layout change - your opinion?

Albert Siegel · 08-26-2009, 07:38 AM

I really dislike the change in the layout and user interface on the K7. I find the traditional layout and interface much better. The K7 feels more like a premium Km to me than a successor to the K20. The one thing I dislike the most and is a deal breaker for me is the lack of an SR switch.

What's your opinion on the change in layout / interface and lack of a SR switch?

**Ash** · 08-26-2009, 07:42 AM

Quite a personal preference it seems.
A few others have mentioned their praise of the new K-7 layout, saying it's more intuitive, although I'm more in line with you and the K20D UI (hence me sticking with the K20D, at least for now).

I also prefer more functions at my fingertips (on the camera body) rather than embedded in a menu, so I guess I'm happy that way too - though it's no big deal for me to have a Fn button to access drive and flash modes (I recall having these on the body of the *ist D and liked that too).

**Lowell Goudge** · 08-26-2009, 08:28 AM

Originally posted by AlbertSiegel

I really dislike the change in the layout and user interface on the K7. I find the traditional layout and interface much better. The K7 feels more like a premium Km to me than a successor to the K20. The one thing I dislike the most and is a deal breaker for me is the lack of an SR switch.

What's your opinion on the change in layout / interface and lack of a SR switch?

define traditional

I own 4 dual thumb wheel bodies

PZ-1, *istD K10D and K7

aside from dual thumbwheels the bodies all have different exposure comp, exposure lock, green button position, etc,

I actually don't have any problem switching between the se bdoies and the differrent locations of things with one exception.

On my PZ-1 I find I am constantly looking at the camera back to see the image preview

soccerjoe5 · 08-26-2009, 08:42 AM

To each his own but I myself absolutely LOVE the K-7 interface and prefer it much over the K20D that I had.

Never missed the SR Switch. Should you need to switch it on/off just press the info button, highlight the SR logo and turn the rear dial. If the SR was the last thing you adjusted, the next time you press the info button, it's still highlighted so that'll save the extra step.

May sound much but you've got to try it out yourself.

Urkeldaedalus · 08-26-2009, 09:50 AM

It took me awhile to adapt to the K-7, but now I really prefer the interface to the K20D. I think the Info button allows some really fast changes (from JPG to RAW for example) that are more cumbersome with the K20D.

I would agree, though, that layout and ergonomics is probably one of the more subjective things about a camera, so I can totally see someone liking the K20D better in this department.

**mtngal** · 08-26-2009, 11:54 AM

Definitely a personal preference thing. While I got a bit frustrated about finding things when I first got the K-7, now I found I prefer it also. I thought I would miss the SR switch, but not so - it's much nicer to have all the information in one place, on the same screen. I'm a little more likely to notice when I have SR set.

Pentax_XTC · 08-26-2009, 12:41 PM

I like that there are not any buttons on the left side of the LCD screen. The tip of my nose would always hit the raised bump on the play button of my K10D. I started to not take photos because I was wearing down a small hole in my nose! I love the interfaces and ergonomics. Even without the battery grip, I can hand the camera well and I can hide a whole deck of playing cards in my hand they are so large! I don't get the whole, "It's too small" arguement.

Wheatfield · 08-26-2009, 04:16 PM

Originally posted by AlbertSiegel

I really dislike the change in the layout and user interface on the K7. I find the traditional layout and interface much better. The K7 feels more like a premium Km to me than a successor to the K20. The one thing I dislike the most and is a deal breaker for me is the lack of an SR switch.

What's your opinion on the change in layout / interface and lack of a SR switch?

The change in turning off the SR from one swith to the info button and cursoring isn't so bad. It removes the breakable switch, which is good, and switching SR off only takes a moment.
I'm finding the change in the green button position to be a bit harder to get my head around.

Arpe · 08-26-2009, 05:38 PM

The only thing wrong with K-7 is Af button placement, to me. It shoul be more like where Nikon D300 and Conan 50D have it.

Other than that it's just a matter of getting use to it.

kittykat46 · 08-26-2009, 06:24 PM

I only ever turn off the SR when i mount the camera on a tripod. Its easily accessible on the 2nd Info screen. I don't miss the mechanical SR switch at all.

As for the layout. I occasionally use a borrowed Canon 50D, totally different layout. Now I have to add in the K-7's different layout.
It always takes me a few minutes to get myself oriented with a different camera , no big deal.

schmik · 08-26-2009, 06:47 PM

I like the layout. The 2nd info screen is great. So many commonly used functions can be accessed from there. The first info screen is cool too. It has taken me a while but i look at the screen now insted of the top LCD. It was such a hard habit to break to stop looking at the top LCD or in the view finder but when the camera is on a tripod it makes life very easy.

