First shot with the new K-7

**Rondec** · 10-30-2010, 12:58 PM

Welcome. Love your photos.

I personally have the K7 set up so the four way controller buttons are useable to move the focus point. I just use that a lot more than the other things that can be assigned to those buttons.

There is something special about the primes from Pentax -- pack a lot into those tiny packages.

Todd Adamson · 10-30-2010, 01:12 PM

Originally posted by Rondec

Welcome. Love your photos.

I personally have the K7 set up so the four way controller buttons are useable to move the focus point. I just use that a lot more than the other things that can be assigned to those buttons.

There is something special about the primes from Pentax -- pack a lot into those tiny packages.

Thanks! I changed my 4-way, too, but now I can't use it to access the original functions of the buttons. Most specifically, I like to change WB frequently. So I am just switching the AF switch to "Auto" to make the changes, then switching back. Is this the best way to do it, or is there some access somewhere in the menus that I'm missing?

**Rondec** · 10-30-2010, 01:17 PM

I don't have my camera handy, but I think it is just the other way around, isn't it? You just hit the OK button and then the white balance button and it will bring up the screen to let you adjust it.

Todd Adamson · 10-30-2010, 01:21 PM

Originally posted by Rondec

I don't have my camera handy, but I think it is just the other way around, isn't it? You just hit the OK button and then the white balance button and it will bring up the screen to let you adjust it.

Oh, niiiice.

Thanks!

designinme_1976 · 10-31-2010, 08:12 AM

I am going to be very interested in seeing how you come along with your k-7. I shot pentax with a K20D before jumping ship to Nikon with the D700 ( the low light AF accuracy of the K20D ). I don't shoot professionally, and I really enjoy the D700.. but even with my modest sized kit I am starting to notice I take my camera with me less because of the size and weight. The D700 and Zeiss MP 100MM are an awesome combo and I have only had the Zeiss for a few weeks, but I find myself needing a reason to carry it.. because of the additional weight.

The K20D was a great camera, but I did miss a lot of shots in Low ligh situations ( OOF, or failed to lock quick enough .. and D700 shines here ). Hopefully the K-7, and the new k-5 have this problem solved, as i don't shoot sports.. just need accurate AF and some limited primes.

How are you adjusting the the APS-C viewfinder coming from the D3?

Todd Adamson · 10-31-2010, 09:27 AM

Originally posted by designinme_1976

I am going to be very interested in seeing how you come along with your k-7. I shot pentax with a K20D before jumping ship to Nikon with the D700 ( the low light AF accuracy of the K20D ). I don't shoot professionally, and I really enjoy the D700.. but even with my modest sized kit I am starting to notice I take my camera with me less because of the size and weight. The D700 and Zeiss MP 100MM are an awesome combo and I have only had the Zeiss for a few weeks, but I find myself needing a reason to carry it.. because of the additional weight.

The K20D was a great camera, but I did miss a lot of shots in Low ligh situations ( OOF, or failed to lock quick enough .. and D700 shines here ). Hopefully the K-7, and the new k-5 have this problem solved, as i don't shoot sports.. just need accurate AF and some limited primes.

How are you adjusting the the APS-C viewfinder coming from the D3?

For the last 3 years, I've been carrying my D3 with the Nikkor 70-200 pretty much wherever I go. I just resigned myself to the weight, and got used to it. I felt like I was traveling light when I began attaching the 100MP instead.

In fact, the weight doesn't really bother me. But the bulk is sometimes annoying, and the worst part is that I get noticed with that rig. People often want to talk about it, ask dumb questions, etc. Usually OK, too, but sometimes gets in the way of what I'm doing, whether it be personal or professional.

Obviously, the D3 will win every time for low light when compared to the K-7. Same for fast-moving situations like sports, but that's very rare for me. Also, the D3 wins in a big way for general ergonomics/ease of use. It just isn't possible in such a small body to place buttons and dials for optimal usability; plus, no one pays more attention to usability IMO than Nikon. Their bodies are astonishingly good in this regard, and no one else is even in the ballpark.

