The Pentax K7 has a provision in its menus for creating high-dynamic-range photos on the fly, right in the camera.

HDR photography has been badly abused, as you can see in terrible examples all over the web. But used correctly it can make photographs of great depth and subtlety. The Pentax in-camera photos turn out surprisingly good; the only catch is, you really need to use a tripod, as the camera takes three separate exposures and combines them.

The result, as you can see here, is a shot that offers something like the full dynamic range of traditional black and white film. It’s a lovely look and one I’ll be playing with more, clearly. The newest Pentax in the line-up, the newly announced K5, apparently manages to merge the three files cleanly even if you don’t use a tripod, which would make things ever so much easier.