New Pentax K-7 specs at B&H

[Groucho]

Yeah!!!!!!! (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/622079-REG/Pentax__K_7_SLR_Digital_Camera.html)

First off - initial retail is only $1,200! That's less than I expected. Availability is in July.

The important new stuff...
100% viewfinder coverage, new focusing screen said to improve manual focusing (nice!)
New autofocus system (finally :) ) including an AF assist light for the first time
Video recording, no surprise - 1024P (that's a little weird) or 720P at 30fps. Built-in mono mike and stereo input jack. HDMI out for watching on your HDTV. You can even manually change aperture while recording
3" LCD, 640x480 (aka 920k dots)
Built-in level in the viewfinder (and I just bought a cheapie hotshoe level! :lmao: )
5.2 fps continuous shooting
Magnesium body, stainless steel chassis, rated for extra cold environments: -10' C/14' F
Updated 14.6mp sensor, lower heat, lower noise, lower power
1/8000 shutter speed
New 77-point metering system
One-button in-camera 3-exposure HDR imaging
Improved shake reduction system which can even rotate the sensor to automatically level the horizon and provide fine angle adjustments! (I assume the leveling can only do so much, but still, a very cool option)
Improved live view with contrast-detect AF and face recognition
Automatic CA and distortion correction for modern Pentax lenses

Also, there are new weathersealed versions of both the 18-55mm kit lens and the usual 50-200mm complementary lens.

I'm happy with my K20D but boy, some of these upgrades sound awfully nice. It's also a unique package amonst DSLRs in that it's so high-end yet so small and light - 649 grams vs 690g for the A700, 715 for the K20D, 730g for the 50D, 810g for the Olympus E3, or the boat-anchor-like D300 which is 825g.

I won't get one right away (too many other things to spend money on!) but I definitely see one in my future. :teeth:

Images pulled from B&H:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/largeimages/622079.jpg

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/multiple_images/item_images/IMG_94373.jpg

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/multiple_images/item_images/IMG_94374.jpg

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/multiple_images/item_images/IMG_94371.jpg

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/multiple_images/item_images/IMG_94378.jpg

[WVDisGeek]

Just got through reading the specs at B&H (Pentax's site was down with traffic!) and I agree with Groucho. Very compelling and an even bigger improvement over my K200 than Groucho's K20.

The other blogs/rumor mills have been saying an increased number of weather sealed lenses will be coming this year to complement the K7. This is potentially more valuable to me than the new body, which is on my wish list, but not likely until the prices come down a little. (Need a new computer and some other "stuff" first)

All in all some nice upgrades, and some neat new features that I will be trying to learn some more about (in camera HDR and built-in level) and I will be anxious to see how well the new higher ISO grades out.

Nice effort Pentax!

[Golf4food]

"Improved shake reduction system which can even rotate the sensor to automatically level the horizon and provide fine angle adjustments! (I assume the leveling can only do so much, but still, a very cool option)"

Now that's just cool.

I'm very excited about this. Been holding off on getting a K20D because I wanted a little more and the K-7 seems to fit the bill nicely. Can't wait to see some hands-on reviews and tests. Sounds like I can finally cross off the idea of switching to Canon or Nikon.

Now if we could just sell our old house by July...

[Groucho]

I just finished reading a big hands-on preview over at DPReview (http://www.dpreview.com/previews/pentaxk7/) and I am seriously stoked. :) This camera looks like a real beauty. Although they claim that retail is $1,300 rather than the $1,200 that B&H says. Hopefully B&H is right!

The downside is that I'll probably have to buy another Katz Eye for it... :)

(Although, much as I don't like Live View, it can be very effective for nailing manual focus, especially with the much-improved zoom that the K-7 has over the K20D.)

The only questions remaining in my mind are just how much better the autofocus is (I suspect notably better but still not industry-leading) and how much better the high ISO noise is. We probably won't know those for a little while.

[RBennett]

JACKPOT!!!! :cool1::woohoo::cool1: Likewise, I've been eyeing the K20 to replace my K100 but now I have something even BETTER to shoot for!!! Definitely won't be before my trip in November, but maybe next year!! So just to elaborate, does anyone know anything specific about the upgrade on "lower noise"?? The only thing that I've been really jealous about on other brands' cameras is the higher ISO and less noise. (For instance look at Todd's recent low-light threads.) I know I shouldn't expect anything close to that performance, but I wonder what our expectations SHOULD be. :confused3 I guess I'll have to wait and see after I buy it!!

[CharacterFan]

this sounds great, I'm sure I'll get one in like 5 years, when there is newer better technology out there. I can't picture myself spending more then $1000 on a camera right now.

