Pentax unveils chameleonic K7

Fwd Tech  Thursday 21 May 2009

The Pentax K7: an HD camcorder trapped in a DSLR's body

“Convergence”. A word that sends a shiver down the spine of every gadget purist. But as long as a product does what it’s supposed to do well, then we reckon anything extra’s a bonus. Step forward the Pentax K7, the latest DSLR to shoot HD video!

We’ve seen HD video-capturing cameras before – both the Canon EOS 500D and Nikon D5000 are solid options – but the Pentax K7 goes that little further, offering 1536×1024 resolution and a smooth as you like 30 frames per second.

That’s enough about the killer camcorder function of the Pentax K7, because it’s shaping up to be a pretty handy DSLR. On the inside of that familiar SLR design, you’ll find a 14.6-megapixel sensor and ISO 100-6400. Then there’s a three-inch LCD for framing up your snaps/video footage. There’s even an HDMI port for hooking straight up to your HDTV and watching baack your flicks.

So how much can you expect to fork out for the K7? Well Pentax has slapped an rrp of £1,200 price tag on it, and that’s just for the body. Want the 18-55mm lens kit as well? You’ll have to fork out a further £30. Expect to see budding Tarantino-La Chapelle hybrids running around with the Pentax K7 in late June/early July.