K-7 owners' satisfaction/dissatisfaction?

nostatic · 07-14-2009, 07:53 PM

Originally posted by laissezfaire

I would like to add one more question: Has the Tungsten focus issue been addressed?

Other than that (I don't know if it's an issue or not), I think this is a great camera that will keep me in the Pentax system.

I don't notice it. I've shot a lot of tests under poor tungsten light and AF is quite good. The AWB under tungsten is night and day difference from the K20d.

GLXLR · 07-14-2009, 07:58 PM

Originally posted by Pentaxor

it's called proper arrangement.

I could show you a picture if you want.

O_O
Couldn't you also properly arrange your bag with the K20D then?
I am truly confused.

eva2000 · 07-14-2009, 08:01 PM

Originally posted by Pentaxor

just to add up to the small size advantage. I do really appreciate the size of the K-7 since it would generate more space inside the bag/holster, thereby be ably to put more stuff in. I do find it helpful since I dont have to carry the burden of having to bring 2 bags at once or have to carry the dslr out of the bag since there is no more space where I could put it. it has been always a problem for shooters to find space for their big bodied dslrs and find it inconvenient. right now, I could fill up 5 lenses with the K-7 as opposed to having only 2-3 lenses before. not to mention the added weight.

Exactly, once you add an external flash to K-7 the weight evens out

kittykat46 · 07-14-2009, 08:04 PM

Originally posted by laissezfaire

I would like to add one more question: Has the Tungsten focus issue been addressed?

Other than that (I don't know if it's an issue or not), I think this is a great camera that will keep me in the Pentax system.

I've taken some K-7 shots under bright and very yellowish Halogen lamps with the FA 50mm @ aperture f/2.0.

I often found this lens with obvious front-focus issues under such lighting at large apertures, and happy to say its "almost" gone.

I say "almost" because I had a few shots with what may be just slightly less sharp focus compared to normal sunlight, but a number of other things may have. affected the shot with such thin DOF. I'll repeat this with a tripod tomorrow.

Pentaxor · 07-14-2009, 08:10 PM

Originally posted by GLXLR

O_O
Couldn't you also properly arrange your bag with the K20D then?
I am truly confused.

the added bulk and length in the K20D occupies the few mm division inorder for the lenses to fit in their respective compartments. that difference in mm could spell the difference of overload or too tight to even fit. 2 lenses with longer FL. 3 lenses with standard size. this is of course in relation to the lenses that I have, also consider the barrel size and diameter of each lens. I surely could fit more if my lenses were all pancakes.

nostatic · 07-14-2009, 08:15 PM

Originally posted by eva2000

Exactly, once you add an external flash to K-7 the weight evens out

Evens out? The difference in weight between the bodies is less than 2 oz. The lightest flash is 6.8 oz without batteries.

Pentaxor · 07-14-2009, 09:18 PM

Originally posted by nostatic

Evens out? The difference in weight between the bodies is less than 2 oz. The lightest flash is 6.8 oz without batteries.

maybe it's on a diet.

Stefan Carey · 07-14-2009, 10:58 PM

Nostatic Will post a picture tonight after work of extra foam.

nostatic · 07-14-2009, 11:19 PM

Originally posted by Stefan Carey

Nostatic Will post a picture tonight after work of extra foam.

ah yes, the foam series. Too late tonight but I'll try to do that with the morning mocha

Actually I'm driving myself crazy (short trip). I keep going back and forth. The K20d and K7 really are somewhat of a dead heat for me. The K20d is more comfortable in my hands and balances better with larger lenses (even the 31ltd is a little front heavy for the K7). It also has a look I'm used to. The K7 is quicker in most performance aspects and I've got the video option. Plus it is perfect for small ltd lenses. IQ is a wash with the K20d winning sometimes and the K7 others.

If the K7 was about a half inch wider it would probably be ideal for me. But as they say, "if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, oh what a sweet world this would be."

yousee · 07-14-2009, 11:52 PM

I'm mostly happy with the K7 since I'm upgrading from a K20d. It's a hard choice to go K7 when the k20d is half the price though.

Biggest pros:
- Digital leveling, cool!
- Much improved AF
- Beautiful Screen
- Quieter Shutter

Cons
- Screen left justified on the body. I think it was a huge mistake to put the big screen flush against the left side of the body. Grip would be much nicer without it + button layout on the k10d/k20d is better
- AF point selection. Seriously pentax?! WTF
- Noise. Not terrible.. but it's worth mentioning.
- Overheating on video + lv ( I haven't seen this, but if it's true, pretty sad)
- Price. I bought my k10d for ~$500 when it was just about to be discontinued. The k20d is ~$650 now that it's being phased out and it's certainly not clear that the k7 is 2x the camera that the k20 is...

