ist D softness: Why not release a firmware upgradtion?

[J2D2]

I agree.

Now really, may I suggest that if you are happy with your 10D, and according to your own web-site, you are, that you leave the Pentax forum alone, and stop stirring it. We've clashed before, as you know. Why? Because you raise unecessary arguments and pontifications. Just leave it will you?

I a have a 10D, and access at all times to an ISTD. In real life amateur and semi pro work, these two cameras are essentially the same. You and I know that two 10x8 taken with these two cameras, (with good lenses), and layed side by side, will essentially be indistnguishable from each other, so why sweat it? Why stir unease?

I could criticise the 10D easily, but I wont. It's a good tool. The ISTD is also a good tool.
You want to end this? Just agree please.

J2

 

[glazar]

You'll be happy to know that you've missed something!

The tests were of JPEG images, not RAW, and reflect the lower sharpening of JPEGs.

RAW tests show much higher "natural" sharpness.

George

1. Some have claimed that soft Pentax images are due to the
18-35mm lens. Phil carried out his comparative test on DSLRs with
50mm primes at f/8, so the lens was unlikely to be a factor. The
*istD had the lowest resolution of the bunch, with horizontal
resolution of 1500 compared to 1600 to 1650 for the others:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxistd/page17.asp

A test published in the latest PC Magazine shows an even bigger
difference between the *istD and the Digital Rebel, but that was
probably because they used the standard zoom lenses.

2. I don't believe that this has anything to do with the in-camera
sharpening. Sharpening setting just boosts the contrast at the
edges, making the detail more noticeable. It can't add any detail
that wasn't there. There's no way that adding sharpening to the
resolution chart shots is going to make the Pentax comparable to
the others.

3. Some have claimed that in RAW mode the *istD matches the
resolution of the D100. I have no knowledge about that.
However, if it is true it tends to support Tony's theory (in his
other thread) that Pentax's jpeg processing hardware is weaker than
other brands, which is not a good thing.

OK, sharpness isn't everything, but for landscapes it's important.
Considering that the *istD is at the high end of the price range,
it shouldn't have less resolution than the competition.

BTW, I'm a Pentax fan from way back, so I make these comments with
regret rather than with a sense of glee.

http://ca.geocities.com/spirope/pentlens.html

Hi,

some in this thread have said that the *ist D images are soft.
Others have said "no, they are not sharpened", and yet others say,
"they are no worse than "the others"".

Sharpness ususally refers to "APPARENT sharpness", a totally
different thing from sensor resolution, a totally different thing
from lens resolution.

The SENSOR RESOLUTION of the *ist D virtually equal to that of the
10D.

 

[glazar]

This was a sad post. Boz has done a vast amount for the Pentax community through his site, and he only transferred to Canon because what he needed was not available at the time in the Pentax range.

There are other people far more deserving of your insults.

George

Hey Boji, here's an idea. If you LURVE your Canon so much, why not
use it and

 

[Peter Spiro]

Yes, Phil mentioned that RAW is sharper than jpeg, at

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxistd/page14.asp

It would still be preferable to have the higher resolution along with the convenience of the jpeg format. For example, the Digital Rebel's resolution chart in jpeg is at least as sharp as the *istD's in RAW.

You'll be happy to know that you've missed something!

The tests were of JPEG images, not RAW, and reflect the lower
sharpening of JPEGs.

RAW tests show much higher "natural" sharpness.

George

 

[J2D2]

That's your opinion.

I agreed with him that we shouldnt argue, but he hasnt responded yet.

If you dont know the full extent of my issue with him, please dont judge me. If you do know, then perhaps you might understand.
Sometimes the greatest insults do not require direct reference.