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06-03-2017, 11:22 PM - 20 Likes   #1
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K-7 Appreciation - The Forefather Forgotten

If there is such a thread honoring and admiring the K-7, I've not seen it around. The K10D (which I loved the heck out of for a good long while) gets its CCD loving tribe, and the K5 variants and thereafter have their own subs..... But the flagship model that started the body style and design sensibilities seems to have become a bit of a redheaded stepchild.

If there is not an admiration thread for the K-7, I'll consider this a start. Truth is that I adored this camera when I first got it. In years prior I'd shot a couple of Fuji digicams, then the K100D Super and K10D... The K-7 was everything I wanted at the time, and I still consider a huge number of photos taken with it some of my best. My copy also traveled around the globe with me, complimented by only a single M 50/1.4 and I had a Rioch GRDIII along for the ride as well for its pocketable, travel-friendly, compact/wide-angle goodness. But the K-7 was abused. When I returned it was in rough shape. The stabilzation was in need of repair so I had it turned off entirely. I'd slammed the body into some rocks several times and the left strap lug came loose and broke off inside - so I simply sealed the hole with silcone hahaha. But all the while the dang thing just kept taking amazing photos. I'm actually a little sad I sold it and to-date, it was the camera I bonded with most as far as digital bodies go (film shooters are another story entirely)... The thing was a sleek, rather compact weather-sealed monster to me and I loved the hell out of it.

I mused over this tonight because I came across a series of shots that were intended for a composite that I took on Cuba Street in Wellington on late New Zealand autumn afternoon... and just this morning I re-discovered them realizing I'd never stitched them so I pulled them out of the archives and did so. It's 7 years later and turned out pretty nice. Fun to get a nice "new" shot from those 2010-2011 years... The K-7 was a companion through it all.


"Wait"
K-7 | SMC M 50/1.4 | 34 img composite

06-04-2017, 12:48 AM - 3 Likes   #2
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Hail to the K-7. My first DSLR and at over 60,000 shutter actuations still going strong. Somewhat maligned by some because of perceived low light noise issues it is otherwise a from piece of kit. I did upgrade to a K5 IIs but kept the trusty 7. I still believe it has superior colours especially in reproducing the pale pinks in sunsets.
06-04-2017, 02:45 AM - 4 Likes   #3
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I agree. The K-7 was my first Pentax. Great camera at low ISO. The body was superb and was re-used in the K-5, K-5ii, K-3 and K-3ii. That does say a lot IMHO.

Hoora for the K-7..... I still use it as my 2nd body with very decent photos using one of the three amigos!
06-04-2017, 03:10 AM - 7 Likes   #4
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The K-7 is the body that started the transition from bulky, inconsistent DSLR designs to the modern ergonomics and UI that still inspire today's models. That's certainly worth recognizing!


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06-04-2017, 03:15 AM - 2 Likes   #5
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Bought a brand new K-7 during early 2010, and I'm still taking amazing photos with it.
I've also bought a K-5II a couple of years later and eventually sold it but kept the K-7.
Quality build, great colors, packed with features, customizable...Just great!
06-04-2017, 04:11 AM - 4 Likes   #6
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Amazing camera, for its times, as long as you didn't push it too far on the ISO. Used to be my first Pentax DSLR. Forefather of an excellent series.

Still hold it in high regard for rekindling my passion for photography, because that's exactly what it did, no less.
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06-04-2017, 04:16 AM - 1 Like   #7
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K-7 is what I regard as a film analogous camera. That is, with K5 began an era of ultra-clean high ISO images, which are flat out boring stuff that spoil the photography. K-7, however, still keeps that old grainy look to images, which is time cherished and fantastic, and looks roughly corresponds to film ISO values, minus a stop perhaps. 14 MP is also good, quite enough for most of photography and is light on memory cards. Although many would use K5 as their starting point, I would rather use the K7, because of its fantastic grain.

06-04-2017, 04:46 AM - 13 Likes   #8
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Mine still gets used with M42 lenses attached - I can't get rid of it because it was the first digital camera I owned that made me think "this is what a camera should be like"
For 90% of the photos I take I could just as easily swap the K7 with my K3 and not really notice any difference.

06-04-2017, 04:49 AM - 1 Like   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by Uluru Quote
K-7 is what I regard as a film analogous camera. That is, with K5 began an era of ultra-clean high ISO images, which are flat out boring stuff that spoil the photography. K-7, however, still keeps that old grainy look to images, which is time cherished and fantastic, and looks roughly corresponds to film ISO values, minus a stop perhaps. 14 MP is also good, quite enough for most of photography and is light on memory cards. Although many would use K5 as their starting point, I would rather use the K7, because of its fantastic grain.

