20. Connectivity And Software, Continued

Pentax Photo Browser is a simple viewer with few functions compared to the competition...

Photo Laboratory is capable of converting RAW photos to JPEG with good quality, but its correction capabilities are very limited

For those who want to work in RAW format, we should point out that many existing applications are not up to date and can't properly handle the RAW images produced by these two cameras. That's true of one of our personal favorites, RawShooter Essentials, the current version of which is free! With RAW files from the D50, the white balance was off (though it can be corrected), and with files from the istDL, we couldn't get an image to display at all. So we'll have to wait for an update. Naturally this could also be the case with other applications.

In Practice

The ergonomics and overall design of our two models are quite comparable, and in this area the choice between them is really a matter of personal preference, and possibly of habits acquired with other equipment. On the other hand, if you're sensitive to shutter noise, bear in mind that the noise made by the Nikon is not as loud or metallic as that of the Pentax. Not an essential issue, obviously, but important to some folks. The practical possibilities are fairly comparable and amply sufficient for most users, who will find solutions for just about all shooting situations.

On the other hand, Nikon emerged from our tests with a fairly clear advantage with regard to regularity of exposure and white-balance management. These are known strong points of the maker, so it comes as no surprise. In no way does it mean that the istDL isn't capable of very satisfactory performance, but it does mean you'll have to pay a little more attention and make more corrections in certain shooting situations.

As is to be expected of an SLR, startup is more or less instantaneous with both models. There's no waiting between the time you decide to use your camera and the time when it's ready to take a picture.