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.