Customer Reviews

Pentax K-x 12.4 MP Digital SLR with 2.7-inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL and 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED Lenses (Black)

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recently upgraded from my beloved Olympus e-510 DSLR with the 14-42mm and 40-150mm kits lenses in order to get a DSLR with better low-light performance and HD video capabilities. I loved my Olympus, but image quality took a nose-dive at ISO 800, and I liked the idea of having an HD camcorder built into my camera to capture high quality family photos and home videos in one device. I eventually settled on the Pentax K-x after first buying, and then returning, a Canon T2i.

I know that the T2i costs almost twice as much as the K-x, and they're not direct competitors, but I think my experience illustrates what a great camera and bargain the K-x is and how, for me at least, it was a giant killer.

I initially pre-ordered a T2i for the $900 MSRP after reading the glowing reviews in the press about the 18MP sensor, the high-ISO performance and the killer 1080p video. When I received the T2i, I was surprised by how cheap and plasticky it felt. It's not that the T2i was likely to fall apart, but my Olympus felt and looked like a higher quality camera, even though it was about $200 less than the T2i when I bought it. I realize that the T2i is a Rebel, but for almost $1000, I expected something more solid.

Even worse was the Canon 18-55mm kit lens, which felt like a toy compared to my Olympus kit lenses. It looked cheap, and the zoom action felt very cheap, and you could hear plastic-on-plastic as you zoomed in and out. There was no lens hood included, and the optional lens hood was only about an inch deep and looked ridiculous. The front element rotated when auto-focusing, which makes using some filters problematic, and you had to switch off AF to manually make focus adjustments. My Olympus lenses did not rotate the front element, and allowed full time focus override without turning off AF. And build-wise, they looked and felt like a higher end lens. But worst of all, Canon kits lens's optical performance was lacking, rendering the 18MP sensor moot.

I could live with the cheap feel of the T2i body and the ugly jelly-bean design, but I came to realize that in order to get a lens that would match the performance of the body, I would need to shell out another $500 or more, and as a hobbyist I just didn't have the budget.

The real deal-breaker with the T2i though, was the use of Quicktime format for the HD video. Quicktime is a proprietary Apple video format, and while I must assume it works well on a new Mac, the QT videos often gave PCs problems. I'd read about this from other users, but I figured that with my high-end PCs and my computer knowledge, I would be okay. But both my new Sony Vaio laptop with Windows 7, ATI 4650 graphics and 4GB of RAM and my desktop computer with Windows XP, dual-core processor, 4GB of RAM, Raptor 10K HDD and nVidia 8800GT graphics would stutter on playback of the 1080p files. And finding affordable programs to edit Quicktime HD video files is another headache. I wasn't about to buy a new Mac just to be able to work with the video from my new camera.

So back went the T2i, and my quest for a new camera continued. I was just about to pull the trigger on a Nikon D5000, when I came across the Pentax K-x.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was the styling. I thought the red was killer, but I wasn't that brave. And the camera looked dead-sexy in navy blue, but when I saw the white version, I was in love. One thing I liked about my Olympus was that it was something DIFFERENT than all the Nikons and Canon Rebels you see every other parent carrying to school or sports functions. I would often get questions about it from people who didn't realize that Olympus even MADE DSLRs. With this Pentax, I would again have something out of the ordinary.

Then I started reading reviews of the K-x. One of the great things about the T2i is the high ISO image quality, and according to the reviews and the sample images I was looking at, the K-x was right there with it.

And the K-x also did HD video. There were some limitations, such as 720p and lack of full control over exposure while shooting video, but I didn't really mind since the samples I downloaded looked great, even on my 110" 1080P home theater projector. And 720p files take less space than 1080p and require less processing power to playback and edit. And best of all, the K-x uses Motion JPEG video format, which plays back great on PCs and is compatible with almost any Windows video editing program. The MJPEG format does use more disk space than the equivalent QT file, but hard drives and SD cards are cheap these days, so it's not a big deal.