However, I know I will adapt to the K-7 with use, and my complaints will be reduced to minor nit-picks. And the features, image quality, and solid build are amazing in such a small package. I will take this camera places I would not have taken the D3, and I will take it instead of the D3 now in a majority of cases, at least the ones where I'm shooting just for me.

My biggest worry when buying the K-7 was that I would have to leave the manual focusing behind due to the VF. I don't have enough time with the camera yet, but my initial feeling is that I was wrong about that. The VF is fairly bright, and additionally, the focusing screen is significantly better than the D3's. The transition between in and out of focus is very short.

designinme_1976 · 10-31-2010, 09:41 AM

Originally posted by Todd Adamson

For the last 3 years, I've been carrying my D3 with the Nikkor 70-200 pretty much wherever I go. I just resigned myself to the weight, and got used to it. I felt like I was traveling light when I began attaching the 100MP instead.

In fact, the weight doesn't really bother me. But the bulk is sometimes annoying, and the worst part is that I get noticed with that rig. People often want to talk about it, ask dumb questions, etc. Usually OK, too, but sometimes gets in the way of what I'm doing, whether it be personal or professional.

Obviously, the D3 will win every time for low light when compared to the K-7. Same for fast-moving situations like sports, but that's very rare for me. Also, the D3 wins in a big way for general ergonomics/ease of use. It just isn't possible in such a small body to place buttons and dials for optimal usability; plus, no one pays more attention to usability IMO than Nikon. Their bodies are astonishingly good in this regard, and no one else is even in the ballpark.

However, I know I will adapt to the K-7 with use, and my complaints will be reduced to minor nit-picks. And the features, image quality, and solid build are amazing in such a small package. I will take this camera places I would not have taken the D3, and I will take it instead of the D3 now in a majority of cases, at least the ones where I'm shooting just for me.

My biggest worry when buying the K-7 was that I would have to leave the manual focusing behind due to the VF. I don't have enough time with the camera yet, but my initial feeling is that I was wrong about that. The VF is fairly bright, and additionally, the focusing screen is significantly better than the D3's. The transition between in and out of focus is very short.

You brought up a couple of good points... the weight of my system didn't really bother me until on vacation... carrying around a crumpler with the D700, MP 100, 70-300, 18-35, 50mm, 28mm, 135 Ai.. and filters started to bug me. The bulk is also a major consideration, as well as being noticed/drawing attention to myself.

I would be very interested in hearing what you think about the VF... with manual focusing once you have some experience with that on the K7. Thanks for your thoughts.

Todd Adamson · 10-31-2010, 09:52 AM

I was doing an anniversary session for an older couple yesterday, and even though I am not yet completely comfortable with the new gear, I used it for maybe 25% of the shots. My keeper rate (with regard to accurate focus only) was in the neighborhood of 50%, which I consider really good for a brand new system with MF (it's more like 80% for me with the D3, and I have only been using MF lenses for 2-3 months). Here are a couple from the session, shot with the K-7 and the A-series 50/1.7 (the EXIF is wrong for the B&W, because I improperly input the focal length):

pop4 · 10-31-2010, 06:32 PM

Originally posted by Todd Adamson

It just isn't possible in such a small body to place buttons and dials for optimal usability; plus, no one pays more attention to usability IMO than Nikon. Their bodies are astonishingly good in this regard, and no one else is even in the ballpark.

Then surely they wouldn't have put the ISO button on the D200/D300 bodies where they are, on the top left shoulder of the camera body (here's what I mean). That's one thing that really annoys me when I shoot with my friend's D200/D300 bodies, meaning to change ISO, I'd have to move my left hand from where it is supporting the lens to the left side of the body to press the ISO button. When doing a shoot constantly moving from indoors to outdoors to indoors and changing ISO, and with a 70-200/2.8 VR attached, that's a real PITA. But I guess at the end of the day though, ergonomics/usability is down to each individual themselves

Todd Adamson · 10-31-2010, 06:40 PM

Originally posted by pop4

But I guess at the end of the day though, ergonomics/usability is down to each individual themselves

Absolutely. There will never be 100% agreement over a specific button or dial, or menu item. The ISO button never bothered me at all, but maybe that's because I always shoot on a tripod. Additionally, ISO is not something I personally change during a shoot very often, but that's just because of the type of shooting I do.

