Pentax 12.4MP K-x with 24fps HD Video Review by DCRP
2010-03-07 01:34 | Tag: Pentax Video DCRP Review | SourceAverage Camera Review Rating [8 reviews]
On September 19 2009, Pentax announced the K-x DSLR camera, which combines a variety of advanced features
and user-friendly functions in a compact, lightweight body.
The K-x replaces last year's K2000 model (aka K-m) in the company's lineup. The camera takes some of the impressive features from the K-7, and places them in a more consumer-friendly body whose design is almost unchanged from that of the K2000. The main changes are the 12.4 Megapixels new CMOS sensor, PRIME II imaging
engine, Pentax's 11-point SAFOX VIII AF module, the addition of both live view and 24fps high-definition video capability, and increased maximum shutter speed at 1/6000, ISO sensitivity up to a boosted ISO 12,800 and 4.7fps burst-shooting capabilities.
The Pentax K-x digital SLR comes in three different kit versions, and two body colors - either black or white. The most affordable kit version will include an smc Pentax DA L 18-55mm zoom lens for a total price of around $650. Two twin lens kits will couple this 18-55mm lens with either an smc Pentax DA L 50-200mm zoom lens for about $750, or with a new smc Pentax DA L 55-300mm zoom lens for approximately $850. As with the previously announced DA L lenses, the new lens is a variant of an existing lens with certain alterations made to reduce weight and cost, such as the use of a plastic lens mount. The camera recently ranked at #5 in the top sales ranking in Japan about 2 months ago. Here is the summary of a recent review of the camera by DigitalCameraResourcePage:
Pentax K-x Camera Reviews Roundup
Pentax K-x Camera Recent User Reviews
DSLR Photography Latest Posts
On September 19 2009, Pentax announced the K-x DSLR camera, which combines a variety of advanced features
and user-friendly functions in a compact, lightweight body.
The K-x replaces last year's K2000 model (aka K-m) in the company's lineup. The camera takes some of the impressive features from the K-7, and places them in a more consumer-friendly body whose design is almost unchanged from that of the K2000. The main changes are the 12.4 Megapixels new CMOS sensor, PRIME II imaging
engine, Pentax's 11-point SAFOX VIII AF module, the addition of both live view and 24fps high-definition video capability, and increased maximum shutter speed at 1/6000, ISO sensitivity up to a boosted ISO 12,800 and 4.7fps burst-shooting capabilities.The Pentax K-x digital SLR comes in three different kit versions, and two body colors - either black or white. The most affordable kit version will include an smc Pentax DA L 18-55mm zoom lens for a total price of around $650. Two twin lens kits will couple this 18-55mm lens with either an smc Pentax DA L 50-200mm zoom lens for about $750, or with a new smc Pentax DA L 55-300mm zoom lens for approximately $850. As with the previously announced DA L lenses, the new lens is a variant of an existing lens with certain alterations made to reduce weight and cost, such as the use of a plastic lens mount. The camera recently ranked at #5 in the top sales ranking in Japan about 2 months ago. Here is the summary of a recent review of the camera by DigitalCameraResourcePage:
"Camera performance was very good. The K-x is ready to go as soon as you flip the power switch. If you're shooting with the viewfinder, you won't wait long for the camera to lock focus, courtesy of the K-x's 11-point AF system. Things change dramatically if you're using live view, most notably with the two modes that use contrast detect AF. Instead of a half a second delay with phase difference AF, the contrast detect modes can take two or more seconds to lock focus. Shutter lag isn't a problem, though there is a slight delay when using live view and phase difference AF. Shot-to-shot delays are minimal, regardless of the image quality setting or whether you're using the flash. The K-x can shoot very quickly for a camera in the entry-level class, at frame rates of 4.6 frames/second. The only downside is that the buffer fills up relatively quickly, especially if you're shooting RAW. When equipped with decent NiMH rechargeables, the K-x's battery life is best in class. Pentax does not offer a battery grip for the K-x but then again, neither do most of its competitors.
