The world's number one weekly photography magazine
Poll:
Pentax K7 boasts 'picture composition' adjustment
Wednesday 20th May 2009
Chris Cheesman
Pentax has unveiled a 14.6-million-pixel digital SLR with Live View and 'HD' video options which it hopes will take on industry big guns such as Canon and Nikon.
THIS JUST IN: PENTAX confirms UK PRICE of K7
Pentax K-7: Full UK specification here
The Pentax K-7 is claimed to be smaller than the Pentax K10D and K20D, yet with the same dust-proof and weather-resistant qualities.
Its new 15.1MP APS-C-size CMOS imaging sensor (14.6MP effective resolution) is designed to produce less noise than existing Pentax cameras.
The K7 is housed in a 'dust-proof and weather-resistant' magnesium-alloy body that includes '77 seals', and is claimed to work in temperatures as low as -10°C.
New features include a function that allows the user to make adjustments to picture composition without moving the camera, but by shifting the imaging sensor.
Improvements over the K20D which will continue in the range include a five frames per second burst rate (3fps on the K20D).
The newcomer also boasts a top shutter speed of 1/8000sec, twice that of the K20D, and a 3in LCD screen that carries a resolution of 921,000 dots (the 2.7in screen on the 14.6MP K20D has a 230,000-dot resolution).
A 'higher speed' image-processing engine called Prime II has also been installed.
Meanwhile, the 11-point SAFOX VIII AF+ system which includes nine cross-type sensors is said to be faster than the AF on the K20D and K-m models.
We understand that the K-7's equivalent ISO sensitivity is ISO 6400 one stop higher than the K20D.
Also on board is a 77-segment, multi-pattern metering and dynamic range expansion to compensate for under or overexposed areas on the image.
Pentax has also fitted a function allowing 'automatic horizon correction' plus four image cropping modes: 3:2, 4:3, 16:9 and 1:1.
The movie mode shoots up to a resolution of 1536x1024-pixels, at a frame rate of 30fps.
See next week's issue or AP - available to subscribers from this Saturday - for full details and analysis
SIMILAR ARTICLES
Pentax serious about medium format camera
Pentax revives medium format camera plan
Pentax reveals new DSLR plan
Got an opinion on this story? Why not post a comment on our news message boards
Latest Issue
