Experiences with the new K-7 Camera (lots of imgs)

FotoPete · 06-19-2009, 06:46 PM

Many thanks to both Frank and Falconeye for sharing their many high res samples and experiences with the K-7 (and K20D).

krypticide · 06-19-2009, 08:25 PM

Thanks! I like the noise reduction that they've employed. It might not be as good as PP results with decent software, but it seems to just make the "grains" bigger and reduces the apparent noise.

Rupert · 06-20-2009, 09:06 PM

Great to hear from you, finally a short review from someone I know and can trust. Excellent photos, as usual....but you can make excellent photos with any camera and the bottom of a fruit jar...we all know that!

If you ever get time, we would love for you to drop by and post some of your work, I'd like to see some updates of your kids.
Flickr: Pentaxians

Best Regards
Rupert (Festus too!)

**Marc Langille** · 06-20-2009, 09:17 PM

Nice..... Frank, I am very impressed with the firmware 1.0 images you provided.

Up to ISO 800 is definitely amazing and ISO 1600 is excellent, perhaps little or no NR is needed. I suspect the ISO 3200 will work quite well with NR applied. For my preferred kinds of photography, it is definitely a boon with the high ISO performance and FPS improvement. If the AF performance for indoor/low light situations is as good as perceived, I'm going to really be a happy man!

Regards,
Marc

Last edited by Marc Langille; 06-20-2009 at 09:29 PM. Reason: clarification

Stratman · 06-21-2009, 10:25 AM

Frank, I hope this hasn't been asked yet, but have you tested exposure with "M" lenses and the green button yet? Just wondering if it is improved on the K-7,,,,,If so, I may have to try to trade my K10 and K110 in on one !!

kent · 06-21-2009, 01:06 PM

Thank you frank for being so unsparing in your efforts. Personally I really appreciate that you post these pictures and answer all questions. Thank you

vinzer · 06-21-2009, 05:28 PM

Thanks Frank! Your postings have been very helpful to me. Great job, sir.

Between this and Falk's blog posts, one can already make a good general assessment of the camera. Who needs to wait for reviews?

To my eye, there's not much difference in high-ISO images between the K20D and K-7, though by no means does that take anything away from the K-7, since it has improved metering, faster AF, better live view implementation, and higher FPS, not to mention a whole range of features to help one spend less time post-processing photos like HDR, lens correction, and so on.

As for me, it looks like I'll be spending on lenses first, since I still haven't been able to maximize the K20D that I have (and it's relatively new, still), though I'll be sure to get the K-7 in the future.

frank · 06-21-2009, 07:19 PM

Hi Guys, thanks for all your nice comments about my testings

It's a great pleasure to share whatever I feel and found about the new K-7 camera. And trust me, it's a great little camera, I'm sure you all would love it

frank · 06-21-2009, 07:22 PM

Originally posted by Rupert

Great to hear from you, finally a short review from someone I know and can trust. Excellent photos, as usual....but you can make excellent photos with any camera and the bottom of a fruit jar...we all know that!

If you ever get time, we would love for you to drop by and post some of your work, I'd like to see some updates of your kids.
Flickr: Pentaxians

Best Regards
Rupert (Festus too!)

Hi Rupert,

Glad to see you pop in here too

I'm sorry that I haven't been to DPR for a long while, might go back there to check out on some old friends there someday soon

I can't shoot through the bottom of a fruit jar, that's why I always use good lenses

But thanks anyway for your compliment.

I do have some of my kids photos, will post some when time comes.

Cheers!

Frank

frank · 06-21-2009, 07:35 PM

Originally posted by Stratman

Frank, I hope this hasn't been asked yet, but have you tested exposure with "M" lenses and the green button yet? Just wondering if it is improved on the K-7,,,,,If so, I may have to try to trade my K10 and K110 in on one !!

Well, actually I've got used to use M mode and do some testing shots to get the right exposure when using a manual lens on my K10D and K20D, probably due to their unreliable metering w/ the green button. I hadn't really done any exposure test w/ a full manual lens on the new K-7 camera.

Since you asked, I did some very quick test this morning w/ a K10D and K-7, and an good working condition M50/1.4 lens (no stick aperture blades or whatsoever), both indoor and outdoor.

Here are outdoor testing results, ISO set to 100 on both cameras, used M mode and pressed greet button to meter, metering mode set to spot metering (but I guess it doesn't make any difference if set to other mode since it's a full manual lens). All shots were taken handheld but I tried to focus at the same spot.

Since it's partly cloudy in the morning, the brightness wasn't the same when I tested the two cameras. But this won't affect the actual metering accuracy I guess.

Here are a couple of indoor testing shots, same as the outdoor testings except ISO was set to 400 on both cameras:

I did several metering tests (by pressing the green button several times) before I took each shot, just make sure it's not some random metering result. Seems the M50/1.4 lens works pretty well on K-7 w/ the green button for metering. How do you think?

krypticide · 06-21-2009, 09:04 PM

Wow, the difference is huge!

