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. Here is the review of the camera by 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-camera tools include Cross Processing and High Dynamic Range capture mode. The latter is available in HDR1 and HDR2, offering different levels of processing that create the effect of a wider dynamic range in your final image. What the HDR tool does is take three images simultaneously (one over, one under, and one correct exposure) and processes them together in-camera.
The Pentax K-x is a worthy competitor for the major manufacturers out there, and is probably in line for the third best with the other smaller camera companies. Since the days of the K10D and the K100D, Pentax has made affordable DSLRs with great form factors, exceptional build quality and superb image quality. The K-x does not stray from that formula. The K-x is a great younger brother to their top-of-the-line K-7, though not without a few flaws. The LCD isn't great, focusing in live view is frustrating, battery power is drained quickly, HD video is somewhat noisy, and it can be slow to process images. But what it lacks in these areas it makes up for in price, image quality, construction, the perfect resolution, unique in-camera processing options, exceptional ISO performance and continuous shooting speed. The Pentax K-x offers a great value for its price. It gives you total control of image processing, manual shooting, a few post-processing shortcuts, and easy-to-use automatic and scene modes that makes it an entry-level to intermediate camera. Yes it has some quirks, it can be slow at times, and it drains battery juice at the drop of a hat, but we can't deny that the K-x is top notch otherwise."... [
Source]
Photo Album: Pentax 12.4 Megapixels K-x With 24fps HD Video Entry-Level DSLR Camera
K-x Sample Photos on Flickr
| 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 D..." - Jan 24 2010 More » | N/A |
| 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 w..." - 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 shootin..." - 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. Grant..." - Nov 17 2009 More » | N/A |
| 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..." - Nov 09 2009 More » | |
More K-x Reviews »
DSLR Photography Latest Posts
Twitter
RSS Feed
Contact Us