Pentax K-x hands-on
By Paul Miller 
posted Sep 17th 2009 11:32PM
posted Sep 17th 2009 11:32PM
posted Sep 17th 2009 11:32PM
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Hmmm, an interesting competitor to the D3000 in the entry-level space. Just makes my buying decision that much harder now...
I'd take a hard look. The D3000 is a warmed over D40x, the K-x is a reboot of the K-m. Of the two current models it's hard to make a compelling case for the Nikon based on the spec sheet.
This is a good thing, as it will make Nikon hurry up with the D4000.
@bebop : You're way off the mark.
The D3000 has an all new CMOS sensor that has nothing to do with the CCD one in the D40. Also, it has an all new and very snappy AF system. As is the case with all current Nikons, the D3000 has the best high-ISO performance in its class.
Worry about the lenses, not the camera. All the cameras at this tier are close enough in performance that it really doesn't matter which body you chose; besides, you'll just be buying a new camera in a few years anyway. For me, the Pentax bodies had the best value (2 years ago, though things are much closer now), the lens selection was good enough (especially with all the old K-mount lenses available) and I didn't mind having to rely on 3rd party manufacturers for a large portion of zoom lenses. Pentax's range is expanding, but it still does specialize in small, high-quality primes. If that's what you want, you can't beat Pentax.
@synn
No, the D3000 has a 10MP CCD sensor, the same or essentially the same as D40x, and D60. You're thinking of the D5000. The D3000 *should* have been 12MP CMOS i.e. D300-D90-D5000 family, but it wasn't.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_d3000.asp
If the K-x replaces the K-m, and it looks that way, I think Pentax has just redefined entry-level.
I find the grip a bit narrow for my taste, but otherwise it's a nice design.
Oddly enough, the CCD sensor in the D3000 is the same Sony ICX-series sensor as in the Pentax K10, Km, K200D (as well as a ton of other cameras).
However, you're right, $650 is an insanely good price point for what you are getting with this camera, and Pentax has some amazing primes.
Barf....hey guys, I found the color we were looking for!
It certainly is eye catching...
can someone comment as to how the Pentax brand ranks in comparison to other camera manufacturers like Nikon, Cannon, etc?
is it comparable to those, better, worse?
The specs for the K-x is quite impressive, but it has a shortcomings that may be a deal-breaker for alot of people. The K-x viewfinder doesn't have AF confirm LEDs, so you won't be able to tell which of the 11 points the camera is using to focus with. This feature is pretty much in almost all DSLR's, so it's a little disheartening to see this omitted.
On paper, the performance of the K-x could make it better than the entry level Canons and Nikons, but a full review will be needed before that can be confirmed. I suspect that the kit lens will probably hamper the image quality more so than the body itself.
But, anyways, just my 2-cent reply.
Didn't you post exactly the same question on the last K-x thread?
i was wondering about Pentax as a brand in general, not just this model.
and no, i didnt ask this in any other thread.
Pentax offer more bang for the buck that any other manufacturer. In addition to great prices on their current lines, you can use any lens Pentax has ever made on these newer bodies (adapter needed for old screw mount). I use a K20D and love it, I also love the fact that I can get pro quality lenses are a reasonable price. Canon and Nikon need to get realistic with their pricing, but I think we can agree there are enough fanboys willing to pay just about anything, so it will never happen. Canon and Nikon fanboys are worse than Apple fanboys.
Dane:
You do know that Canon and Nikon have also been making lenses for 20-30 years or longer? You can use all EF lenses and FD lenses (with an adapter) on every Canon body. M42 lens adapters and lenses are also dirt cheap.
You don't have to spend premium to get good glass.
If you are asking sincerely (I hope) about brand differences, and not just trolling, here goes:
Branding is branding, each company makes very good products and very cheap products. Canon and Nikon have truly "pro" grade products, Pentax have always aimed their top range products at the "enthusiast" market instead. At the low end it's really all one and the same: the kit lenses are all pretty grim, maybe Nikon's is a grade above, maybe Canon a grade below, but there isn't much in it. The bodies are all plastic, all do the job about equally well, it comes down really to how it feels in the hand, and which "system" you want to buy into.
Pentax has not attempted to produce a "pro" grade dSLR, though each release gets them closer, but the flip side is they have been more willing to market "enthusiast" lenses that are not especially useful (from a pro point of view) but are a lot of fun to use. I mean the DA Limiteds, which Nikon doesn't really have an answer for.
Pentax has a relatively low profile in N. America, I think because a) they took a while to get their dSLR offerings up to speed. and b) their prime-lens-loving-I'll-pay-$1300-for-the-DA-31mm-F1.9-Limited market mostly resides in Japan. :-D
I also think the K-x is a watershed moment for Pentax as they have usurped the low end of the dSLR market away from Nikon, who held that choice top-of-the-bottom-position since the D40 came out. I've recommended the D40 (and derivatives) for years to my friends and relatives, but I think that it about to change.
