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First outing with the K7

jonoslack

Active member
Well, I looked once too often, and now I have a K7, with the 16-50 DA lens and the 100mm f.8 macro.
I gave it a run out yesterday evening - tricky backlit situation, bu it seemed to do pretty well (even if I didn't!)

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Just a family do, but good fun was had by all.
 

Diane B

New member
Ah, enjoyed those and what a neat set of creative folks you hang with.

I suspected something like this when I saw all that gear for sale --and especially the 45 f/2.8.
 

Terry

New member
Well, it doesn't seem to have taken you very long to master this camera. Well done...looks like everyone had a splendid time.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Some lovely photos in there, Jono, but now I'm curious:
These photos confirm my previous impression of the K7. The colours look perfect, and exactly how I like them. Are these shot with auto WB? RAW or jpeg? Any PP?
The blown highlights do not look so perfect. It would be interesting to "borrow" a RAW file (DNG) with blown highlights to see what's in there.

How do you feel about the ergonomics?
 

jonoslack

Active member
Ah, enjoyed those and what a neat set of creative folks you hang with.

I suspected something like this when I saw all that gear for sale --and especially the 45 f/2.8.
Hi Diane
Thank you - I had been looking at the NEX, and there was a K7 looking at me out of the cabinet. I gave myself a week's cooling off period, now I've bunged all my m4/3 stuff on ebay together with my beautiful (unused) M7. I'm hoping to realise enough to get a couple of the tiny primes as well.

Of course, it's nothing like as small as m4/3 or the NEX, but the pentax lenses are very small, and the whole kit is weatherproof, it has one of those funny optical viewfinder thingies, the shutter noise is soft and lovely (much quieter than a NEX).
 

jonoslack

Active member
Well, it doesn't seem to have taken you very long to master this camera. Well done...looks like everyone had a splendid time.
Oh Terry - there's plenty to learn. Still, if you have enough cameras it becomes really easy to learn a new one. Manual Not Necessary.

It was an interesting evening; AMDRAM is not usually my thing, but it was done with such conviction and hilarity it was hard to resist.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Some lovely photos in there, Jono, but now I'm curious:
These photos confirm my previous impression of the K7. The colours look perfect, and exactly how I like them. Are these shot with auto WB? RAW or jpeg? Any PP?
The blown highlights do not look so perfect. It would be interesting to "borrow" a RAW file (DNG) with blown highlights to see what's in there.

How do you feel about the ergonomics?
Hi Jorgen
Straight to the point as usual.
First of all it's worth mentioning that this was a lighting catastrophe - lovely (strong) early evening sunshine glinting through the trees into a very shady grove (it's an old quarry actually). So, very bright sunlight and very dark shadow.
Apart from some very early shots it's all:
Manual (daylight) - but tweaked later for the gloomy shots.
640 ISO - the shadows were really dark, and those actors will prance about.
DNG RAW - converted in Aperture
plenty of PP - often to bring out shadowy faces with bright backgrounds.
mostly shot between f2.8 f4

This was definitely a dynamic range torture test. My impression is that, although nothing like the A900 files, the RAW files are quite resilient, it's surprising how much good colour comes out of the shadows, and highlights can be rescued within reason.

Of course, I wasn't used to the metering, so I set it on matrix, with a plus 1/3 stop (except when I made it 1.1/3 stop by mistake for a dozen or so shots) - hence some of the blown highlights).

Focusing was set on spot, central, there were a few shots where I thought it had missed, but looking more carefully it was usually do to my not having focused and recomposed carefully enough. The dof at 100mm f2.8 isn't that big!

Focusing on the 16-50 DA is smooth and quite fast enough, the 100 macro, as is their won't has a tendency to hunt a bit (less than the Sony, or the PL on m4/3). It's a pity it doesn't have a limit switch).

I can supply DNG files if you'd like to look. - pick a few shots.

Ergonomics . . . well, you know that - it feels delightful, the buttons seem easy to find and cover everything, the viewfinder is good (obviously not as good as the A900, but is anything?). The menu system, (despite some criticism in the reviews) seems to me to be fine. I didn't do much manual focusing, but it fits really well with the AF, the focusing is smooth and firm (compliment indeed as I spend most manual focusing on the Leica 'luxes).

The real wonder is the shutter noise, a wonderfully damped and soft ker-plunk. delightful.

Questions please?
 
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