Reviews - PENTAXWORLD

» Number of reviews : 10 - viewing 10 Per Page

Last Review Posted by rei_vilo - posted: Mon, 28 December 2009 8:23am

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PROS
- The BG4 grip fits perfectly on the K-7, with the same water-proof protection
- The real benefit is for portrait pictures. The camera fits firmly at hand and all the controls are available at the right place under the fingers: shutter, depth of field preview, front and rear dials, green button, +/- compensation, AE-L button.
- Nice feature, the grip controls could be switched off and on, avoiding unwanted pictures.
- Even in landscape mode, the grip provides extra stability. I was somehow surprised by this feature, making the use of the camera with the grip even nicer.
- The special tray for standard AA battery is a real opportunity for savings and safety.

CONS
- The tripod mount is no longer centered on the axis of the lens.
- Replacement of the battery inside the K-7 needs to detach the grip, change the K-7 battery, attach the grip.
- The K-7 plus the BG4 appears bulkier and heavier, and requires a bigger camera bag.

WRAP-UP
- Once again, ergonomics play an important role. The grip provides extra stability, on both portrait and landscape mode.
- Second battery, wireless IR remote are not included, so consider extra spending for the full kit.
- AA batteries provide saving and safety.

Rating: 9

Product Details: "D-BG4 BATTERY GRIP (K-7)" by broken calsan - posted: Sun, 1 November 2009 - Rating:

9.00

Last Review Posted by rei_vilo - posted: Mon, 9 November 2009 1:47am

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I've been using the K-7 for two weeks now and I think it's time to do a first wrap-up.

Pros
- Build high quality
- Compact, lightweight, dust- and water-sealed, silent camera
- Great image quality
- 100% viewfinder
- Excellent ergonomics, both hardware and software
- Many manual parameters to control almost everything
- Improved and faster AF, light metering, shake reduction, dust protectionl, live-view
- Detailed user manual

Cons
- Real learning curve due to so many manual parameters and options
- Camera grip could result too short for big hands, hence the need for the optional battery grip
- In some case, inconsistent light metering

Wrap-up
- Everytime Pentax issues a new dSLR, it's a revolution! First with the K10D, then the K20D and now the K-7, Pentax continues delivering dSLRs with incredible value.
- As always with Pentax, ergonomics and ease of use are great.
- But this comes at a price, in term of learning curve. A real work is needed before going and shooting on the fields: Which options I need? Which ones I'm going to use?
- As always and most important, image quality is there and I had a lot of fun.

Full review at http://sites.google.com/site/vilorei/photography/K-7-user-review

Rating: 10

Product Details: "K-7" by broken calsan - posted: Tue, 27 October 2009 - Rating:

10.00

Last Review Posted by rei_vilo - posted: Tue, 3 November 2009 3:24pm

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Pros
* Build high quality
* Silent and fast AF thanks to SDM
* Lens and image quality
* Versatile tilting system for the K10D + 60-250mm when attached to a tripod

Cons
* Some slight vignetting at 250mm f/4
* Weight and size
* Specific handling of the K10D + 60-250mm to mount and remove the lens
* Redundant range of 60-135 between the 50-135mm and the 60-250mm lenses

Wrap-up
* With this new lens, we're dealing with truly professional gear. Pentax continues its DA* SDM line of high quality lenses.
* As always with Pentax, ergonomics and ease of use are great.
* But this comes at a price, in term of weight and size, which may imply a learning curve to mount and remove the lens, and also a strong bag Smile.
* The tripod mount built on the lens with the tilting system offers great ease of use.
* Pentax could have shift the range from 60-250mm to 100-300mm, more consistent with the actual range of DA*
* Most important, image quality is here and I had a lot of fun.

Full review at http://sites.google.com/site/vilorei/photography/pentax-da-60-250mm-f4-ed-if-sdm-user-review

Rating: 9

Product Details: "smc DA * 60-250mm F4 ED [IF] SDM" by broken calsan - posted: Wed, 28 October 2009 - Rating:

9.00

Last Review Posted by rei_vilo - posted: Tue, 3 November 2009 3:17pm

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Pros
* Build high quality
* Silent and fast AF
* Lens and image quality
* In-door versatibilty

Cons
* Some light vignetting

Wrap-up
* With this new lens, we're dealing with truly professional gear. I would say, as for the DA* 50-135mm, that the DA* 16-50mm is the lens the K10D was waiting for.
* As always with Pentax, ergonomics and ease of use are great. The weight and size of the lens are normal.
* During my test today, I haven't felt the limitation to 50mm and haven't missed the extra zoom provided by the DA 18-55mm.
* Most important, image quality is here and I had a lot of fun.

