3. Viewfinders & Focusing

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Pentax entered the world of digital SLRs with a viewfinder that offered higher magnification than the comparable Canon and Nikon models, and has won praise for it. With the istDL, they've hedged their bet a little - the viewfinder is now only marginally better than the D50's. They can now be placed on an equal footing, with Nikon's having slightly better contrast. In both cases, the viewfinder is comfortable as long as you use autofocus, but precise manual focusing becomes delicate in quite a few situations. While most people use autofocus these days, it's a problem that certain users will need to keep in mind.

Both viewfinder eyepieces have a protective rubber cap that can be removed for mounting accessories, like right-angle viewfinders or corrective lenses. The one on the Pentax does have a tendency to fall off under intense use conditions, though. Naturally, both viewfinders have a diopter adjustment to allow them to be tuned to the user's vision. Don't forget to use it!

Nikon has used its usual focus system, with five focusing points in a cross pattern that can be selected manually with the rear "pad." There's also a "Dynamic" mode, where the camera takes the other (unselected) focusing points into account, and a "Closest Subject Priority" mode where the camera automatically chooses the focusing point corresponding to the subject closest to the camera.

Pentax has opted for a highly simplified system with only three focusing points in a line - and not spaced very far apart. It's not far from being a spot-focus system, actually. In many cases, you'll have to be careful to focus and then re-frame your shot, the way it used to be done, or else you're likely to have a lot of subjects that are right in the middle of your shot, which is often not aesthetically ideal. Having said that, simplification is not necessarily a bad thing for not-so-experienced users, who won't have to worry about why the camera is focusing on something they're not looking at. And a lot of people prefer to use the center focus point anyway.