Pentax K-x Digital SLR with 2.7-inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL Lens (Black) (Discontinued by Manufacturer)
Pentax K-x Digital SLR with 2.7-inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL Lens (Black) (Discontinued by Manufacturer)
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- 12.4-megapixel CMOS sensor with Pentax Shake Reduction; HDR image capture
- Kit includes 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL lens
- Capture widescreen HD 720p video at 24fps; 2.7-inch LCD with autofocus and Face Detection Live View
- 4.7fps capture rate with 1/6000 sec max shutter speed; 11-point wide-angle autofocus
- Powered by AA lithium batteries; capture images and video to SD/SDHC memory (not included)
Brand : Pentax
Category : Electronics,Camera & Photo,Digital Cameras,DSLR Cameras
Rating : 4
Review Count : 132
Pentax K-x Digital SLR with 2.7-inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL Lens (Black) (Discontinued by Manufacturer)
- I have used a K100d for several years and been very happy with the camera. I wanted to upgrade to more pixels and faster burst speed, but did not want to obsolete the lens, flash and other accessories I had accumulated. I initially considered the K200d, but at $700 - $750, it did not seem to be a good value. At $470 at Amazon, the K-x was a very good value. There are many full reviews on the web, I\'ll address only the \"negatives\" these reviews mention.I initially had two worries, the lack of a focus indicator in the viewfinder, and reported \"soft\" images by one trusted reviewer. It turns out that the lack of a focus indicator is not the problem I thought it might be. I\'d like to have one, but I can live without it. JPEG images right from the camera might be subjectively a little soft, but I have not compared the two cameras side by side with the same lens. In any event, I believe any photo good enough to show people is worth a minute or two on Photoshop. After the routine sharpening I don\'t see any softness.The K-x is smaller than the K200d. It is still easy to grip, but I think I like the larger camera body anyway. I use my Sigma 70-300 almost all the time, and a lens this large offsets the value of a smaller body. If I used a more compact lens the smaller body size might be a nice feature.The camera uses AA batteries. I used rechargeables in the K100, and planned to use them in K-x as well. The lithium batteries that came with the camera have already taken 1,500 photos and the battery meter has not moved off \"full\". I purchased 3 sets (12 batteries) of \"ultimate\" lithiums at Sam\'s Club for $21. The shelf life is 15 years. If I can get 4,500 photos for $21 I might not bother with rechargeables.I do not use \"automatic\", but also do not use a lot in the camera\'s built in features. Most of my settings are still default, although I have experimented with adustments to contrast and \"dynamic range\". I have not even tried live view or video experimentally. Most of my subjects are horses and cats. Their attention span is measure in fractions of seconds, and they will never pose, and rarely stand still once you point a camera in their direction. I like to concentrate on the subject, composition, background etc and strive for a usable image I can clean up in Photoshop. I still get a lot of full-sun pictures with blown out highlights and very dark shadows, but this does not seem to any worse than most digital cameras.You can see samples at \"[...]\" if you like
- Pentax Kx is Pentax digital SLR for beginner and enthusiast. Pentax Kx replaces Pentax KM / K2000. There are many improvements from KM, such as three stops higher ISO setting, video recording, faster continuous shooting, 11 selectable auto focus points and 12.3 megapixel image resolution (compare to 10 mp). Kx shares same body as Km, so it is still very compact but not weather-sealed like Pentax k200, k20d or k7. It also use four AA batteries instead of lithium batteries.BODY & HANDLINGPentax Kx weights 581g, and its dimension is 122 x 92 x 69 mm. It is one of the smallest DSLR camera around, but not the lightest because of body material and 4X AA batteries.Using batteries has been always been debated, some people like to have lithium battery with their camera, especially those who does not or concern about reliability of rechargeable batteries. Some might prefer the universal AA batteries because they are available everywhere and the rechargeable one is relatively cheaper compare to lithium one.Built quality of this camera is generally good for beginner digital SLR, sturdy and substantial. Ergonomic is not the best especially for people that has big hand or finger, but it is good in general.Like KM, the camera interface has been simplified yet very accessible. It has one thumb dial which you will use this a lot to change setting values. There are dedicated trash button, AF/AE-L, exposure compensation button, customizabe green button, live view button, info button, four way buttons which are shared with ISO, WB, Flash, self timer. These are basically what you will need and expect from a good digital SLR camera.There is also