While I kinda dig where you're coming from, even as someone who learnt photography with film, I definitely cherish the cleaner high-ISO images I'm getting from my K-3. After all, grain can be fairly easily added in post, whereas detail lost to high-ISO noise or denoising is, well, gone. I have quite a few shots where I pushed the ISO too hard on the K-7, and which would have turned out much better if the technology had already been available at the time. Of course, drawing such comparisons in retrospect isn't exactly fair, but this is an area where real progress has been made, progress that has allowed us to push the limits of low-light photography.
06-04-2017, 05:33 AM - 3 Likes   #10
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I love my K-7, even though it hasn't seen much work of late. It's only perceived as having an 'issue' with noise because the K-5 had such a good sensor - the K-7 was typical for its time. I wouldn't push any pre-2010 APS-C sensor over 800ISO unless I really had to. As others have said, what proves how good the K-7 was is that its body is still with us. I get the feeling that Ricoh are probably having to have a good hard think about how they can improve on it for the K-3 replacement, because there really isn't much that can be improved there.
06-04-2017, 06:00 AM - 4 Likes   #11
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Still have and use my K-7 along with a K-3 and K-1. I echo many of the comments above. The body has great ergonomics. The sensor produces pleasing results particularly for macro. I was just explaining to a friend how film-like the sensor is in the K-7 and I read what Uluru wrote above and fully agree with those comments. I have begun to treat the sensors in my *istDS and K-7 as different "films" with unique character. They complement the newer bodies and I'm glad I've kept them.
06-04-2017, 08:56 AM - 1 Like   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by chickentender Quote
If there is such a thread honoring and admiring the K-7, I've not seen it around. The K10D (which I loved the heck out of for a good long while) gets its CCD loving tribe, and the K5 variants and thereafter have their own subs..... But the flagship model that started the body style and design sensibilities seems to have become a bit of a redheaded stepchild.

If there is not an admiration thread for the K-7, I'll consider this a start. Truth is that I adored this camera when I first got it. In years prior I'd shot a couple of Fuji digicams, then the K100D Super and K10D... The K-7 was everything I wanted at the time, and I still consider a huge number of photos taken with it some of my best. My copy also traveled around the globe with me, complimented by only a single M 50/1.4 and I had a Rioch GRDIII along for the ride as well for its pocketable, travel-friendly, compact/wide-angle goodness. But the K-7 was abused. When I returned it was in rough shape. The stabilzation was in need of repair so I had it turned off entirely. I'd slammed the body into some rocks several times and the left strap lug came loose and broke off inside - so I simply sealed the hole with silcone hahaha. But all the while the dang thing just kept taking amazing photos. I'm actually a little sad I sold it and to-date, it was the camera I bonded with most as far as digital bodies go (film shooters are another story entirely)... The thing was a sleek, rather compact weather-sealed monster to me and I loved the hell out of it.

I mused over this tonight because I came across a series of shots that were intended for a composite that I took on Cuba Street in Wellington on late New Zealand autumn afternoon... and just this morning I re-discovered them realizing I'd never stitched them so I pulled them out of the archives and did so. It's 7 years later and turned out pretty nice. Fun to get a nice "new" shot from those 2010-2011 years... The K-7 was a companion through it all.


"Wait"
K-7 | SMC M 50/1.4 | 34 img composite


Red Headed stepchild is what I also called the K7 in this thread that I started; Question about K7 - PentaxForums.com


In that thread, I also attached a photo I took at ISO 5000. Yes, there is some grain, but no worst that a high ISO film back in the day.
06-04-2017, 10:20 AM - 7 Likes   #13
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Ahhhhhh... I KNEW there must be some good feeling about for this excellent camera.

Many of my own thoughts above. Compared with K100D-Super and K10D I shot with previously, the body design was superb (roughly the same size as the K100D though certainly heavier/sturdier) and with far better high-ISO performance (ironic since this is now seen as its shortcoming) and processing speed, not to mention weather sealing and a host of other improvements. Pentax truly took the best of their existing offerings and made a genuine "Flagship" in the spirit of their previous flagships from the film era: smaller, lighter, more rugged and hugely feature packed, not disimilar to the likes of the MX, the LX and the MZ-S in that regard.

Even today it is my most-recommended camera for students and first-timers trying out DSLR cameras... At today's used prices, I don't think you can do much better at a cost/performance ratio.

I have more images taken with it than I can shake five sticks at, but here are a couple more... the composite in the OP is a bit unfair (though not unreasonable all things considered).


K-7 | M 50/1.4


K-7 | M 50/1.4


"Hahei Morning" K-7 | M 50/1.4


"8 a.m." K-7 | DA* 50-135


"roll out" K-7 | DA* 50-135

---------- Post added 06-04-17 at 10:28 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by bigdavephoto Quote
Red Headed stepchild is what I also called the K7 in this thread that I started; Question about K7 - PentaxForums.com


In that thread, I also attached a photo I took at ISO 5000. Yes, there is some grain, but no worst that a high ISO film back in the day.
Excellent. I see I even participated in that thread though i don't remember doing so. You must have subconsciously influenced my words here.

I think we need an "appreciation thread"... seems there are plenty of folks still shooting them, or at least fond of having shot them. Good for newbies to have a conversation and example reference beyond just the reviews. I'll certainly point folks toward it. Let's see some K-7 goodness...

Last edited by Eyewanders; 04-18-2018 at 10:35 PM. Reason: fixed broken image link
06-04-2017, 11:10 AM - 3 Likes   #14
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Ahh, the K-7, my first dslr. Such a great, solid camera and worthy of an appreciation thread. Here's a few from mine:







06-04-2017, 11:40 AM - 2 Likes   #15
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The K-7 was the first Pentax digital camera I really looked at as an alternative to Canikon. At the time I didn't have the money, so I waited a couple of years...
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