Another great thing about the K-x is that it has sensor-based image stabilization in the body, so any lens you stick on the camera is stabilized. My Olympus used a similar system, and I was very happy with it. The big advantage is that you can be non-stabilized lenses so they'll be smaller, lighter, and less expensive.

I ended up buying the K-x in white with the 18-55mm lens. The K-x looks and feels like a higher quality camera than the T2i, and matches my Olympus in this department. The kit lens is also a very worthy piece of hardware.

With the money I saved on the Pentax, I was able to buy the legendary Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 lens, a Pentax 55-300mm zoom lens, and a Sigma speedlight. The flash was new, but I got great deals on the slighty-used lenses on eBay and Craigslist.

I've been using the Pentax for a couple months now, and have taken hundreds of pictures. I am absolutely thrilled with the camera and couldn't be happier with the photos and videos I'm getting. The T2i did have just slightly more detail, but other than that I would say the K-x has equal image quality. And the 12MP RAW image files of the K-x are faster to work with than the 18MP files of the T2i and take up much less space on SD cards, so you don't have to worry about filling up nearly as fast.

That's not too much negative I can say about the camera. I would like it to have a mini-HDMI port and a standard mini-USB port, and continuous auto-focus would be nice in video mode, but no other DSLR has that yet. Stereo mics would also be nice.

I suspect that the image stabilization system may not be as good as the one in my Olympus, but I can't say for sure since my 300mm is longer than the telephoto I had with the Olympus and will therefore be more prone to shake.

I get compliments on the Pentax everywhere I go, and it's been a joy to use and own. I could not be happier with my purchase.

In the future I'll probably add a Sigma 30mm F1.4 prime and a Sigma 10-20mm ultra-wide zoom to my lens kit.

Just for the record, I'm not trying to bash on the T2i. It is an amazing camera that is currently without peer in its price range. But if you're like me and you only have about $1000 to spend, I think you will get much more value by going with a less-expensive but almost-as-capable camera like the K-x, and using the extra money on high quality lenses. My F2.8 constant-aperture lens has been a revolution for me, and I recommend every budding photographer make room in their budget for something similar.

This my first DSLR. I am very happy with the purchase. It is very easy to use and takes great photos. I will occasionally still get a blurry or under/overexposed photo which I assume is somehow my fault but overall the auto setting just seems to work. I do get alot more pictures of my 3 year old's smiling face because it focuses so much faster than my old camera. I am just starting to use some of the more advanced features but I used some of the filters only a day or two after first trying it. They were very easy to use, actually, the whole camera is very intuitive.

I am not a professional photographer. I imagine there are things the camera can't do but I don't know what. The shake reduction seems to work really well and battery life is really good as long as you don't do a lot of movies or live view. The battery indicator was a bit wacky but I updated the firmware and it is fixed.

In a nutshell, worth every penny.

I recently upgraded to the K-X from a Panasonic FZ50. I wanted a lightweight camera that could shoot in low light. (I purchased the 50-200mm kit, since this telephoto is significantly lighter than the 55-300mm.) I was drawn to the K-X's low noise profile at high ISOs. The first thing I noticed upon using the camera is that the K-X is very responsive and fast. The controls and menus are intuitive and very easy to navigate.

