The K-7 Failed My Test, So I've Bought This One!

I shot with the K-7 hands on and tested it for more than an hour, it failed in many ways as far as image quality aspects are concerned and thus I just "fell back" to get something "better" in the Pentax land, which I think is surely the sensible choice for me.

I shall report back later on with a mini review on the K-7 as well as a simple shootout test against my K5D and you will soon know why I did not choose the K-7 (Sad but I shall honestly share my findings). Update: Here is my that K-7 hands-on test and the findings.

Surprisingly, I have also found that my Olive DAL 18-55 Kit Lens is obviously sharper than the DA 18-55 WR which I tested. So, my choice has been just so easy. One K-7 + DA 18-55 WR > 2 x (One K-m Olive + DAL 18-55) in cost but IQ/PQ wise the K-m is just better! I'm not kidding and you will soon know why!

Well, the Olive K-m has just 1,000 units on Earth and I have got one of them, too! :-D

K-7 LCD Split Screen "Feature"!

(Source: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2422/3708171122_2ec21610b4_o.jpg)

The User Report:-

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/66122-k7-bug-temp-malfunction-settings.html

The first two posters in the thread reported the same issue!

It is just so mysterious for a digital camera to have such a (hardware?) bug and problem, which has never been seen and reported for *any* digital camera! Not even for the previous Pentax DSLRs which could be infamous for the poor quality control for various (common) issues. Really Amazing! ( but :-( and why? How come? ) Afterall, it proves again no good the quality control of the K-7 is, IF Any.

Defective K-7 Bought? Blurry but Noisy Images, Crooked Sensor!?

See this user report. It is shocking!

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1036&thread=32360648

Is there any quality control for the K-7 actually? How come such a "bad sample" can reach the hands of an end-user??

As for the noisy image crops as seen, it can be a camera design weakness as well. Who knows? Pentax? The God?

Do also note that that user has 3 K20Ds and 2 K10Ds. Just view the shootout against one of his K20Ds and you should be able to judge!

Disruptive Innovation and Pentax

Thanks to Mr. M42 Guy at the RiceHigh's Pentax Forum, I have just finished viewing the following presentation (an academic analytical article) which summarises well about the past history of Pentax and its business developments and finally the current difficult situations as faced by the *brand* and its company (now Hoya):-

http://www.slideshare.net/Christiansandstrom/disruptive-innovation-and-pentax

Indeed, I have some sorrows in my mind after reading it but I have to say the analyses are just so accurate (some of which are actually also what I have been thinking and talking about) and many facts have yet been reviewed and shared.

Have a look and I recommend it for any objective Pentaxian whom would like to learn something, but of course not for any fanboy.

Noise/Details Shootout and Quick Comparisons: K-7 Vs K20D Vs 50D

The Japanese Digital Cameras Information Blog has posted a shootout with detailed head-to-head comparisons for the three cameras. Crops of original image samples taken by the Imaging Resource and posted in their reviews are pasted together one by one for easy and quick inspection and review:-

http://informationondigitalcamera.blogspot.com/2009/07/pentax-k-7-vs-pentax-k20d-vs-canon-eos.html

It should be noted that Noise Reduction has been turned off for each camera and high ISO images from 1600 to 6400, which are direct Jpegs from the three cameras, are compared.

It can be seen from the many comparisons that the K-7 is most noisy at all ISO speeds but details could be less. The 50D images are the least noisy and more details are retained. Not toally surprisingly, for what people have posted so far, the K20D actually performs better than K-7 for both noise control and details retained, in general. For a few crops, the K-7 and K20D both retain some more details than the 50D but not so for most cases.

Well, maybe you can just go view and measurebate yourself and compare endlessly before you would know the differences! ;-) I think that Blog has done a great job in making those easy and quick comparisons, which are just very useful afterall. Well Done, Guy(s)! (Thumb Up)

Strange Vertical Line Strikes Production K-7 Again!

Well, I guess I might be the first person to discover the line in a production K-7 last time when I was viewing a production K-7 sample photo and unintentionally found the line, as it is just too obvious.

Now, new K-7 user reports and a similar strange vertical line that is always there! Yet once again! :-L

See:-
http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/65879-k7-busted-sensor-strikes-production-body.html

If you still can't see the line clearly, here is a clearer exaggerated representation of the same picture:-

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/660684-post6.html

So, I think this issue has now been confirmed as it is not uncommon. Good luck, all new K-7 users!

What cause(s) this? A design and/or quality issue? Who knows?

