The SR of this K-7 user is not working, but even worse, it causes blur! See the comparison photos he posts:-
http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/73376-k-7-shake-reduction-problems.html
There was also another very similar report by another K-7 user previously. He then sent back both his K-7 body for replacement and also his Sigma lens for "updating", then he finally reported that there was no problem shortly after his brief test:-
http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/68202-pentax-k-7-shake-reduction-problem.html
But it seems that the cause of the SR problem he encountered is not the Sigma lens, but just his first K-7 body, as he mentioned in the beginning that the same SR issue was found with his other Pentax lenses.
Possibly this user got a lemon K-7 of which the SR system just always caused blur.
But since I have never heard about similar SR issue reports for previous Pentax DSLR bodies with SR, this *new* K-7 quality issue really looks worrisome, especially when SR system causes blur instead of compensating for the hand-shake blur!(??!)
Least but not least, I think even the K-7 SR system does not malfunction, it is just not a great performer. Its effectiveness is low, especially for longer lenses, just see the results of this recent Image Stabilisation shootout test as carried out by the prestigious Japanese Impress DC Watch.
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Monday, September 14, 2009
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Comments by IntenseDebate
K-7 Shake Reduction (SR) Problems
2009-09-14T07:25:00+08:00
RiceHigh
Issues|K-7|Quality Issues|Shake Reduction|
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David Timmerman · 808 weeks ago
Oh great, the debate over in-camera versus in lens........PopPhoto did a study a couple years ago, and it showed that on smaller lenses, Sony and Pentax in camera tests equaled the Canon and Nikon models, but Canon's 70-200 IS lens outperformed the in-camera models.....The added qualifier though was the Canon IS lens was more than twice as much as the non-IS lens, which was more expensive than many of the third-party lenses....
pscl57 · 808 weeks ago
http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-di...
Real Engineer · 808 weeks ago
Ever thought it may really be a problem elsewhere or is it too easy to blame the manufacturer?
I got my firts K10D, it was damaged in transit so badly that the case cracked.
it still worked fine but I had it replaced.
Courier issue.
Big heavy box landed on my little camera.
I should have blamed Pentax.
Blogged about it to everyone as though Pentax had two horns and sat by Satan himself when producing products.
I now have a K7.
love it.
No problems.
So if I follow rice's example of extrapolating one incident into an problem with the entire production line and quality control, then I would have to make the claim that there are no one else with problems.
So there you have it.
Ricehigh's blog proves there are no problems with the K7 at all because I have none.
If it works in condemning Pentax for you, then it works for vindicating them for me.
r.e. SR testing:
BTW, what kind of engineer mistakes no controlled testing for controlled testing?
What controlled variable is there in that test?
The lens was at a different focal length, the two were never compared side by side.
Can they give me the vibration waveforms they induced into each camera?
No.
Because they do not have controlled testing.
Did they even try the simplest process of elimination, by placing both cameras on one platform so at least they were subjected to a near similar motion?
No.
So what we have is garbage in -> garbage out.
Much like this blog.
K-7er · 808 weeks ago
If anything it shows the SR built into the K-7 works (apparently better than the EP-1). The number of sharp shots more than doubled when the K-7's SR was turned on versus less than an 18% increase when the EP-1's IS was turned on
A more direct comparison between the two is difficult; it's complicated by the fact the EP-1 used a slightly higher shutter speed than the K-7. Different ergonomics and the ways the two cameras may be typically held may also explain why the EP-1 generally had a higher number of sharp shots.
Most surprising was that the number of sharp shots dropped on the EP-1 when the IS of the Panasonic lens was turned on, the number of sharp shots was LOWER than those with no IS at all. When both forms of IS were turned on they effectively cancelled each other out, that's not a surprise since a similar result is shown on a youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPdy52mR6Io
Which brings me another fairly surprising result: that the K-7's SR systems does not seem to interfere with the IS of the Sigma.
To infer anything further from the results would not be wise since it seems more of a casual experiment than a scientific test
Real Engineer · 807 weeks ago
That's not a very hard thing to do from an engineering perspective and makes perfect sense.
Till I find the source its only hearsay from me but the results support it.
The results sure do not support that it is ineffective as RH claims.