Question: What does Live View mean? Does that mean both the view finder and eye piece are lcd screens? If so, I think I may have to count myself out of that. One of my favorite things about switching to SLR is my eye piece.

[RBennett]

this sounds great, I'm sure I'll get one in like 5 years, when there is newer better technology out there. I can't picture myself spending more then $1000 on a camera right now.

Question: What does Live View mean? Does that mean both the view finder and eye piece are lcd screens? If so, I think I may have to count myself out of that. One of my favorite things about switching to SLR is my eye piece.

What that means is that you can use the LCD screen to take a picture if you don't WANT to use the viewfinder. For instance, my K100D does not have live view so I HAVE to use the viewfinder and then examine the pictures on my LCD. :thumbsup2 My only concern is that as someone who was looking at buying the K20, does the K7 offer that much more that is worth spending twice the price?? :confused3

[Angrypenguin]

Coming from the Canon camp, I have to say the K-7 looks to be a nice camera! :thumbsup2 Good price too; if it retails at around 1200, I'd expect street price to go down to around 1000 after a few months?

I love good competition, keeps all camera manufacturers on their toes.

[Code]

Way to go Pentax! Looks like a winner.

[WVDisGeek]

Let the games begin....
B&H now is listing the body at $1,299.95!!!!
Up $100 since this morning. I guess they jumped the gun on pricing.

Amazon has the same price and Adorama doesn't show it yet.

We go to the World in December....I wonder what it would be then????;)

[Groucho]

So just to elaborate, does anyone know anything specific about the upgrade on "lower noise"?? The only thing that I've been really jealous about on other brands' cameras is the higher ISO and less noise. (For instance look at Todd's recent low-light threads.) I know I shouldn't expect anything close to that performance, but I wonder what our expectations SHOULD be. :confused3 I guess I'll have to wait and see after I buy it!!
I don't know what Todd is using (I haven't looked at those threads lately - did I mention busy-busy-busy lately? ;) ) but IMHO the K20D is already completely competitive with any APS-sensor DSLR out there. You might be seeing photos that have been run through a noise-reduction program and/or been taken with the camera's built-in noise reduction turned on. (I always keep mine completely off.) Also note that you're looking at small web resizes rather than the full 100% resolution copies that you get from your own camera. You'll need to go to a full-frame sensor like on the Nikon D700 to get notably better high-ISO performance than the K20D and the K-7 should be even better and more evenly distributed thanks to the lower heat. (The one knock of the K20D sensor is that it sometimes has uneven noise especially at the edges.)

[Angrypenguin]

JACKPOT!!!! :cool1::woohoo::cool1: Likewise, I've been eyeing the K20 to replace my K100 but now I have something even BETTER to shoot for!!! Definitely won't be before my trip in November, but maybe next year!! So just to elaborate, does anyone know anything specific about the upgrade on "lower noise"?? The only thing that I've been really jealous about on other brands' cameras is the higher ISO and less noise. (For instance look at Todd's recent low-light threads.) I know I shouldn't expect anything close to that performance, but I wonder what our expectations SHOULD be. :confused3 I guess I'll have to wait and see after I buy it!!

Todd uses a Canon 5d Mark II. Full frame goodness. His shots and technique (both low-light and non-lowlight) are great. :thumbsup2

[RBennett]

We go to the World in December....I wonder what it would be then????;)


Tell you what; I go in November, how about we split the cost. I'll take it in November first, then you can take it in December, and then you can ship it back to me for our next trip, and then I'll ship it back to you sometime. "Promise"! :rolleyes1

[KAT4DISNEY]

Sounds like a winner! That's a lot of stuff packed in a small body. I specifically remember the pre-announcement of the K20 since there was a big sign about it on the camera store door last year when I was beginning my search for a DSLR. By Christmas the price had reduced by a couple hundred so a little wait doesn't sound too bad. Never easy once user reviews and pictures start happening though! :rolleyes1

[Todd_H]

I don't know what Todd is using (I haven't looked at those threads lately - did I mention busy-busy-busy lately? ;) )
Busy? What, have you had a baby or something recently ;)? Seriously though, I hope you guys are doing well and adjusting to the 2-kid family style. As one of my friends once told me when we had our second child, "congratulations, you're real parents now!"

You might be seeing photos that have been run through a noise-reduction program and/or been taken with the camera's built-in noise reduction turned on.
Exactly right. Some of the low light dark ride shots I posted are right out of the camera, some have had a run through noise ninja and others I was using the in-camera noise reduction. Still, the 5DM2 does incredibly well with noise at high ISO. I've been very impressed so far.