I do miss the SR switch.... I am often on and off the tripod a lot. It's not soo much that it is hard to access through the info screen but it was easier to remember to turn it on/off when needed when it was a switch.

mike

glanglois · 08-26-2009, 07:47 PM

Owing to less self-discipline than I should admit, I currently own a K10, K2000, and K-7. As an aside, one has to go. I'm thinking K2000 ....

Back to topic: I like the K-7 interface. As I post too often, I shoot air shows and really need the SR to be a very fast, no-peek, by-touch selection.

See airplane pop up out of nowhere. Flick SR off. Set autofocus to continuous. Set metering to something that seems right for the moment. Set mode to Tv and speed to 1/000. Depress shutter halfway and pan. Start shooting. I don't want to look at the LCD.

But I may get over that. The rest of the interface makes a lot of sense and helps me remember where I am when I get lost with my ADD.

I REALLY like the option to reset everything upon power up. I don't want to say how many shots I've lost because I shut down without resetting some "temporary" option.

Thanks, Pentax. Now, can you please assign a "soft" button to SR??

Arpe · 08-27-2009, 02:42 AM

Why do you turn it off when doing that?

glanglois · 08-27-2009, 06:53 AM

Originally posted by Arpe

Why do you turn it off when doing that?

While I haven't tested at length, I understand that optical stabilization can get very, very confused if the camera is being moved as the shot is taken. It cannot necessarily tell deliberate panning in two directions from inadvertent camera movement.

Some cameras or lenses will allow the user to disable stabilization for one axis, perhaps horizontal. to stay out the way while moving the camera horizontally but still try to compensate for movement vertically, which it sees as accidental.

The K-7 does not permit that option alas. In any case, panning for aerobatics means that the camera is constently going through all sorts of gyrations as it follows the stunt aircraft.

Did that make sense?

And by the way, I enjoyed the rugby and carnival photos.

Eruditass · 08-27-2009, 08:33 AM

yeah, what would be awesome is panning-aware SR.

I have a K2000 and I love the one handed interface, I like the interface more than the D90, probably because I had to crop a lot of photos on the D90 because it wasn't my camera and my left hand cramped up

08-26-2009, 07:38 AM	#1
Albert Siegel Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Tokyo Photos: Albums Posts: 372	layout change - your opinion? I really dislike the change in the layout and user interface on the K7. I find the traditional layout and interface much better. The K7 feels more like a premium Km to me than a successor to the K20. The one thing I dislike the most and is a deal breaker for me is the lack of an SR switch. What's your opinion on the change in layout / interface and lack of a SR switch?

08-26-2009, 08:28 AM	#3
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,891	define traditional Originally posted by AlbertSiegel I really dislike the change in the layout and user interface on the K7. I find the traditional layout and interface much better. The K7 feels more like a premium Km to me than a successor to the K20. The one thing I dislike the most and is a deal breaker for me is the lack of an SR switch. What's your opinion on the change in layout / interface and lack of a SR switch? define traditional I own 4 dual thumb wheel bodies PZ-1, *istD K10D and K7 aside from dual thumbwheels the bodies all have different exposure comp, exposure lock, green button position, etc, I actually don't have any problem switching between the se bdoies and the differrent locations of things with one exception. On my PZ-1 I find I am constantly looking at the camera back to see the image preview

08-26-2009, 07:47 PM	#12
glanglois Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Madison, Wis., USA Posts: 1,506	I like it Owing to less self-discipline than I should admit, I currently own a K10, K2000, and K-7. As an aside, one has to go. I'm thinking K2000 .... Back to topic: I like the K-7 interface. As I post too often, I shoot air shows and really need the SR to be a very fast, no-peek, by-touch selection. See airplane pop up out of nowhere. Flick SR off. Set autofocus to continuous. Set metering to something that seems right for the moment. Set mode to Tv and speed to 1/000. Depress shutter halfway and pan. Start shooting. I don't want to look at the LCD. But I may get over that. The rest of the interface makes a lot of sense and helps me remember where I am when I get lost with my ADD. I REALLY like the option to reset everything upon power up. I don't want to say how many shots I've lost because I shut down without resetting some "temporary" option. Thanks, Pentax. Now, can you please assign a "soft" button to SR??

08-27-2009, 06:53 AM	#14
glanglois Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Madison, Wis., USA Posts: 1,506	Panning and SR Originally posted by Arpe Why do you turn it off when doing that? While I haven't tested at length, I understand that optical stabilization can get very, very confused if the camera is being moved as the shot is taken. It cannot necessarily tell deliberate panning in two directions from inadvertent camera movement. Some cameras or lenses will allow the user to disable stabilization for one axis, perhaps horizontal. to stay out the way while moving the camera horizontally but still try to compensate for movement vertically, which it sees as accidental. The K-7 does not permit that option alas. In any case, panning for aerobatics means that the camera is constently going through all sorts of gyrations as it follows the stunt aircraft. Did that make sense? And by the way, I enjoyed the rugby and carnival photos.