I believe Nikon has the best ergo setup of any of the camera lines. A lot of people agree with me, but there are a lot who don't. Ultimately, I think my annoyance with some of the K-7's ergo (and to be clear, I'm not complaining very hard -- I am truly impressed with this body in the first few days of owning it) is due in part to the fact that Nikon makes more sense to me innately, and partly due to the fact that I have shot Nikon bodies for so many years that everything is automatic for me.

Todd Adamson · 10-31-2010, 07:21 PM

Ken, no, I don't mind at all, and thanks for taking the time to play with my image. But I'm not sure what you did, other than to reduce the contrast and add some pixels, which tends to muddy the detail. I wonder if maybe you were trying to correct my color? I know it's not natural, but that was intentional, done with a retro LR preset. Here's a shot from the session that has more subdued and natural colors:

Ken T · 11-01-2010, 12:41 AM

Well Todd, I was trying to make the wrinkles of the gentlement look a bit less deep, and did not know that the magenta cast of the picture was that your intention, so I tried to correct it . Anyway, I guess i did not do it right and I should delete it then . Sorry Todd .

Todd Adamson · 11-01-2010, 09:46 AM

Originally posted by Ken T

Well Todd, I was trying to make the wrinkles of the gentlement look a bit less deep, and did not know that the magenta cast of the picture was that your intention, so I tried to correct it . Anyway, I guess i did not do it right and I should delete it then . Sorry Todd .

Ken, like I said, no problem.

I never mind someone trying to make improvements for me, but I guess I should have specified that my color was intentionally amiss. Also, when I shoot people with lots of wrinkles, I normally don't mitigate them at all, unless my client asks for it specifically.

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10-30-2010, 12:58 PM	#16
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,663	Welcome. Love your photos. I personally have the K7 set up so the four way controller buttons are useable to move the focus point. I just use that a lot more than the other things that can be assigned to those buttons. There is something special about the primes from Pentax -- pack a lot into those tiny packages.

10-30-2010, 01:12 PM	#17
Todd Adamson Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Iowa Posts: 722 Original Poster	Originally posted by Rondec Welcome. Love your photos. I personally have the K7 set up so the four way controller buttons are useable to move the focus point. I just use that a lot more than the other things that can be assigned to those buttons. There is something special about the primes from Pentax -- pack a lot into those tiny packages. Thanks! I changed my 4-way, too, but now I can't use it to access the original functions of the buttons. Most specifically, I like to change WB frequently. So I am just switching the AF switch to "Auto" to make the changes, then switching back. Is this the best way to do it, or is there some access somewhere in the menus that I'm missing?

10-30-2010, 01:17 PM	#18
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,663	I don't have my camera handy, but I think it is just the other way around, isn't it? You just hit the OK button and then the white balance button and it will bring up the screen to let you adjust it.

10-30-2010, 01:21 PM	#19
Todd Adamson Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Iowa Posts: 722 Original Poster	Originally posted by Rondec I don't have my camera handy, but I think it is just the other way around, isn't it? You just hit the OK button and then the white balance button and it will bring up the screen to let you adjust it. Oh, niiiice. Thanks!

10-31-2010, 08:12 AM	#20
designinme_1976 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Dayton Ohio Posts: 132	I am going to be very interested in seeing how you come along with your k-7. I shot pentax with a K20D before jumping ship to Nikon with the D700 ( the low light AF accuracy of the K20D ). I don't shoot professionally, and I really enjoy the D700.. but even with my modest sized kit I am starting to notice I take my camera with me less because of the size and weight. The D700 and Zeiss MP 100MM are an awesome combo and I have only had the Zeiss for a few weeks, but I find myself needing a reason to carry it.. because of the additional weight. The K20D was a great camera, but I did miss a lot of shots in Low ligh situations ( OOF, or failed to lock quick enough .. and D700 shines here ). Hopefully the K-7, and the new k-5 have this problem solved, as i don't shoot sports.. just need accurate AF and some limited primes. How are you adjusting the the APS-C viewfinder coming from the D3?

