The dust question...

So does the dust removal system actually work this time?

It's certainly different. Whereas the K10's system was a noisy, low frequency wobble of the sensor which seemed well-intentioned but largely ineffective, this one is an almost inaudible ultrasonic vibration system. I have it set to perform at power up and so far so good.

It's not scientific, but so far I've not had to get the blower out once. I change lenses an awful lot and I'm fairly certain that by now I'd have had to clean the sensor on either the K10 or especially the *istDS.

Let's see how it goes on, but for now it's a thumbs up.

Battery grip pics

A comment asked for pictures of the battery grip (I think - rather than just lots of generic pictures).




I'm assuming this sort of pic was what is required. This gives a good impression of the look of the camera with the grip attached. I'll try to get some pictures of it actually in use later on.




This one shows the corresponding controls on the grip.

Bear in mind these pictures are a bit of a rushed job in response to a comment. Let me know if you want pictures from a different aspect etc.

Amendment to a niggle

I just realised that the thing that isn't working is my extension tubes. The automatic diaphragm on all my K mount lenses is working just fine along with the aperture ring but when I put them on my extension tube they suddenly don't work.

This is semi good news but a little perplexing.

Now got a battery grip.

OK - let's get this out of the way from the outset. I've not bought a genuine Pentax battery grip but it's a generic exact copy bought on eBay. I can't therefore comment on the genuine Pentax one and say if it's more rugged or better built than the one I got for much cheaper. I'm also using generic spare batteries. Only time will tell if I genuinely saved money. To all intents and purposes, though, its exactly the same to use

Anyway, on to first impressions. Fitting the battery grip is as simple as fitting a tripod mount. All you have to do is peel out the rubber cap from the electrical contacts on the bottom of the camera body and take off the protective corresponding cap from the grip. There's a handy place to stow them in the grip so you don't lose them in the meantime. You then just line it all up and screw the thread into the tripod mount. It's really not complicated.

Once you've got the grip fitted the camera is obviously more bulky. You don't gain any width but the camera is taller. What's immediately apparent is that holding the camera in portrait (vertical) aspect is so much easier. The grip feels exactly the same as using it horizontally; the only difference is where you put your eye. You have all the same buttons and wheels in the same places as if using the camera horizontally so the same ergonomics are there for you. The only thing not under the thumb is your AF mode selector switch that surrounds the AF button.

Using it in landscape aspect the camera immediately feels chunkier and the heel of your hand has something to nestle against. There's a lower centre of gravity also. There is a drawback, and that is that the heel of your hand is on the shutter release button for the grip so it's a good idea to get into the habit of switching off the grip if you're not using it vertically to avoid accidental releases. This has the potential to become annoying, but may be an inevitable consequence and a problem on every camera. Time will tell.

When taking the grip back off to compare the feel without it the camera felt tiny but comfortable and I quickly regained its former feel. It's impossible at this stage to say which I'll prefer but I'm anticipating liking it more with the grip attached.

For now the initial impression is that I like the feel of the camera with the grip attached. My only misgiving is that the grip I purchased feels a tad flimsy next to the solid feel of the camera as it is all plastic in construction. Whether this is an issue for the genuine Pentax grip is something I can't comment on. Looks-wise, I guess it's something down to your own individual aesthetic. I suppose it looks more professional as a lot of jobbing photographers use grips so if you bought your camera to pose with you might like it in that respect. I'm just looking forward to permanently having two batteries to go at in my camera and a spare card tucked away for emergencies.

Been too busy to use it properly.

I keep mucking about taking test shots of this, that and the other but nothing serious.

I used it to video something the other day, though, and that worked just fine. Can't really post the results because they're of a family nature and I like to keep my kids out of anything like this. Wouldn't swap for a camcorder but it's a handy option and might come in for wildlife use.

Anyway, the sun is out and hopefully I can get out and about with it today.

Casual use

Went to a bit of a family get together. Perfect opportunity to just stick it in green mode and snap away for JPEGs. The camera worked just fine and the pictures all came out well exposed. The rapid fire option was great for catching people at play and colours are bright and crisp. The built in flash is excellent with no red eye and great fill in for subjects with back light.

The light weight made it a doddle to use and I didn't feel self conscious every time the shutter went off.

No real niggles to speak of and the screen made instant sharing a breeze.

A bit of a niggle.

I just realised that my old K-M mount lenses will not work fully. There's no mechanical arm to close the diaphragm on shutter release so I'll have to manually stop down prior to shutter release. That's a bit annoying. I guess it's the price to pay for decreased shutter lag but it's a shame it's not there as an option to toggle on and off. Gives me a good excuse to buy a more modern macro lens.

Not the end of the world, I guess. I'll just have to use the old *istDS if I want full functionality out of those lenses.

First walkabout in the park

So the sun came out and I had a chance to get out and about with the K-7 in Stanley Park.

The camera was very easy to use. I found the default of having the screen giving out information all the time really distracting and I doubt it's all that great for battery life but it customises out easily enough and then can be toggled on and off with the INFO button. You know something's ergonomic if you don't really notice anything about holding it and it passes the test so far.

