The Pentax *ist DS has three outstanding characteristics, its great ergonomics, its large viewfinder and its use of AA batteries. For a photographer, these are very important reasons to buy the Pentax *ist DS. This camera helps the photographic process due to its simple and intuitive ergonomics. The viewfinder is larger and clearer than other affordable DSLR cameras which helps in judging focus and reducing eyestrain. Finally, the convenience of AA batteries makes this camera more portable than any of its competition. As for its image quality, the Pentax *ist DS is slightly behind the Canon Digital Rebel XT but a bit better than the Nikon D70 and Nikon D70s. For an improvement in image quality without compromising on ergonomics, the Konica-Minolta Maxxum 5D is a great alternative.