Playing With Video on the Pentax K-7

[rei_vilo]

Bonjour,

One of the great novelty introduced by the Pentax K-7 is the ability to make videos.  

Well, easier said than done   ! Main difficulty relies on the very essence of film: action. The object could move and, at the same time, the photographer could move too.

So I started with an easy subject: an industrial model.

I think it’s time to introduce my other hobby  : fischertechnik. It’s a German toy with bricks much like Lego. It also includes motors, statics, electro-mechanics and electronics and more recently, micro-controllers (like the Lego NXT Mindstorms). I’ve been playing with fischertechnik for more than 35 years…  

I'm mostly interested in industrial robots and mobile robots. The dedicated  fischertechnik section of my website provides more details, with many pictures and videos.

I plan to consider on my review

• Shooting
• Editing
• Result
• Questions

To be continued...

[rei_vilo]

Bonjour,

So let's jump to the conclusion with the HD video

The model is detailed in full detail here.



I'll post later on the shooting conditions, the editing and the questions around the video.

Enjoy 

[blackcloudbrew]

Um...well that's quite interesting. I'd be interested in know what this setup does (other that what I see it doing).

Tim

[rei_vilo]

Bonjour Tim,

Well, it's just a hobby

It's just a model of an industrial line using a micro-controller. The goal of this model is to compare two colour sensors.

Last year, I built another model: an automatic warehouse, but I used a Canon IXUS 85IS camera for the videos.

This year, I took the opportunity to test the video feature of my Pentax K-7.

I'm not that happy with the whole process. The K-7 is heavier to handle, so it was placed on a tripod.

The lack of continuous AF during the shooting is the main difficulty. I tried manual AF, but adjusting the AF is a real challenge   and LiveView doesn't help so much. AF is set on pressing the AF button close to LiveView: focusing is obtained by phase detection, which is rather slow.

Sure, the industrial line model wasn't the easiest example, because it's mainly macro   and the DOF is rather narrow  .

Contrary to my previous videos edited with Windows Media Maker, I tried iMovie '09 on my Mac. I found iMovie more difficult to use than the Windows utility. Windows Media Maker clearly shows the different steps of process: import roughs, select parts, insert titles and transitions, export.

For me, the main question is about continuous AF during shooting. It's the main issue which makes the Pentax K-7 video feature difficult to use .

Could a firmware update bring this feature?

[calsan]

I agree.  I tried video a couple of times, but it only works for subjects that don't move!  It may be possible to record video with a fish-eye lens, that doesn't need focusing, but other than that - I can't see the point.

Same is also true for "live" view - it helps if the subject is "dead". 

That's a nice little machine - I like watching it.  But how does it display what colour it has measured 

[rei_vilo]

Bonjour Calsan,

Well, actually, there's a notebook behind   .

All the measures are stored in a CSV file, imported in Excel for statistical analysis.

For a self-contained model, please have a look at this automated warehouse  

If you like models, check out my Youtube channel. All the videos are in SD and shot with the Canon IXUS 85 IS

The Pentax K-7 provides a better image quality and the specific 16/9 format 

Best regards,

[mannesty]

I am in two minds whether to change 2 of my cameras for K7's. The only thing that attracts me to the K7 is its video capability but it needs to be as flexible and usable as a normal camcorder for me.

If there is no AF in video mode, it doesn't seem worth it to me. The IQ of my K20D's is the equal of a K7, so I don't think I'll upgrade yet.

Thanks for your views on this.

[rei_vilo]

Bonjour Peter,

When Pentax launches a new camera, there're actually two parts in the new model

• refinements of older features: they're well managed and really effective
• introduction of new features: they're not always on top and they need a next release

As examples, the K20D greatly improved the SR feature introduced by the K10D. The K-7 improves the light metering with 77 patterns instead of 11. The K20D used the same body as the K10D. The K-7 improves the LifeView feature introduced by the K20D.

This is a brilliant marketing mix of something new, something old, something borrowed, something genuine to catch on the customer  .

I think the video feature isn't fully implemented on the K-7. I agree with you: purchasing the K-7 for this sole feature is not rational.

Wait for the K-8 

[calsan]

Video is the one thing I didn't buy the K-7 for.  I have been totally unable to take any footage with it, as it's nearly impossible to tell if you're in focus or not.
The live view is not much use either - unless taking 5 -10 seconds to focus is acceptable.
I'd like to be able to map the LV (Live View) button to another function - maybe to turn the digital level on or off.

I would recommend a cheap point and shoot or a real camcorder if you want video.  My pentax P70 works well enough for video for my limited uses.

Basically, the differences I have found between my K10d and my K-7 is that the K-7 has excellent white balance, the body is much improved and the P mode is very customisable.  The K10d is as good as the K-7 below ISO 800, but the K-7 can be good up to 3200, depending upon the amount of contrast in the scene [wheras the K10 is unusable over ISO 800].  Metering is more predictable on the K-7, I rarely need to use centre metering - it just gets multi segment metering right.  I do have a sneaky suspicion that the K10d has better dynamic range than the K-7, but I haven't done a direct comparison to confirm this.

There's also a few nice improvements with the remote control of bulb mode and the horizon levelling saves a lot of PP work.

[mannesty]

Calum, your observations are interesting. I am no longer in two minds whether to upgrade. I'm not sure that the DSLR improvements of the K7 are substantial enough for me to part with my K20D's and a whole wedge of cash.

Where white balance is critical or tricky, I'll use an Expodisc or Grey card. High ISO noise reduction is dealt with very well by Lightroom 3 and I seldom have a need for anything much over ISO 800/1600.

Clearly the video side of the equation means I keep my Sony camcorders for a while yet.

Maybe the K7's successors in a few years will be more of a quantum leap.

Thanks for the info.

[rei_vilo]

Bonjour,

I would recommend a cheap point and shoot or a real camcorder if you want video.  My pentax P70 works well enough for video for my limited uses.

I fully agree with Calum about the recommendation on the P&S.

Except this video shot with the Pentax K-7, all other videos were done using the Canon IXUS 85IS.

As a P&S camera, I could even put it inside my models   taking dramatic sequences.

[rei_vilo]

Bonjour,

Do other Pentax K-7 owners try the video mode?

You may have been luckier than me

Please share your experience!

[calsan]

In case my comments above read as "bashing" the K-7:

I might point out that using the K10d after using the K-7 feels like a giant step backwards... Where is the ISO button? where is the EV button?  - having to use the menus and button combinations to change white balance or flash settings...  Can be a little frustrating.
I used a borrowed K100 the other day and couldn't believe how primitive it felt compared with the K-7!

While image quality is not much different to either the K10 or K20, the main reason for this is that even the K10's sensor out-resolves most lenses most of the time - so unless I'm on my sharpest lens and sharpest aperture - you can't see the difference between either camera in the final image.  For me, this isn't a big problem - I just love the 'handling' experience of the K-7 - it's certainly easier to change settings quickly, sometimes without taking your eye away from the viewfinder.

[rei_vilo]

Bonjour,

I built another model, an industrial line with multiple conveyor belts based on distributed computing (one micro-controller per conveyor belt).



This time, however, I tried my other camera, a nice Canon IXUS 85 IS , to make a video. Watch it here ! The above mentioned P&S camera features AF during video.

Sorry for this post about Canon on a Pentax thread  

But looking for the right tool at the right time is part of the job of a photographer, even if he or she is a hobbyist  

Enjoy other videos on the same model available here and  there

How do Pentax P&S perform on video recording :?: Do they feature AF :?: