[zxaar]

i think k7's AF is pretty damn good fast and responsive. pentax's previous models were slow though.

[LeDave]

Damn... And I though people on Nikon and Canon-specific forums were narrow-minded...

I started off at Canon-specific forums

[wonderer]

In my (limited) personal experience with K7 and D300, I did not find the AF of K7 to be any slower than D300 in single shot mode. For that matter D300 was probably a bit slower compared to cameras like Canon 40D/50D, or Sony A700 in locking the focus. The strength of D300 is in its excellent focus tracking for moving objects, not in the speed of initial focus lock. So if tracking moving objects is a concern then certainly go for D300, otherwise K7 should be pretty good (which I found to be much faster than K20D).

[wonderer]

Though let me also add that with Pentax cameras the autofocus performance varies a lot with the lenses as well, which might explain the differences in opinion. When I tried the K20D a long time ago, it was pretty slow with the DA* 50-135 but reasonable with the kit lens

[Rondec]

I do think the K7 is faster to autofocus than the K20. For me personally, I would be a lot more comfortable to take the K7 with the DA 40 or the Da 70 onto the street than a D300 with, say a 50 f1.4. Truthfully, I think you would be hard put to show a difference in focus speed between the K7 and DA 40 and the D300 and any Nikon lens.

There are some lenses that are really slow focusing. The DA 50-135 and DA 35 can both be really slow, just because their focus throws are so long.

As mentioned above, where the K7 falls down is in predictive autofocus. I think Canon and Nikon are significantly better at that. Also, I think in low light, the K7 loses some of its zip.

[Clicker]

I'm hoping this is somewhat pertinent to this thread

I went in just before Christmas 2009 to get myself a Christmas present, since i already own a K200D and some lenses, it was most likely going to be the K7 and 2 SDM zooms (16-50/2.8 and 50-135/2.8), this prior to my countless hours of reading everything about it as i do almost every other model that comes out.

I get to the store; more like i'm browsing the mall and pass by the camera store, they don't look busy so i stroll in and this is what happens. I had a brain malfunction like a little kid in a toy store and asked to handle the Canon 7D why? i really don't know why btw they had the K7, 7D and 300s side by side in the window, shelves fully stocked with Canons and Nikons and i think the Pentaxs were under the counter? LOL

So i'm given the 7D, i don't even bring the finder to my eye and i'm asked, "what do you think?" Synapses are buzzing furiously and somewhere in the Brain Freeze a calculator is tapping while my eyes are browsing "specials", "prices" and "discounts" and what seems like hours but in a millisecond my lips part with these words coming out, "i'll take it...I"LL TAKE the 15-85 kit WITH THE VERTICAL GRIP". The salesperson's eyes light up with what looked like glee and surprise mixed in and i think i saw a hint of "thought" above her head that spelt something like "sucker!"

Anyhow i got the camera and it's been sitting here on my desk gathering dust while i continue shooting with my lowly K200D, while i gather strength, courage and dollars to go back and get my K7 as i originally planned amidst all the poor/negative/good/positive reports by both users and non-users as i know what it can and can't do for me with nice 2.8 lenses.

In short, i let my heart win over my brain on this one but at least i know i got a camera that's better on paper vs my well thought out purchase in the guise of a Pentax K7.

There is no moral here they're both good tools and i can actually use both very well, i just need to remember it's what i need and it will do it just fine and i'm good.

[interested_observer]

I get to the store; more like i'm browsing the mall and pass by the camera store, ...

... so the moral of the story is to Shop @ Adorama

[RioRico]

I'm going to put a different spin on this, and introduce my new mantra: The Camera Doesn't Matter!

IMHO successful photography requires 4 (four) factors, which I'll list in descending order of importance:

#1: LIGHT
#2: SUBJECT
#3: LENS
#4: CAMERA

The most important factor: LIGHT. If you don't have good light, you can only hope to compensate by maximizing your efforts on the other three factors.

The next most important: SUBJECT. If you don't have anything worth shooting, and it isn't lit so you can adequately photograph it, you might as well quit.

The third most important: LENS. Decide what you want to photograph and how, then use a lens that will do that. Pick your lens(es) first; THEN buy a camera.