Can't wait to see some reviews on the K-7. Looks like it's going to be one fine piece of equipment :thumbsup2!

[WVDisGeek]

Tell you what; I go in November, how about we split the cost. I'll take it in November first, then you can take it in December, and then you can ship it back to me for our next trip, and then I'll ship it back to you sometime. "Promise"! :rolleyes1

"Promise"...Sure, I'll go for that if you'll let me have it from now until November to practice with...then I "promise" to get it to you in time for YOUR trip! :lmao:

I am going to be following the reviews to see if the ISO and some of the other cool functions justify the bump in price over the K20. I'll also be watching to see if the K20 prices drop.

This is going to be an interesting summer!

[oogieboogieman]

I first heard that this camera was coming on the Olympus forum at Dpreview, it's got alot of people excited. It looks like the old E1, the way the buttons are laid out. I understand how you guys feel and I hope that all the hype is true.

[Quicklabs]

Wow! What great features! This Nikonian is jealous!!!

[Golf4food]

Wow! What great features! This Nikonian is jealous!!!

Join us! We have cookies! (And in-body shake reduction and weather sealing...) ;)

[Steve's Girl]

Busy? What, have you had a baby or something recently ;)? Seriously though, I hope you guys are doing well and adjusting to the 2-kid family style. As one of my friends once told me when we had our second child, "congratulations, you're real parents now!"




Grouch - did you (well, your wife) have that baby and you haven't posted photos yet? I need me a baby fix! Post 'em up!

[YesDear]

Sounds like a nice improvement for Pentax.

Glad I am happy with my boat anchor!

[annnewjerz]

Grouch - did you (well, your wife) have that baby and you haven't posted photos yet? I need me a baby fix! Post 'em up!

Ask and you shall receive. There are some ADORABLE ones in here, it looks like Groucho's got a keeper (and I don't mean the f/1.2, even though I'm sure that's great ;))

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2177736

[Steve's Girl]

Ask and you shall receive. There are some ADORABLE ones in here, it looks like Groucho's got a keeper (and I don't mean the f/1.2, even though I'm sure that's great ;))

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2177736

How did I miss that? Thanks for keeping me in the loop!

[Groucho]

Steve's Girl, looks like you got pointed to the right place already. :)

Sounds like a nice improvement for Pentax.

Glad I am happy with my boat anchor!
:) Now, I was just talking about the weight; you have to admit it's a heavy sucker! But it'd probably be what I'd be using if I wasn't a Pentax guy.

[YesDear]

I used to carry an F2 with a motor drive. Now that was heavy! I do not think the D300 is particularly heavy.

[Groucho]

Well, there's always heavier stuff out there, but the D300 is clearly the heaviest camera in its class (and probably physically largest too, but it's not important enough to bother looking it up IMHO. :) )

[edolyne]

Not sure if anyone has seen the artical on Adorama's site but the K7 looks like a very promising addition to the DSLR market. Adorama came right out and said that it is a game changer and makes a compelling case for owners of other brands to switch to Pentax. Just thought I would share this as I found it very enlightening.

Link (http://www.adorama.com/alc/article/11609)

[Golf4food]

Not sure if anyone has seen the artical on Adorama's site but the K7 looks like a very promising addition to the DSLR market. Adorama came right out and said that it is a game changer and makes a compelling case for owners of other brands to switch to Pentax. Just thought I would share this as I found it very enlightening.

Link (http://www.adorama.com/alc/article/11609)

Thanks for that. I'll have to check it out. :thumbsup2

[RBennett]

Let me get some more opinions or eyes on this, because I'm having a hard time deciding on camera upgrades. I currently have the K100D and for a long time have been watching the K20 as a replacement, when lo and behold the K7 comes out!! :woohoo: BUT, I'm having a hard time seeing the difference between the K20 and the K7 to justify the price difference. From what I can tell, the only things the K7 has better is 1/8000 shutter speed over 1/4000, exposure compensation has been taken to +/-5, 77-segment metering, faster continuos drive shooting (if you need to do that,) and a larget LCD screen. Is all of this worth the extra $500-$600?? :confused3 We've heard reports that it has an improved performance in regards to noise, but is that something that can be calculated? What does everyone else think, taking out the consideration that the K7 is "newer".