**SelrahCharleS** · 06-21-2009, 09:41 PM

Thank you Frank for all of your tests. I'm happy to see M lenses working as intended. I had no idea they were that bad on the K10. It's good to see the exposures seem to be more consistent with the K-7 since I use M lenses primarily. I also enjoyed your photos and found the noise test very helpful too.

And now for a question. What are your thoughts on the strap that comes with the K-7? I absolutely hate the strap that came with my *ist DS because of the fake leather or whatever it is they use for 'padding'. Judging by your photos it looks like the strap you have on the K-7 doesn't have that stuff and is just woven cloth. Is it comfortable? I don't really have any experience with the newer Pentax DSLRs so maybe it is improved on them too, but from the photos you posted it actually looks like a decent neck strap.

frank · 06-21-2009, 10:36 PM

Originally posted by SelrahCharleS

Thank you Frank for all of your tests. I'm happy to see M lenses working as intended. I had no idea they were that bad on the K10. It's good to see the exposures seem to be more consistent with the K-7 since I use M lenses primarily. I also enjoyed your photos and found the noise test very helpful too.

And now for a question. What are your thoughts on the strap that comes with the K-7? I absolutely hate the strap that came with my *ist DS because of the fake leather or whatever it is they use for 'padding'. Judging by your photos it looks like the strap you have on the K-7 doesn't have that stuff and is just woven cloth. Is it comfortable? I don't really have any experience with the newer Pentax DSLRs so maybe it is improved on them too, but from the photos you posted it actually looks like a decent neck strap.

Sorry I don't know what kind of shoulder strap would be bundled w/ K-7 camera. The one in my photos are my own strap which came w/ my Super Program camera (the strap is a Special Edition for SuperA camera which was awarded as European Camera of the Year in 1983).

But judging from the photos in the following link, I think the shoulder strap will be more or less the same as the one comes w/ K10D/K20D:
宾得K-7超简单开箱 - Windows Live

frank · 06-22-2009, 01:58 AM

Took some macros w/ the new K-7 over the weekend. Here are two of them:

More macro photos can be found here at the photo forum:

Some macros w/ a beta K-7 camera (imgs)

rawr · 06-22-2009, 02:18 AM

Awesome photos frank.

Your range of photographic talent is very impressive.

The lense you used for these macro shots seems pretty awesome too.

06-20-2009, 09:06 PM	#183
Rupert Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 25,123	Hello Frank! Great to hear from you, finally a short review from someone I know and can trust. Excellent photos, as usual....but you can make excellent photos with any camera and the bottom of a fruit jar...we all know that! If you ever get time, we would love for you to drop by and post some of your work, I'd like to see some updates of your kids. Flickr: Pentaxians Best Regards Rupert (Festus too!)

06-21-2009, 07:35 PM	#190
frank Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,202 Original Poster	Originally posted by Stratman Frank, I hope this hasn't been asked yet, but have you tested exposure with "M" lenses and the green button yet? Just wondering if it is improved on the K-7,,,,,If so, I may have to try to trade my K10 and K110 in on one !! Well, actually I've got used to use M mode and do some testing shots to get the right exposure when using a manual lens on my K10D and K20D, probably due to their unreliable metering w/ the green button. I hadn't really done any exposure test w/ a full manual lens on the new K-7 camera. Since you asked, I did some very quick test this morning w/ a K10D and K-7, and an good working condition M50/1.4 lens (no stick aperture blades or whatsoever), both indoor and outdoor. Here are outdoor testing results, ISO set to 100 on both cameras, used M mode and pressed greet button to meter, metering mode set to spot metering (but I guess it doesn't make any difference if set to other mode since it's a full manual lens). All shots were taken handheld but I tried to focus at the same spot. Since it's partly cloudy in the morning, the brightness wasn't the same when I tested the two cameras. But this won't affect the actual metering accuracy I guess. Here are a couple of indoor testing shots, same as the outdoor testings except ISO was set to 400 on both cameras: I did several metering tests (by pressing the green button several times) before I took each shot, just make sure it's not some random metering result. Seems the M50/1.4 lens works pretty well on K-7 w/ the green button for metering. How do you think? Last edited by frank; 06-21-2009 at 08:09 PM.

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06-19-2009, 06:46 PM	#181
FotoPete Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,774	Many thanks to both Frank and Falconeye for sharing their many high res samples and experiences with the K-7 (and K20D).

06-19-2009, 08:25 PM	#182
krypticide Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,079	Thanks! I like the noise reduction that they've employed. It might not be as good as PP results with decent software, but it seems to just make the "grains" bigger and reduces the apparent noise.