10-31-2010, 09:27 AM	#21
Todd Adamson Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Iowa Posts: 722 Original Poster	Originally posted by designinme_1976 I am going to be very interested in seeing how you come along with your k-7. I shot pentax with a K20D before jumping ship to Nikon with the D700 ( the low light AF accuracy of the K20D ). I don't shoot professionally, and I really enjoy the D700.. but even with my modest sized kit I am starting to notice I take my camera with me less because of the size and weight. The D700 and Zeiss MP 100MM are an awesome combo and I have only had the Zeiss for a few weeks, but I find myself needing a reason to carry it.. because of the additional weight. The K20D was a great camera, but I did miss a lot of shots in Low ligh situations ( OOF, or failed to lock quick enough .. and D700 shines here ). Hopefully the K-7, and the new k-5 have this problem solved, as i don't shoot sports.. just need accurate AF and some limited primes. How are you adjusting the the APS-C viewfinder coming from the D3? For the last 3 years, I've been carrying my D3 with the Nikkor 70-200 pretty much wherever I go. I just resigned myself to the weight, and got used to it. I felt like I was traveling light when I began attaching the 100MP instead. In fact, the weight doesn't really bother me. But the bulk is sometimes annoying, and the worst part is that I get noticed with that rig. People often want to talk about it, ask dumb questions, etc. Usually OK, too, but sometimes gets in the way of what I'm doing, whether it be personal or professional. Obviously, the D3 will win every time for low light when compared to the K-7. Same for fast-moving situations like sports, but that's very rare for me. Also, the D3 wins in a big way for general ergonomics/ease of use. It just isn't possible in such a small body to place buttons and dials for optimal usability; plus, no one pays more attention to usability IMO than Nikon. Their bodies are astonishingly good in this regard, and no one else is even in the ballpark. However, I know I will adapt to the K-7 with use, and my complaints will be reduced to minor nit-picks. And the features, image quality, and solid build are amazing in such a small package. I will take this camera places I would not have taken the D3, and I will take it instead of the D3 now in a majority of cases, at least the ones where I'm shooting just for me. My biggest worry when buying the K-7 was that I would have to leave the manual focusing behind due to the VF. I don't have enough time with the camera yet, but my initial feeling is that I was wrong about that. The VF is fairly bright, and additionally, the focusing screen is significantly better than the D3's. The transition between in and out of focus is very short.

10-31-2010, 09:41 AM	#22
designinme_1976 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Dayton Ohio Posts: 132	Originally posted by Todd Adamson For the last 3 years, I've been carrying my D3 with the Nikkor 70-200 pretty much wherever I go. I just resigned myself to the weight, and got used to it. I felt like I was traveling light when I began attaching the 100MP instead. In fact, the weight doesn't really bother me. But the bulk is sometimes annoying, and the worst part is that I get noticed with that rig. People often want to talk about it, ask dumb questions, etc. Usually OK, too, but sometimes gets in the way of what I'm doing, whether it be personal or professional. Obviously, the D3 will win every time for low light when compared to the K-7. Same for fast-moving situations like sports, but that's very rare for me. Also, the D3 wins in a big way for general ergonomics/ease of use. It just isn't possible in such a small body to place buttons and dials for optimal usability; plus, no one pays more attention to usability IMO than Nikon. Their bodies are astonishingly good in this regard, and no one else is even in the ballpark. However, I know I will adapt to the K-7 with use, and my complaints will be reduced to minor nit-picks. And the features, image quality, and solid build are amazing in such a small package. I will take this camera places I would not have taken the D3, and I will take it instead of the D3 now in a majority of cases, at least the ones where I'm shooting just for me. My biggest worry when buying the K-7 was that I would have to leave the manual focusing behind due to the VF. I don't have enough time with the camera yet, but my initial feeling is that I was wrong about that. The VF is fairly bright, and additionally, the focusing screen is significantly better than the D3's. The transition between in and out of focus is very short. You brought up a couple of good points... the weight of my system didn't really bother me until on vacation... carrying around a crumpler with the D700, MP 100, 70-300, 18-35, 50mm, 28mm, 135 Ai.. and filters started to bug me. The bulk is also a major consideration, as well as being noticed/drawing attention to myself. I would be very interested in hearing what you think about the VF... with manual focusing once you have some experience with that on the K7. Thanks for your thoughts.

