Pentax K-7 at a glance:
- 14.6 million effective pixels
- Live View on 3in, 920,000-dot LCD screen
- HD video at 640×416, 1536×1024 or 1280×720 pixels (16:9) at 30fps
- Moving, self-levelling sensor
- Street price approx £1,190
Pentax K-7 review – Introduction:
At the official press launch of the Pentax K-7, Pentax allowed the journalists to retain the pre-production samples. Although at the time Pentax UK’s representatives believed that these cameras needed just a final firmware upgrade to bring them up to full production specification, their Japanese colleagues later announced that a slight modification was required to optimise noise control, especially at high sensitivity settings.
While this information was made available at the same time as the firmware upgrade was sent, it caused problems for some testers who were already committed to publishing a review.
At AP we have a policy of testing only full production model cameras so our tests accurately reflect the buyer’s experience. Consequently, while this test of the Pentax K-7 may not be the first, it is the first of a full production sample.
As Pentax’s first real high-end enthusiast DSLR, the 14.6-million-effective-pixel K-7 faces tough competition from the likes of the Canon EOS 50D and the new Nikon D300s.
However, it isn’t just a ‘me too’ model, as it has a few unique features such as a sensor that can automatically rotate by as much as 2° to correct a sloping horizon and an in-camera HDR mode.
It is also very compact for a camera of this level, and has 77 weatherproof seals to keep moisture and dust at bay. The prospect of a small, highly functional DSLR that might have the class-leading detail resolution of the Pentax K20D is truly enticing.