Image Quality: I was pleased with the first images out of the camera, letting the K-X choose the exposure values. Good clarity, exposure, white balance, and color value. No discernible chromatic aberration. I have also used shutter mode when I want a narrow depth of field. The camera seems to create a pleasing bokeh. In scenes with flowers and fruit stalls, the colors are rich and vivid. The in camera digital filters were an unexpected treat. You can get creative with this camera w/o resorting to Photoshop. I shoot a lot of landscapes, and K-X produced decent results. Compared with my earlier camera, the K-X seems to have a much wider dynamic range. The relatively brighter sky does not cause the camera to underexpose the land. I have some questions about the white balance and color space in landscape work. However, with some tweaking via the accompanying Pentax Digital Camera Utility software, I have been satisfied with the results. While exploring this, I noticed that I actually prefer the default color space to Adobe RGB, which suggests that Pentax has worked hard to produce a pleasing image right out of the camera. The supplied software seems very flexible compared to an earlier version of Silky Pix. I love the fact that I can modify the white balance and exposure value of JPEGs, in addition to the other processing options. The software would be enhanced if one could use it to apply the camera's digital filters. Then you wouldn't have to drain the battery to let the camera do the processing. Another enhancement would be to include a digital grad filter. But perhaps this is too much to expect.

One of the features of this camera is that it can combine multiple images to create an HDR. I use HDR a great deal in my work. However, the HDR images from this camera seemed lifeless and washed out - especially the stronger HDR2. I will continue to experiment with this, but probably will stick with combining images in the HDR software I use.

One flaw that may point to less than optimal factory conditions that K-X seems to suffer from dust issues. The first camera I received showed multiple spots on the images after I changed the lens in very clean, indoor conditions. I returned this camera, and the second camera immediately showed dust inside the viewfinder, which thus far I have been unable to remove. The dust removal system did remove some other dust that appeared on the sensor. While the viewfinder dust does not affect the image, it was annoying to see it there on the first day of use. After reading about DSLRs and dust, I have picked up a Giotto Rocket Blaster, which is a tool that can be used to blow dust off the sensor. Since the Panasonic had a fixed lens, dust was never a problem.

Pros:
Low noise at high ISO
Light weight - even with 50-200mm lens
In camera digital filters can unleash your creativity
Excellent quality images
Wide Dynamic Range
Good value

Cons:
Battery Life
HDR washed out
Dust issues

Bottom Line: So far I am happy with my K-X. If you buy one, experiment with the settings and take some time to get to know the menus and controls.

I really did my homework on this one. The K-x is my first dSLR and I am very pleased with it. I have taken almost 600 pictures in about every possible condition. I am still on the first set of batteries. It really shows off in low light conditions. The two kit lenses are very good. I have had zero problems. Make sure to download the updated firmware available online.

Major pluses for me include: a) Image stabilization is in the camera body. When I add more lenses, I don't have to buy lenses with built-in stabilization. b) The low-light capability as mentioned earlier. NO other camera in this class performs as well, according to many reviews. [...].

The increase in picture quality over my point and shoot is literally like night and day.

For all of you trying to decide on which DSLR to buy, get the Pentax K-X. I researched all the DSLR's for about a year, and this camera is by far the best bang for the buck.I have friends that own the other brands(and they are all great camera's)and my K-X will do anything thers's will do for a lot less money.So quit pulling your hair out reading all these reviews and trying to decide which camera to buy.This camera is very easy to use and a great bargin.

I've tried them all recently, Canon xs, xsi, Olympus, Fuji, and this Pentax blows them all away, You get a feature set here that the others simply are not offering. This to me takes one thing that each of the other cameras in this class do well and combines them all in one. I got the kit with the 2 lenses and it's fantastic. Great photo quality, fantastic controls, user friendly and the live view is so useful. Try this camera, you will not be disappointed.

Great camera. I won't go into all the specs or usage there are plenty of reviews out there to read. I will just say that from my experience as a 1st time DSLR user this has been a great camera, easy to use and the pictures look great (even my photographer friends have mentioned how good the images look). It's worth it to get the 2 lens kit if it is close in price to the 1 lens kit which it usually is. Another great thing about this camera is a lot of the features like antishake and some of the autofocusing features are built into the camera body as opposed to the lens like some other DSLRS, this combined with the universal K-mount means that it is really easy to find great old lens on ebay that will work perfectly with this camera. I got a very nice older 50mm Pentax prime lens for $20 on ebay, just popped it on and it worked seamlessly. Nice.

