
Review Summary
2011-02-10T19:00:00
We love this camera. I did a LOT of research on entry level cameras. We were close to making a purchase and then decided we wanted it to do video as well. This not only limited our options but increased our price range. This camera stood out head and shoulders among the competition for price and quality. Everywhere I looked it was getting high ratings (including Consumer Reports) so I was sold. Its lived up to everything we've hoped it would be. We rarely use the 200mm zoom so while it was a nice bonus so far its a rarely used extra that we'll hopefully use more as we learn more. The camera is easy to operate. Video mode is a little confusing and could be cleaned up by Pentax. Pictures look GREAT and we couldn't be happier! As a couple that is new to the SLR experience this product is as good as it could get for our needs.
Trevor
2010-09-05T21:00:00
Instruction manual to confusing, Keeps refuring you back and forth to try to find information. The Pentax product is good since I lean on Pentax first, just the manual for information. The kit would have been better with the 55-300 mm lenses instead of the 50 to 200 mm lens.
Papa-T
2010-04-10T21:00:00
For those who don't want to spend tons of money to have a DSLR camera. The Pentax KX delivers what you need for a fraction of the amount you would spend in other fancy cameras. Why shooting a fly with a cannon? It is the right choice if you desires a camera with higher quality images than a point and shoot but will not became a pro and don't want to show off for your friends.
Fogo
2010-02-05T19:00:00
Upgraded from a Pentax K100D. Extremely happy with the camera. Much better battery life, Easier access to camera functions and controls through the LCD. Also has a good solid feel in my hands. 2 minor issues though. One is the lack of the autofocus indicator in the viewfinder.(never sure where the focus is. I keep the autofocus mode set to center now instead) 2 No HDMI output. Other than these two items it is a great camera.
PHILIP F.
2010-01-11T19:00:00
Actually a 4.5 star rating but you can't chose that. This is my first dSLR purchase. I did a lot of research. This was probably a near perfect buy. After using it for about 3 months there are a couple of things I wish it did but still a great buy. Lots of growing room with the camera. Easy learning curve for newer dSLR users and has most of the specs a pro would want. Very smart camera. The "Auto" and "semi-auto" settings are good. AWB works well, "P-mode" is terrific. The "scene" modes work well, really only used the snow/surf settings, worked very good at the beach. Waiting for opportunities to use some others. The more "manual" settings are also really easy to use. The Tv and Av are easy to use. Still playing with the M but if you use the "green button" with the M, it sets the settings to how "P" would then you can adjust from there. Make manual easier to learn and less intimidating. The lights in my house are all energy efficient bulbs and most are only 40 watts so snapshots in my house suffer a little. But move the ISO up to 800 to 1600, yes the ISO noise reduction is good, they turn out good for a family album. "AA" batteries a PRO and CON. PRO - can find them anywhere. Lithium work fantastic, but might get expensive after a while. CON - the rechargeable batteries work good if I pull the from the charger and use it but after they sit for 2-3 days they run down steadily. (Fix - have two sets of good quality rechargeable and keep on set on the charger.) Video works good, not had a chance to use it much yet. But what I have they turned out good for a non-video camera. If you are looking at this camera you probably are because of its lower price. Compare closely to the equivalents of the other camera brands. 1/4000th sec shutter speed, HD video, live-view, in-camera stabilization won it out over them.
justaguy
2010-01-09T19:00:00
The features of the camera are great!
