The Pentax DS2 is virtually identical to the existing *ist DS, adding a larger, higher-resolution 2.5 inch color LCD monitor.
“The *ist DS2’s default Image Tone setting of Bright produced well-saturated images right out of the camera. Colors were natural, but a bit soft; most users will prefer a hard sharpness setting, or the application of an image editor’s unsharp mask filter. The image noise was practically non-existant at ISO 200, at ISO 400 it’s still very clean, and at ISO 800 shadow noise becomes noticeable. At ISO 1600 noise becomes noticeable in highlights, but the images are quite usable. I would use ISO 3200 only if it made the difference between capturing an image or not. While noise is present at the higher ISO settings, the *ist DS2 compares favorably in this respect with the high-end prosumer digicams that overlap its price range.”