Stefan Carey · 07-15-2009, 03:57 AM

Originally posted by nostatic

I would be interested in seeing a pic of this. I added a strip of the soft side of velcro to my DLux3 to give a bit better "grip" on the front of the body.

Simple cheap and effective

First photo shows me holding camera with two fingers.

laissezfaire · 07-15-2009, 07:34 PM

Originally posted by kittykat46

I've taken some K-7 shots under bright and very yellowish Halogen lamps with the FA 50mm @ aperture f/2.0.

I often found this lens with obvious front-focus issues under such lighting at large apertures, and happy to say its "almost" gone.

I say "almost" because I had a few shots with what may be just slightly less sharp focus compared to normal sunlight, but a number of other things may have. affected the shot with such thin DOF. I'll repeat this with a tripod tomorrow.

Kittykat, it would be great to see if it's been fixed. I did the bookcase test for sharpness under tungsten light wide open and also any of the lens focus test also show it. It's certainly correctable, but I often forget to switch between AF Adjustment on and off depending on the focus light conditions. I like to shoot wide open so it's an issue for me when I do forget. The more that I think about it now, it's really only an issue when in a non-tungsten setting shooting wide open which is somewhat infrequent for me.

laissezfaire · 07-15-2009, 07:38 PM

Originally posted by nostatic

I don't notice it. I've shot a lot of tests under poor tungsten light and AF is quite good. The AWB under tungsten is night and day difference from the K20d.

I'm probably one of the few here that thinks AWB on the K20 is outstanding... except of course for tungsten, but it really is not meaningful since I only shoot raw now and have become a fan of lightroom 2.0.

wolfier · 07-15-2009, 07:51 PM

Originally posted by yousee

Cons
- Price. I bought my k10d for ~$500 when it was just about to be discontinued. The k20d is ~$650 now that it's being phased out and it's certainly not clear that the k7 is 2x the camera that the k20 is...

If you want it cheap, you could have waited until the K7 gets nearly discontinued before buying. Getting *anything* early has a price tag.

If you're getting it now anyway, knowing full well it will be cheaper as a replacement model comes out, it only means that the current price is justified.

The K20s were artificially thrown into the bargain bin since it was about to be discontinued - it can easily be priced at $850 and still hold its own.
If you want to fairly compare prices, you cannot pick one from the bargain bin and another one hot off the stove. Say, let's compare the K-7 and the 5DMk2, one costs roughly 2x the other, but for most people surely is not 2x the camera.

PhilippeG · 07-16-2009, 06:53 AM

Coming from a K100D everything is way better, and with the similar size and weight I like!
The K100D and K-7 grips feel a lot better to me compared to K10/20. I have thin but lonnnng hands, and no grip will fill my palm anyway, so what I need is a deep grip so I can firmly hold the camera with the tip of my fingers.
The grip on a K10/20 is much less deep and it always seems the camera will fall of my hands! This and the bulk were the main reason why I didn't upgrade earlier.

The obvious pros/cons have already been discussed, I'll just make some comments after only a few days with the camera (and without reading the manual yet):

- I still have to get used to the new AF point selection. I'm not fond of having to press OK first but I'll get used to it. What is annoying is that I sometimes have to press OK, sometimes not, I have to check in the manual how/why the mode is retained or not.
It's also lower than on the K100 so my thumb always reaches the top button instead out of habit. But I'll get used too that too

- metering and white balance are much better.

- the K100D is very slow, so everything seems a lot snappier.

- I shoot RAW in DNG, and I can now choose between three profiles in Lightroom: Lightroom default, Embedded, and Camera default, which is really nice.

- I like the button on the mode dial, as I sometimes turned it on the K100 when I put the camera in/out of the bag.

- Not a big deal to me, but the metering dial is really difficult to set.

So far I'm very, very happy with the K-7! It's just a pleasure to use.

07-15-2009, 03:57 AM	#56
Stefan Carey Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 190	Don't be afraid to customise! Originally posted by nostatic I would be interested in seeing a pic of this. I added a strip of the soft side of velcro to my DLux3 to give a bit better "grip" on the front of the body. Simple cheap and effective First photo shows me holding camera with two fingers.

