Dynamic range
In their default arrangements the EOS 7D and K-7 have dynamic ranges of 12EV, which is now about standard for a high-end DSLR. Interestingly, both Canon and Pentax have chosen to provide two means of control over the dynamic range by separating the highlight and shadow enhancement.
However, the K-7 allows users to apply both Highlight Correction (on or off) as well as Shadow Correction (with three levels in addition to off), whereas EOS 7D users must choose between boosting the shadows using one of the three setting levels for the Lighting Optimizer (AOL) or preserving the shadows by activating the Highlight Tone Priority mode.
In practice, I find that I am usually better off controlling the highlights with the exposure and boosting the shadows with the AOL or Shadow Correction when necessary. With the Pentax model, I needed to use the Shadow Correction in its highest setting for most of the shots I took in overcast conditions.