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CMOS with primary color filter and integrated Shake/Dust Reduction sensor movement system
23.4 x 15.6mm
8 bits/channel JPG, 12 bits/channel RAW
12.6 MP
12.97 MP
12M (4288x2428), 10M (3936x2624), 6M (3072x2048), 2M (1728x1152)
1280x720p24 (16:9), 640x416p24 (3:2) (resolution/FPS)
Image sensor movement combined with SP coating (Dust Alert available)
PENTAX KAF3, KAF2, KAF and KA (K mount, 35mm screw mount, 645/67 med format lenses useable w/ adapter and/or restrictions)
Yes
N/A
TTL phase-difference 11 point (9 cross) wide autofocus system (SAFOX VIII)
AF Auto, AF Single (w focus lock), AF Continuous (available in Action mode including Auto Picture Action, Kids, Pet, Stage Lighting, Night Snap, P/A/S/M/B/Sv), Manual
11 point auto, 5 point auto, AF point select, center/spot
Yes, via built-in flash
Pentamirror
96%
0.85X (w/ 50mm F1.4 at infinity)
0.85X (w/ 50mm F1.4 at infinity)
Natural-Bright-Matte III
-2.5 to 1.5
Optical & Digital (available via programmable Green button)
2.7" TFT color LCD monitor w adjustable brightness
230,000 dots
Yes
TTL by CMOS image sensor
100%
Magnification (2-6X in AF, 2-10X in MF), grid pattern, bright/dark indication, histogram
Contrast w Face Detection (up to 16 faces), contrast, phase difference
Retractable P-TTL popup flash
12 (100/m), 16 (200/m)
25mm wide angle (equivalent to 35mm)
On, off, redeye, slow sync, slow sync w redeye, slow sync w trailing curtain, wireless
-2 to 1 EV in 1/2 steps
Hotshoe (P-TTL, high speed sync available), wireless with PENTAX dedicated flash, X-sync socket
1/180 sec
SD, SDHC
USB 2.0 hi-speed, AV out
NTSC, PAL
Power source: 4 AA (lithium, NiMH rechargeable, alkaline)
Approx 1900 (1100 w 50% flash, CIPA)
Approx 680 min
Yes (optional)
Sensor-shift Shake Reduction (4 stops max)
TTL open aperture, 16 segment metering
EV 1-21.5 (ISO 200, 50mm F1.4)
Yes
Yes
Yes
+/- 3 EV (1/3 and 1/2 steps)
Yes (available via programmable AF/AE-L button)
Yes, 3 frames, up to +/- 1.5 (1/2 steps) or +/- 1.0 (1/3 steps)
200-6400 (1, 1/2, 1/3 EV steps), up to 1600 in Bulb, expand to 100-12800
200-6400 (1, 1/2, 1/3 EV steps), up to 1600 in Bulb, expand to 100-12800
Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent (D, N, W, L), Tungsten, Flash, CTE
Yes
Electronically controlled, vertical run, focal plane shutter
1/6000 to 30 sec, bulb
Auto Picture (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Action, Night Scene Portrait, StandardFlash Off), Picture (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Action, Night Scene Portrait, Standard Flash Off), Scene (Night Scene, Surf & Snow, Food, Sunset, Kids, Pet, Candlelight, Museum, Stage Lighting [JPG], Night Snap [JPG]), Program, Sensitivity Priority, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Metered Manual, Bulb (available in Metered Manual), Movie
Auto Picture (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Action, Night Scene Portrait, StandardFlash Off), Picture (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Action, Night Scene Portrait, Standard Flash Off), Scene (Night Scene, Surf & Snow, Food, Sunset, Kids, Pet, Candlelight, Museum, Stage Lighting [JPG], Night Snap [JPG]), Program, Sensitivity Priority, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Metered Manual, Bulb (available in Metered Manual), Movie
Yes
P, A, S, M, B (in Metered Manual), Sv (Sensitivity Priority)
Custom Image Modes: Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, Muted, Monochrome. Color modes include gamut radar and fine adjustment for saturation, hue, key, contrast, sharpness (regular and fine adj). Monochrome mode includes adjustment for film filter effects (green, yellow, orange, red, magenta, blue, cyan, infrared), toning (sepia warm/cool), key, contrast, sharpness (regular andfine adj). Cross Processing mode available for creative random effect generation.
