Pentax's
K-x has been shipping in
various corners of the globe (in
various hues) for a hot minute now, but at long last the entry-level DSLR has found itself on the test bench. The good folks over at
Tech Radar were able to take the $650 shooter for a spin, and with few exceptions, they absolutely adored it. Image quality was deemed fantastic, and without qualification, that's easily the most important aspect of a camera. Critics also appreciated the build quality, rear LCD and ergonomics, though they did note that the 720p movie mode was "hit and miss." They found it to be a good fit for novices and amateurs, and while they did feel that it was somewhat less comfortable to wield than Nikon's
D5000, they still maintained that it'll be a great bargain when the street price falls just a bit. Tap the read link for the full skinny -- but only if you feel compelled.
Update:
PhotographyBLOG has just published its review as well.
posted Oct 27th 2009 3:56AM
Unbelievable. They put a review out there, and they don't include a 5 second video clip *directly* out of the camera. There's no way to evaluate it otherwise, and check its actual format, and how it works with our editors etc etc.
but they say "It records in Motion-JPEG AVI format, like Nikon's HD-capable cameras, and you can choose from 1,280 x 720 (720p) at 24 frames per second or 640 x 480 (480p)."
Which is more than enough?
No, it's not enough. I want to check the bitrate, I want to see how the encoding is actually is done, if there's banding, or other encoding errors, if they use an encoding algorithm that edits fast enough etc etc. There are reasons to want and test a file directly out of a camera. Just like he gave the ability to download the JPEGs, he should have done so for a small MOV file too.
Also, his review does not state other stuff, e.g. can you exposure compensate + lock exposure when not in aperture mode? Is there shutter speed support? Are there contrast/saturation/etc image controls in video mode too, so we can shoot "flat", so we can better color grade in post? All these BASIC info is not included in his review.
tech radar may not be the best source for you for that kind of info... perhaps a website that is dedicated to video/photography? TR is more of a generalist when it comes to tech. You sound like you know what you are looking for, so you should know which sites to visit.
Not quite enough. Bit-rate info would be nice to know in lieu of a clip, but posting raw footage seems easy enough to do on its own.
I suppose the review wasn't really done for the video enthusiast and since this camera doesn't let you control the ISO at all in video mode; that's pretty much auto-gain and a deal-breaker for most that would be worried about the quality of the codec.
You can indeed manually set - more specifically lock - the K-x's ISO in video mode, through turning on via the camera menu the appropriate use of the AE-L (auto-exposure lock) button.
Setup your scene, set the aperture etc, press AE-L, and start shooting. ISO remains locked, as does aperture. So with the K-x you have manual control over both aperture and ISO.
i was excited about a new review, but it is the same i read 13 days ago...
anyway, great camera, i think it has some battery problem, but i hope it will be solved before christmas and can buy the white one :)
I've never understood the appeal of white gadgets. Sure, they might look a little different, but after a few months, they look old and yellowed. This would be particularly noticeable on something that's used as much as a DSLR.
@ Paradox
wash your hands more... I kid :)
really? is that still happening? it happened to me with my first game boy, but i thought plastic would have evolved some way...
really? is that still happening? it happened to me with my first game boy, but i thought plastic would have evolved some way... too bad :(
Looks great.... which is important when you drop that kind of money on an entry level DSLR!
I wonder if they will call the next model K-Y!
"Silky smooth shutter release"
"much improved shots-per-second"
"Startup time cut in half"
"A sexy warming sensation when you attach a special k-y-mount lens"
Bought one last week. Have taken a few thousand shots on it already. Easily best gadget purchase decision I've ever made.
"Movie is still a hit-and-miss". Um, this is a SLR camera, not a camcorder or video camera.
If they want to take videos, maybe they should be reviewing a video camera instead.
I agree. Of course the movie mode is not a good fit for pros. What kind of pro would use a DSLR to shoot video?
OK video on a DSLR is kinda funny but it will be important to some folk. It's all about convergence. Alot of customer will like the idea of taking high quality images with a little bit of HD video on the one device.