Pentax K-7 DSLR camera - First Look review

Can Pentax steal the mid-range show?

Pentax K-7 DSLR camera - First Look. Cameras, DSLR cameras, Pentax, 14 megapixels 0

Reviewer: Stuart Miles
Review Date: 1 June 2009
Manufacturer: Pentax
Price as reviewed: £1199.99
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Our score

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Quick review

The good: Weatherproof casing, 720p video mode, plenty of features, plenty of buttons, mic-in socket, HDMI support
The bad: No 1080p movie mode, ISO limited to 6400
Verdict: Compared to the D300 and the 50D we would have to say you get a more feature-packed camera, something that took us a little by surprise
Key specs: 14 megapixels, HDMI, Li-ion battery, SD, SDHC

Comments

Thanks for the write-up, but I have to gripe about two things.

First, you guys point out that the K-7 has .6 fewer megapixels then the Canon 50D. Lots of people prefer lower MP cameras, some don't want over 12mp for example. On top of that, a .6mp difference wont make the slightest difference on any print size imaginable. It's hard enough to tell a difference between prints of 10 and 15 mp cameras.

Second, you seem it's important to discuss pointless megapixel differences, but you don't make a single mention of something that actually matters. You don't make a single mention of the fact that the K-7 has built in shake reduction. How in the world can you over look that??? Having that built in can save thousands of dollars if you plan on building a nice lens collection. Posted by Eric, US
Edit. I see now you do mention it, you just call it "image stabilisation". I'll take it you guys are Canon users :) Posted by Eric, US
"megapixel count not as high as the 50D either"
are you serious marking this difference of .5 mp as "the bad" ?
(The D300 only has 12.3 mp)

Why "ISO only goes up to 6400" - same as D300!

What about the "proper" weatherproofing and lens..and real positive aspects of the camera?

What about Image Stabilisation that works with every lens made since the 60's?

If a review or preview is going to be written about a new camera, then it should be objective with the features, and not biast towards Canikons, and it should also be thorough; comments like "it has plenty of buttons" are a bit weak in todays online press.

Posted by Paul, UK
Thanks for the comments. Regarding the comparison to the 50D in the Cons, I've removed them as it seems inappropriate to draw those comparisons in that section of this First Look - you are right, it could turn into a huge list of differences, which is better expressed in the text. Posted by chrishall, United Kingdom
And why isn't it noted that this camera is a lot smaller than the D300 and 50D and that it has a stainless steel frame with magnesium alloy outer body. Those are some major first impressions to me. Posted by John, The Netherlands
If a 15.1 MP vs 14.6 MP is a Canon 50D advantage (a 4% difference), you probably want to mention that the Pentax K-7 has a larger sensor: 1.5 crop vs 1.6 crop (a 10% difference). Posted by Mike, Canada