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08-26-2009, 07:42 AM	#2
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	Quite a personal preference it seems. A few others have mentioned their praise of the new K-7 layout, saying it's more intuitive, although I'm more in line with you and the K20D UI (hence me sticking with the K20D, at least for now). I also prefer more functions at my fingertips (on the camera body) rather than embedded in a menu, so I guess I'm happy that way too - though it's no big deal for me to have a Fn button to access drive and flash modes (I recall having these on the body of the *ist D and liked that too).

08-26-2009, 08:42 AM	#4
soccerjoe5 Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Philippines Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,343	To each his own but I myself absolutely LOVE the K-7 interface and prefer it much over the K20D that I had. Never missed the SR Switch. Should you need to switch it on/off just press the info button, highlight the SR logo and turn the rear dial. If the SR was the last thing you adjusted, the next time you press the info button, it's still highlighted so that'll save the extra step. May sound much but you've got to try it out yourself.

08-26-2009, 09:50 AM	#5
Urkeldaedalus Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Iowa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,369	It took me awhile to adapt to the K-7, but now I really prefer the interface to the K20D. I think the Info button allows some really fast changes (from JPG to RAW for example) that are more cumbersome with the K20D. I would agree, though, that layout and ergonomics is probably one of the more subjective things about a camera, so I can totally see someone liking the K20D better in this department.

08-26-2009, 11:54 AM	#6
mtngal Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Wherever I’m Parked Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,003	Definitely a personal preference thing. While I got a bit frustrated about finding things when I first got the K-7, now I found I prefer it also. I thought I would miss the SR switch, but not so - it's much nicer to have all the information in one place, on the same screen. I'm a little more likely to notice when I have SR set.

08-26-2009, 12:41 PM	#7
Pentax_XTC Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Duluth, GA Posts: 365	I like that there are not any buttons on the left side of the LCD screen. The tip of my nose would always hit the raised bump on the play button of my K10D. I started to not take photos because I was wearing down a small hole in my nose! I love the interfaces and ergonomics. Even without the battery grip, I can hand the camera well and I can hide a whole deck of playing cards in my hand they are so large! I don't get the whole, "It's too small" arguement.

08-26-2009, 04:16 PM	#8
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,986	Originally posted by AlbertSiegel I really dislike the change in the layout and user interface on the K7. I find the traditional layout and interface much better. The K7 feels more like a premium Km to me than a successor to the K20. The one thing I dislike the most and is a deal breaker for me is the lack of an SR switch. What's your opinion on the change in layout / interface and lack of a SR switch? The change in turning off the SR from one swith to the info button and cursoring isn't so bad. It removes the breakable switch, which is good, and switching SR off only takes a moment. I'm finding the change in the green button position to be a bit harder to get my head around.

08-26-2009, 05:38 PM	#9
Arpe Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,452	The only thing wrong with K-7 is Af button placement, to me. It shoul be more like where Nikon D300 and Conan 50D have it. Other than that it's just a matter of getting use to it.

08-26-2009, 06:24 PM	#10
kittykat46 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 923	I only ever turn off the SR when i mount the camera on a tripod. Its easily accessible on the 2nd Info screen. I don't miss the mechanical SR switch at all. As for the layout. I occasionally use a borrowed Canon 50D, totally different layout. Now I have to add in the K-7's different layout. It always takes me a few minutes to get myself oriented with a different camera , no big deal.

08-26-2009, 06:47 PM	#11
schmik Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sydney Aus Photos: Gallery Posts: 527	I like the layout. The 2nd info screen is great. So many commonly used functions can be accessed from there. The first info screen is cool too. It has taken me a while but i look at the screen now insted of the top LCD. It was such a hard habit to break to stop looking at the top LCD or in the view finder but when the camera is on a tripod it makes life very easy. I do miss the SR switch.... I am often on and off the tripod a lot. It's not soo much that it is hard to access through the info screen but it was easier to remember to turn it on/off when needed when it was a switch. mike

08-27-2009, 02:42 AM	#13
Arpe Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,452	Why do you turn it off when doing that?

08-27-2009, 08:33 AM	#15
Eruditass Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,207	yeah, what would be awesome is panning-aware SR. I have a K2000 and I love the one handed interface, I like the interface more than the D90, probably because I had to crop a lot of photos on the D90 because it wasn't my camera and my left hand cramped up