Verdict

The K-7 is, without a doubt, the best DSLR that Pentax has ever produced. It'll please existing Pentax users who may be looking for faster performance, better autofocus or even a fairly solid movie mode to add to the fray. Whilst the K10D has held strong for many users, the K20D only marginally brushed up upon this as an upgrade. As a result, many didn't part with their cash so soon for effectively so little - but the K-7 tidies this up once and for all and will see you tempted to reach for the piggy bank. There are downfalls however: Image quality suffers noise in the upper echelons of ISO sensitivity, keeping it from producing class-leading images - though overall images are very good. The kit lens is no better than standard too, with slightly less than sharp images - a shame given the excellent resolution. Slight underexposure is a recurring characteristic here and whilst the K-7's AF system is the best yet, certainly snappier than in previous models, there's still room for improvement before it can be seen as a truly pro-grade system. On the upside though, a huge benefit for the K-7 is its compatibility with older Pentax lenses, especially when coupled with in-camera Shake Reduction. It's entirely possible that Pentax has plugged the mid-range pro-grade lens issue here - all lenses will benefit from the in-camera shake reduction, meaning you wont need to fork out loads of cash on expensive image-stabilised lenses. Whilst there's an argument that lens-based stabilisation is better, there's the significant cost factor which Pentax successfully bridges here, thus bringing pro-grade quality to more of the market. And with further investment in new digital-only DA optics, plus specific accessories, it's clear Pentax is pushing forward and looking to appeal not only to its existing audience, but further afield too. Overall the K-7 is a great camera, one that Pentax users in particular will more than likely flock to the shops to pick up.