Photo quality was also impressive. The K-x's weakest spot is in terms of exposure. Quite often the default exposure would be "off" a bit, so bracketing is a very smart idea. The K-x clips highlights more than I would like. Colors looked good, and the K-x has the sharpness set a little higher than on higher-end D-SLRs, which most consumers will appreciate (though the kit lens isn't terribly sharp toward the edges of the frame). Pentax has done a good job keeping noise levels at a minimum, with very clean-looking photos through ISO 3200 in good light, and ISO 1600 in low light. While there's a benefit to shooting RAW at middle sensitivities (e.g. ISO 1600, 3200), it doesn't help a whole lot when you approach the higher end of the spectrum. Purple fringing levels were moderate at times, though I blame the kit lens for that more than anything. To my surprise, redeye was a bit of an issue on the K-x, and there's no digital removal tool to help get rid of this annoyance.
I have just a few other things to mention regarding the K-x. There's no HDMI port, if you check the competition, most of them don't have one either. On a related note, Pentax does not include a video output cable with the camera, so if you plan on hooking the camera to your television, start looking for that cable. Finally, while it doesn't really effect overall camera behavior, the K-x's menu system feels very dated in the year 2010. Despite a few flaws, most of which are minor, the Pentax K-x is an impressive entry-level digital SLR. It brings very good image quality (especially with a decent lens), snappy performance, tons of features, HD movie recording, and good build quality to the table for under $650 (with a lens). If you're looking for your first digital SLR, then the K-x should be high on your list."
Photo Album: Pentax 12.4 Megapixels K-x With 24fps HD Video Entry-Level DSLR Camera
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Pentax K-x Sample Photos on Flickr
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Pentax K-x Camera Reviews Roundup
| SteveHuff: "The Pentax Kx has great image quality, and even better high ISO than the Pentax K7 and for the under $500 price point it is fantastic. I can not think of another DSLR for under $500 that gives you as much as the Kx does. The Canon Rebel is nice but if I were starting fresh, I think I would take a Pentax Kx over a Rebel. Just personal pref. Well, if you are looking for a SMALL DSLR that can give you great..." - Jul 24 2010 More » | |
| AlphaMountWorld: "Personally, I think the SR blur issue you may have seen on the internet forums is due to having the K-x too secure during exposure (simulating the same kind of blur you'd get if you had the K-x on a tripod with SR on), but that's just me. I've not experienced any blurring in images shot last night or this morning with varying focal lengths from shutter speeds ranging 1/25th of a second to 1/100th of a second. This i..." - May 10 2010 More » | |
| infoSync: "For a shooter's first DSLR, the Pentax K-x is packed to the brim with a decent set of shooting features. Various Digital Filters axed the need to drop a significant chunk of change on Photoshop, and the included Pentax image software provided just enough to get the DSLR newbie up and running. Color options were bountiful, thanks to extensive White Balance and Hue/Saturation/Sharpness options. We could also apply eff..." - Mar 21 2010 More » | |
| CNET: "For the most part, the K-x is very fast. It takes 0.7 seconds to turn on and shoot, which is quite slow but not too bad. The time taken to focus and shoot in good light is a zippy 0.3 seconds, increasing to only 0.5 seconds in low light. Two sequential JPEGs run at 0.4 seconds, with a slight bump to 0.6 seconds for raw. The camera's 1.2-second shot-to-shot time with flash is the only real cloud in the K-x's speed sk..." - Mar 20 2010 More » | |
| NeutralDay: "Image quality is where the K-x really shows its value. Given its low cost and ample feature-set, the fact that the Pentax K-x also happens to take some of the best pictures you'll find in any APS-C sensor DSLR camera, regardless of cost, really impressed me. The 12.4 megapixel sensor is very similar to that found in the Nikon D5000, D300s, and D90, and image quality is well up to those standards. The K-x offers plen..." - Feb 20 2010 More » | |
| RiceHigh: "Indeed, the K-x is a very good camera with very high Image Quality (characteristics of low noise and high details and accurate colour rendition, too.). I can say as long as IQ is concerned, it exceeds much both the K-m and K-7 and is just unbeatable, especially considered that it is just an APS-C DSLR with smaller sensor size than 135 Full Frame. But in fact, it is not much worse than my full frame 5D and I am reall..." - Jan 24 2010 More » | |
| DCI: "This is not a camera for image-quality sticklers. In our lab testing for both stills and video, it came in behind the competition in most areas, with a wide dynamic range and relatively fast 4.2 shot-per-second burst rate notable exceptions. At the same time, there was nothing in our testing that was awful. We expect the consumer-oriented target audience will be satisfied in this area. And when features could..." - Jan 01 2010 More » | |
