K7 HD Video

Just having an idle thought ot two, how are K7 users getting on with the HD Video function in the K7?

Cedric

Not used mine although I think others on the forum have and are happy with the results.

Regards

I tried again at the London Parade on New Year's day - results not good enough to broadcast here due to camera wobbles and people getting in the way! (A tripod would have been impracical).

The actual video imgage quality the camera can produce is good, but it's another matter having the skills to use it well. It's quite different from still photography.

Well I was wondering if I could replace my S--Y digital handycam? It`s never been the same since they fitted a new sensor and my wife agrees too! Trouble is I have a K10 and K20.

Cedric

Your handycam is probably more ergonomical than the K-7 for video, but of course being able to use any Pentax-fit lens gives the K-7 an extra dimension.

Search for "Pentax K-7" and "Pentax K7" on YouTube for example videos. There are some beautiful ones there.

I have used the video a couple of times and am quite pleased with the quality considering it is not a dedicated video camera. Of course, I have not read the instructions yet, so it was a bit of trial error to get playback. Sometimes the still image isn't enough, so the video option is a welcome bonus

eg. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIsPisBi7_k

No I don't think it would replace your camcorder, with the lens control that you have with the DSLR and the lack of AF makes it feel very different.

I've tried the movie mode on the KX of my uncle.
It surely is fun to do but it's much more just for creative then simply recording that you do with your camcorder.

It's a bit like comparing a point&shoot with a DSLR.

ps. this also a very nice movie, don't forget to watch it at fullscreen size and that HD is on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vesXmMeI8o

... is there anything on Vimeo? Youtube compresses the hell out of stuff....

try also timescapes.org or the "kuroshio sea" vimeo vid to see just what HD video can do in the right hands.

Bret

Of course Bret simply search for it.

http://www.vimeo.com/7496240
http://www.vimeo.com/6909971

Here there are uncompressed samples you can download link

Thanks for the video links, they are not too bad at all on my laptop.

Cedric

I have shot many hours of video with mine, Often at music gigs after i have taken sufficient stills of a performer then i switch to video. I only produce DVD`s at present so i cannot take full advantage of HD but as i have stored the clips at full size i can re-burn them to Blu -Ray at a later date. I find a Monopod ideal as it does`nt take as much space as a Tripod (and you can hold it above your head if the need arises!) The built in mic is a pain if there is even a slight breeze (or if you are a heavy breather!) so i bought a Rode stereo mic soon after acquiring my K7 and a copy of Cyberlink Power Director 7 for editing. I am really pleased with it, Though i sometimes forget that i have the function and regret not shooting something later!

Regards - Pete

I've used mine for the odd video clip.... like PeteL, when I remember the camera has the feature
Quality wise it is good, certainly good enough to string together a short HD movie. A good quality dedicated HD camcoder is better though
The really interesting bit as Iceblinker says is the fact you may have a range of quality lenses to open up avenues that are not possible with a comsumer HD camcorder. Generally all you can add to one of these is a wide angle add on lens.
I must remember to use it a bit more often

I used my K7 to video some otters the other day, the quality is quite good especially compared to my JVC HD camcorder that left a huge amount of red fringing on the snow covered rocks. However I did find that holding the K7 in video mode is impossible, but still it's very handy function to have.

Graham