The least important: CAMERA. The camera is just a box in which to hang lenses. If the light, subject and lens all suck, the world's "best" camera won't save you.

So, buy whatever camera supports the lenses you want. Buy lenses that adequately capture your subject. Pick a subject worth looking at. And PAY ATTENTION TO THE LIGHT!

[Tim_R]

I'm going to put a different spin on this, and introduce my new mantra: The Camera Doesn't Matter!

IMHO successful photography requires 4 (four) factors, which I'll list in descending order of importance:

#1: LIGHT
#2: SUBJECT
#3: LENS
#4: CAMERA

The most important factor: LIGHT. If you don't have good light, you can only hope to compensate by maximizing your efforts on the other three factors.

The next most important: SUBJECT. If you don't have anything worth shooting, and it isn't lit so you can adequately photograph it, you might as well quit.

The third most important: LENS. Decide what you want to photograph and how, then use a lens that will do that. Pick your lens(es) first; THEN buy a camera.

The least important: CAMERA. The camera is just a box in which to hang lenses. If the light, subject and lens all suck, the world's "best" camera won't save you.

So, buy whatever camera supports the lenses you want. Buy lenses that adequately capture your subject. Pick a subject worth looking at. And PAY ATTENTION TO THE LIGHT!

Might I add one more requirement to your list? THE PHOTOGRAPHER!

Doesn't matter one whit how good the light, the subject, the lens or the camera; the most important aspect is the nut behind the steering wheel. A true Photographer can make a stunning, artistic pic using a Brownie box camera. A hack will not make good pics no matter what equipment he has (except by pure dumb luck, shooting at a 500-1000:1 ratio). Work hardest at improving the Photographer. The rest can come as it's needed.

Tim

[Rondec]

The problem is that it is toughest to upgrade the photographer. A lot easier just to buy a new camera.

[rparmar]

IMHO successful photography requires 4 (four) factors, which I'll list in descending order of importance:

#1: LIGHT
#2: SUBJECT
#3: LENS
#4: CAMERA

How very true.

[RioRico]

The problem is that it is toughest to upgrade the photographer. A lot easier just to buy a new camera.

For what some folks spend on cameras and lenses, they could just keep a pro photog on retainer. "Oh Ansel, I need some shots of the kids. Then I've got a group together to work on part III of the Kama Sutra. Be sure to bring a soft lens. Thanks so much."

No, go ahead, buy a new camera. Be sure it recognizes the faces (and other good parts) of people, animals, trees, love dolls, etc. Better yet, mount it on a robot. Program the robot to follow the trail of highest face etc recognition. Automate the process completely. It's better than having a slave; slaves must be fed and watered. I foresee a future where we brag about how good our photo-slaves are, and bitch about them picking the wrong subjects. And battery life.

[rustynail925]

Hows K7 in the dark and i mean really dark.. how fast can it focus w/ the assist lamp?

[foots]

I like that idea of renting the K7 body and giving it a try. I may just do that, even though that $125 plus dollars could go towards my new camera Oh well, at least I would know for sure how the K7 preforms, before I invest into the Nikon D300s system.

I'd love to hear from K7 users coming from the K20D. As to how the AF system in the K7 works compared to the K20D. On a side note, I was in Best Buy last nite and shot some in store shots with the Canon 50D and I was very impressed with how the AF system worked on that camera. I ask the salesperson could I bring my own memory card and take some shots so I can compare them on my computer here at the house to see how sharp they look on my 24" monitor. This will be a good test for me to compare. They didn't have the Nikon D300s but they do have the D90 that I might also do a AF sharpness test in store.

I've had trouble with my K20D getting sharp portraits and candid's, on and off (handheld) the tripod. With and without using SR When using my FA-50mm 1.4, and DA 70mm 2.4 lens at all apertures.

As a matter of fact, I took some shots tonight of my wife and her sisters in the house using my K20D with the AF-360FGZ flash and 5 out of 17 of my shots were out of focus. Maybe I'm asking too much from my camera, but it just seems to not get the shot alot to me. I really hate to leave Pentax, so I'm hoping I don't have too. Thanks for all the response.

[CWyatt]

Moving from K10D to K-7, I've found a significant increase in low-light AF speed and accuracy. But I've also calibrated my lenses when I could only calibrate the K10D overall through the debug menu.