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K-7 or K-5?

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maynard001

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Pretty simple...the subject says it all.

I know the K-5 is the newer camera...but there's a lot of bitching about it on the forums. I'm not sure if this is just the vocal minority or if the K-5 really did let down a lot of people.

People in general seem to really love the K-7. Low-light shooting isn't really important to me.

The K-5 is actually cheaper on amazon.com right now.

I'm upgrading my camera and hope to not buy another one for the next 5-10 years.

Which would you choose?
 
maynard001 said:
Pretty simple...the subject says it all.

I know the K-5 is the newer camera...but there's a lot of bitching about it on the forums. I'm not sure if this is just the vocal minority or if the K-5 really did let down a lot of people.

People in general seem to really love the K-7. Low-light shooting isn't really important to me.

The K-5 is actually cheaper on amazon.com right now.

I'm upgrading my camera and hope to not buy another one for the next 5-10 years.

Which would you choose?
Click to expand...
Easy choice for me. The K-5.

Cheers.

Ron

--
Ron - 'We don't have time to go take pics this afternoon Carl.'
Carl - 'What do you mean? It will only take 1/1000s.'

'Keep your eyes looking forward. However, glance back now and then to see where you've come from. It will put a smile on your face.' ~ brandrx
 
I have both.

The K-5 is clearly the better camera, not just high ISO, its colours and DR are much, much better and AF is faster and more reliable. HDR now works as well as Af in EV mode.
The K-7, if handled correctly, can produce stunning photos as well.
Given that the K-5 is cheaper, makes it an easy decision.

The K-5 is better in many respects, however the K-7 does one thing the K-5 does not: rotate images on its display with the camera orientation in display mode.

Cheers,
--
  • Bert
 
maynard001 said:
Thanks guys...
Click to expand...
I love both cameras. I wouldn't pay more than about 60% as much for a K-7 as a K-5. i.e. if a K-5 were $1000, I would expect a (used) K-7 to cost about $600.

I shot over 30,000 images with my K-7, and as long as you don't process the images much, you should expect fairly similar results from the two cameras at lower ISO, but the K-5 really is a lot better when you start processing the images to recover the extra dynamic range or at high ISO.

Auto-focus performance is similar between both cameras (the good and the bad).

The main issue I had with my K-7 was shutter induced blur with wide focal lengths around 1/50th to 1/100th of a second. I had to be really careful to avoid those conditions, as it would ruin the images. The K-5 didn't have this issue, and to me this was just as important of an improvement (if not more so) than the sensor upgrade.

Eric
--
I never saw an ugly thing in my life: for let the form of an object
be what it may - light, shade, and perspective will always make it
beautiful. - John Constable (quote)

See my Blog at: http://www.erphotoreview.com/ (bi-weekly)
Flickr Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28177041@N03/ (updated daily)
 
Very interesting, I love that feature on the K-7 of rotating the screen image on the display. I was really thinking about getting the K-5 as an upgrade to my K-7, Now I may just wait to see if Pentax puts out a new model.
 
I also have both cameras.

Since in this part of the world winter is long and it is dark I prefer K-5.
I also like to take photos in ambient(?) light without flash.
That is where K-5 beats K-7 with its great high ISO handling.
Otherwise K-7 is very good camera.
 
K-7 is a very good camera; K-5 is an excellent camera. If the K-5 were more expensive you'd have to weigh up if the difference between "very good" and "excellent" was worth the price: if K-5 is cheaper it's the one to go for.

Like several of the other replies, I own and use both but always go to K-5 for preference. (In case you're wondering, I often carry two bodies to reduce lens changes. On the times I carry just one it's always the K-5).

--
---

Gerry


First camera 1953, first Pentax 1983, first DSLR 2006
http://www.pbase.com/gerrywinterbourne
 
K-5

no option
 
Thanks again. A shiny new K-5 is on my list to order next week when payday comes again.

The K100D has been a great camera...it's what I learned on...but I'm looking forward to the upgrade.
 
maynard001 said:
Pretty simple...the subject says it all.

