K-r or K7?

Hi folks,

Time to get a new Pentax DSLR I think. I could afford either of these but not a K5. What would you suggest?

Thanks for any help.

Dave

If you can, I'd be tempted to hold off a while to see how the Kr shapes up.

The K-r I tried out was a terrific camera and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to run to the expense of the K-5. Or indeed who doesn't want the extra features.

Thanks John. I read your review of the K-r. Do you think it is a better buy than the K-7?

Dave

Honestly, I was in your shoes not so long ago. Difference was that it was for me my first DSLR that 'really' replaced my F2 and F2AS.
I got a very good deal on a Samsung GX-10 and that was my first DSLR ever. I was impressed and did my homework.
I considered everything, read reviews without end, and crossed one after the other off.
At the end the K-5 was just in budget and I never looked back. I just never expected to be so overwhelmed by all the different settings and still have a lot to learn with all those settings before I use this camera in earnest but I would never look back.
So, if you can make the stretch, get the K-5, if you cant John will be the best to give you the best advise on the various other ones.
In any way have fun with it.

As things stand at the moment I would choose the K-5 over the K-r over the K-7 over the K-x. That however is me and each photographer might have different requirements. The K-r inched ahead of the K-7 when it gained its Li-ion battery.

The K-r design is very similar to the lines of Pentax DSLRs that included the *istDS, an excellent camera as well. I like this one wheel design, but not everyone does.

For me, subject to being able to afford it, the K-5 trumps the K-r on the grounds or weather resistance in particular, plus the use of a proper pentaprism.

It depends on your particular needs Dave, and how ancient your current DSLR is. If WR is paramount, and high ISO shooting isn't important, and you have plans to do more ambitious video work, the K-7 might be better than the K-r. If you went that way, I'd advise a 2nd hand one now. On pure IQ grounds, the K-r wins, because of its better DR and high ISO.

But the K-5 has all the plus points of the K-7 and even better high ISO / DR than the K-r (plus more pixels). So I might be inclined to invest in lenses for the time being, and then you can always 'release their capital' when the K-5 becomes more affordable....

it really depends on what you need to use it for

I do mostly landscape so for me it would be the K7 for the weather sealing plus the iq is fine - depending on the lens of course, i rarely go above iso 800 and its still good then - if you can afford it go for the k5 or wait for a year until the next "milestone development new model" and the k5 will have dropped in price but then of course you will be in the same quandry again but the weather sealing is a serious plus in my opinion.

As the owner of a K-10 with snapped off SR switch, I too am looking to upgrade to the K-R or K-7, high ISO isnt a priority nor really is weather resistance though both would be nice, what I want to know is which of these cameras can produce the best image? ( regardless of focussing speed/processing speed etc.) Which probably means which has the best sensor?, the prices have dropped for both recently.

I was in a similar quandary until yesterday. I've been a K10D user for over four years but certain aspects of it made me think about upgrading it. Firstly, the weight was starting to ...er get me down especially after carting it an a couple of lenses around all day. Secondly, it was suffering from severe and inconsistent back focus. In the end, I had to keep it in debug mode all the time and switch between +120 um and +230 um correction depending upon which lens I used.

I was browsing the Cameraworld website the other day and saw that they had some stocks of the K-r going for £399 again so I wandered into the London branch and had a play. Focus seemed fine and, at that price, really couldn't refuse.

Having had a play around with it today, it's certainly a departure from the K10. The body is definitely smaller and lighter, which is what I wanted, and can't really tell any real difference in the image quality yet. But the autofocus certainly seems better in terms of FF/BF. I don't think I'll need to use the global focus correction for most of my Pentax glass (the Sigma 10-20 could be another matter though) but it's probably too early to tell.

So it all comes down to what you want out of your K20D upgrade. If there's a specific problem then see which one tackles it best or else save a bit more for the K5. For my needs, the K-r looks like it's going to do everything I want.

Adrian

Do you need WR? If not, I think you may prefer the K-r.

I did have a play with a K-R in Jessops not long ago and its a lot lighter and more compact than the K10 and it probably out classes it on every point bar weather resistance.

Maybe its a case of getting used to the one wheel system.

I'm with JR, I could afford either and went with the kr.
recommend you opt for the AA adaaptor while you're at it.

I see they are selling used K7s from £499 at srsmicrosystems http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/c/310/Used-Digital-SLR-Cameras.html?Page=3

The K-r is definitely better than the K7. It s newer and with the latest sensor. High ISO is also better.