| dpreview: "In most shooting situations the K-x is capable of producing high quality image output. At base ISO JPEG images show very good detail and natural colors out of the box. The Pentax JPEG engine is doing a very good job at squeezing all captured detail into the camera's JPEG files and therefore shooting RAW does not produce a great amount of extra detail. While the image quality at base ISO is generally very good,..." - Dec 24 2009 More » | |
| Photocrati: "The manual that comes with the Pentax K-x is 300+ pages long. So you can see that there is a lot of functionality built in. No, not every feature was to my liking -- especially the part about requiring four AA cells, since the camera does not come with a rechargeable Li-Ion battery pack. Granted, the single-use lithiums that came with the camera do last a long time, but these batteries are costly to replace. Al..." - Nov 17 2009 More » | |
| DigitalCameraReview: "Image quality at default settings is very faithful to what the eye sees. There is also a cool manual tool for changing the image processing called Custom Image, which allows you to use sliders to change the saturation, hue, high/low key adjustment, contrast and sharpness of your image. Among these preset options with sliders are Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, Muted, and Monochrome. Other in-came..." - Nov 17 2009 More » | |
| PhotoReview: "Pictures taken with the test camera were similar to the shots we took with the K-m. Contrast and saturation were restrained; out-of-camera sharpness was acceptable and colours were natural-looking. Autofocusing was acceptably fast and metering was accurate across a wide variety of subjects and with all metering modes. The body-integrated image stabiliser enabled us to use shutter speeds approximately two f-stop..." - Nov 09 2009 More » | |
| PhotographyBLOG: "K-x's image quality is excellent. The K-x creates noise-free JPEG images from ISO 100-800, only starting to become apparent at ISO 1600, with progressively more noise and colour desaturation at the highest settings of 3200, 6400 and the attention grabbing 12,800 setting. Although the top speeds don't produce very usable results, the K-x certainly holds its own against the main competition from 100-3200. Exposur..." - Oct 29 2009 More » | |
| TechRadar: "We liked: The K-x's image quality really stands out, and the kit lens is superb. We also like the build quality, which feels tough, and the ergonomics. And, while its video capabilities are a little hit and miss, the ability to fire off a 720p video with such gorgeous colours and depth of field makes the K-x versatile. The screen is bright and sharp, and easily visible in Live View mode. We also like the l..." - Oct 15 2009 More » | |
| ePhotoZine: "Portrait mode looks pretty good although I think it could be warmer. However, this could be down to the white balance interfering with the program as I selected a custom setting. There's plenty of detail in the hair and the exposure is pretty good. Adding flash has filled in the darker areas, added attractive catchlights and balanced out the tone. Getting on to the fun stuff and the Pentax K-x has had the digit..." - Oct 13 2009 More » |
Pentax K-x Camera Recent User Reviews
great camera, Frank J. Busbey "RevBuzz" - Jul 26 2010
I checked many on line reviews. For my purposes the K-x sounded fairly equal with the Nikon D-5000 (both sounded like they produce a better picture than the Canon T1i). Both cameras had a handful of negative reviews and handfuls of positives. The K-x won out due to price combined with the fact my Pentax K-1000 lasted 20 years before needing repairs and I have lenses from it that wi...
Pentax K-x...Happy Camper, Hope C. Kossally "Photo Mama" - Jun 26 2010
My first DSLR. After researching for months I decided on this camera.. Got the 2 lens package.. 18-55 and 55-300 for a lot less than the $850 it's going for now on Amazon. I had 2 Canons (film A-1 and AE-1) so first thought of getting a Canon. Looked at Nikons too. Decided on the Pentax for the high Iso, the 4.7 fps and the price. Also liked the idea of using older lens, although I ha...
I did not buy this camera because it was not in stock, Mike "'It is a time of discovery.'" - Jun 24 2010
Although Amazon showed the item as In Stock, I received an email from the supplier informing me that they were out of stock. They were VERY courteous when I cancelled the order. The money, which had been sucked out of my account almost immediately, was refunded the same day. Kudos! I then hopped in my car and drove less than 10 minutes to my local Fry's and bought a different bran...
The Pentax K-x is a giant killer!, Edgar_in_Indy - May 29 2010
I recently upgraded from my beloved Olympus e-510 DSLR with the 14-42mm and 40-150mm kits lenses in order to get a DSLR with better low-light performance and HD video capabilities. I loved my Olympus, but image quality took a nose-dive at ISO 800, and I liked the idea of having an HD camcorder built into my camera to capture high quality family photos and home videos in one device. I...
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