[edolyne]

Let me get some more opinions or eyes on this, because I'm having a hard time deciding on camera upgrades. I currently have the K100D and for a long time have been watching the K20 as a replacement, when lo and behold the K7 comes out!! :woohoo: BUT, I'm having a hard time seeing the difference between the K20 and the K7 to justify the price difference. From what I can tell, the only things the K7 has better is 1/8000 shutter speed over 1/4000, exposure compensation has been taken to +/-5, 77-segment metering, faster continuos drive shooting (if you need to do that,) and a larget LCD screen. Is all of this worth the extra $500-$600?? :confused3 We've heard reports that it has an improved performance in regards to noise, but is that something that can be calculated? What does everyone else think, taking out the consideration that the K7 is "newer".

Hopefully I can help you out a little bit on this one, the K7 to me seems to offer quite a bit more than the K20D.

--The viewfinder has been improved and will now offer 100% coverage, great for accurate composition.
--The body is now made of magnesium alloy, this reduces the weight of the camera and also makes it a more robust body than the K20D which I believe was made from molded sheet metal.
--The weather sealing has been improved, they not only have added additional weather seals(to make up for the added ports) but the most notable improvement is that it is now cold resistant down to 14 degrees. Note: this temerature is actually lower than some of the pro level body's offered by N&C which are only rated down to around 32 or 34 degrees.
--A locking mode dial, ok this may sound silly but I can't tell you how many times I have had my mode dial turn on me when i had never intended for it to. Shooting many of the events that I do for our church I can see a huge benefit with having this feature, my only question is why is it that something so small and simple has taken so long to come to the market. Canon and Nikon should be hitting themselves right now that Pentax brought this to market before they did, and I'm really not trying to start a brand war, I have a Canon and wish it had this feature.
--Battery life improvement over the K20D, now rated for about 950 shots or so without flash and somewhere around 750 with 50% flash use(could be wrong on the figures)
--AF assist lamp to help when attempting to focus in very low light, this means you don't have to raise the flash, which can get very annoying.
--Shake reduction has been improved and now also compensates for +/- 1 degree and automatically aligns the horizon, it also has an electronic level built in which will help you align your shot when not on a tripod.
--Dust reduction has been tweaked and upgraded
--Sensor has been redesigned to allow for video and improved noise performance
--In camera HDR(very excited about this cause it just looks so easy compared with the photoshop way)
--Lens correction in camera for distortion and lateral chromatic abberations
--Autofocus has also been completely redesigned to allow for faster more accurate focusing in low light conditions

Alright so there is a list of what I could find that seemed to be different between the two cameras. That is a pretty crazy list of improvements when we add it to the ones you already mentioned. I am personally amazed by all that Pentax has brought forth with this update.

On a side note it is unfortunate that Pentax didn't bring this out sooner as I have many times considered going to Pentax, especially with the price of their glass and the limited primes that they offer. Unfortunatly the K20D didn't have enough features to convince me, but the K7 would have won my heart in an instant. Although after making the list above and reading the post from Adorama I am seriously considering adding the K7 into my kit.

[Groucho]

Welcome edolyne, nice to see another potential Pentax user here. :teeth:

--The viewfinder has been improved and will now offer 100% coverage, great for accurate composition.
100% coverage but slightly lower magnification.

--The body is now made of magnesium alloy, this reduces the weight of the camera and also makes it a more robust body than the K20D which I believe was made from molded sheet metal.
The K20D is a heavy-duty plastic, similar to most advanced non-magnesium DSLRs. If you were dropping them off a rooftop, the magnesium might help for sturdiness, but I think the main real-world benefits are weight - and perceived sturdiness. The K20D is already very sturdy and you can find lots of reports of various Pentax DSLRs (especially the K10D and K20D) going through all sorts of abuse with no ill effects, including being shot into space and being held under running water.

--The weather sealing has been improved, they not only have added additional weather seals(to make up for the added ports) but the most notable improvement is that it is now cold resistant down to 14 degrees. Note: this temerature is actually lower than some of the pro level body's offered by N&C which are only rated down to around 32 or 34 degrees.
The cold is new, but the water/dust resistance is the same I believe. There are more seals in the K7 for the same reasons there's more seals in the K20D than the K200D - there are more buttons/dials/openings. In any case, the K20D certain offers fantastic weather-sealing, I assume the K7 should be just as good.

--Shake reduction has been improved and now also compensates for +/- 1 degree and automatically aligns the horizon, it also has an electronic level built in which will help you align your shot when not on a tripod.
The rotation is manual, I don't believe there's any kind of horizon adjustment. There is a built-in digital spirit level, which I am very excited about!

That being said - the more that I read about the K7, the most excited I am. I love my K20D but wow, some of the K7 features are killer!