10-31-2010, 09:52 AM	#23
Todd Adamson Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Iowa Posts: 722 Original Poster	I was doing an anniversary session for an older couple yesterday, and even though I am not yet completely comfortable with the new gear, I used it for maybe 25% of the shots. My keeper rate (with regard to accurate focus only) was in the neighborhood of 50%, which I consider really good for a brand new system with MF (it's more like 80% for me with the D3, and I have only been using MF lenses for 2-3 months). Here are a couple from the session, shot with the K-7 and the A-series 50/1.7 (the EXIF is wrong for the B&W, because I improperly input the focal length):

10-31-2010, 06:32 PM	#24
pop4 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: YMML Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,879	Originally posted by Todd Adamson It just isn't possible in such a small body to place buttons and dials for optimal usability; plus, no one pays more attention to usability IMO than Nikon. Their bodies are astonishingly good in this regard, and no one else is even in the ballpark. Then surely they wouldn't have put the ISO button on the D200/D300 bodies where they are, on the top left shoulder of the camera body (here's what I mean). That's one thing that really annoys me when I shoot with my friend's D200/D300 bodies, meaning to change ISO, I'd have to move my left hand from where it is supporting the lens to the left side of the body to press the ISO button. When doing a shoot constantly moving from indoors to outdoors to indoors and changing ISO, and with a 70-200/2.8 VR attached, that's a real PITA. But I guess at the end of the day though, ergonomics/usability is down to each individual themselves

10-31-2010, 06:40 PM	#25
Todd Adamson Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Iowa Posts: 722 Original Poster	Originally posted by pop4 But I guess at the end of the day though, ergonomics/usability is down to each individual themselves Absolutely. There will never be 100% agreement over a specific button or dial, or menu item. The ISO button never bothered me at all, but maybe that's because I always shoot on a tripod. Additionally, ISO is not something I personally change during a shoot very often, but that's just because of the type of shooting I do. I believe Nikon has the best ergo setup of any of the camera lines. A lot of people agree with me, but there are a lot who don't. Ultimately, I think my annoyance with some of the K-7's ergo (and to be clear, I'm not complaining very hard -- I am truly impressed with this body in the first few days of owning it) is due in part to the fact that Nikon makes more sense to me innately, and partly due to the fact that I have shot Nikon bodies for so many years that everything is automatic for me.

10-31-2010, 07:21 PM	#26
Todd Adamson Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Iowa Posts: 722 Original Poster	Ken, no, I don't mind at all, and thanks for taking the time to play with my image. But I'm not sure what you did, other than to reduce the contrast and add some pixels, which tends to muddy the detail. I wonder if maybe you were trying to correct my color? I know it's not natural, but that was intentional, done with a retro LR preset. Here's a shot from the session that has more subdued and natural colors:

11-01-2010, 12:41 AM	#27
Ken T Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: California, USA Posts: 536	Well Todd, I was trying to make the wrinkles of the gentlement look a bit less deep, and did not know that the magenta cast of the picture was that your intention, so I tried to correct it . Anyway, I guess i did not do it right and I should delete it then . Sorry Todd .

11-01-2010, 09:46 AM	#28
Todd Adamson Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Iowa Posts: 722 Original Poster	Originally posted by Ken T Well Todd, I was trying to make the wrinkles of the gentlement look a bit less deep, and did not know that the magenta cast of the picture was that your intention, so I tried to correct it . Anyway, I guess i did not do it right and I should delete it then . Sorry Todd . Ken, like I said, no problem. I never mind someone trying to make improvements for me, but I guess I should have specified that my color was intentionally amiss. Also, when I shoot people with lots of wrinkles, I normally don't mitigate them at all, unless my client asks for it specifically.