(capture): Toy Camera, High Contrast, Soft, Starburst, Retro, Color Extract (6),Fisheye, Custom (8)
Folder name (standard, date)
Approx 4.7 FPS (Continuous Hi: 17 JPG, 5 RAW), 2 FPS (Continuous Lo: unlimited JPG, 11 RAW)
Yes (12s, 2s)
Yes, infrared (0s, 3s, continuous)
One Shot (no data, basic data, full data, color channel histogram), Multi Image Display (4, 9, 16, or 36 thumbnails), Calendar Filmstrip, Folder, Magnification (quick zoom available), Select & Delete, Movie Playback (no data, basic data, full data), Bright/Dark Indication
Image Rotation, Digital Filter, Resize, Cropping, Slideshow, Image Comparison, RAW Development, Index Print, Protect, DPOFson, Protect, DPOF
Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Extract Color (6), Watercolor, Pastel, Miniature, Base Parameter Adj, Monochrome (filter effects, toning), Color (6), Soft, Starburst, Fisheye, Slim, HDR, Custom Filter
Still: RAW (PEF, DNG), JPG (EXIF 2.21), DCF 2.0 (design rule for camera file system), DPOF, Print Image Matching III
AVI (Motion JPG)
22
Windows XP/Vista, USB 2.0 port
Mac OS-X 10.3-10.5, USB 2.0 port
English, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, Dutch, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Traditional/Simplified Chinese
Fiber reinforced plastic polymer covers around a rugged stainless steel chassis
32-104°F
4.8 x 3.6 x 2.7"
Without battery or removable memory: 18.2 oz
Loaded and ready: 20.5 oz
Pentax 1 year limited warranty
027075159457
Great! Entry level price. High end specs
By justaguy
Actually a 4.5 star rating but you can't chose that. This is my first dSLR purchase. I did a lot of research. This was probably a near perfect buy. After using it for about 3 months there are a couple of things I wish it did but still a great buy. Lots of growing room with the camera. Easy learning curve for newer dSLR users and has most of the specs a pro would want. Very smart camera. The "Auto" and "semi-auto" settings are good. AWB works well, "P-mode" is terrific. The "scene" modes wor...
View full Review
The best choice for a beginner
By Fogo
For those who don't want to spend tons of money to have a DSLR camera. The Pentax KX delivers what you need for a fraction of the amount you would spend in other fancy cameras. Why shooting a fly with a cannon? It is the right choice if you desires a camera with higher quality images than a point and shoot but will not became a pro and don't want to show off for your friends.
The extremely compact and lightweight PENTAX K-x is perfect for users stepping up from a point and shoot digital camera to their first digital SLR.
12.4 effective megapixels
The K-x incorporates a newly developed CMOS image sensor to assure high-speed image data readout and more flexibility with varying ISO sensitivity levels.
Widescreen HD movie recording at 1280x720 pixels at a cinematic 24 frames per second (720p24)
The PENTAX K-x movie recording function captures true-to-life movie clips in 16:9 high-definition TV proportions (1280 x 720 pixels) at a frame rate of 24 frames per second.
PENTAX-original SR mechanism for sharp, blur-free images
The K-x features the PENTAX-developed Shake Reduction mechanism that effectively compensates for the adverse effects of camera shakeby as much as four shutter steps. This innovative mechanism extends its benefits to all PENTAX interchangeable lenses - even those designed for film-format cameras.
High-speed continuous shooting at approximately 4.7 images per second
The K-x's high-speed continuous shooting mode records as many as 17 images (in JPEG recording format) at a maximum speed of approximately 4.7 images per second. This is the fastest of all entry-class models. The K-x also features a more reliable shutter unit, which passed a demanding action test of more than 100,000 shutter releases. The top shutter speed of 1/6000 second allows the photographer to preserve sharp, crisp images of fast-moving subjects.
High-performance, high-speed PRIME II imaging engine
This new imaging engine offers greater data processing speed and enhanced capability to produce higher-quality images with richer, more accurate color rendition, as well as faster transmission speed of movie data.
Live View function with Face detection of up to 16 faces
In addition to the camera's viewfinder, the K-x features a Live View function that allows users to view subjects on the LCD monitor during shooting.
Digital Filter function
The K-x's digital filter function allows users to process recorded images in a variety of creative ways within the camera and produce highly creative visual expressions. With a choice of 16 different filters including Color Extract, Retro, Soft, Starburst, Toy Camera, and more (including a custom filter for building multiple effects), photographers may apply multiple filters to a singleimage for customized effects
Cross Process mode
The K-x features a new Cross Process mode that automatically and randomly adds finishing touches to exposures to create eye-catching images with unique, intriguing colors (just like images treated with Cross Process* in film photography). This mode adds a whimsical element to digital photography since photographers don't know the results until the captured image is actually displayed on the camera's LCD monitor.