Full review at http://sites.google.com/site/vilorei/photography/pentax-da-16-50mm-f2-8-ed-al-if-sdm-user-review

Rating: 9

Product Details: "SMCP DA* 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL (IF) SDM" by khoking - posted: Thu, 19 July 2007 - Rating:

9.00

Last Review Posted by rei_vilo - posted: Sun, 7 October 2007 3:52am

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This remote is very compact and handy.

It operates both on front and on rear of a K10D. With the remote + 3 seconds parameter, this is the ideal combination to avoid blurring.

Be careful not to loose it due to its small size

Rating: 10

Product Details: "Remote Control F" by rei_vilo - posted: Tue, 18 September 2007 - Rating:

9.50

Last Review Posted by rei_vilo - posted: Sun, 23 September 2007 11:42pm

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Compared to the 50-200mm, the DA* 50-135 deliver superior quality image (lower CA, lower vignetting). Main drawback is weight: K10D + DA* 50-135 = 1.5 kg / 3.3 lb. I wish it could provide a wider range!

Pros
* Build high quality
* Silent and fast AF
* Lens and image quality
* In-door versatibilty

Cons
* Some vignetting
* Weight and size
* Specific handling of the K10D + 50-135mm

Wrap-up
* With this new lens, we're dealing with truly professional gear. I would say that the DA* 50-135mm is the lens the K10D was waiting for.
* As always with Pentax, ergonomics and ease of use are great.
* But this comes at a price, in term of weight and size, which may imply a learning curve, and also a stronger bag Smile.
* During my test today, I haven't felt the limitation to 135mm and haven't missed the extra zoom provided by the DA 50-200mm.
* Most important, image quality is here and I had a lot of fun.

Full review at http://sites.google.com/site/vilorei/photography/pentax-da-50-135mm-f28-ed-if-sdm-user-review

Rating: 10

Product Details: "smc DA * 50-135mm F2.8 ED (IF) SDM" by khoking - posted: Sat, 15 September 2007 - Rating:

10.00

Last Review Posted by rei_vilo - posted: Sun, 16 September 2007 12:29am

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Better than the 18-55mm supplied on basic kit. Good image quality and high range versatility (55 through 200mm), especially for portraits. For wildlife pictures (birds) at 200mm, image on the soft side and max aperture could be an issue.

Rating: 8

Product Details: "smc P-DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED" by khoking - posted: Sat, 12 May 2007 - Rating:

8.00

Last Review Posted by rei_vilo - posted: Sun, 16 September 2007 12:25am

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Provided as standard kit, the lens provides above average quality. However, be careful with vignetting. With the K10D, I recommend setting the Program mode (P) on MTF.

Rating: 7

Product Details: "smc DA 18-55mm F3.5-F5.6 AL" by khoking - posted: Sat, 12 May 2007 - Rating:

7.67

Last Review Posted by rei_vilo - posted: Sat, 8 September 2007 8:00pm

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Excellent features and image quality.
Excellent ergonomics (hardware buttons) but not so easy software menues.
So many options and parameters available so a learning curve is needed.

Full review at http://sites.google.com/site/vilorei/photography/pentax-k10d-user-review

Rating: 9

Product Details: "K10D" by khoking - posted: Sun, 13 May 2007 - Rating:

9.19

Last Review Posted by rei_vilo - posted: Sat, 8 September 2007 7:57pm

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The grip fits perfectly with the K10D and could host a second battery, a SD card and the remote control. None of this accessories are included and they should be purchased separately.
Main drawback: the SD card on the grip is not usable for recording pictures.

Rating: 8

Product Details: "D-BG2 Battery Grip for K10D+K20D Digital SLR Camera" by khoking - posted: Sun, 13 May 2007 - Rating:

9.25

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