I know the K-5 is the newer camera...but there's a lot of bitching about it on the forums. I'm not sure if this is just the vocal minority or if the K-5 really did let down a lot of people.

People in general seem to really love the K-7. Low-light shooting isn't really important to me.

The K-5 is actually cheaper on amazon.com right now.

I'm upgrading my camera and hope to not buy another one for the next 5-10 years.

Which would you choose?
Click to expand...
I have owned the following Pentax dslr cameras: *istDS, K10D, K20D, K-7 and K-5. The K-5 is the first where I loved it enough to buy two of them. Leaving the K-7 as a back-up to the back-up. The K-5 is a lot better camera than the K-7. It has better AF, better higher iso, better lower iso and more DR.

Then again my K-7 had the shutter blur problem at shutter speeds around 1/80th sec.

I have shot 15,00 photos on one of the K-5 bodies and 6,000 photos on the second K-5 body. I have shot about 30,000 shots on the K-7 and it is showing some wear. Mostly paint rubbing off where my hands hold the camera. One thing that te previous plastic bodies didn't show.

Dave
--

 
shep3 said:
Very interesting, I love that feature on the K-7 of rotating the screen image on the display. I was really thinking about getting the K-5 as an upgrade to my K-7, Now I may just wait to see if Pentax puts out a new model.
Click to expand...
I too loved the auto-rotating image in review mode on the K-7. But that is the only advantage I can see.

Otherwise the K-5 blows the K-7 not just out of the water but off the planet (in a classic hyperbola). So don't throw the K-5 baby out with the K-7 bathwater ;-)

--
http://www.pictasmagoria.com
http://pictasmagoria.blogspot.com
 
jonathan68 said:
shep3 said:
Very interesting, I love that feature on the K-7 of rotating the screen image on the display. I was really thinking about getting the K-5 as an upgrade to my K-7, Now I may just wait to see if Pentax puts out a new model.
Click to expand...
I too loved the auto-rotating image in review mode on the K-7. But that is the only advantage I can see.
Click to expand...
Why not just turn off rotation to begin with? The option setting to disable rotation is under the Play button tab.

Thank you
Russell
 
maynard001 said:
Pretty simple...the subject says it all.

I know the K-5 is the newer camera...but there's a lot of bitching about it on the forums. I'm not sure if this is just the vocal minority or if the K-5 really did let down a lot of people.
Click to expand...
On forums there'll always be people bitching. There's just not a lot of K-7 related complaining going on at the moment because it's not the most recent camera.

Get the K-5.

--
http://www.kevinschoenmakers.nl
 
I wouldn't buy the K-7 over the K-5 unless it were like something ridiculous like $400. I have booth and I'd recommend you look at my "K-5" and "K-7" galleries and consider the following:

The K-5's color renditioning, auto focus, and exposure are by far in a different league then the K-7---WAAAAY MORE ACURATE.

The K-5's video is also much better than the K-7's. Just look at these two albums on my website. One was shot with the K-5 and the other shot with the K-7. There's no comparison--You'll know which one was shot with the K-5.

Just compare picture 138 of the K-7 to 16 of the K-5 and you'll get the picture.

K-7: Look at picture "138" in this album

http://hikenhi.smugmug.com/Mono-Creek-Camping/7-17-2010-Dad/12985249_XsJsL8# !i=939531326&k=CQfA3

K-5: Look at picture "16" in this album

http://hikenhi.smugmug.com/Mono-Creek-Camping/8202011-Fishing-Trip-to-Edison/18664478_X43P6k# !i=1442982377&k=5NtsTdj
 
WOW...you're totally right. The blues from the K-5 are stunning. The video does look much better as well. I'm ordering the K-5 next week...it's settled.

Payday can't get here soon enough.

Thanks for sharing those galleries...very nice shots.
 
Totally K5, unless you can find a K7 below 500 dollars.
 
trainpentaxk7 said:
How about they bring that feature back with a new firmware upgrade?
I noticed it when I upgraded to the K5 this winter.
Click to expand...
Sure, but until then, why not just turn off rotation to begin with? The option setting to disable rotation is under the Play button tab.

Thank you
Russell
 
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