I found that the AF did very well and coped admirably with the challenge of a 500mm lens. At times it missed the subject but that was in awkward and cluttered situations.



I'm a bit of a serial cropper but I deliberately relied on the 100% viewfinder and kept this one full frame. This is sharp enough and noise-free enough to print out very large indeed at ISO 400. Shot in RAW.

I got a lot of keepers and was struggling for choice for which to process and store.

The metering occasionally was over or under but not by much and I was using it in notoriously difficult lighting situations.



The AF and metering seem to have coped here as well.

RAW files come through a bit washed out and lacking in contrast but this seems perfectly sensible and proper when you think about it seeing as you haven't told them to have a sensible amount of contrast like you do with your JPEG settings. A quick spruce up in a RAW editor soon sorts them out.

Anyway, keeping this more real world rather than banging on like a photomag... I found the K-7 superb to carry about and use. The stabilisation really works and the digital level is a great idea. I still can't quite believe how silent the shutter is and the continuous shutter is more than fast enough to follow action.

I'm really happy I got this camera as a replacement at the moment.

First use

Right, so what's this baby like to actually use?

Switching it on is reassuringly solid. The switch needs a bit more of a shove into position and clicks into place a lot more definitely. This is a much more tactile camera. The same is true for all the switches and the mode selection dial which has a much more sensible locking button to stop you catching the thing on your jacket and missing a shot.

The menus are so much more easy to access on the massive screen and rather than being a cluttered and confusing mess the info screen is a rich source of information on what settings your camera is using at the moment. The menu tree is infinitely more navigable with no more endless vertical scrolling and peering at tiny, blocky fonts. The multi-functionality of the 4-way switch is a bit of a surprise at first but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

The actual use of the camera is more or less identical to the K10 with the two wheels setting shutter or aperture or both. A new ISO button that then slaves a wheel while depressed is a welcome short cut away from menu-death. Other more familiar buttons are ergonomically placed. All the modes (except movie) are also exactly the same but it wasn't broken... All seems familiar; and then you press the shutter release. The shutter is like a whisper. There's almost no mirror slap at all and it makes the K10 sound like the trapdoor to Hades. Shutter lag is miniscule and your view is clear again in no time at all. As for if you engage rapid fire, well at last it's usefully rapid. This means you've every chance of catching the action and not scaring your subject. It's almost as quiet as a focal plane shutter on a rangefinder.



Here's an early pic using the Sigma 50-500 in the back garden. The light was OK but heading towards sunset so I was shooting at ISO 400. Shutter speed was 1/400 at f6.3. Now for the interesting bit - this was hand-held! Image stabilisation definitely works on this camera, there's no doubt. Shot in RAW but with no exposure compensation. There's a bit of sharpening and contrast control, but why shoot in RAW if you didn't want to do that, you might as well shoot JPEG and leave the camera to do your dirty work.

I'll bombard later posts with pictures after I've had a chance to have a proper play with it in the park tomorrow.

AF is much more assertive, direct, fast and accurate. I did a lot of test shots hunting sparrows at a distance in foliage and it locked onto the subject using spot focussing as well as you could possibly expect in very low contrast lighting. As for the blackbird in the posted shot it locked on like lightning and actually was sharp. Nothing worth posting because the sparrow was barely larger in the viewfinder than the centre circle but it was sharp.

Metering seems very up to the job. In the blackbird shot I used spot metering due to the backlighting and a desire to see how it coped. Pattern metering also seems to work well on first impressions but there's not a lot just around my house that's worth photographing and posting. I'm sure plenty will suggest itself in the morning.

I like this camera, and it had a hard act to follow.

Well the K7 arrived today, following the untimely demise of my beloved K10.

Impressions out of the box are very good. It's not quite as small as some reviewers gave the impression of and the superbly chunky hand grip feels just right in the hand. I've not got the hugest hands but they're not too small either but holding the camera is great and I don't feel like it's going to slip or make my fingers ache. The camera feels just as solid as the K10 did, if not more so.

The delay while the battery charged was unbearable, but it gave me a chance to just get used to handling the camera. The viewfinder is very bright indeed. Through a fast prime it's like you're looking through a tube. All the buttons you need to access immediately while shooting this time are well and truly under your thumb or forefinger without having to hunt for them. Somebody really did their homework setting this camera out. Oh, and the screen is massive. The other thing that really hit me was that the switches have all been stiffened up so no more accidentally powering off after a preview or knocking it into the wrong mode due to the locking button.

Once the battery was charged it was time to get snapping after a quick initial set up. Again we're on very much first impressions at the moment but the first thing to hit you is just how silent the shutter is and how little mirror slap there is. Then you notice the screen. There's no doubt at all about how your picture turned out any more because the resolution on the screen is fantastic. Gone is the murky, fuzzy postage stamp of the K10 and the contrast is excellent even outdoors in sunlight.

I'll get back with some snaps and so on later, but I wanted to get this post in to set up the blog while first impressions were still strong in my mind.