[HermanLee]

Today, I received an UPS package containing a K-7 from Hamburg.

Think, this means I am now one of the proud alpha testers
And today, I already met a second alpha testers (kafenio) who is from Munich, too

The K-7 is a great joy on first contact More to follow ...

OMG...you're so lucky, Falconeye. Congrats, btw!
Show us some picture of you with the nice camera will you?
So, are you going to make a review for us here or just for the store?

I hope you'll do one for us at least and show some photo samples.

Today, I received an UPS package containing a K-7 from Hamburg.

Think, this means I am now one of the proud alpha testers

Hey, this is great for you and the forum! Considering your technical knowledge I'm really waiting for your evaluation of the camera. I suppose it's a pre-release firmware still, but JC has said that the release version will not include any new features but will be just a ironed one of the pre-release.

Any other forum member got one? Blende8?

[falconeye]

Thank You all so much for all the nice words!

What firmware is in camera?
Are you allowed to show pictures form the camera?

EXIF reports firmware as 0.00

The EXIFs are shortened compared to earlier sample photos' EXIFs. E.g., the 77 exposure values are now missing. And the internal firmware revision id

I have not signed an NDA. So yes, I can (and probably are expected to) show images. But I have been informed noise is to be considered non representative and I will receive a firmware update in the 2nd half of june. So, I'll post images, but not to study noise.

So, are you going to make a review for us here or just for the store?
I hope you'll do one for us at least and show some photo samples.

There is no store, just Pentax Europe. I guess, they expect me to write you a report

So yes, there will be more to follow ...

Any other forum member got one? Blende8?

blende8 collects a list of alpha testers who have been outed so far:
DigitalFotoNetz.de :: Thema anzeigen - Fragen an die K-7 Tester
This lists reads:
1. DFN freshnight
2. creezy: holy fruit salad! (a woman )
3. DFN Zuseher
4. Inline-Igel: Pentax - dSLR
5. Kafenio: http://k7.kafenio.org
6. PF/DFN falconeye (me )

So, I guess, he isn't one

Others I am aware of:
7. DSLRF proteus1625 DSLR-Forum
8. DFN Juan: Vagabundenleben

[blende8]

I didn't expect to get one.
Pentax thinks I am too negative.
Maybe.
They didn't like me saying the DA55 is slow.
But I think I am only realistic.

Falconeye is a good choice.

[falconeye]

Pentax thinks I am too negative.

Hmmmh,
in my short email applying, I said that I consider myself 2nd choice after blende8. That should have put me in the negative camp as well, shouldn't it?

Anyway, let's see what I can do for the community now. And not just video...

[Unlocker]

Just got mine too!

Can follow my experiences here on the UK forum!

[falconeye]

Just got mine too!

The only private tester in UK. Holy crowd!

Must have been a different program than Pentax Germany, though I have to return mine before July 3, which is 4 weeks rather than 2.

[Class A]

Think, this means I am now one of the proud alpha testers

That's great news! You got my vote (albeit in another thread " Vote for K-7 Testers from Pentax Forum!", I wasn't aware of this one before you referenced it from the "Quality of K-7 video" thread).

We know a falcon's eye sees everything so I'm looking forward to your critical evaluation. I use "critical" in its true meaning of "to differentiate", i.e., identifying what is really good and why, next to identifying issues that could be improved on.

Will you post your report on a blog? Where is the latter?

Can follow my experiences here on the UK forum!

Thanks for the link.

[nixcamic]

Do you provide feedback to pentax on the camera, or moreso review it for us forum members?

[a a i b]

Today, I received an UPS package containing a K-7 from Hamburg.

Think, this means I am now one of the proud alpha testers
And today, I already met a second alpha testers (kafenio) who is from Munich, too

The K-7 is a great joy on first contact More to follow ...

great news -- you had my vote!

[ogl]

I didn't expect to get one.
Pentax thinks I am too negative.

Me too.
I asked my friend from Prague to retest K-7.
He made it one more time. Compared K20D and K-7.

As for speed. AF of K-7 is faster. Not a lot. No speed revolution. But SDM works better.
BUT the most important (not speed):
K-7's AF is MUCH accurate and very tenacious. Friend didn't see any hunting. Another level of AF.
Very good in tungsten light. Very good in low light - MORE sensible.
K-7 has another algorithms of AF. It's simply different cameras in AF.

D700, for example, is not much faster than K20D in good light. But better in all another aspects. K-7 is the same


One man tried K-7 and said that K-7 is like Canon 5D and better than A900. (on Pentax forum. Russia)
I know one man who think that A900 is better than D700. He tried both cameras for a long time.

It's very subjectively. IMO

[Substitute]

OGL how on earth could your friend find the K7 faster and better in low light since according to Falconeye:
"But I have been informed noise is to be considered non representative and I will receive a firmware update in the 2nd half of june. So, I'll post images, but not to study noise."?
Faster maybe but then the results...are expected to be be noisy to say the least!




http://a2hs.blogspot.com/

[falconeye]

"But I have been informed noise is to be considered non representative and I will receive a firmware update in the 2nd half of june. So, I'll post images, but not to study noise."?
Faster maybe but then the results...are expected to be be noisy to say the least!

Noise, as can be seen on samples already posted, isn't particularly bad or good. With a new firmware release on its way, it is just that I opt to not yet test the noise behaviour.

[ogl]

OGL how on earth could your friend find the K7 faster and better in low light since according to Falconeye:



L' Allemande honorable qui s'hambourgeoise

I said about AF.