Samsung NX Revelation: A Never-Heard Lens Maker

See what 1001 Noisy Cameras report and comment:-

http://www.1001noisycameras.com/2009/07/samsung-nxseries-revelation-optrontec-is-the-exclusive-lens-provider.html

This move is much questionable if true, as quoted:-

- Who is Optron-Tec and how will their lenses be perceived by photographers in a world of Canon, Nikon, Leica, Zeiss, Pentax and Olympus? Samsung is already is considered by many as a lower-tier manufacturer in terms of camera development when compared to the aforementioned companies. Adding an unknown exclusive lens maker may be the *Debbie Downer Alert* kiss of death for the NX-series.

- What about Pentax? Are they completely shut-out of NX since this company is presented as the exclusive provider?

- Would there be some compatibility with the K-world with an adapter?

Well, I bet shortly we would know if the NX is really announced duely. And yes, both Pentax(Hoya) and Sigma previously denied that they had no involvement in the NX project in particular the optics part. So, this makes the lens maker for the NX system very mysteric. It only leaves Tamron and Tokina as the possible partners, but it is rather unlikely, especially as Tokina is also owned by Hoya and Hoya had already said that they knew nothing about the NX.

I Shall have a Look at the K-7 Myself, Hands On..

Although there are a dozen of good reasons for why not Pentax now. Still, I must admit that I have so many K-mount lenses already which I feel sad to part with and they are all innocent! :-(

So, after reading my might be somehow "overreacting" post (in which I have indeed mentioned many hard facts on the current situations), some of my friends just told me that I should try the K-7 myself more deeply and see if it actually could be a body that I can still use, especially considering that I am *still* sourcing an APS-C or even Micro-4/3 "compact" "P&S" DSLR and I have the need to supplement the long focal range as well. (which I have also told that last time)

So, my choices? The candidates are: Canon 40D (not 50D which PQ is inferior and far more expensive), 500D, Pana GH1, Oly E-P1 and finally the K-7. Each camera body is indeed to each of their own, frankly, say:-

- 40D is outdated but it's cheap. It is yet a machine-gun that focuses and "advances" faster than the K-7, though. But the main cons is it cannot fully utilise my K-lenses! But another pro is that it can use my "emerging" Canon glass (lineup)!!

- 500D has all the updated features and is really compact and lightweight. Its noise control is found to be better than the K-7 for all those samples I have seen and inspected. The kit is cheap in cost too. But I really cannot accept that super cheapo and toy feeling of this camera, and the Canon kit lens as well, which just feels rather bad in my hands. And, it's just a too common model and everyone in the streets is holding one! (which I don't like neither)

- GH1, I think, is a DV cam more than a typical DSLR! I don't like the EVF neither but still I think that least is better than none! (which the E-P1 has none)

- E-P1: This little gem is really elegant! It does do AF in realtime continuously under the Movie mode too, which is an almost unique selling point by now. Its CDAF is faster than the 500D but not as fast as the Pana. But the problem is this E-P1 does not even have flash but only a hotshoe and does not have any EVF, neither, not even for an option! :-(

- K-7.. Well.. (I think I have collected many many information about it here already!)

But however, if I still buy the K-7 finally, I think I am still not willing to buy any Pentax lens anymore, except for the need of a new standard zoom, which might be the old DA 18-55 II, which is half the price of the new WR version. Or, simply that I do not buy new lens anymore but just buy the new body as a single accessory to my old lenses - which is what I am thinking - in contrast to what I buy new Canon lenses as accessories to my Canon body!

Further investing new lenses in Pentax is really unwise, owing to the crazily set high prices nowadays, and more so on the unknown future of those DA lenses on Full Frame (Well, now the K-7 yet shows once again that if we want high pixel count *and* low noise, it just means Full Frame!) as well as the limited good choice of better lenses in the current Pentax lineup. (Those SDM lenses are damn slooow!)

I shall publish my hands-on impressions and test results later and soon you will know if the K-7 actually passes or fails in my test and assessment! (Update: Here is my K-7 hands-on test and the findings.) If it does not fail, I might buy it very shortly. The K-7 body alone is indeed not a huge cost compared to my lens collections, both a large Pentax one and a mini Canon lineup which is now consisted of 3 Canon L zooms plus 3 EF primes. Especially considering that all the Pentax lenses are of high prices (not actual values) like Diamonds, it *still* might worth! ;-)

Stay Tuned, I shall let YOU know and SHARE my observations and findings, wholeheartedly and for all the truths!

