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The Pentax K-7 is a 14.6 megapixel SLR camera offered by Pentax which is the most powerful camera to be released by Pentax (at time of release). The compact body is made from a magnesium alloy which gives it strength while keeping it light and the case is dust and cold resistant to below freezing. It has a 3" LCD perfect for digital image/video capture and review and has a 100% field-of-view viewfinder. It uses new PRIME II image processing and has a top shutter speed of 1/8000 secs making it ideal for any fast-action situation. The live view mode has contast AF, face detection and optionional histogram, grid and bright/dark area display letting you compose pictures without have to press your eye against the viewfinder. For the best image quality there are several advanced image settings including a dynamic range setting, a lens correction function and a shake reduction system to name a few. Other notable features include HDR image capture which combines 3 seperate image exposures, built in special effects, embedded copyright feature and custom file name selection. Lens sold seperately.
MSRP $1,299.95
Release date May, 2009
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Pros & Cons14
Reviews2
Details
Buy It2
Competitors8
Related1
Gallery1
Pros & Cons
2 positive
0 mixed
0 negative
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The ProSCORE is calculated based on the ratio of Pros & Cons about this product as voted by
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ProSCORE = 100 x (Pro votes) / [(Pro votes) + (Con votes)]
Numbers used for this ProSCORE:
Pro votes = 20
Con votes = 3
Total votes = 23
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Details
Specifications
- Sensor:
- Type - CMOS with primary color filter and integrated Shake/Dust Reduction sensor movement system; Size - 23.4 x 15.6mm; Color depth - 8 bits/channel JPG, 12 bits/channel RAW; Effective pixels - 14.6 MP; Total pixels: 15.07 MP; Recorded resolutions - Still: 14M 4672x3104, 10M 3936x2624, 6M 3072x2048, 2M 1728x1152; Movie (resolution/FPS): 1280x720p30, 1536x1024p30, 640x416p30; Quality levels: Premium, Best, Better, Good; Dust Removal - Supersonic vibration to low pass filter Lens Mount: Type/construction - PENTAX KAF2 bayonet stainless steel mount; Usable lenses - PENTAX KAF3, KAF2, KAF, and KA (K mount, 35mm screwmount, 645/67 med format lenses useable w/ adapter and/or restrictions); SDM function - Yes; Power zoom function: Yes
- Focus System:
- Type - TTL phase-difference 11 point (9 cross) wide autofocus system (SAFOX VIII+); Focus modes - AF Single (w/ focus lock), AF Continuous, Manual; Focus point adjustment - Auto, user-selectable, center; AF assist - Yes, via dedicated AF assist lamp with SAFOX VIII+ system Viewfinder: Type - Pentaprism; Coverage (field of view): 100%; Magnification - 0.92X (w/ 50mm F1.4 at infinity); Standard focusing screen: Natural-Bright-Matte III; Diopter adjustment: -2.5 to 1.5; Depth of field preview - Optical (diaphragm stop down), Digital
- LCD Monitor:
- Type - 3.0” TFT IPS (In Plane Switching) color LCD with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating; Resolution - 921,000 dots; Wide angle viewable - Yes Built-in Flash: Type - Retractable P-TTL popup flash; Guide number: 13 (100/m); Coverage - 28mm wide angle (equivalent to 35mm); Flash modes - On, redeye, slow sync, slow sync + redeye, trailing curtain sync, wireless Flash exposure compensation: -2 to 1 EV in 1/2 steps
- External Flash:
- Type - Hotshoe (P-TTL, high speed sync available), wireless with PENTAX dedicated flash, X-sync socket; Synchronization speed - 1/180 sec Storage Media: Internal memory: n/a; Removable memory: SD, SDHC
- Interfaces:
- Ports: USB 2.0 hi-speed, AV out, HDMI out, DC in, cable switch, 3.5mm stereo microphone; Video out: HD (1080i30, 720p30, 480p30), NTSC, PAL; Printer interfaces: n/a Power Supply: Power source: Rechargeable Li-Ion battery D-LI90, D-BG4 Battery Grip (optional) for second D-LI90 battery or 6X AA batteries; Recordable images: Approx 980 (approx 740 w/ 50% flash, CIPA); Playback time: Approx 440 min; AC adapter available: Yes (optional)
- Physical Specifications:
