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| Photo by Mike Stensvold |
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| The new *ist accepts a wide range of K-mount Pentax AF and MF lenses. Photo by Lynne Eodice |
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| Multi-segment metering (with 16 points, most of any Pentax AF 35mm SLR) handles a wide range of scenes. Photo by Mike Stensvold |
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The "small*ist" AF 35mm SLR packs plenty of punch.
Pentax's latest is the stylish but somewhat oddly named *ist (the asterisk is silent), a remarkable device that packs plenty of features and performance into the smallest AF 35mm SLR body ever—a mere 4.8x3.3x2.5 inches. The new camera accepts all Pentax Ka-, Kaf- and Kaf2-mount lenses that have an "A" setting on their aperture rings (Custom Function 17 even lets you use lenses that don't have an "A" setting), and provides the most focusing and metering points ever offered in a Pentax 35mm SLR (11 and 16, respectively).
Exposure
The *ist offers three metering modes and a host of exposure modes to suit users from tyro to advanced. The metering modes (selected by moving the metering-mode switch at the base of the mode dial to the desired icon) include multi-segment, center-weighted, and spot. Multi-segment divides the image area into 16 segments, and provides the highest percentage of accurate exposures for general shooting. Center-weighted places most of its emphasis on the central area of the frame, and is handy for old-timers who grew up with it. When lenses that don't have an "A" setting on their aperture rings are used with the *ist, metering defaults to center-weighted even if the camera is set for multi-segment metering. Spot metering measures only the area indicated by a small circle in the center of the viewfinder, useful when you want to measure a specific portion of a subject or scene, or check the scenic brightness range.
Exposure modes are set by rotating the mode dial to the desired icon. For point-and-shooters, the *ist offers a series of exposure modes that will be familiar to users of Pentax ZX-7 and ZX-L cameras. There are the usual portrait, landscape, close-up, action and night-scene Picture Modes, which automatically set the camera for photographing these subjects. There's also Auto Pict, in which the camera automatically engages the appropriate Picture Mode for the subject/scene being photographed (based on subject distance, focal length, lighting conditions and subject motion). As with the ZX-7 and ZX-L, the icon for the camera-chosen mode glows on the mode dial; and the rim of the dial rotates, not the dial itself. There's also the standard (nonshiftable) program mode, indicated by the happy-face icon. In all of these modes, the camera automatically sets the shutter speed and aperture for correct exposure, and displays the camera-selected shutter speed and aperture in the viewfinder and on the external LCD panel.
For more-serious users, there are two auto modes and manual. In shutter-priority AE, you set the shutter speed you want to use, and the camera immediately sets the corresponding aperture for proper exposure. In aperture-priority AE, you set the aperture you want to use, and the camera immediately sets the corresponding shutter speed. This gives you control over subject blur and depth of field, with the speed and convenience of automation. In metered manual mode, you set both the shutter speed and the aperture, and a bar graph at the bottom right of the viewfinder display (also on the external LCD panel) indicates how your set exposure compares with what the camera's meter considers correct.
The mode dial also has an ISO icon that lets you set ISO speeds manually, from 6–6400 (with DX-coded cassettes, film speeds from ISO 25–5000 are set automatically, but you can override that via the ISO icon). You can set ±3 stops of exposure compensation, in 0.5-stop increments, by pressing the AV button and rotating the select dial until the desired amount is displayed in the finder and on the LCD panel. And there's automatic exposure bracketing (three frames—uncorrected, under, over—in 0.3-, 0.5- or full-stop increments).
Focusing
Featuring the latest version of Pentax's SAFOX (Sensor Ability Fortifying Optical Compensation System) AF sensor, the SAFOX VIII, the *ist provides 11 AF sensors (vs. 6 for the top-of-the-line MZ-S, and 3 or 1 in other Pentax AF SLRs). Nine cross-type sensors (which can focus on both vertical and horizontal subject lines) cover the center of the image area (three across the middle, three above those, and three below), with one line sensor (which can focus on horizontal subject lines) to each side of the middle row. You can select any of the sensors manually by moving the focus-point mode switch to SEL and using the four-way controller on the camera back to choose the desired point. Move the focus-point mode switch to AUTO, and the camera will select the appropriate point automatically; move the switch to the spot icon, and AF will be via the central AF point only.
There are two AF modes, single-shot and continuous predictive, selected by moving the focus-mode switch to AF.S or AF.C, respectively. Move the focus-mode switch to MF, and you can focus manually, via the focusing ring on the lens. The viewfinder's in-focus signal glows when focus has been achieved, whether by auto or manual means. AF.S is focus-priority, meaning the shutter locks until focus has been achieved, so you can't take an out-of-focus shot of a stationary subject. AF-C is release-priority, meaning you can take the picture at any time, whether or not the camera has focused on something. Autofocusing functions in light levels down to EV –1 (dim enough to require an exposure of four seconds at f/1.4 at ISO 100). In dim light, the built-in flash fires a focus-assist beam to help the AF system.
Flash
The *ist has a built-in pop-up TTL autoflash unit that covers the angle of view of a 28m lens and has an ISO 100 guide number of 36 (in feet; 11 in meters). Maximum flash-sync shutter speed is 1/125. There's also a hot-shoe atop the finder that accepts dedicated Pentax TTL flash units, which provide more power and additional features. You can use the built-in flash together with a hot-shoe flash unit either on-camera or off (via accessory Extension Cord 5FP). The accessory Pentax AF360FGZ flash unit can be used off-camera cordlessly, with TTL exposure control. There's also contrast-control flash, where the built-in unit provides one unit of light to two from the accessory unit—handy for portrait and close-up work.
There are several flash modes, selected by pressing the flash-mode button. Each successive press of the button moves to the next mode: auto pop-up (the flash unit automatically pops up and fires when needed), auto pop-up with red-eye reduction, wireless, wireless + high-speed sync (available with accessory AF360FGZ flash unit only), flash on, flash on + red-eye reduction, and flash off (handy in situations where flash is not desired or allowed).
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