07-15-2009, 07:51 PM	#59
wolfier Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 123	Originally posted by yousee Cons - Price. I bought my k10d for ~$500 when it was just about to be discontinued. The k20d is ~$650 now that it's being phased out and it's certainly not clear that the k7 is 2x the camera that the k20 is... If you want it cheap, you could have waited until the K7 gets nearly discontinued before buying. Getting anything early has a price tag. If you're getting it now anyway, knowing full well it will be cheaper as a replacement model comes out, it only means that the current price is justified. The K20s were artificially thrown into the bargain bin since it was about to be discontinued - it can easily be priced at $850 and still hold its own. If you want to fairly compare prices, you cannot pick one from the bargain bin and another one hot off the stove. Say, let's compare the K-7 and the 5DMk2, one costs roughly 2x the other, but for most people surely is not 2x the camera. Last edited by wolfier; 07-15-2009 at 07:58 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Your satisfaction with Pentax Customer/Support Services	jpzk	Photographic Technique	4	02-09-2010 09:32 AM
Suggestion for Sigma 24-70 owners (or potential owners)	joeyc	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	4	08-07-2009 03:12 AM
LBA satisfaction - 2 x Tamron (and some bokeh tests)	Illuwatar	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	0	06-24-2009 02:26 PM
J.D. Power 2009 Japan Digital Camera Customer Satisfaction Survey	yakiniku	Pentax News and Rumors	12	03-23-2009 11:33 AM
K100d - Total satisfaction.	Richard Spencer	Pentax DSLR Discussion	75	03-04-2009 09:40 AM

07-14-2009, 07:53 PM	#46
nostatic Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: socal Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,575	Originally posted by laissezfaire I would like to add one more question: Has the Tungsten focus issue been addressed? Other than that (I don't know if it's an issue or not), I think this is a great camera that will keep me in the Pentax system. I don't notice it. I've shot a lot of tests under poor tungsten light and AF is quite good. The AWB under tungsten is night and day difference from the K20d.

07-14-2009, 07:58 PM	#47
GLXLR Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Sugar Land, TX Photos: Gallery Posts: 684	Originally posted by Pentaxor it's called proper arrangement. I could show you a picture if you want. O_O Couldn't you also properly arrange your bag with the K20D then? I am truly confused.

07-14-2009, 08:01 PM	#48
eva2000 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Brisbane, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 239	Originally posted by Pentaxor just to add up to the small size advantage. I do really appreciate the size of the K-7 since it would generate more space inside the bag/holster, thereby be ably to put more stuff in. I do find it helpful since I dont have to carry the burden of having to bring 2 bags at once or have to carry the dslr out of the bag since there is no more space where I could put it. it has been always a problem for shooters to find space for their big bodied dslrs and find it inconvenient. right now, I could fill up 5 lenses with the K-7 as opposed to having only 2-3 lenses before. not to mention the added weight. Exactly, once you add an external flash to K-7 the weight evens out

07-14-2009, 08:04 PM	#49
kittykat46 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 923	Originally posted by laissezfaire I would like to add one more question: Has the Tungsten focus issue been addressed? Other than that (I don't know if it's an issue or not), I think this is a great camera that will keep me in the Pentax system. I've taken some K-7 shots under bright and very yellowish Halogen lamps with the FA 50mm @ aperture f/2.0. I often found this lens with obvious front-focus issues under such lighting at large apertures, and happy to say its "almost" gone. I say "almost" because I had a few shots with what may be just slightly less sharp focus compared to normal sunlight, but a number of other things may have. affected the shot with such thin DOF. I'll repeat this with a tripod tomorrow.

07-14-2009, 08:10 PM	#50
Pentaxor Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,513 Original Poster	Originally posted by GLXLR O_O Couldn't you also properly arrange your bag with the K20D then? I am truly confused. the added bulk and length in the K20D occupies the few mm division inorder for the lenses to fit in their respective compartments. that difference in mm could spell the difference of overload or too tight to even fit. 2 lenses with longer FL. 3 lenses with standard size. this is of course in relation to the lenses that I have, also consider the barrel size and diameter of each lens. I surely could fit more if my lenses were all pancakes.

07-14-2009, 08:15 PM	#51
nostatic Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: socal Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,575	Originally posted by eva2000 Exactly, once you add an external flash to K-7 the weight evens out Evens out? The difference in weight between the bodies is less than 2 oz. The lightest flash is 6.8 oz without batteries.

07-14-2009, 09:18 PM	#52
Pentaxor Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,513 Original Poster	Originally posted by nostatic Evens out? The difference in weight between the bodies is less than 2 oz. The lightest flash is 6.8 oz without batteries. maybe it's on a diet.

