Pentax K-x review

Pentax's entry-level DSLR with high-end specs

The latest addition to the Pentax line of DSLRs is aimed at entry-level photographers, but - looking at its specifications – you’d never guess it.

Bearing more than a passing resemblance to the older Pentax K-m, the K-x incorporates a lot of features from its predecessor, as well as borrowing some from the pricier and higher-spec K-7. Boasting an updated 12.4mp APS-C CMOS sensor and PRIME II imaging engine, the K-x also benefits from HD movie recording capability (720p, 24fps) and a faster 1/6000sec maximum shutter speed. Add these qualities to a comprehensive sensitivity range spanning ISO 200-6400 (expandable to cover ISO 100-12,800) and 4.7fps continuous shooting for up to 17 JPEGs, and you soon realise you’ve got a very well specified camera in your hands.

Despite its entry-level status, Pentax hasn’t skimped on features or materials when building the K-x. One thing that can be said of all of Pentax’s DSLRs to date is that they’re very well-made, and the K-x is no exception. Constructed from tough plastic over a stainless steel chassis, the K-x feels light enough to carry around all day, but hefty enough to reassure the user that it’s going to withstand the rigours of daily life. The weight of the camera is mainly down to the four AA batteries required to power it – which Pentax states they found to be preferable for entry-level users, due to their wide availability (in comparison to a proprietary lithium-ion rechargeable unit). We’d recommend going for rechargeable lithium or Ni-MH cells to ensure maximum longevity and to lessen the impact on the environment. Despite initial concerns regarding battery life, we discovered Pentax’s claimed 1,900 shots per fresh set of batteries to be pretty accurate – this figure drops with excessive Live View / movie mode use, but battery life remains impressive. The one thing this camera lacks is any sort of weather-proofing, which would have been a rather nice feature to borrow from DSLRs further up the Pentax camera hierarchy, but one that’s hardly to be expected at this price point.

In the hand, the K-x feels well-proportioned, with a petite but ergonomically shaped and rubberised grip for comfort, along with a neatly curved thumb grip on the back of the camera, giving the user a firm purchase. The camera is nicely balanced with the 18-55mm kit lens attached, and the metal lens mount adds to the robust build quality of the K-x.

The K-x’s controls are generously sized and well-placed, making the interface unlikely to daunt the first-time DSLR buyer. Based on the layout seen on the older K-m, there’s very little difference between the two, save a new Live View button which has necessitated a slight re-jig of some of the other existing buttons. Everything’s easily accessible, within a thumb or fingertip’s reach and simple to operate.

On the top plate of the camera you’ll find a large mode dial packed with exposure modes, including the full range of manual (P, S, A, M) modes and a plethora of automatic functions that should keep new and developing photographers more than satisfied.

In addition to the silver shutter release and power switch that encircles it, there’s a small recess that houses an exposure compensation button and a green button (a long-standing Pentax feature, which has several functions, including the ability to help photographers to find the optimum exposure settings for the scene before them, once they’ve programmed in either the shutter speed/aperture for example) – both are easily located without having to take your eye away from the viewfinder.

Around the back, the left of the camera’s surface is dominated by its 2.7” LCD, with all of the controls arranged within thumb’s reach on the right. In addition to the usual four-way d-pad - which offers softkey access to the Drive mode, ISO, Flash mode and White Balance menus – there’s a clearly labelled menu button below an Info button, which calls up your current shooting settings on the LCD with the first press, and activates an interactive menu that offers fast access to further options with a second press. A chunky playback button and dedicated LV (Live View) button complete the set, with a diminutive AF/AE-L button sitting on the top curve of the sculpted thumb grip and the camera’s control dial positioned just to the right of the viewfinder. A final button to the left of this point lets the user activate the K-x’s pop-up flash manually.

On the front all you’ll find is an AF/ MF switch to the right of the lens and a lens release button – there’s no depth-of-field preview button, unfortunately.

 Start investigating the menu system, and you’ll soon discover some hidden gems that are definitely worth exploring. The K-x offers a Custom Image tool that lets users tweak the look of their images in-camera, adjusting the hue, saturation, brightness, contrast and sharpness, and a few slots below this in the main menu system is a D-Range setting, that lets you control the level of highlight and shadow correction that’s applied to your images by default. There’s even in-camera lens correction, with the option to remedy chromatic aberration as well as distortion – all interesting features that we wouldn’t expect to find at this price point. Keep scrolling through the menus and you come across a Cross-processing option - which does what the name suggests – and a Digital Filter feature offers a wide choice of filter effects that you can apply to your photos, including Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Extract Color, Soft, Star Burst, Fish-eye and Custom Filter, with the latter option allowing you to create your own stylised filter from scratch.

With the popularity of HDR (High Dynamic Range) among some members of the photographic community of late, it’s interesting to find that Pentax is offering an automated HDR Capture option that takes the technical side out of this type of digital imaging. Just activate the feature and press the shutter release: the camera will take a few shots of the same subject in succession (tripod recommended). The K-x automatically brackets your exposures and – after a few seconds – a final image comprising your blended exposures appears on the LCD, no software required. There are two ‘strengths’ to choose from: Standard and Strong, which determine how natural your final shot looks.

A similarly innovative Multi-exposure mode lets you combine two or more shots into one exposure in-camera, broadening your creative horizons even further. Continuing on this theme of creativity, there’s the K-x’s previously-mentioned HD movie mode to get your teeth into. Accessed via a dedicated slot on the mode dial, you half-depress the shutter release to focus as normal, then fully depress it when you want to start / stop recording. Video straight out of the camera is generally pretty smooth, although you’ll notice a bit of distortion in the verticals if you try to pan too fast. Sound is mono, and the camera’s mic does pick up some of the creaks and clicks that your hands make on the camera body, but it seems to have a pretty good range and records ambient music played at moderate volume levels well.

Also worth mentioning is the K-x’s comprehensive set of flash modes, comprising red-eye reduction, slow sync and rear curtain sync (and various combinations thereof) in addition to the slightly unexpected Wireless mode, which lets users control a flashgun off-camera without the need for a commander unit. This is another characteristic that you’d normally expect to find on a higher-spec camera, and adds even more value for money to the K-x’s feature-set.

The latter sentiment really sums up the K-x: it’s an entry level model that’s primarily going to attract first-time DSLR buyers, but it offers so much more than a stepping-stone to the semi-pro models that lie beyond. This is a camera that you can take your first photos with, and it will grow with you as your skills develop.