RBennett, maybe the reasons why I am eager to go to a K7 from my K20D may help you decide... this is why I'm excited:
Smaller/lighter/more distinct grip. The ergonomics are already great but I am all for more features in a smaller/lighter body!
Better white balance - again, the K20D is quite good (notably better than the K100D) but you can always get better!
Metering - I usually pick spot or center-weighted to get what I want, maybe the advanced metering will allow me to keep it in center-weighted and get consistent results without having to think about it.
Did I mention the spirit level in the viewfinder? :woohoo:
Autofocus - I haven't heard much specific but it sounds like it is pretty dramatically improved. I would love to see parity with the other manufacturers. The AF assist light doesn't hurt, though obviously it's not to be used on Haunted Mansion. :teeth:
High-resolution, larger LCD. 2.7" isn't bad but the extra resolution will really be nice - this is one thing that the K20D probably should have had all along.
720P 30fps video. This means no more having to carry around a PnS to do quickie short videos, like the kind we'd take at WDW. Of course, you can get more serious - I love the shots of the K7 with a big Rode microphone on top at Ned Bunnell's blog (http://nedbunnell.blogspot.com/). :thumbsup2
Better high ISO noise control - again, the K20D is very good but there's always good for improvement! It's hard to say how it will turn out once the camera is on final firmware and we see samples, but some have talked about levels only one stop below the D700... that's pretty big talk but I have a lot of faith in the Samsung sensors!

The other new features are nice but the ones listed above are the things that are making me really want a K7 ASAP. :) (I expect to wait until closer to the holidays, but it depends on how quickly the price drops and how my finances ebb and flow between now and then! I definitely hope to get one before my next Disney trip!)

[edolyne]

Thanks Groucho for some of the clarifications, I'm not a Pentax expert by any means but just wanted to help out. I have to say after making the list of improvements it makes a very compelling case to seriously consider switching brands. Switching is normally a very costly thing to do but with the value that Pentax offers for glass it may just come out about even, which is remarkable.

Pentax really needs to be commended with this release as can't remember a camera that has come out within the last year that had so many new features, it seems Pentax is really trying to show the industry what they are made of.

Thanks for a link to the Pentax President's blog, nice to see that the president is also an avid photographer, shows that they are deeply devoted to the art of photography and improving the experience for everyone.

[Groucho]

Yes, I often think of them as cameras for people who really like taking photos - almost more for enthusiasts doing it for the love of it than people doing it for a job. :) The controls are laid out very nicely, it's generally easy to accomplish what you want with a minimum of fuss. It's really a pleasure to use (except for low-light focusing on some of the older models - I used the K100D a little lately and forgot what an improvement the K20D is!)

I forgot one other thing that I'm really looking forward to - the quietness! By most reports, the K-7 is the quietest DSLR you can buy, it's even much quieter when using the screw-drive AF. I've heard "Leica-like levels of quiet" which is pretty impressive. :thumbsup2 I like to be as quiet as possible sometimes like when taking on-ride photos at Disney - I already turn off all LCDs, quieting the lens would be even better. :)

I'm also looking forward to trying some things like maybe a little on-ride F1.4 or F1.2 video on HM/PotC - and video of the big Splash Mt drop with a fisheye lens. :) There's some 50mm F1.4 video taken with the camera on the blog I linked to that's pretty impressive. I think it also might be fun using the manual lenses to change aperture during a video to really play with DoF.

At the end of the day - I think anyone expecting Pentax to whither up and die under Hoya's ownership will be quite mistaken. :teeth:

[edolyne]

Well I have to admit I was one of those very unsure about Pentax and how they would do under Hoya's ownership. I was flat out wrong, seems that Hoya may be exactly what was needed for them. Plus maybe this means that Hoya may make filters optimized for the Pentax lenses rather than having to go name brand to someting like B+W for a good quality filter.

I love being able to take photo's and when I try out a K7 if it gives me dependable results with little fuss I am going to be very happy. I love taking photo's and would rather be able to concentrate on that rather than my settings. In fact it was after years of taking photo's and loving the artistic ability that it gave me which led me to start up my own little photography company. I really don't make any money at it, yet, but I enjoy doing it and thats really what counts.

Love the ideas about the on ride video's, some of those sound really neat and with the weather sealing on the K7 we don't need to worry about getting the camera a little wet we can just shoot and enjoy. Now my mind is churning with ideas for when we go in 6 months.

[Todd_H]

Did I mention the spirit level in the viewfinder? :woohoo:


I must say, of all the great features of the K7, THIS is the one that I am really jealous of (and the existing weather sealing of this and the K20D).

[ukcatfan]

I must say, of all the great features of the K7, THIS is the one that I am really jealous of (and the existing weather sealing of this and the K20D).

Don't forget that the K200D is also weather sealed (and only ~$500).