07-14-2009, 10:58 PM	#53
Stefan Carey Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 190	Nostatic Will post a picture tonight after work of extra foam.

07-14-2009, 11:19 PM	#54
nostatic Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: socal Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,575	Originally posted by Stefan Carey Nostatic Will post a picture tonight after work of extra foam. ah yes, the foam series. Too late tonight but I'll try to do that with the morning mocha Actually I'm driving myself crazy (short trip). I keep going back and forth. The K20d and K7 really are somewhat of a dead heat for me. The K20d is more comfortable in my hands and balances better with larger lenses (even the 31ltd is a little front heavy for the K7). It also has a look I'm used to. The K7 is quicker in most performance aspects and I've got the video option. Plus it is perfect for small ltd lenses. IQ is a wash with the K20d winning sometimes and the K7 others. If the K7 was about a half inch wider it would probably be ideal for me. But as they say, "if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, oh what a sweet world this would be."

07-14-2009, 11:52 PM	#55
yousee New Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 4	I'm mostly happy with the K7 since I'm upgrading from a K20d. It's a hard choice to go K7 when the k20d is half the price though. Biggest pros: - Digital leveling, cool! - Much improved AF - Beautiful Screen - Quieter Shutter Cons - Screen left justified on the body. I think it was a huge mistake to put the big screen flush against the left side of the body. Grip would be much nicer without it + button layout on the k10d/k20d is better - AF point selection. Seriously pentax?! WTF - Noise. Not terrible.. but it's worth mentioning. - Overheating on video + lv ( I haven't seen this, but if it's true, pretty sad) - Price. I bought my k10d for ~$500 when it was just about to be discontinued. The k20d is ~$650 now that it's being phased out and it's certainly not clear that the k7 is 2x the camera that the k20 is...

07-15-2009, 07:34 PM	#57
laissezfaire Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 188	Originally posted by kittykat46 I've taken some K-7 shots under bright and very yellowish Halogen lamps with the FA 50mm @ aperture f/2.0. I often found this lens with obvious front-focus issues under such lighting at large apertures, and happy to say its "almost" gone. I say "almost" because I had a few shots with what may be just slightly less sharp focus compared to normal sunlight, but a number of other things may have. affected the shot with such thin DOF. I'll repeat this with a tripod tomorrow. Kittykat, it would be great to see if it's been fixed. I did the bookcase test for sharpness under tungsten light wide open and also any of the lens focus test also show it. It's certainly correctable, but I often forget to switch between AF Adjustment on and off depending on the focus light conditions. I like to shoot wide open so it's an issue for me when I do forget. The more that I think about it now, it's really only an issue when in a non-tungsten setting shooting wide open which is somewhat infrequent for me.

07-15-2009, 07:38 PM	#58
laissezfaire Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 188	Originally posted by nostatic I don't notice it. I've shot a lot of tests under poor tungsten light and AF is quite good. The AWB under tungsten is night and day difference from the K20d. I'm probably one of the few here that thinks AWB on the K20 is outstanding... except of course for tungsten, but it really is not meaningful since I only shoot raw now and have become a fan of lightroom 2.0.

07-16-2009, 06:53 AM	#60
PhilippeG Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Paris, France Photos: Gallery Posts: 345	Coming from a K100D everything is way better, and with the similar size and weight I like! The K100D and K-7 grips feel a lot better to me compared to K10/20. I have thin but lonnnng hands, and no grip will fill my palm anyway, so what I need is a deep grip so I can firmly hold the camera with the tip of my fingers. The grip on a K10/20 is much less deep and it always seems the camera will fall of my hands! This and the bulk were the main reason why I didn't upgrade earlier. The obvious pros/cons have already been discussed, I'll just make some comments after only a few days with the camera (and without reading the manual yet): - I still have to get used to the new AF point selection. I'm not fond of having to press OK first but I'll get used to it. What is annoying is that I sometimes have to press OK, sometimes not, I have to check in the manual how/why the mode is retained or not. It's also lower than on the K100 so my thumb always reaches the top button instead out of habit. But I'll get used too that too - metering and white balance are much better. - the K100D is very slow, so everything seems a lot snappier. - I shoot RAW in DNG, and I can now choose between three profiles in Lightroom: Lightroom default, Embedded, and Camera default, which is really nice. - I like the button on the mode dial, as I sometimes turned it on the K100 when I put the camera in/out of the bag. - Not a big deal to me, but the metering dial is really difficult to set. So far I'm very, very happy with the K-7! It's just a pleasure to use.