- Body dimensions (W x H x D): 5.1 x 3.8 x 2.9” Body weight, without battery or removable memory - 22.9 oz, Loaded and ready - 26.5 oz; Construction material(s): Magnesium alloy shell over stainless steel chassis; Operating temperature: 14-104°F (-10 to 40°C) Language Support: English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek, Russian, Korean, Traditional/Simplified Chinese, Japanese
- Image Stabilization:
- Type - Sensor-shift Shake Reduction with rotational compensation (4 stops max); Electronic level function: Yes, verification via viewfinder and top LCD panel Metering System: Type-TTL open-aperture 77 segment metering; Sensitivity range: EV 0 to 21 (ISO 100, 50mm F1.4); Multi-segment: Yes, 77 segments; Center weighted: Yes; Spot: Yes; Exposure compensation: +/- 5 EV (1/3 and 1/2 steps); Exposure lock: Yes; Exposure bracketing: Yes, 3 or 5 frames, up to +/- 2 EV (1/2 or 1/3 steps)
- ISO Sensitivity:
- Auto - ISO 100-3200 (1, 1/2, 1/3 steps), Bulb mode up to ISO 1600, expanded range available to ISO 6400, auto ISO range selectable Manual: ISO 100-3200 (1, 1/2, 1/3 steps), Bulb mode up to ISO 1600, expanded range available to ISO 6400 White Balance*: Auto preset modes - Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent (D, N, W, L), Tungsten, Flash, CTE; Manual mode(s) - Yes, manual and 3 color temperature selections available; * WB fine adjustment available in all modes
- Shutter:
- Type: Electronically controlled, vertical run, focal plane shutter Shutter speed: 1/8000 to 30 sec, bulb Capture Modes: Mode selection: Green, Program (P), Sensitivity Priority (Sv), Shutter Priority (Tv), Aperture Priority (Av), Shutter and Aperture Priority (TAv), Metered Manual, Bulb, X-Speed, USER, Movie; Green simplified mode available: Yes; P/A/S/M/B: P, A, S, M, B (extended modes Sv, TAv); Date stamp: n/a; Digital filters (capture): Custom Image Function includes Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, and Muted modes, each with gamut radar and fine adjustment of saturation, hue, high/low key, contrast, and sharpness (regular and fine adjustment scales). Monochrome mode includes adjustment for filter effects (green, yellow, orange, red, magenta, blue, cyan, infrared), toning (sepia warm/cool), high/low key, contrast, and sharpness (regular and fine adjustment scales). Other capture filters include Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Extract Color, Soft Focus, Starburst, Fisheye, Custom Filter.; Data record: Folder name (standard, date), file name (standard, customizable), embed copyright
- Drive Modes:
- Mode selection: Single, Continuous (Hi, Lo), Self-Timer (12s, 2s), Remote (0s, 3s, continuous), Bracketing (standard, timer, remote), Mirror Lockup (standard, remote), HDR Capture, Multi-Exposure, Interval; Continuous FPS; - 5.2 FPS (40 JPG Continuous Hi, 15 RAW PEF, 14 RAW DNG); - 3.3 FPS (unlimited JPG Continuous Lo, 17 RAW PEF/DNG); Self-timer: Yes (12s, 2s); Remote control: Yes, infrared (0s, 3s, continuous) and cable switch Playback Modes: Mode selection: One Shot (no data, basic data, full data, color channel histogram), Multi Image Display (4, 9, 16, 32, 81 thumbnails), Calendar Filmstrip, Folder, Magnification, Select & Delete, Movie Playback (no data, basic data, full data); Mode pallet: Image Rotation, Digital Filter, Resize, Cropping, Slideshow, Save as Manual WB, RAW Development, Index Print, Image Comparison, Protect, DPOF; Magnification: Up to 32X, scrollable; Digital filters (playback): Toy Camera, Monochrome (filter effects, toning), Retro, Color (6), High Contrast, Soft Focus, Extract Color (6), Starburst, Water Color, Fisheye, Pastel, Slim, Miniature, HDR, Base Parameter Adj, Custom Filter
- File Formats:
- Still: RAW (PEF, DNG), JPG (Exif 2.21), DCF 2.0 (design rule for camera file system), DPOF, Print Image Matching III; Movie (compression): AVI (Motion JPG) Custom Functions: Functions available: 37
- Computer Requirements:
- For device connectivity. Bundled software requirements may vary. Windows: Windows XP/Vista, USB 2.0 port; Mac: MacOS-X 10.3-10.5, USB 2.0 port
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This report was started
September 11, 2009 at 8:36 pm by
Special K
with the last edit occurring
November 8, 2009 at 1:05 am by
Yale
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Buy It
Pentax K-7
• Pentax K-7 14.6 MP Digital SLR with Shake Reduction and 720p HD Video (Body Only)
• K-7 Black SLR Digital Camera Body Only
UPC: 027075155145
EAN: 027075155145
MPN: K-7
Competitors
Pentax K-7 is ranked 3rd among it's competitors.
