Originally posted by Wheatfield My direct comparisons don't back your findings, unfortunately.
The D700 has far less noise than the K7 as the ISO goes up. The D700 at 3200 is about the same as the K7 at ISO640 in my experience.
Interesting. The 8x10 prints I made on Hahnemuehle Fine Art Pearl using an Epson 7800 at reasonable ISOs (100, 200, 400) showed the Pentax not only ahead of the pack in terms of IQ, but the noise most closely resembled the grain in reference prints shot on Portra NC (160 and 400) and output on a Chromira.
Could care less about ISO 3200, or pixel-peeping at 1600% onscreen.
Of course, if you'd rather spend your time shooting black cats in coal bins under a starless sky, by all means...