An Useful K-7 Hands-on Report with Full Sized Higher ISO Samples

http://www.dchome.net/viewthread.php?tid=719617&extra=page%3D1
(Text in Traditional Chinese)

And the tester's observation and comments are as follows:-

1. AF is responsive outdoor, no hunting. But at lower light and when slower zooms are used, hunting occurred.

2. Screw driven AF is faster than SDM, he compared the FA 31 and 77 Limited (My Remark: which are the most famous slow focusing Pentax film lenses!) against the DA* 50-135 and he found that the film Limited were faster.

3. Metering is very very accurate.

4. Auto WB under white light source is good, not so for tungsten lighting. The new CTE mode is good too.

5. 5 FPS frame mode is fast but when used in conjunction with AF-C, frame rate dropped to around 2 FPS. (This is exactly the same as what a famous HK local magazine tested and reported.)

6. D-Range function is useful. He also likes the electronic level meter and the multiple exposure function.

7. SR seems to be more effective. No blur with a DA* 50-135 at 50mm and shot at 1/6th second!

8. Operations are good in generation and major functions can be directly accessed.

9. Built-in flash is accurate, no burnt-out was seen.

10. The Lock button of the mode dial is very *annoying*, which he finds it is just redundant and hinder operations!

11. LiveView AF is bad.

12. Noise level and control is not good. He remarks that he is a full frame shooter and that all those APS-C DSLRs are more or less the same (nothing comparable he means). He expects that the K-7 would be similar to the K20D in this aspect and he reminds us to be not having higher expectation for the K-7 regarding this. (:-))

13. There is colour cast on the LCD mon and it does not look accurate for brightness and colours neither.

14. He feels that the K-7 is just too expensive and should be cheaper.

And, he has posted full size high ISO samples taken at the same place and at almost the same time. The NR setting is defaulted. The jpeg images are compressed for upload:-

ISO 400: (Warning: Large Files!)
http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/3269/imgp9539.jpg

ISO 800:
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/3975/imgp9541.jpg

ISO 1600:
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/4599/imgp9544.jpg

ISO 3200:
http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/7126/imgp9548v.jpg

ISO 6400:
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/8228/imgp9551.jpg

And, comparison shots between the K-7 and the K200D are also shown:-

http://www.dchome.net/redirect.php?goto=findpost&pid=8464323&ptid=719617

(GAME: You guess what the "Machine A" and "Machine B" are before looking at the EXIF! :-D Which test shots are from the K-7 and which are from the K200D??)

A Few Un-edited K-7 Samples for Noise Performance Analysis

With reference to my last report, more samples are being uploaded by new Japanese K-7 users at the Photoble:-

http://pentax.photoble.net/?L=en

Since some people are unconvinced that the K-7 is no better than the K20D in IQ and noise performance but could be even worse, there is no harm to re-visit the latest samples and see more objectively about the truth.

First look at these two pictures, the first is at ISO 200 by the K-7, the latter is at ISO 400 from the K20D. The Contrast and Sharpness settings are both at +1 and +4 respectively, NR is not applicable for both images:-

http://pentax.photoble.net/?exif=090707003 (K-7, ISO 200)

http://pentax.photoble.net/?exif=090706006 (K20D, ISO 400)

You judge yourself for which picture is more noisy!

Okay, if the ISO 200 picture of the K-7 is not good enough, let's look at the ISO 100 picture then, here is a recent example:-

http://pentax.photoble.net/?exif=090704012

The Sharpness setting is only at +1 this time. Can you see the noise? Still?

The link is always there and I recommend that anyone who are interested can always check back. In particular, I recommend to download those un-retouched samples with full EXIF and generated by the camera, instead of others that are edited and massaged and with many EXIF data destroyed. Just remember that all those uploaded samples are *Real*! And they are made by the production K-7 cameras that the new *end-users* (but not "reviewers"!) have just bought from the streets in Japan.

Nonetheless, I know that some people would still say or argue that we need to use RAW to get the best IQ out of a camera. So, still, you can look at those RAW converted images in the above end-user K-7 samples gallery, here is one shot at ISO 100:-

http://pentax.photoble.net/?exif=090704000

Now, the sharpness and details have been (much) improved, but the noise becomes so terrible. Remember, it is an ISO 100 shot! Just!

As for the FAKE green colours, look at the above shot and also this one, which is with the "Natural" custom image tone and produced in-camera:-

http://pentax.photoble.net/?exif=090704006

Again, anyone can inspect more and more of those new real user samples. I blog, you decide!