Thats interesting - since I joined the forum (when I got my K7 in March 2012) I have very rarely seen others post pictures taken with the model ... its almost as if anyone who had it offloaded them as soon as possible.

So I have seen very few other examples to compare with what I produce myself from the K7, however its clear enough that most regard the IQ as very adequate, and comparable in some ways, to the later K5 at the lower ISO levels, but obviously the difference races away quickly once you pass ISO 800. DR is also improved on the K5, but the significance of it depends what lighting conditions you shoot in and your metering approach.

I also believe that in terms on image 'cleanness' the processing plays a major part - as is well documented, I use a selective approach to sharpening and 'detailing' work, and noise reduction, isolating smooth textured areas like skies and skin and treating them to different levels of adjustment than I do to more textured surfaces. So it is probably the case that this approach in processing in fact works to minimise any IQ deficiencies with the sensor - it just gets 'more out of it' than other global approaches to noise reduction and sharpening.

If it sells a camera that otherwise would not have been bought, then who can complain about that? However the Pentax name is expanded and awareness increased, it all adds up and can compound in future with the new generation of users upgrading and wanting to learn more about photography and the wider possibilities of a DSLR system.

Then of course we just need all the lenses, flashes, battery grips, remote controls, flash sync cables, eye cups, focussing screens ... all released in a range of sweety colours

So it's 'us' and 'them' ? Perhaps I'm misguided in imagining all those K-S1 users flocking onto the forum? I was encouraged by the interviews at Photokina with the Ricoh execs, at least in so much as they seemed to understand the differing needs amongst different users, and they did not seem to be ignorant of the enthusiast photographer (video got a poor prognoses sadly).

The reality is though that the investment in enthusiast-oriented products will depend in no small part on income derived from entry-level products sold in many many many many many different colours!

I would expect very soon we'll be seeing threads with loads of new members debating the pros and cons of the various colours, complaints about how long a particular colour took to order and be delivered, warranty matters and questions about colour defects, returns policies and whether you can reasonably expect the same sweet colour to be offered in a replacement camera. Then there will be discussions about why not enough camera shops stock the colour you wanted in your area - and of course people looking for advice about getting a new lens and whether they should be buying a second camera in the same colour to put it on, or whether its OK to mix and match colours .... thats the point when some smart alec comes on and tries to tell them you can take off the first lens in order to put on the new one!

I use iMatch (www.photools.com), an image management programme, and I have stopped copying every photo from the cards to the computer now, it just wastes space and time ... iMatch will scan the folders on the SD card and display thumbnails of every shot - it displays the embedded jpeg, so there's no processing time involved, and also as I do try and set the camera up approximately for the shoot, then I'm seeing the shots near enough to what they should be looking like.

Then I just go through and choose the best ones, (thumbnails can be made bigger) then select in iMatch and drag across to the folder navigation tree display on the left, and drop the selection onto my main laptop folder for editing ('Pentax for Editing'). iMatch makes the copy action, then I can remove the card and use it more or format if I am finished with it.

Its worth mentioning that I never re-format an SD card until I have an additional backup of all the files just copied onto the computer - I do this with DVD discs and store them away securely.

Oh he was keen it was out near the Old Harry Rocks and there were a few boats hanging around, and this guy just came out of nowhere, following the ferry and showing off his moves crashing in and out of the ferries wake. I had been taking fairly static style shots of the rocks, but I flicked into AF.C mode in an instant (don't ya just love that little lever we've got for that:wink and blasted at him for about 20 secs before he buzzed off. I was lucky to have been using the autofocus zoom at the time, I burst wouldn't have got the shots of I'd had the old manual zoom in at the time.

It's a great trip walkeja, isn't it. Next year I mean to try and get over to Brownsea as well.

Certainly is Andrew, it comes to the party so many times ... Well, I don't take it to actual parties, but you know what I mean!

Thanks all for your replies here ... Good points about the space in front, will focus on that next time ... A bit of a challenger I found with the relative movements of the two boats, as mine was moving along at a good place ... Funny, the other boats always seemed to be going slow when U first spotted them far away, then they would speed to massively as the got close

Its not my usual thing, but I had the chance to take a ferry from Swanage to Poole during my holiday back in august, and I snapped a bit of surface marine life of various sizes from the deck.

All taken with the K7 and either the DA 18-55 AL WR or 'M' 75-150 f4, shooting at ISO 400, SR activated, mostly at f4.5 or f6.3




1) 75-150 f4







2) 75-150 f4







3) DA 18-55







4) 75-150 f4







5) 75-150 f4







6) 75-150 f4







7) DA 18-55

I think it is catering for the colour conscious smartphone buyer looking to go 'upmarket' with their photography. I'm surprised to see you refer to the mirrorless sector there Richard ... almost as if that is a more logical next step for 'this market segment' rather than DSLR.

Is it not instead the case that the DSLR (at least at the entry level point) has always been the natural next stepping stone for those looking for that 'real camera' experience ... I mean one that clicks, vibrates, and does mechanical things, things that move when you push the button, as well as one that you can look into and see daylight shining through. That is what makes it feel like a 'real camera' to this market segment.

Lets not forget that our smartphone photographers have already tried mirrorless ... with the cheap compact cameras (point & shoots) that they are rejecting in their millions.

The key aspect being explored here is the need to balance the lighting coupled with the desirable wider aperture for portraiture. If I didn't use HSS then, at the maximum flash sync speed of 180th sec, I would have to use an aperture nearer to f16 - f22 in order to produce the slightly underexposed background that works well in these situations. This would not give me the type of DOF ideal for this subject and environment.

HSS resolves this, although its worth pointing out that the power needs are higher in HSS mode than normal flash, so your range of possible flash to subject distances for each aperture/ISO combination is reduced ... In practical terms with a powerful flash it just means you will need to remain fairly near to the subject.