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03-18-2010, 05:55 PM   #1
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Nice review of the K-7

I tried searching around for this here but I didn't find anything:

The Pentax K7 Review | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS

I had a friend send this to me via facebook and thought I'd share it here as well. The reviewer is mainly a Leica shooter but he had very favorable things to say about the K-7

03-18-2010, 06:10 PM   #2
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I think it says something when a Leica guy praises a non-Leica camera and lenses for their build quality.
03-18-2010, 08:34 PM   #3
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That was a very nice review, perhaps even more enthusiastic than Gordon Lewis' review on TOP, and Gordon admitted to having a Pentax bias

Thanks for the link.
03-19-2010, 03:44 PM   #4
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Thank you for sharing

03-20-2010, 01:36 AM   #5
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Great that a Leica fan likes the K-7.

Bit unfortunate he didn't shoot in RAW for the noise issue.

Glad someone takes a good part of a review to complement the ergonomics, quiet shutter, and other things I'm interested in as a mainly street photographer. I've also found the white-balance extremely accurate, in some quick tests shooting under lights, the camera was getting more accurate colours than my manual settings.

In my opinion, Pentax should really push those differentiating factors compared to similar Nikon/Canons. The reason I bought the camera, apart from lens choices, was because it was similar to the Canon/Nikon options is specs but in a much nicer little camera. Perhaps they do push those differences, I'm not totally sure as Pentax is a very minor player in the market here.

Last edited by CWyatt; 03-20-2010 at 01:41 AM.
03-20-2010, 02:35 AM   #6
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In case you haven't seen this also, he even compared the FA 31 Limited to the Leica 35 f/1.4 Summilux. For a $4,500 lens vs a $1,000 lens, the results really show the cost differential.

The chromatic aberrations on the FA 31 f/1.8 are nasty, wonder if this is still what it looks like after CA corrections on the K-7 whether he even turned them on or not. At wide-open f/1.4, the Leica is so sharp it's almost surreal.

You'll need to right click and open in new window for full sized images.









Wide Open: Pentax 31 Limited & Leica 35 Summilux ASPH | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS
03-20-2010, 06:36 AM   #7
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I think he said he was going to review the FA77 as well. Another lens that he feels is an amazing performer.

03-20-2010, 07:46 AM   #8
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Strange thing, he finds the 77 better even wide open than 31 (more specifically, he tests the 31 ONLY wide open).

I always thought the 31 is supposed to be optically perfect?! Any thoughts about the differences to Summilux, owners? (come on, we all know it's just a product as well with a German price factor) - my suspicion would go to (default) in-camera sharpening levels. All just guessing of course, he doesn't mention any settings, even whether he shot jpegs or raws.

I just find the visible differences quite striking. Thinking about Leica, just based on this article and his site.
03-20-2010, 08:24 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by nanao. Quote
Strange thing, he finds the 77 better even wide open than 31 (more specifically, he tests the 31 ONLY wide open).

I always thought the 31 is supposed to be optically perfect?! Any thoughts about the differences to Summilux, owners? (come on, we all know it's just a product as well with a German price factor) - my suspicion would go to (default) in-camera sharpening levels. All just guessing of course, he doesn't mention any settings, even whether he shot jpegs or raws.

I just find the visible differences quite striking. Thinking about Leica, just based on this article and his site.
I don't really think this is a fair comparison, as it is not just a $4,500 lens versus a $1,000 lens comparison, it's also a comparison of a 18 MP full frame no anti aliasing filter camera versus a 14 mp crop sensor camera. Or if you want to put it in terms of a total price comparison.

A $11,500 kit versus a $2,000 kit.

However, even if you could somehow control for this difference (someone much wealthier than most should test them both on a 4/3rds camera haha), it should come as no surprise to Pentax users that the Summilux performs better wide open than the FA31; it is a $4,500 f/1.4 lens, and that extra money you pay is for that extra performance wide open. It'd be like comparing the 50 mm f/1.0 Leica Nocticulux (sp?) to a good Pentax 50 mm f/1.4 or f/1.2 -- which lens do you think would win that bokeh challenge?

I'd like to see how the Leica Summilux does against that Canon 35 f/1.4L -- both on full frame cameras. I think that would be an interesting comparison.
03-20-2010, 08:43 AM   #10
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Small add-on: I don't refer to bokeh differences (though I'm aware it's difficult to factor them out in a subjective comparison), just sharpness and contrast.
03-20-2010, 10:09 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by nanao. Quote
Small add-on: I don't refer to bokeh differences (though I'm aware it's difficult to factor them out in a subjective comparison), just sharpness and contrast.
The sharpness would also be affected by the difference in format size and the lack of an anti-aliasing filter in the M9. That's why most images taken with cameras that have AA filters require sharpening to reach their full potential, regardless of lens type.

Another thing I noticed is that the comparison in the middle, where the Summilux really seems to out perform the FA31 the most, the Leica photo is taken from a bottom up perspective, which encourages more separation from the background, whereas the FA31 is shot directly down into the other dead flowers, which makes the flower disappear into the clutter.

Again, I think the Summilux is genuinely better wide open, but I don't feel this was a very fair test to judge the two lenses on. To do a true test, you have to control as many of the variables as possible.
03-20-2010, 11:02 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by nanao. Quote
Strange thing, he finds the 77 better even wide open than 31 (more specifically, he tests the 31 ONLY wide open)..
My 31 Limited is sharper than my 77 Limited wide open. In fact, I have had three 77 Limiteds and the 31 is sharper than all of them. I've never seen a lens faster than F:4 that is sharper wide open than the 31 Limited.....
There are sample to sample variations in lenses. In addition, far too many use AF when testing lenses. Wide open this test the precision of the AF system, not necessarily lens quality...
03-20-2010, 03:16 PM   #13
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The only case where I see a tie (sort of) is the second image - the 31 is clearly focused on the horizontal rear plank whereas the summilux on the front pillar/pillar top. I like the Leica's colours better though.
03-20-2010, 03:32 PM   #14
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wow, the guy is really enthusiastic
03-21-2010, 05:18 AM   #15
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Leica man Steve Huff tries out K-7 and LOVES it

A very good photographer's review of a photographer's camera.

Last edited by Peter Zack; 03-22-2010 at 01:28 PM. Reason: Threads merged
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