Chapter 1 - Know your K-7
Page 47
With the K-7, it is possible to shoot in RAW or RAW + JPEG on demand, without
going through extensive menus. The camera has a dedicated RAW button, located
on the side of the lens mount; this unique dedicated RAW button can be configured
to switch in and out of RAW only, RAW+JPEG or JPEG modes for a single shot or
continuously. How sweet is that? More details found on page 73 and 138-140.
Every company has its own proprietary RAW file format. This makes it difficult for
us, the photographers, as the RAW files can only be manipulated with the respective
manufacturer’s software. Pentax has its own RAW file format (PEF) but allows you
the choice of an additional RAW file format. The camera can be set to save the
RAW files in DNG format. This format was introduced by Adobe® as a universal
RAW file format. DNG stands for Digital NeGative. Using this format, you can
save your digital photos directly into Photoshop®, Lightroom® and Elements®, mak-
ing your workflow so much easier.
Pentax did not stop there; they designed the K-7 with In-camera RAW development
possibility. That’s right, the K-7 allows you to develop images shot as RAW file to a
JPEG file with a wide range of selectable adjustments such as resolution, compres-
sion, white balance, sensitivity, color intensity, saturation, sharpness, contrast and
more, all without using a computer. You can see the development of your image
right on the large 3 inch LCD monitor. A good 24 inch monitor is still a better
choice, but in the field, this feature opens many new possibilities. The K-7 can also
save your images in TIFF format, which is a lossless format. TIFF files can be
modified and re-saved without loss of image quality.
Pentaprism Viewfinder
The trade name Pentax is derived from the words "Pentaprism" and "Reflex." In
1957, the Asahi Pentax model stunned the world with its incredible design advances.
It was the first time a pentaprism had been utilized in the viewfinder of a Pentax
single lens reflex (SLR) camera, thus introducing the concept of eye-level viewing.
It was the first camera to be marketed under the name Pentax. It was enthusiastically
received with praise for its upright and laterally correct viewfinder image. Pentax
viewfinders have always been superior to other 'cropped sensor' DSLRs and the K-7
is no different. It utilizes a glass pentaprism and renders a 0.95x magnification with
a 100% field of view.