a shooting mode dial, where you can find manual and semi automatic control. There are also some popular scenes mode and video mode. Unique to Pentax, there is Sv (sensitivity mode), which allow you to set preferred ISO and let the camera decide on aperture and shutter speed value.Changing setting is fast and easy because of availability of many dedicated buttons. Main LCD screen could be activated by turning the camera to ON position or pressing INFO button. Pressing INFO button twice, you will get 12 squares representing popular settings such as auto HDR, image size, shake reduction, etc.This small control panel is a great help and better than Nikon\'s info screen, but it is not better than Olympus super control panel.LCD SCREEN & VIEWFINDERLCD screen is basic, plain 2.7\" , 230k. Compared to recent years DSLR, this screen is a bit outdated but it is not bad. Viewfinder is relatively big compare to beginner DSLR camera. Only Canon 500d and 450D can match the size of the viewfinder.AUTO FOCUS PERFORMANCEAuto focus (used with 18-55 kit lens) is surprisingly fast in bright light or low light situation. You will get AF confirmation in the viewfinder (hexagonal green dot) but there is no indicator where the active focus point is. For who that rely on automatic 5 points, 11 points or central point AF, it might not be a problem, but for those who usually use other individual AF point, it might be a bit of inconvenience.IMAGE QUALITY AND ISOPentax Kx images in natural setting are not bright and saturated like competitor like Canon DSLR, but they are more muted and a bit cold. It is similar to Nikon DSLR such as Nikon D90. Nikon and Pentax Kx uses Sony sensor, and that might explain the similarity.But don\'t too worry if you don\'t like muted color, because you can always set higher saturation in Pentax custom setting or deal with it later in your favorite photo editing program. But off course it won\'t match Canon color when you both set the saturation setting to the max.The sensor strength is on high ISO setting. It matches Nikon D90 and even slightly better. Combined with built in shake reduction, this camera is very good in low light photography such as night scene or indoor performance. This performance might be the best for crop sensor camera up to date and only to be beaten by expensive full frame camera such as Nikon D700 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) or Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) OTHER FACTS & FINDINGS * Pentax Kx is available in 100 colors combination in Japan * Built-in photo processing like auto HDR is slow (takes approx. 10 sec to process and to make a good HDR, you need tripod). It also drain batteries power quickly. Live view, movie recording is very basic for DSLR standard and it also drain batteries. Prepare plenty of rechargeable AA batteries if you keen on using these features. * The kit lens 18-55mm is generally an OK kit lens, but to get better image quality especially sharpness and image acuity, I recommend you to look for some better lenses such as Pentax 16-45 f4 or 17-70mm f4.COMPETITOR Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Price: $750is a leading beginner cameras with 3\" hi-res LCD and 15 megapixel image resolution. The most important maybe the access to Canon extensive lenses. But this camera is more expensive and slower in continuous burst (only 3.5 fps), no built-in image stabilization, and image is not as clean as Pentax Kx\' image in high ISO setting. Nikon D5000 12.3 MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens and 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD Price: $700D5000 is also a great low light performer like its brother Nikon D90, but the problem with this camera is lack of built-in auto focus motor. This limit your lens selection. There is no built-in image stabilization either. Like Canon and Pentax beginner DSLR cameras, D5000 has live view and movie mode, plus swivel screen. Olympus Evolt E620 12.3MP Live MOS Digital SLR Camera with Image Stabilization and 2.7 inch Swivel LCD w/ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Lens Price: $700The E-620 is very small and compact because of smaller image sensor (which is actually a disadvantage). E-620 has swivel LCD screen and built-in image stabilization. Click the camera name for review.CONCLUSIONPentax Kx is a small wonder. It is great camera for low light condition, very portable (especially combined with Pentax pancake lenses), and the design is very user-friendly. It has two problems that prevent this camera to be the perfect beginner/enthusiasts camera: the active auto focus indicator is absent , and battery life is short when you use photo retouching features and record movie often. However, with the current price point, this camera gives you a better value than its competitors.Subjective Rating - Relative to entry level DSLR cameras 2009Image Quality : 5/5Features : 5/5Performance : 5/5Body and Handling : 4/5Value for Money : 5/5For image samples and iso comparison please visit my blog. You can find the link through my Amazon profile.
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