[dreilly]

When the K-7 was announced a while back, I took notice. Small, metal-bodied, weather-sealed, not 4/3? I was intrigued, to say the least. The idea festered for a while. At that point, I was shooting Canon.

I use several different systems. My office has numerous DSLRs and I'm in charge of purchasing, so about every year I get to buy a new DLSR or two. But only basic kits...we loan them out to students going abroad. No "L" glass on our invoices! But I've shot:

Oly E-1 (metal bodied, weather-proof, best ergonomics of any camera I've ever held)
Canon EOS Rebel, and later a 40d (loved both, actually) The 40D was very capable.

Nikon D70s. Clunky and plasticky, but love the IQ. I had a 50/1.2 manual focus lens on this camera (I supplied that) and it was fun.

When I started doing restaurant photography and getting marginally paid for it, (I was using the 40D) I decided to splurge on a D700. This one I paid for. And it was amazing. But....HUGE. And....EXPENSIVE. I couldn't afford to keep it.

I decided to try Sony so bought a great A700 kit. Smaller, a total bargain for a breat kit including a 50/1.4 and a 24-50/4 zoom that should have sucked but was incredibly sharp, and the beercan. I like this system. Lots of potential. But the A700 is LOUD and, worse, throws a monkey-wrench into my workflow. I shoot RAW and organize/process in Lightroom, and LR treats A700 raw files badly.

So I returned to the idea of Pentax. The lenses look a little pricey. But I gave it a week of research and thought, read lots of reviews, and decided to give it a try $100 back on the kit and any lens you order with it was an incentive. So I bought the kit and a FA 50/1.4.

Just got it today. I am impressed. The ergonomics are very good. The D700 killed my wrist after a six hour shoot and some 2000 actuations! Plus I don't have to worry about flying, burning brandy shorting out my camera. (I know the D700 is weatherproof, too, but those seals looked a little like foam sponges...

There's a lot packed into this little body to learn. Anyway, wanted to introduce myself. I'll post some images or links to them once I take the K7 around the block.

In the meanwhile, can someone point me to a good sticky or web page that thoroughly explains the green button usage?

thanks!
doug

[GerryL]

Welcome to the forums dreilly and here is the link: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-beginners-corner-q/60081-usage-green-button.html

I'm sure you will enjoy the Pentax system!

[Ben_Edict]

When the K-7 was announced a while back, I took notice. Small, metal-bodied, weather-sealed, not 4/3? I was intrigued, to say the least. The idea festered for a while. At that point, I was shooting Canon.
...

So I returned to the idea of Pentax. The lenses look a little pricey. But I gave it a week of research and thought, read lots of reviews, and decided to give it a try $100 back on the kit and any lens you order with it was an incentive. So I bought the kit and a FA 50/1.4.

Just got it today. I am impressed. The ergonomics are very good. The D700 killed my wrist after a six hour shoot and some 2000 actuations! Plus I don't have to worry about flying, burning brandy shorting out my camera. (I know the D700 is weatherproof, too, but those seals looked a little like foam sponges...

There's a lot packed into this little body to learn. Anyway, wanted to introduce myself. I'll post some images or links to them once I take the K7 around the block.

In the meanwhile, can someone point me to a good sticky or web page that thoroughly explains the green button usage?

Welcome Doug. You'll find these pages very helpful, though I don't have the link to a green-button-sticky at hand. Somebody else will know...

You will probably find, that Pentax cameras sport very good ergonomics, similar to film SLRs. So this suites experienced photogs, but is probably less important to newbies.

The main use for the green button, by the way, is metering in M-mode (full manual settings of expsoure time and aperture). It is a kind of semi-Automatic: You choose the aperture you want and then press the green button and the camera takes a light reading and sets the time (all in M-mode). YOu can ofcourse deviate from that sugestion, which is helped by the typical under-/overexposure scale in the viewfinder.

The green button is especially helpful, when you use old lenses, which do not have the electrical contacts in the bayonet mount (anything older than the A-lens series, for history and detailed lens infos, see here: Summary of the K-Mount Evolution, Names, and Features)

As these old lenses rely on mechanical levers to transmit aperture information between lens and camera body and the current DSLRs do not have that mechanical coupling, the camera cannot know, which aperture you choose on an old lens via its aperture ring - and you can't choose the aperture electronically.

So, when you use an old lens, you set the camera to M-mode (and allow the use of the aperture ring in the camera menue!) choose your aperture on the lens and then press the green button. The lens will be stopped down and the camera takes the reading at the actual aperture and sets the expsoure time accordingly. So you can have a semi-automatic operation even with 30 years old M-lenses.

There may be other functions of the green button, but these two are the most important ones to me.

Ben

[dreilly]

Ben and Gerry,
Thanks for the info on the green button. I already like how it resets exposure compensation. I mostly shoot on Aperture priority mode, and I mostly shoot wide open because most of my work is available light.

From my initial tests, I like how the JPEGs and Raws come through in lightroom, and my sense, although it needs further testing, is that the white balance auto set feature on the K7 is more advanced than the A700, which I found difficult.

Noise doesn't seem too bad. A little clumpy...is that the common experience with lightroom or ACR 5.6?

I'll read up on the link, Gerrry, which you probably posted while Ben was typing!

And now to the deliberations about lenses...a fast normal (~23-35mm) or a fast macro telephoto (100/2.8). I can get by with that nice little kit lens for a bit on the wide end.

cheers
doug

[Ash]

Good story Doug. Welcome here.
Whilst the K-7 can't compare with the D700, you've found it to be more practical.
The best camera is the one you can carry around with you.
Well done and hope you enjoy the forum.

[dreilly]

And the one that doesn't have me eyeing cans of cat food hungrily!

[wildlifephotog]

Hey Doug.
So you finally went with the best camera, eh.
Have not seen you around in ages.
Welcome to the forums. You'll love that K7.

[Jon Schick]

Ben and Gerry,
Thanks for the info on the green button. I already like how it resets exposure compensation. I mostly shoot on Aperture priority mode, and I mostly shoot wide open because most of my work is available light.

From my initial tests, I like how the JPEGs and Raws come through in lightroom, and my sense, although it needs further testing, is that the white balance auto set feature on the K7 is more advanced than the A700, which I found difficult.

Noise doesn't seem too bad. A little clumpy...is that the common experience with lightroom or ACR 5.6?

I'll read up on the link, Gerrry, which you probably posted while Ben was typing!

And now to the deliberations about lenses...a fast normal (~23-35mm) or a fast macro telephoto (100/2.8). I can get by with that nice little kit lens for a bit on the wide end.

cheers
doug

Welcome! Agree with youi about the E-1: it's like making photographs with a Rolex! But in the end I sold mine for K-7 which is I think as close as you can get to a modern E-1 replacement.

You have two great choices at 35mm - either the DA ltd which users report as being one of the most stunning lenses currently available in any mount, or if you can find one the 35mm FA which is a little faster at F2 and incredibly sharp. Both are great.

Hope you find there's enough to like to make you stick a while with Pentax!!

[Alfisti]

Can you afford the FA21/1.8 as your fast normal? If not the FA35/2 wasa bargain until the price just went nuts.

used 100mm macros are going for about $400 on the marketplace.

Oh, and get a 77/1.8. See sig for lens examples.