[Freak]

For me it's the K-5 that is unproven. I have almost 20k shots in 6months on my K-7. The new K-5's sensor seems softer, with different colours, not the same grain and not the same detail level at base ISO.

I actually fear 'upgrading' to the K-5 because i don't see the things i like from the Sony sensor. It's technical superior, but the output is less desirable to my eye. While it may be acceptable, it's not something I'm rushing to upgrade to.

K-7 is still going very strong for me.

[einstrigger]

^Just have to say you've got a great Flickr collection and superb shots with the K-7.

[cats_five]

I'd love to have my 21-year-old body back, a million bucks, and a new glass cockpit panel for my airplane, too.

Yes, I'll have my 21-yo body back and memory back so long as I don't get my 21-yo life back, unless I can change it! Yes to the million bucks, and I could afford to buy a new glider with the latest gizmos.

[PentaxRev]

I have often thought the K-7 doesn't get the respect it deserves. It's weakness when it comes to high ISO noise is well known. That one major flaw doesn't change the fact that it's still a great camera. While most of us would love to upgrade to the K-5 if money were no issue, the fact is that it is an issue for most of us.

I made the decision to buy the K-7 after the K-5 came out and I would do the same thing again. The K-7 is such an improvement over the K-10d that I used before. It's smoother, faster and I like the smaller size as well. The reality is that the K-7 is going to take tons of great pictures for a longtime to come. Whether it's at the cutting edge of technology or gets much respect, it's still a really fine camera.

I like to upgrade about every other model, so will eventually try to upgrade to the model that comes after the K-5 when the model that follows it comes out. When I upgraded to the K-7 I sold my K10d. I don't think I'll do that when I buy my next camera, I like the K-7 enough that I plan to keep it as a backup body.

[fewayne]

Don't know what you meant by either statement, as my question was asked to illicit a response. Duh. That's the point of a discussion forum isn't it? So how is that trolling?

"I don't doubt the sincerity of your question" meant "I was kidding about the trolling". Sorry, didn't include a smiley to make that explicit. I was imagining hordes of K-7 fanatics leaping to their keyboards to flame you to a crisp for for DARING to IMPLY that the camera is ANYTHING LESS THAN PERFECT!!!!eleventyone!!!

This camera is billed as a rugged, out-doorsy, all-weather camera isn't it? Yet it doesn't seem to be used much for that purpose.

Well, I certainly use it for exactly that. Last time I had it outside was skiing in a snowstorm, riding around on the outside of my jacket for two hours before I came into the warm lodge and watched everything fog over. With a "normal" camera I'd have been all about keeping it inside my coat, shielding it when I shot, perhaps putting it in a Ziploc and pressing as much air as possible out before bringing it inside. With the K-7, I didn't even really think about it, just blew the snow off before shooting.

Perhaps that's the reason it doesn't seem to get used much that way: People just routinely expect their K-7s and K-5s to perform in harsh environments as a matter of course; hardly worthy of comment when they do so. But they certainly do.

[einstrigger]

"I don't doubt the sincerity of your question" meant "I was kidding about the trolling". Sorry, didn't include a smiley to make that explicit. I was imagining hordes of K-7 fanatics leaping to their keyboards to flame you to a crisp for for DARING to IMPLY that the camera is ANYTHING LESS THAN PERFECT!!!!eleventyone!!!

Well, I certainly use it for exactly that...

No sweat. My reading comprehension could use some work itself. There's a smiley for ya.

And I'm glad to hear the camera's being used in inclement conditions. It really tests the camera's mettle if not the person's resolve in getting the shot. I'm a fair weather shooter most of the time, being in California, but it's nice to know the K-7's up to task when the weather turns for the worst.

[felixkh]

I have owned the K7 since March 2010 and initially felt the ISO was not as good as the K20D which i had, but after reading Adam's post about setting certain settings, I could shoot in low light up to ISO 3200 without using flash and the photos were bright enough

[Ray Pulley]

So I scan the marketplace on a daily basis and have noticed what seems to be a large amount of K-7's up for sale. Some upgrading to the K-5, while others leaving for greener pastures. In addition, many seem to only have 2000-4000 actuations. These are babied considering they're supposed to live past 100k actuations. Has the K-7 become the ugly step-child for Pentax these days? Was it that bad of a camera?

After shooting with almost all of the Pentax DSLRs up to the K20, the K-7 just was not enough of a step up from the K20, at the initial pricing.

However, at the current prices for bodies that have not seen a lot of hard use, they are a good deal.

I have just purchased a used one and will be able to compare it very closely with the many images I have made with 2 K20 bodies over the past few years.

I know that Falk has tested the K-7 versus the K20 in terms of noise performance and decreed that the there is little difference, but I think that the consensus would be that it is somewhat worse. I think that the 4 channel version of the Samsung sensor that was developed to help the K7 in the speed department is just a bit worse than the 2 channel K20 model, which should not be a surprise.

That being said, the build, size (if you like a bit smaller body), LCD, and some other improvements (like somewhat improved focusing) over the K20 make it more like an improved K20 than a major departure.

