Compared to...

Studio scene comparison (vs. Nikon D70)

This is our standard studio scene comparison shot taken from exactly the same tripod position within minutes of each other. Lighting: 2 x 800W studio lights with dichroic daylight filters bounced off a white ceiling reflector. All crops are 100%. Ambient temperature was approximately 22°C (~72°F). Camera settings:

• Pentax *ist DS: Pentax 50 mm F1.4, Aperture Priority,
  ISO 200, JPEG Large/Fine, Manual WB, Default Parameters, Self-Timer
   
• Nikon D70: Nikkor 50 mm F1.4 D, Aperture Priority (F9),
  ISO 200, JPEG Large/Fine, Manual WB, Default Parameters, Self-Timer

Pentax *ist DS	Nikon D70
ISO 200, 0.6 sec, F9	ISO 200, 1/2 sec, F9
2,492 KB JPEG (3008 x 2000)	2,718 KB JPEG (3008 x 2000)

Once more a fairly similar tonal balance to the image and the *ist DS exhibits strong color (more saturated) than the D70. The D70's image has a crispness which the *ist DS can't match and again there are several areas of the image where we can pick out detail which has been lost on the DS.