Pentax K-7 hands-on shots leak out
By Nilay Patel 
posted May 19th 2009 12:47PM
posted May 19th 2009 12:47PM
[Thanks, Rye]
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Don't hate me, trying to get my browser to remember my password.... sorry.
Don't worry, we'll just low rank you.
I wouldn't say "Poor Pentax" just yet.
Could all be a carefully staged marketing ploy of leaked specs and photos to give pause to DSLR buyers looking at Nikon and Canon's comparable offerings, since they're actually available to buy now.
"What do you do for a living?"
*I take pictures of cameras.... with another camera...*
"So, you're postmodernist?"
"What makes you say that?"
Pentax makes and has made some truly great cameras, but I can't help thinking that this too will be a failure.
Pentax was a world class maker right up there with Nikon in the film years, but they dropped out of the race for digital. I their absence Canon and Nikon dominated the mindspace of camera users.
Pentax has a number of issues; Pro camera buyers already are usually invested in a certain set of lenses and accessories. Many camera buyers are quite frankly unthinking fanboys anyway, and the dominant brands have had time to brainwash them into brand worship. Complete amatuer camera buyers are more comfortable sticking with brands they have heard of and hear the fanboys spout about.
For any one of a number of reasons, Pentax is just looking at the wrong end of consumer inertia, no matter how good the product is.
I think you just described every DSLR manufacturer not named Canon or Nikon.
If they could ever get the 645 out, that would give them an edge. On the other hand, if they wait too long, Nikon will own the prosumer and low-end pro medium format medium.
It's definitely frustrating to watch Pentax fail to recapture their former standing.
You forgot the Sony Alpha... which is slowly but steadily gaining traction. Which considering all the Minolta Glass I have is a great thing for me.
Pentax (and Olympus) had already ceded much of the consumer SLR market to Canon (and to a lesser extent Nikon) by the mid 1980s. The situation predates digital.
This K-7 looks to be the best Pentax dSLR yet, and the K20 was already pretty darned good. I think things are on the up-and-up over at the big P.
Maybe, and I'm still not around a whole lot of photographers but the people I've been around rave about my K20d. I started out with the K110D cause it works for my old lenses, and I liked the quality a lot. Now with the big number of megapixels and options on the 20, I'm happy as a pig in slop. I know quite a few guys that use Canon and Nikon and thoise are great cameras, but I think Pentax is starting to see the need to reverse the trend. Dollar for dollar my Pentax will compete with any camera out there.
Pentax-fans.com? What's next? A doctor just for your teeth?
You're going to be Ms. Ex-gadget if you keep up with that behavior.
Engadget are you serious? A competitor to the Rebel or D5000? The K7 is in a different league! It has a 100% glass prism view finder, full magnesium build, totally weather sealed, more FPS, x-sync port for studio lighting, and built in shake reduction. This camera is aimed squarely at Nikon D300 * Canon 50D users that want top notch build quality and features with less bulk.
Exactly.
I shake my head whenever Engadget talks about cameras as if they are completely clued in on the subject. It's not a cheap shot on the team, they are putting in an effort, surely. It's just that they do little research on the subject when it comes to DSLRs.
Engadget do your lesson please, the K7 is not a competitor to the Rebel and D5000. The K7 is competing against the higher 50D and if the speculations are right is well above it in some ways (build in shake reduction that works in video mode, very strong weather sealing and cold protection + weather sealed kit lenses, 100% viewfinder coverage, smaller size, 720p (possible higher?) video mode with autofocus to name a few)
I couldn't agree more. This is not aimed to take on the lower end models, but the 50D and D90.
It's clear that the fine folks at Engadget know less than nothing about digital cameras and photography.
You guys should really hire someone who knows their stuff. Your news and opinions on camera gear is as bad as the poor reviews at the New York Times.
I won't even comment on how silly it is to compare this camera to a Rebel or D5000 before you even have official specs.
" it'll be a solid competitor to the Canon Rebel T1i and the Nikon D5000"
The K-7 in not an entry level consumer DSLR like them two.
I heart Pentax and hope this is a win. But I'm probably holding out for the first u4/3 with HD autofocus video to come in under $1,000.
Now now now, lets be kind to Engadget - they seem to be the only non-Pentax Fanboy site covering this leadup to the K-7. And, think about it, they may be right that the K-7's major competitors are the D-5000 and Rebel, and maybe that what we want. Ok, for a similar price, some choose the Pentax over those inferior cameras because of its features and quality. Those are entry level, or newbies, to the SLR game, and begin to invest in Pentax lenses and flash units. They are retained in future Pentax models.