I will shoot it until the K5 gets sorted out, and then ithe K7 will play backup to the K5. The K20 is so different than the K5 in layout and operation that I would not want to use the K20 as a backup to the K5. I had a K5 for a bit more than a month, and after returning it in January, I still find myself reaching for the wrong controls on the K20.

Anyway, the K20 was not unusable at higher ISO ranges, and with a touch of Topaz denoise if need be, the K7 should be very similar.

Ray

[Freak]

^Just have to say you've got a great Flickr collection and superb shots with the K-7.

Thankyou, much appreciate the kind words.

I heard so much about the noisy and crap K-7 sensor and how completely awful it was/is, after a while i just didn't read any more.... Thankfully i just went out and used the camera. And thankfully i have very little complaints about my decision to choose Pentax and the K-7 and associated lenses.

[Vote4Pedro]

Interesting thread. I'll chime in --

I don't care about the lack of "respect" the K-7 gets. Nobody on this forum chose Pentax because it was the most popular brand. My impressions are that Pentax owners in general are a little defiant to what's popular anyway. So why should it matter if the K-7 is popular or not? One of the reasons I chose Pentax was that it is unique in the Canikon world. If the K-7 gets bashed on by other Pentax users, in a funny way it makes mine feel even more unique, because I know how great of a camera it really is. And by the way, does it seem like most of these K-7 bashers are K20 owners that chose not to upgrade, many who never used a K-7? I've never tried a K20, so I'd never be able to say from first hand experience that the K-7 is better. All I know is the K-7 feels great in my hands and I very much like the results it give me.

Additionally, from my own experiences, it has done fine in low-light, and the AF has exceeded my expectations (see my birds in flight pictures that this camera nailed spot on), and most of its shots have been taken outdoors where I have appreciated it's ruggedness and seals. I'd say my bigger gripe is the dynamic range, as shadows sometimes look dirty.

[raider]

Pentax K-7 is like Starship Enterprise D. State of the art flagship to the Federation for a time and superceded by the Enterprise E later.

Does that mean Enterprise D is no good? far from it. Enterprise E is a lot more advance than Enterprise D but Enterprise D is no potato itself.

OT here. Any trekkies here?

[arpaagent]

The K-7 is a great camera, no doubt about that. I bought mine when it was released (before any reviews were out, and before it dropped in price any......), and had to deal with the initial issues such as the green line in video mode and some annoying settings that were missing from the custom menu functions before the later firmwares. But after those fixes, I have been really happy with the camera.

I especially love the ruggedness of the camera. I have recently been into backpacking, and the several times that I have gone, the K-7 has gone with me. I attach it to my pack shoulder harness using some quick release buckles, and it hangs around my sternum all day long while we walk. The WR (+ a DA*) keeps the dust & rain out, so I don't have much to worry about other than taking some nice pics. I take good care of my equipment, but not having to worry about minor environmental hazards is a huge bonus in my book.

A lot of people complain about the high ISO capabilities of this camera, but that doesn't bother me very much. I shoot at whatever ISO I need to for a given shot, and clean up the noise afterwards if it really matters that much. After having said that, I love to stick to the lower ISOs to get the awesome detail and rendering that the sensor can capture there. Higher ISOs require exposure to be dead on or you will have problems with PP (sometimes I just force myself to make it to a B/W conversion). Either way, the camera is just a tool and every tool has limitations that the user has to deal with. This is one of them.

The one area that I have found lacking for the K-7 is for astrophotography. That is the main reason that I would want to upgrade to a newer model such as the K-5. I don't even attempt shots like that very often, but I don't like fighting with the forced DFS when I am out camping and the sky is crystal clear with thousands of stars.

K-7 loves hiking across the mountains


K-7 loves hiking through the valleys


K-7 loves playing at the beach


K-7 loves produces beautiful colors


K-7 loves kayaking (photos taken by my wife from another kayak with a Canon G7)


What's not to love?

[jboyde]

Pentax K-7 is like Starship Enterprise D. State of the art flagship to the Federation for a time and superceded by the Enterprise E later.

Does that mean Enterprise D is no good? far from it. Enterprise E is a lot more advance than Enterprise D but Enterprise D is no potato itself.

OT here. Any trekkies here?

We are the Borg. You will lower your Pentaxes and use Canikons. Resistance is futile!

[rbryant]

I do not own a K-7, but I am loving this thread -- the September 2010 Popular Photography is coincidentally sitting on my nightstand (hand-me down from my sister) and what is on the cover? The K-7 with a Sigma 10-20mm. The headline reads, "Top 46 Best Buys 2010."

[repaap]

Dynamic range is something wich is lacking with K-7, but it isn't really a big issue. And that thing with high ISO, I actually like K-7 noise in some situations. I f I'll purchase K-5 to be as second body , because it shares same batterygrip, it will be used for what it exells, K-7 still has it's place. It really gives me some confidense, I know that it will not let me down in any circumstances inside, or out there.