06-20-2009, 09:17 PM	#184
Marc Langille Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: NW Arkansas, USA Posts: 4,708	Nice..... Frank, I am very impressed with the firmware 1.0 images you provided. Up to ISO 800 is definitely amazing and ISO 1600 is excellent, perhaps little or no NR is needed. I suspect the ISO 3200 will work quite well with NR applied. For my preferred kinds of photography, it is definitely a boon with the high ISO performance and FPS improvement. If the AF performance for indoor/low light situations is as good as perceived, I'm going to really be a happy man! Regards, Marc Last edited by Marc Langille; 06-20-2009 at 09:29 PM. Reason: clarification

06-21-2009, 10:25 AM	#185
Stratman Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: St Louis, Missouri U S A Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,464	Frank, I hope this hasn't been asked yet, but have you tested exposure with "M" lenses and the green button yet? Just wondering if it is improved on the K-7,,,,,If so, I may have to try to trade my K10 and K110 in on one !!

06-21-2009, 01:06 PM	#186
kent Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Lithuania Photos: Gallery Posts: 344	Thank you frank for being so unsparing in your efforts. Personally I really appreciate that you post these pictures and answer all questions. Thank you

06-21-2009, 05:28 PM	#187
vinzer Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Philippines Posts: 1,399	Thanks Frank! Your postings have been very helpful to me. Great job, sir. Between this and Falk's blog posts, one can already make a good general assessment of the camera. Who needs to wait for reviews? To my eye, there's not much difference in high-ISO images between the K20D and K-7, though by no means does that take anything away from the K-7, since it has improved metering, faster AF, better live view implementation, and higher FPS, not to mention a whole range of features to help one spend less time post-processing photos like HDR, lens correction, and so on. As for me, it looks like I'll be spending on lenses first, since I still haven't been able to maximize the K20D that I have (and it's relatively new, still), though I'll be sure to get the K-7 in the future.

06-21-2009, 07:19 PM	#188
frank Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,202 Original Poster	Hi Guys, thanks for all your nice comments about my testings It's a great pleasure to share whatever I feel and found about the new K-7 camera. And trust me, it's a great little camera, I'm sure you all would love it

06-21-2009, 07:22 PM	#189
frank Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,202 Original Poster	Originally posted by Rupert Great to hear from you, finally a short review from someone I know and can trust. Excellent photos, as usual....but you can make excellent photos with any camera and the bottom of a fruit jar...we all know that! If you ever get time, we would love for you to drop by and post some of your work, I'd like to see some updates of your kids. Flickr: Pentaxians Best Regards Rupert (Festus too!) Hi Rupert, Glad to see you pop in here too I'm sorry that I haven't been to DPR for a long while, might go back there to check out on some old friends there someday soon I can't shoot through the bottom of a fruit jar, that's why I always use good lenses But thanks anyway for your compliment. I do have some of my kids photos, will post some when time comes. Cheers! Frank

06-21-2009, 09:04 PM	#191
krypticide Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,079	Wow, the difference is huge!

06-21-2009, 09:41 PM	#192
SelrahCharleS Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 935	Thank you Frank for all of your tests. I'm happy to see M lenses working as intended. I had no idea they were that bad on the K10. It's good to see the exposures seem to be more consistent with the K-7 since I use M lenses primarily. I also enjoyed your photos and found the noise test very helpful too. And now for a question. What are your thoughts on the strap that comes with the K-7? I absolutely hate the strap that came with my *ist DS because of the fake leather or whatever it is they use for 'padding'. Judging by your photos it looks like the strap you have on the K-7 doesn't have that stuff and is just woven cloth. Is it comfortable? I don't really have any experience with the newer Pentax DSLRs so maybe it is improved on them too, but from the photos you posted it actually looks like a decent neck strap.

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06-21-2009, 10:36 PM	#193
frank Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,202 Original Poster	Originally posted by SelrahCharleS Thank you Frank for all of your tests. I'm happy to see M lenses working as intended. I had no idea they were that bad on the K10. It's good to see the exposures seem to be more consistent with the K-7 since I use M lenses primarily. I also enjoyed your photos and found the noise test very helpful too. And now for a question. What are your thoughts on the strap that comes with the K-7? I absolutely hate the strap that came with my *ist DS because of the fake leather or whatever it is they use for 'padding'. Judging by your photos it looks like the strap you have on the K-7 doesn't have that stuff and is just woven cloth. Is it comfortable? I don't really have any experience with the newer Pentax DSLRs so maybe it is improved on them too, but from the photos you posted it actually looks like a decent neck strap. Sorry I don't know what kind of shoulder strap would be bundled w/ K-7 camera. The one in my photos are my own strap which came w/ my Super Program camera (the strap is a Special Edition for SuperA camera which was awarded as European Camera of the Year in 1983). But judging from the photos in the following link, I think the shoulder strap will be more or less the same as the one comes w/ K10D/K20D: 宾得K-7超简单开箱 - Windows Live

06-22-2009, 01:58 AM	#194
frank Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,202 Original Poster	Took some macros w/ the new K-7 over the weekend. Here are two of them: More macro photos can be found here at the photo forum: Some macros w/ a beta K-7 camera (imgs)

06-22-2009, 02:18 AM	#195
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	Awesome photos frank. Your range of photographic talent is very impressive. The lense you used for these macro shots seems pretty awesome too.