Actually the Pentax kit lenses are pretty decent, they feel more solid and more like the "serious" lenses by Canikon. You can also manually focus while in AF position, I couldn't live with a lens that doesn't do that. However the lens that came with the K-m sucks in comparison, it feels rather cheap, it doesn't have MF in AF position etc. I'm afraid the K-x will also get this lens. :-/ Optically it should be the same though as the better, old kit lenses.
Pentax tends to limit a camera less (artificially) just because it is an entry level DSLR... my entry level Pentax (*istDs) had a pentaprism viewfinder, just like a Canon 50D (it is bigger though on the Pentax), you can manually adjust the AF for different lenses (to counter backfocus), almost everything can be adjusted for your needs, and you can replace the focusing screen, e.g. for one that helps with manual focusing (again, this is only available from the 40D/50D onwards for Canon). I'm not sure what is possible with the K-x though.
However back then the AF wasn't as good as with competing products (despite 9 cross sensors that can be selected individually). I would say that if you know what you are doing, don't mind adjusting here and there if necessary, then the Pentaxes are brilliant cameras. Robust, good image quality, very small and light and yet very good ergonomics. But if you want the camera to do everything... Canikon.
In response to no AF-LEDS - Why exactly do you need focus confirmation? I can think of two scenarios where you think you would:
If the subject is moving or hard to track like a jet or RF plane and there is nothing that can come in the foreground, then you can use full AF because it can go from one AF point to the other and its pretty unlikely you will miss focus, unless there are multiple planes, but all the indicator will do is tell you which one is in focus. If it tells you the wrong one is, you can wait then snap a picture. Without the indicator, you just take the picture and maybe it turns out better than you wanted.
If there are things coming in-front of the object you are trying to focus on that is moving (sports with lots of people) then you would never want to use full AF because it will focus on other people, and you want to specify the exact point (or maybe a set of points), otherwise it will focus on completely random people that I dont want to focus on. I will be snapping away pictures anyway, so I'm not going to even look for a red indicator and decide to not click since I'm in AF-C anyway. And generally I can keep them on the AF point.
With the K-x, you can change the AF point, and to do so on any camera, you need to look at the back LCD. Then you will know exactly where relative to the viewfinder the AF point is. If you forget between then and looking into the viewfinder, than I don't know what to say. When the green hex activates, you will know that spot is in focus.
P.S. The AF LED indicators light up when you start autofocus, not when it is in focus, so it is even less useful.
In comparison to Nikon and Canon, the K-x will have a better high iso sensor, which imo is a huge thing. Even better than the K-7, and possibly D90, according to rumors that it has the new A500 sensor (although the A500 body sucks). The entry level Nikons leave out the AF motor, which is ridiculous, meaning you cant use AF old lenses. The K-x will work with any old Pentax K-mount and have IS on every lens to boot.
The Canons imo typically have more features and specs than Nikon and Pentax, but their ergonomics and menu system completely suck. Now that K-x has higher fps, awesome sensor, LV AF, video, tons of AF points when combined with their better VF and better button layout, I no longer have any envy towards Canon/Nikon DSLRs.
Meant to reply to this post..
another person's comparison of the D5000, T1i, and K-m (what the K-x is replacing)
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1036&thread=31842371
after seeing all of these new entry level dslr's, there's no freakin way i'll even buy another crappy fujifilm finepix dumbcamera
To be fair, one of the main points of what you call 'dumbcameras' is portability, without the problem of having a crappy mobile-phone-sized sensor.
Point and shoots have their place, especially when you're out and simply can't afford to lug around a body and lens.
That white one is pure sex!
It looks like a toy compared to Canon and Nikon's entry-level DSLRs.
Don't let the color fool you.
Cool! Black and Decker is making cameras!
Something about the colours makes it seem ... cheaper. Like the Nanos and the Shuffles. Question is how does it stack up against the T1i?
I seriously never saw a camera ugly like that. That red looks like old dried ketchup on a dirty plate.
I wonder what crapular camera Engadget are using that it was confused by the colour red? ;-)
Char................!
http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10009225a/20/1
and you will understand.
personally I like the colors - it's always easier to find! after having all my electronics in black for years, I spend so much time looking for the damn things. ah, bright red camera, there you are - problem solved!
I just hate when companies don't offer the same colors in all countries - the Panasonic GH1 is only in black in the US - but I want the red one!!!!
maybe someone should release electronics in a beautiful shit brown color - oops, Microsoft already did that!