See the
top picks in
Digital Cameras »
MSRP $1,799.95
Released August, 2009
Pros
- can record video in 720p high definition (best improvement over the D300)
- durable build
- 51-point AF system
Cons
- mono microphone for video recording
- 5 minute video length limit
- not a revolutionary upgrade from the now year-old D300
Pentax K-7
0%
vs.
Nikon D300S
100%
MSRP $1,800.00
Released November, 2007
Pros
- At $1800 it has good specs relative to the $5000 D3
- Large 3" LCD with Live view
- HDMI video output - 1080i
Pentax K-7
0%
vs.
Nikon D300
100%
MSRP $799.99
Released March, 2009
Pros
- utilizes easy to find, capacious and affordable SD/SDHC cards
- large 3" LCD with 920k dots
- 720p video recording at 30fps, or 1080p at 20fps
Cons
- no auto-focus for video
- no external microphone input
- 1080p at 20fps only
Pentax K-7
100%
vs.
Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i
0%
MSRP $1,499.95
Released June, 2009
Pros
- auto-focus can be used while recording video
- stereo microphone for video recording
- 1080p video with silent auto-focus - does not interfere with sound recording (but requires special lenses)
Cons
- only 1080p24. 1080p30 or 1080p60 would be nicer
- double the price of the standard DMC-G1
- no improvement over the DMC-G1 if video is unimportant
Pentax K-7
100%
vs.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
0%
MSRP $1,699.00
Released October, 2009
Pros
- 8fps continuous shooting
- full 1080p video at 30fps, 720p at 60fps
- 1.0x optical viewfinder with 100% coverage
Cons
- 18MP sensor falls short of full frame
- fairly heavy and large
- no dual memory card slot
Pentax K-7
vs.
Canon EOS 7D
MSRP $999.95
Released August, 2008
Pros
- uses standard SD cards
- large display of high quality (920,000-dot color LCD monitor with 170-degree wide-angle viewing)
- very fast (0.15ms start-up, 65ms shooting lag, up to 4.5 frames per second)
Cons
- no continuous autofocus for video recording
- Restricted to record only 5 minutes of HD video and 20 minutes of regular video
- Bundled Software very limited compared to what one gets with a Canon
Pentax K-7
100%
vs.
Nikon D90
0%
MSRP $849.95
Released April, 2009
Pros
- 720p video recording at 24fps
- includes a mini-HDMI port for displaying images on HDTVs (no included cable)
- uses affordable, capacious and easy to find SD storage
Cons
- no autofocusing while recording video in HD
- low resolution display (230K vs the 920K on the D90)
- not all that much more affordable than the D90
Pentax K-7
100%
vs.
Nikon D5000
0%
MSRP $1,399.95
Released October, 2008
The Canon EOS-50D was announced as a sister model, rather than successor, to the EOS-40D. The 50D uses the same body as the 40D, but inside is an upgraded 15.1 megapixel CMOS sensor and the next generation processor (Digic 4, versus the 40D's Digic III), Canon claims that the Digic 4 allows for up...
Pentax K-7
100%
vs.
Canon 50D
0%
Reviews
September 18, 2009
approved
reviewer
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- ruggedized - fully sealed body
- quiet shutter
- quality construction
- fairly compact size
- fast autofocusing - even in low light
- internal optical image stabilization
- records video in 720p at 30fps
- a great step up from previous generations
- 5.2 fps continuous shooting (14 consecutive shots in RAW)
Cons
- video is manual focus only - difficult to change focus, pan or zoom
- noise begins to get noticeable at lower ISO levels than competing options
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October 2, 2009
approved
reviewer

want it
Pros
- ruggedized - fully sealed body
- quiet shutter
- quality construction
- fairly compact size
- fast autofocusing - even in low light
- internal optical image stabilization
- records video in 720p at 30fps
- a great step up from previous generations
- 5.2 fps continuous shooting (14 consecutive shots in RAW)
- backwards compatible with every K mount lens ever made
- 100% viewfinder coverage
Cons
- not many current options for super-fast tele lenses
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This product is also known as:
K, 7, K7