The Pentax K-7 is the best all around digital SLR I have ever owned or used. As a constant companion this system cannot be beaten. With the DA pancake lenses attached, the K-7 is small and unobtrusive. Yet it is a powerful photographic tool. Every feature needed by an experienced photographer is found on this body. Plus a few extra. Also, it has fully auto modes so you can easily hand it to a less experienced user and simply say "point and shoot". For years, to have a rugged weather proof camera meant hauling around an enormous body. The K-7 is built like a tank yet is small and light. I have carried it for at least 100 miles of hiking (not all in one day) and it is a joy. Easily hangs behind my arm while walking on the street so it is always ready.Performance is fast and reliable in all conditions indoors and out. Note: startup time can be greatly improved to near instant by turning off the shake reduction feature when not needed.
As an added bonus, the "kit" lens included with this body is exceptional. I think Canon and Nikon take pride in providing the most ridiculously crappy lenses in their "kits". So much plastic you can't even use them as paper weights. But this Pentax 18-55 is amazing! Weather sealing, smooth manual focus action, and astonishingly high quality optics.
As a compact, all purpose system for travel and constant carry, the K-7 plus a couple tiny DA lenses is a pleasure. You can argue over image quality all day. But the reality is that you have to have the camera with you to get the image. And this system is small enough and tough enough that it will always be ready when needed.
1 Build construction which is far superior to the Nikon or Canon
2 Size. Smaller than the other two and much nicer to hold and feels better in the hand.
3 Weather proofing. I had to take some pictures on the beach the other day with a friend who has a Canon. It started to rain and my friend had to scurry for cover. I was able to finish the shots and not worry about the camera getting a little wet.
4 Lenses. I really like the selection of Pentax lenses. They seem better value for money and the DA* series is great. When you boil down the selection of what you really need or can use on your camera the Nikon or Canon selection is not as huge as it looks unless you are a sports photographer and need a super long lens. Plus you can use older lenses and I have bought a couple of older second hand lenses like a super wide angle that I do not use often, but enjoy to have.
5 Value for money. Pentax gives you a much better camera at this price level than Canon or Nikon.
Image quality from what I have seen to very close between all the better cameras. With any of these cameras you have to read the manual and practice using the camera to make the most of it. With a little practice now I am finding the layout of the controls on the Pentax brilliant and can quickly and easily make any of the adjustments I need. There are so many great and clever features that I really enjoy. The shops also made a big deal about the mode dial on the Canon and Nikon. This is great for beginners and the Pentax is more a Prosumer camera. But the Pentax has these same setting in the menu if you want them and we sometimes use them for general shooting.
I love this camera. It does not look like a big hunk of plastic sitting there and has a quality feel to it. It is very easy to learn to use and the resulting photos are fantastic even with the kit lens. My best recommendation is to go to a shop and hold the Pentax side by side with the Canon and Nikon and you will see the differences I have noted above. It really swings the decision to the Pentax.I have only had a point-and-shoot camera in the past. I had been wanting a DSLR for a while now, and planned on purchasing one with my tax refund this year. I was debating between a K-7 and a K-x. After doing A LOT of research I pretty much came to the realization that in the digital SLR photography world there are two big players, Canon and Nikon. After discussing my choices with my friends, one mentioned that his roommate had a K20 and loved it! I started to research Pentax, and discovered the incredible value to cost that you get from Pentax! I was sold on the K-x, then I started thinking I would like to have the benefits of amazing features and the weather seals. I live in Colorado and who knows when the weather will change. Also the stainless steel chassis and magnesium alloy body were a big sell. This K7 feels like you could use it as a hammer!! It doesn't feel like a feather-light toy, as some competitors do. (Same with the 2 WR lenses) Plus the feature list of the K-7 is amazing.
I received it earlier than the promised date. It was packed fairly well and the package came in good condition. I took it out and set it to P and shot auto for the first day with the 18-55mm WR lens. I took some awesome shots on a "nature walk" through my neighborhood. I have moved onto the manual mode and have started to get into all the features to this camera. (There are so many!!) Having it for 4 days now, I have shot almost 1400 shots. Both indoor and outdoor. I have taken 30 second time delayed night shots, cloudy, full sun, indoor no flash, with flash. The high ISO noise that I have read people complaining about on forums is minimal if you have the settings right! I already have a "highlight reel" folder with my best shots.
I decided to go with Pentax because they are headquartered in Colo. Also I like the fact that I can go buy used lenses and use them in manual focus. A beginner can use this camera and get good results. Yet there is plenty of room to grow into the advanced features and functions!Great camera, big improvement in low-light AF from previous Pentax DSLR's. One thing you must know is Pentax is one of the very few companies who make in-body stabilized DSLR's and used the same mount since film, allowing all current 3rd party lenses and manual lenses from 30 years ago to work on this body and still maintain optical stabilization. Huge advantage for Pentax over it's competitors, but sadly the world is brainwashed by what they see in Best Buy and the advertisements.
Pentax builds cameras for photographers and hobbyists at the best of their ability. Pentax does not create 3 DSLRs in the same class, pricing them one over another after stripping features. Pentax are a loyal company to their loyal consumers; you will never see them screw their consumers over by producing a bunch of half-baked bodies and advertise them as everything. They make one DSLR for entry-level and one DSLR for semi-pro and putting all they have to offer for a more than reasonable price.
Aside from the quality of Pentax's craftsmanship throughout the years, the superb build quality of the K-7 is not to be forgotten, that over 50 years of producing some of the finest film SLR's and DSLR's, all of that innovation and time spent have been put into creating this masterpiece. 77 weather-seals making it resistant to dust, rain, and cold temperatures, this is truly the most powerful Pentax ever built to date.
Sometimes the best just don't get talked about, in fact most of the best things in life don't get talked about. Most people can't think for themselves. Out of all the people in the world, only a very select few who knows what's best for themselves. People don't come to realize the best things in life until it's too late. I'm glad to be part of the few who figured it out for myself. I do things in life that's best for me, not what others think is best for me. I go Pentax when others say otherwise, because when I held a Pentax in my hands for the very first time, I knew that was it.After years of keen 35mm SLR photography I had retired my old Pentax kit and settled for compact digital photography, waiting for the "right" DSLR camera to come along. After seeing reviews of the K7 it seemed the ideal camera with the right spec and that would allow me to use my older Pentax glass so I took the plunge and ordered one along with the DA 18-55 lens.
First impressions were good, nice and neat in the hand (other DSLRs will feel bulky), feels expensive, buttons well laid out and menus clear and a nice shutter sound. Its first assignment was on the continental divide in CO in mid Feb and it performed flawlessly in snow and temperatures significantly lower that the camera's quoted -15C. The 5.2 fps worked really well for action sequences and the images came out crisp and clear. Since then it has been used for more ordinary photography and has continued to impress; my wife is an artist and she has been using it for her work and loves it.
So, in short, it has been an excellent purchase that I am very happy with indeed. The camera compares very favourably in operation and performance to Canon and Nikon cameras that I have encountered, is better looking and has less "pose factor" than those brands (which I like).
Image quality is excellent with clear vibrant colours, operation smooth and easy to use with an excellent array of useful modes and features, weatherproofing effective. The low ISO performance which seems to be a criticism in reviews has not been an issue for me at all as I don't do that much of it, but results have been good for me even in low light. The kit lens is an ideal out and about lens and weatherproof, but don't expect it to be amazing optically as it is pretty cheap but it gets decent results and there is a huge choice in new and old Pentax lenses for all requirements. Video performance is also good and it's a welcome feature I use it more that I thought I would.
All in all, delighted and fully recommend.
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