Pentax K-x In Depth Review: Much Better Than Just Entry Level

Pentax K-x In Depth Review: Much Better Than Just Entry Level
With the Pentax K-7, one got more than just a sense that Pentax had really decided to take the fight to Canon and Nikon, and perhaps separate themselves from the “other guys” just a bit by offering a pro-sumer camera that did away with as many compromises as possible and instead offered a very compelling camera, at a very attractive price. So in attendance for the unveiling of “something exciting” from Pentax back in September, it was refreshing to see them take the same approach with their new entry-level Pentax K-x.
Looking every bit like the Pentax K-m/K2000 on the outside, the K-x changes things up on the inside by borrowing the 11 point AF system and PRIME II processing from the K-7. The K-x also shoots 720p HD video, again similar to the K-7. The sensor inside is 12.4 megapixels, a step somewhere in-between the K-7 and the K-m. Finally, the K-x offers a frame rate of 4.7 fps which also puts it quite close to the K-7 (though not in burst depth). On the other hand, like the K-m you still can’t see visible AF points in the viewfinder (something that still leaves us scratching our heads, but at least you can select a point now) and the K-x runs on 4 AA batteries, which we still see as a negative no matter who tries to convince us otherwise.

Still, when we got our hands on the display samples at the event we were impressed by the handling, and the feature set–and then there were the colors, black, red, navy, and white, with other markets outside of the U.S. getting even more options. Most impressive of all was the price point, with Pentax once again trying to win the day with an aggressive feature to price ratio. Were our initial impressions well founded? Find out in our review of the Pentax K-x.

Competition

The Pentax K-x is spec’d for most intents and purposes as a higher end entry-level DSLR camera, though we’re quick to recognize that these boundaries are being blurred all of the time. For comparison purposes, we’ve put together some key specifications from the Nikon D5000, the Canon EOS Rebel T1i, the Olympus E-620, and the Sony A380.

Camera	Pentax K-x	Nikon D5000	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Olympus E-620	Sony A380
Price	$569	$629	$749	$567	$699
Sensor	12.4 million effective pixels	12.3 million effective pixels	15.1 million effective pixels	12.3 million effective pixels	14.2 million effective pixels
Max File Size	4288 x 2848	4,288 x 2,848	4752 x 3168	4032 x 3024	4592 x 3056
Video Options	1280 x 720 @ 24 fps, mono sound, 25 minute clips	1280x720 @ 24 fps, mono sound, 5 minute clips	1920x1080 @ 20 fps, 1280x720 @ 30 fps, mono sound, 29 minute clips	none	none
AF	11 point AF	11 point AF	9 point AF	7 point AF	9 point AF
Frame Rate	4.7 fps, 5 RAW	4 fps, 11 RAW	3.4 fps, 9 RAW	4 fps, 5 Raw	2.5, 28 RAW
LCD	2.7 inch, 230K	2.7 inch, 230K, tilt and rotate	3.0 inch, 920K	2.7 inch, 230K, flip and rotate	2.7 inch, 230K, tilt
Dimensions	122.5mm x 91.5mm x 67.5mm (4.8 x 3.6 x 2.7 in)	127 x 104 x 80 mm (5.0 x 4.1 x 3.1 in.)	129 x 98 x 62 mm (5.1 x 3.9 x 2.4 in)	130 x 94 x 60mm (5.1 x 3.7 x 2.4")	128 x 97 x 71 mm (5.2 x 3.9 x 2.9 in)
Weight (no battery)	515 g (1.1 lb)	560 g (1 lb. 4 oz.)	480 g (1.1 lb)	475 g (1.0 lb)	489 g (1.28 lb)