Still red huh? *shudders*
aaaand red still isn't the only color available.
paul wrote
@ Sep 17th 2009 1:21PM
Yo, i'm really happy for your ability to write in language that isn't your first, and Ima let you finish, but you make no sense at all. The Nikon D3000 costs more, and doesn't have AF adjustment, nor does the outgoing Canon XSi. The Olympus E620, as far as I know, doesn't have autofocus adjustment either.
Babelfish FTL.
____________________________________________________________
paul,
Yes, My own English is poor. (my mother tongue is not English)
however, paul, you has really shows up your breeding with your language ability, as well as your Pentax camera's episteme "ability".
yah, Nikon, Canon, Olympus, they are disability to like a puny Pentax.
Is this engadget's editor ability? one bigger ad dustbin?
Again with the non-sense!
Even Kanye would be proud. (you obviously missed the reference).
Nevermind pulling a quote from a completely different article comment section to re-ignite some non-existent flamewar, you are full of awesome Peter!
This is cool, yet the whole "OMG CRAZY COLORS"-plan may backfire. Like the Canon L-lenses the color just screams: "Steal this!"
The fun thing about Engadget is that half the time, someone's already said what I'm thinking. This, another one of those times. Now, I'm as much of a fan of choice and funky colors for electronics as the next guy, but wandering through a strange city, looking somewhat disoriented (or disorientated, if that's your language preference), trying to take pictures of anything...? You're already enough of a target without having a SCREAMING red, expensive camera that shouts, "HELLO!! I'M A TOURIST!! LOOK AT MY CAMERA, NICE, ISN'T IT? LET ME HAND IT TO YOU TO TAKE MY PICTURE, SO YOU CAN RUN OFF WITH IT!!"
References to "No, it's rubbish!" and other Oversized Mobile Phone Man quotes from Trigger Happy TV are welcome.
@PeterZheng,
老兄你英语水平还真的是不行。别再用一些言不及义的粗鄙字眼给你国人丢人现眼啦。
AF used to be one of Pentax D-SLR's weakness, since K20D it has been made up a lot (and that includes K-m/K2000, K7). There is no reason to think that K-x as new generation of K-m would not have at least the same AF accuracy and speed as those of the one it replaces.
-----------------
But I personally will pass it if the rumor has it true that there is no AF indicator (red point) in the viewfinder as is the case in K-m. Also the AF ability, if it does AF at all, in the movie mode is yet to be proven. With 24fps (instead of 30fps) and mono sound recording, it seems the movie function is more like doing 'motion pictures' than doing real movie recording. (However, this is just about what D5000/D3000 and 500D are doing at their best.)
At least it foreseeable that the release of K-x is going to hammer the price of K-m down to a certain low point. Might be a good bargain alternative (though already nice now) for those who don't fancy about cam body colors and those who need a backup body.
Also with a MSRP of $650, the K-x kit is about (if not more than) what a K20D body costs right now, it's interesting to see their completing relationship, which is apparently a mismatch, will be reflected on the market.
The two annoyances with the K-m: no confirmation of the selected AF point and no orientation sensor. The former I suppose I could live without, the omission of the latter just seems stingy. The K-x would seem to have the same issues.
Still, for the K-x: live view, movie, 4.7 fps (!), 11 AF points, ISO 200-6400/12800, 1/6000s shutter, shake reduction, dust reduction, 12 MP CMOS sensor... Pentax are really packing it in there.
If Pentax's policy maker think that Nikon did not an AF-adjustment in D3000, and then Pentax can be same reason, which is a result:
put Nikon's lipstick blacking on Pentax's face.
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Lefanfaron ,
这里您能够代表你国人民? 还有谁是代表3个的? 英语差者就不得在这里发言? 你国的法律或规定?
24p FTW!!!
... and don't say "you can convert 30p to 24p," because no, it's just not the same.
I am eagerly awaiting some sample video footage........
ditto. I cant wait to see what this affordable DSLR can do. I'm more interested in the video capture than anything. I have no experience with DSLR, and would like to know if you have manual adjustment over zoom and focus with video?
Some user on DPR's comparison of the K-m (what the K-x is replacing), T1i, and D5000:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1036&thread=31842371
PXPAULX,
here has no bloodcurdling Peter. Peter will never assault firstly to anyone, whether is other's language ability or camera knowledge, etc.
If some foreigner did not good Chinese language, I will never insult him as his language. (if let me write about cameras with the Chinese language, which is an easiest thing at me.)
I think that you are also missed the reference, a flamewar maker is here:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/17/pentax-k-x-dslr-now-official-12-4mp-720p-video-coming-october/2#comments
Peter
-------------------------------
Humanity's justice and the moral are forever important to compare your camera gear, I will never become a fansboy or a lie monger.
If you can read Chinese language, Please open this link:
http://www.pentax-fans.com/blog/?p=140
Also, I have criticized Pentax, but not Chinese language yet.