Digital Camera Reviews - Expert and user reviews

Pentax K-x (black, with 18-55mm DA lens)

Apart from the fact that it comes in many colors to count, at least abroad, there is much to like about the Pentax KX, a price entry dSLR with some sophisticated features not normally seen in this price class. Continuing its tradition of aggressively priced dSLR, the KX breaks ground floor, offering support video capture in a kit that costs less than $ 650. It’s fast, with good picture quality and an excellent noise profile. And although there are some things about what really disappointed me, generally I think most shooters will like it for what it is: a flexible budget dSLR offering.

The camera body feels solid and well made, and is slightly more compact than most of its competitors. However, like its predecessors, the KX runs four AA batteries, making it heavier. Some people think that AA is an advantage, others less so. In practice, this means you can pack with disposable lithium batteries that last a long, long time and you have to choose between disposable and rechargeable, so they fall into the “plus” of the field.

One of the highlights of the camera and its frustrations, is the viewfinder, which inherits from its predecessors. On the one hand is bigger, with a slightly better coverage and more growth than most consumer models. However, although there are basic processing lines in a puzzling move the camera does not show the areas of auto focus. This is annoying for a couple of reasons. On the one hand, if you shoot in full auto focus, you have no idea what point the camera has selected to see if you need to change that. If you use a single AF point, there is no warning if you’ve moved (on a routine basis, without looking at the confirmation screen). You get an indicator in the area AF Live View, with a few nice options to increase the manual focus.

You can program the green button Pentax firm to restart the camera, select the image settings, display depth of field preview in viewfinder, which applies a filter effect, reset the auto focus point to the center or cancel file format settings. I really like the ability to replace the file from Pentax. You can define a behavior for any given scenario: the role depends on whether the camera is set to JPEG, premium only, or RAW + JPEG, and may define the replacement you want for each one as if it is sticky or is canceled after with one stone.

Although it lacks many of the explanations and features that some hold hands other entry-level models provide, the KX operation is relatively simple, incorporating many familiar conventions that point and shoot users are familiar. Some aspects makes much more sense than other implementations I’ve seen. For example, the screen lets you choose the ISO Auto or a fixed value and the range of cars to choose from, the latter is usually buried in a menu somewhere.

While there is much in it, the status display provides easy-to-scan most of the current configuration. An information button stops interactive control panel that provides access to almost all options: the controls of the image (saturation, high / low key, contrast and sharpness), cross processing, special effects, HDR automatic shake reduction, metering, auto focus mode, metering, highlight correction, shading correction, file format, resolution, compression, distortion and correction of lateral chromatic aberration adjustment. Although a fairly full, it is easy to navigate and nothing is hidden in a place you will have trouble remembering.

The KX includes a couple of interesting features, some of them unique to Pentax and some just new to the company. In addition to traditional PASM exposure modes, Pentax offers a sensitivity priority option (SV), which automatically adjusts the shutter speed and opening as it moves through a given user range of ISO settings. It is a good alternative to trial and error to find the lowest ISO sensitivity to a desired exposure. There are other features like Catch-in Focus Pentax veteran and filter effects introduced with the K-7.

A car capture High Dynamic Range feature combines three sequential exposure bracketed shots into a single JPEG. Unlike implementations of the competition from Sony, for example, is not really effective as a simple way to produce better images in low light, reducing vibration and automatically turns off the camera seems to make no adjustment advanced image . Even at a shutter speed fast that there is considerable movement of the camera, so it can only be used on a tripod.

For the most part, K-X is very fast. It takes 0.7 seconds to power-and-shoot, which is a little slow, but not bad. It’s time to focus and shoot in good light is a zippy 0.3 seconds, increasing just 0.5 seconds in low light. Two sequential execution JPEG images 0.4 seconds, with a slight bump to 0.6 raw, and his 1.2-second shot to shot time with flash is the only cloud in the sky at the speed of Kx, though Sony does generally worse. And typical 4.2fps continuous shooting is a solid.

Other measures of performance are not so rosy, especially its image stabilization. For some reason - excessive vibration mirror slap a hard shot, or just a bad application - which had more pictures with the camera movement, even at high shutter speed and the modest focal lengths, what I’m used to seeing nowadays. In addition, the LCD is quite thick, making it difficult to judge accurately if the pictures sharp enough. It is also difficult to see in direct sunlight. And, as is typical of all but the dSLR Sony Live View autofocus is rather slow.

The K-X is able to shoot great pictures. It has a very good noise profile for your class, including noise reduction and balanced in JPEG files. You can start to see some degradation of detail in shadow areas at ISO 800, but even as high as ISO 1600 images I have found quite acceptable. By ISO 3200, the reduction in detail is evident. Pentax reason considers ISO 12800 (and ISO 100) a mode of expansion, but 6400 will probably add me to that. Although details are still usable at ISO 3200, ISO 6400 noise and noise reduction artefacts are evident, although it is small. Not recommended as ISO 12,800 standard, but this is really very good, and not only for a sub-$ 800 model. You lose a great deal of shadow detail and no obvious spots, but retains good overall picture and saturation is more than acceptable for small Web use. However, the KX maintains consistency with good color at all ISO levels.

18-55mm Lens Kit Pentax does not show much distortion at its widest point, and optional internal body distortion correction does a pretty good job of fixing what little there. Moreover, the lateral chromatic aberration adjustment option did not seem to fix much at all. It is worth noting that this is a general purpose kit, nice, with an exceptionally close approach to his cohort.

Although the default configuration KX brilliant image color change occurs slightly more neutral, although apparently encounters the unique contrast and sharpness is not as serious as a change unlike comparable models from Sony and Sony Pentax offers a natural choice. However, the automatic white balance tends to be normally Pentax on the cold side, which produces an overall color cast.

The video, however, is so-so. It is only 24 fps, shake reduction does not apply, and is very prone to the Wobblies sensor. The exposure is adjusted too often irritating. On the other hand, is the cheapest dSLR video-capable (at least at the time of this review), and well in a pinch.

While you are willing to put up with some of its peculiarities, the KX Pentax will probably deliver on their expectations of DSLRs.

Pros
Very good noise profile, nice-sized display for its segment, relatively quickly.

Cons
It does not show AF points in viewfinder, no HDMI connector, slow autofocus Live View, mediocre LCD screen, image stabilization unreliable.

Conclusion
A quick, inexpensive dSLR with better than average low light quality, the Pentax KX, however, has some defects, such as image stabilization unreliable for monitoring.