True, if its feature-set is what has been reported, the K-7 is a value compared to the D-300, D90, and 50D, but the volume of cameras sold are in the sub-$1k market, and if Pentax can make headway there, it could have customers for generations.
I am concerned that the camera may be too small to be considered by professionals like myself who may be holding onto their Pentax film systems, while using midlevel models from Nikon or Canon, or one of the few that haven't even made the switch yet. Just like Sony had to abandon a pop-up flash for the A900, some photographers correlate size to profession level. You look at a Nikon D300, its got the girth of a pro model, and I don't like shooting my K10D without my battery grip bc it just seems small, like a Rebel.
Pentax has no video camcorders. Personally, I think they would wise to pursue the value proposition as they've been doing as well as the HD video segment. Canon and Nikon have given a few of their SLR's basic video capability, but crippled it with lousy sound, no autofocus, no manual in video, etc. One Nikon has 1080p - but only 20 fps! talk about stupidly crippled. Sony has no video in any of their newly announced SLR's. They are protecting their separate camcorder franchises.
Meanwhile, for consumers it's completely idiotic to have to maintain two completely separate camera and lens systems for video and stills. And to have to invest in an expensive HD video camcorder with a stupid little 1/3 inch chip or something. It's all digital and the same camera can easily do both. And by having just one system to invest in, people would be much more likely to go for that expensive big sensor SLR and buy a couple of nice lenses for it as well. Panasonic with their GH1 has made a bold play in this direction and I think will win a lot of converts, even though the camera is $1500. It still makes sense.
Video with a large(r) sensor is the killer feature that will make me buy a new SLR and I hope Pentax comes out with the K7 and hopefully a K30 with 1080 video and usable frame rates, good sound, stabilization, etc. I like my K10D but whoever gets this really right will get my $$.
Like the above posters; this is not going to compete with the T1i or the D5000; it's competitor is the D90 and the 50D, and will likely blow those away. My brother, who is a D90 shooter, is all ready to ditch it for the K-7 (making the transition to the Pentax system to boot). Let's get our facts straight.
And no, it's really not OK for Engadget to lowball here, because if this is priced at around $1500, which I think is a *very* reasonable price point, Edgadget and some of its readers might view, and worse publish, that in a negative light.
Engadget,
a lot of people who are mostly knowledgeable in tech are watching your article.
If you make such unbelievable mistake (comparing Pentax K-7 to Canon Ti and Nikon D5000...?????? which is supposed to be with Nikon D90 or Canon 50D), I'm sure soon people will question your credibility for gadget info.
For this simple comparison you've done wrong, how about other things posted here?
lol, Ti and D5000? someone didn't quite read the spec sheet...
And that's a weather resistant kit lens, which seems worth mentioning.
"So, you're postmodernist?"
"What makes you say that?"
I'd say "poor Pentax" if the K-7 is seen as a potential competitor to the D5000 and Rebel Ti/EOS 500D. The K-7 has specs higher than the D90 (and slightly below the D300) and similar to the EOS 50D. If it improves on the K20D in image quality it may still have the best image quality among APS-C models.
Please Engadget, if you are not photo experts, do some home work before posting things like this:
"if it comes in around $1000, it'll be a solid competitor to the Canon Rebel T1i and the Nikon D5000."
Nobody would price such a thing at $1,000. But at around $1,299 for body only it is entirely possible.
I think the only reason engadget is making a comparison to the d5000 and t1i is because of the hd movie mode, however as it has been abundantly stated this is in a completely different league. The current top of the line pentax K20D competes pretty well against the Nikon D90 and possibly even the D300 (as well as canon's 50D). When asked earlier this year about the new cameras, pentax representatives stated that this new camera will be placed in a new class above the K20D. If pentax's naming convention is any indication (in increasing order from consumer to more advanced: K2000, K200D, K20D), then this K7D (with only one digit) is a whole new class above the K20D
I think you'll find the K20D takes on the 40D/D90/D300 in terms of image quality. This K7 is aimed towards the D300/50D cameras in not just image quality, but FPS, AF performance, High ISO performance etc etc. To say the K7 is aimed at the Rebel XTi and D5000 is a joke. Complete ignorance.
I agree with Engadget.
Looks like a great camera, but I doubt the average Canon 50D owner would consider it.
A potential 500D purchaser might though.
One that doesn't understand (or need) the systems support that Canon or Nikon offer.
What is this systems support you refer to?