K20D or K7?

Argh, y'all almost had me convinced to go with a K20 myself. But that last bit is consistent with what I've been fighting with.

I've been hired to do more sports, where even outdoors can require ISO800 to keep up the shutter speed with a 300mm lens. So the higher frame rate, the higher ISO, and the decreased noise of the K7 is wedging me into a corner. Time to save my pennies for Xmas if I can hold out that long.

Either that or dump my whole kit and go with another brand. With that in mind, the K7 pricing really doesn't look so bad after all.

The K7 is also a lot less than a f2.8 300+mm lens. I don't even know where to get something like that, legitimately, for Pentax no matter the cost.

I tend to shoot mostly landscapes and walkabouts. One of my favourite things to do is to stick one of my primes on and go out and just shoot with that one lens. At the moment my favourite is the 35mm Macro, bought it at the bargain price of £250 and have done everything but macro with it

The standard zoom is more for if I'm helping friends take pictures - I prefer shooting with primes so I don't want to spend too much on a zoom - the 16-45 is probably as high as I'll go, or maybe the Tamron 17-50 or Sigma 17-70.

I would look at the K20D teamed with the Pentax DA 17-70mm lens,it is a superb lens, (see forums), and I only wish that I had one for my K20D.

If you are not s interested in video and wish to take advantage of some very good glass, I would suggest that the K20D would be a very fine choice. There do seem to be some issues with a bit more chroma noise coming out of the RAW images of the K7 which I suggest will be dealt with in their next firmware update. Presently the noise performance of the K20D is slightly superior to that of the K7. This may be due to the new parameters of the 4 channels being used on the K7's sensor. None the less, at half the price of the K7, the K20D would be my choice.

It shouldn't, early reports from users suggests that the K-7's IQ and noise control is no better than the K20D, which is one of several reasons I bought another used K20D.

I won't get to try my K-7 properly until mid August whilst back in the UK, if it's noiser to me than my K10D, it's up for grabs. I have given up shooting jpegs with my K10, I believe my *istD is quieter!

Time will soon tell as I have a shoot to do over the BH weekend.

Regards

Buy the K20D and more glass, bodies come and go, glass is forever, well with Pentax compatability it is.

I will buy the k7, have test driven one...(waiting for first software revision and initial QC issues with first product runs to show up) but If I didn't want the video capabilities, I'd stick with my k10's.
in your shoes, I'd say the k20 is probably more bang for the buck than the k7....and I'd buy it.
Neither the k7 nor the k20 would be enough to make me buy a camera right now, if I also wasn't shooting video...with hi-def camcoders...

the idea of being able to add video clips with the 50mm 1.4 boke, or the 10-17mm fisheye effect into my work without having to buy 3-6 thousand dollars worth of video adaptors is too good to pass on.

I'm in the process of ordering a K20 if my sister can bring it to me in Mexico. Aside from the price, I simply don't need, or want, video or live view and some of the other improvements on the K7.

Have bought a secondhand K20D with grip, at a good price (less than what SRS were charging for the body last month (ie the old price)). The grip makes a lot of difference for me, portrait format shots are so much easier on the hands.

I have lots to learn about this camera - so very many functions, dials and buttons! It seems almost everything buried in the K100D's menus has been given its own button/dial on the K20D.

As for glass, well, this camera company whose system I bought into has now priced most of their good lenses (ie that suit the K20D) out of the remaining budget I have. It will be secondhand glass for me as well then.

Anytime you change bodies, or systems, it will cost you money, not to mention the price of the camera. Consider what you are using the camera for before you buy a new one.