Compact DSLRs Just Got More Serious

Since the days of the original Canon Digital Rebel (300D), DSLR manufacturers have seemed to equate "small" with "entry level" and "cheap". Doubtless there has been improvement over the years in this respect. The Olympus E-620, Nikon D5000, and Canon XSi/T1i are all very fully featured and capable yet small DSLRs. However, there is a list of features which we usually don't get in today's small SLRs:

• Weather resistance
• 100% coverage in the viewfinder
• Magnesium-steel alloy construction
• Top level autofocus (whatever that may be for a given manufacturer)
• Top level metering (whatever that may be for a given manufacturer)

Not only are these features missing in the smallest class of DSLRs (D5000, T1i, E-620, etc), they are also missing in the middle weight class (D90, 50D, E-30, etc).

With the introduction of the new K-7, Pentax has parted ways with this old, restrictive thinking.  The K-7 offers all of the above features and does so in a body which is quiet, has in-body stabilization, and remains smallest in class.

 

Kudos to Pentax for putting their very best into a light-middleweight camera.  It's one solid step closer to what I really want to see, which is all of the above features plus a 35mm full frame sensor in the lightweight (D60/E-620) class.