Pentax K-7 Reviews

2009 Digital SLR Group Test

by David Chin on August 19, 2009

If you're still agonizing over which mid-range DSLR to purchase, perhaps ePHOTOzine's 2009 DSLR Group Review Report might help.

The article compares 5 DSLR bodies: Canon EOS 50D vs Nikon D300 vs Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-7 vs Sony A700.

The A700 emerged as the overall winner, with the following verdict:

The Sony Alpha A700 wins because of the specification being so similar to the other models, it gives good noise performance, has great color rendition and a good dynamic range that seems to work even when dynamic range compensation is switched off.

A useful summary of pros and cons of each camera is given at the end of the review.

Pentax K-7 Review in Amateur Photographer Magazine: Paraphrased

by David Chin on August 10, 2009

Paul Graber posted excerpts from the K-7 review (which was written by Angela Nicholson):

… she likes the camera quite a lot, finding it "extremely comfortable to hold and use". She likes IQ and detail resolution, and unique-to-Pentax features such as built-in level adjustment. Live View now fully rounded and of genuine use. During review process, she adds latest firmware and notes improvements. But she finds a few niggling problems:-
* AF improved, but still behind Nikon and Canon
* Viewfinder not that comfortable to use and a bit gloomy
* Menu system less flexible than competitors

Also, the Canon 50D and Nikon D300 / D300S might be preferred by sports photographers for the Autofocus speed, but "… landscape, still-life and macro photographers could well prefer K-7."

NeoCamera.com Reviews The Pentax K-7

by David Chin on July 28, 2009

In their full review of the Pentax K7, the following conclusion was reached:

The Pentax K-7 is a DSLR with an incredible feature-set, no other camera does everything this one does. Its wealth of features, many of them unique or uncommon, helps users take better pictures. The combination of automatic horizon correction, 100% viewfinder and built-in stabilization gives relief to the photographer, letting him compose and frame with greater ease.

Image quality is very good with generally low noise and high details. Color accuracy and white-balance are impressive and extremely flexible, as are image parameters for detailed control over the way images are captured. The K-7 is also a fast and responsive camera.

Pentax K-7 Review: Image Quality

by David Chin on July 25, 2009

Pentax K-7 Review: Image Quality – Duplo:

I am through the editing of the acceptable part of 1000 frames, I will need to see the prints before being making my final judgment, but based on what have gone through editing, IQ is excellent for what I need it to do, save for a few things that I will get to.

Base ISO is generally excellent, ISO 200-400 decent and ISO 800 is there if I absolutely need it as a last resort, but definitely not good. Anything above is a no go for the work I do, luckily it bought it for use at low ISO and as a travel camera and thus I can live with the limitations.

DR (Dynamic Range) is lacking in general, not overly so, but high contrast is unfortunately not something I can avoid shooting, which is why I see the limitation, a little noisy at base ISO too in certain situations, but overall the lack of DR is the one issue I can find across the board and it gets worse fast as you raise the ISO.

Colour accuracy and tonality is generally in the good to acceptable range at low ISO, at higher ISO or in shadow areas it is a little lacking, but for its class it is very good.

I still think that it will deliver excellent prints at base ISO and all the way up to ISO 200-400, but as we leave base ISO I will need to work a little more to get what I want from it.

Sensor Shake Reduction On The Pentax K-7: Too Slow To Kick In?

by David Chin on July 25, 2009

Sensor Shake Reduction On The Pentax K-7: Too Slow To Kick In? – Duplo:

Well, this is really a mixed bag and perhaps the one place where Pentax has a bug to fix, the SR simply is too slow to kick in, that we now notice is something that speaks as a compliment to the improvement to the AF system, but that really is no excuse.

The solution so far, is to disengage the AF from the shutter and use the AF button for that instead.

That allows me to warm up or keep the SR spooled and have it ready when I hit the AF button and press the shutter all the way.

Slightly different way to work and take a little getting used to, but it solves the issue and that is what matters.

Pentax K-7 Review: Ergonomics and Handling

by David Chin on July 25, 2009

Pentax K-7 Review: Ergonomics and Handling – Duplo:

I called it build to pro standard and the Ergonomics follow suit, by far the body from Pentax that suits me best, I never liked the K10/20D body without grip, however I love the K-7 without it and as it is meant to be my compact system, then it is definitely good news.

It seems like so many details have been refined, button layout, the slant of the e-dials, it all comes together nearly perfect.

I can handle this camera all day and it still feels right and comfortable at the end of the day. I dare saying, that it feels as good in my hand as the D3 and that is quite a compliment.

The handling is definitely great too, in some ways it is a little too consumer friendly, but once some of these features, like the info screen and other stuff has been switch off in the menu it starts to handle near perfect.

[...]

The viewfinder is an improvement too, so nice to finally get what you see and just that.
It is a much more responsive body too, mirror blackout and shutter delay feels much better, the shutter feels and sounds better than any previous Pentax body I have handled, still a touch wimpy sounding, but almost there.

Pentax K-7 Review: Build Quality

by David Chin on July 25, 2009

Pentax K-7 Review: Build Quality – Duplo:

Finally A Pentax body that is build and feels like a pro body, now you may argue that so is the K10/20D, but while sturdy bodies, the K-7 takes the construction quality to a for pentax new level. While it does not entirely match the solid feel of the Nikon D3, then I do think that has more to do with weight than actual build. The K-7 feels extremely solid. I would not hesitate bringing it anywhere and that says a lot.

And I have tested it. I shot a heli take off from the moraine next to the huge Icefiord glacier. The helicopter sent a piece of rock flying, that rock took the DA21 right through the lens hood, and literally shattered the protective filter and knocked me off my feet.

The DA21, K-7 and a fairly black and blue me, came out just fine. I am just glad that I had a camera in front of my face when that rock struck me It sure is a very tough little camera and no do not ask why I chose to shoot a heli take off with a wide angle lens.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i / 500D vs Pentax K-7: Low-Light Video / Movie Recording

by David Chin on July 24, 2009

Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i / 500D vs Pentax K-7: Low-Light Video / Movie Recording – Mike Perlman:

In low light, the Pentax K-7 did an admirable job of adjusting the Auto exposure, and we loved the ability to zoom in and out. However, noise levels were off the hook in extremely low light environments, but at least the Pentax K-7 provided a visible display. The Canon EOS 500D (Rebel T1i) could not even handle to low light whatsoever, so the Pentax K-7 took the edge there. We feel that the Pentax K-7's HD video quality suffers from first-generation syndrome, but based on the quality of some of the camera's top video clips, we can only expect great things in the future.