After many years of point of shoot i had slowly started to get interested in the topic. With the arrival of our first child I suddenly realized my standard point and shoot cameras were rather unsuited for taking photos of the small fellow on the move, and also the picture quality was rather grainy under low light. I was very keen on the Canon G11 but the lack of a decent video recording capability was putting me off, plus the rather high price.

I then managed to get my hands on an Olympus E420 DSLR and then found how much faster it was in focusing and shooting, and the fact that even with its smaller than other APS-C DSLR sensors the picture quality was much better, and the need to use the flash was reduced. However the lack of any form of image stabilization bothered me, as i could not get the shutter to anything less than 1/60, and it also had some major low light focusing issues.

However the brief exposure to the DSLR meant i was definitely set on a DSLR and the choice was between the Nikon D5000 (one lens) and the Pentax K-x (2 lens kit) as these were the one's close to my budget. However during that period the D5000 was having a known hardware issue with its on-off, and i decided i will go with the K-x as the reviews stated it was a good match, and the fact that the prices were so much lower even with two lenses was also an advantage. I sadly had to opt fo rthe 50-200mm, as the prices of the 300mm spiked up during the time i purchased making it beyond my budget, but i think that was one big mistake i made!!

The wider kit lens 18-55mm performs very nicely, and the picture quality is quite sharp and clear. However the 50-200mm is a rather pathetic lens, and i see why a lot of reviews recommend people to avoid this and go for the 300mm, which i had done so!!!

The K-x camera per say is super, with loads of features. Initially i experienced the problems with the rechargeable batteries, which was rectified after i upgraded the firmware. The next issue was that built-in image stabilization seemed very poor, so much so that i could not even get blur free photos at shutter times i had been able to with the Olympus E420. Considering that my day use camera was then the Panasonic ZS3 which could do even 1/4 sec handheld this was very disappointing. However the firmware fix also seemed to have an impact, along with the fact that i had also to learn to grip the camera properly, and combined i now can even get blur free photos at 1/8sec using the wide angle lens.

The nicest thing about the camera is its low light ability, where pictures even with ISO1600 comes out pretty well, and for landscape photos you can even go further, and all this with kit lenses. I also managed to get hold of an old Pentax K55 manual 55mm lens over 15+ years old and it works perfectly with the body. The advantage of the in-body image stabilization meaning that it works even for old lenses!!! This lens is much faster (f 2.0) and this means i can now take photos with no flash even under poor light, the only problem being the lack of a wide angle. This also means i definitely will be getting myself a faster lens possibly with a macro capability.

The focusing of the camera is pretty good, but under low light you will have to switch to manual mode as the auto mode tends to struggle a wee bit (compared to a D90 i tried out recently). The lack of the AF points on the viewfinder is a bit of a bummer, though you can get away using center AF in most cases, but it does mean that if you want to take very precise control this is problem (you can use live view mode to do this, but live view as in the case of most new DSLR is rather slow).

The HD video is very good, as the low light capabilities of the camera sensor definitely becoming an asset. The Panasonic ZS3 i have is considered one of the best point and shoot for video, and comparing the video from the K-x is a bit grainy but a lot sharper and detailed. However the audio quality is very poor compared to the ZS3. One thing i would have loved pentax to do better is to use a different codec for the video, as the current codec is very inefficient and you have MASSIVE video files even for short recordings.

I must also not forget that the camera has loads of features for effects, and the HDR capability (which i have not used much to date). While some may not be happy with the AA batteries, the fact that AA batteries can be purchased easily is a boon if you forget your spare batteries or loose them. However the AA batteries definitely add a substantial weight to the camera, though using lithium AA batteries reduces the bulk (however these batteries are costly so i use the trust sanyo enelopes). Would be great if pentax can make the battery door a bit more sturdy, as it tends to jiggle around a bit.

In case you want to check out some photos i have taken using this camera, check our [...] where i have uploaded some of my takes.

This is my first DSLR so I didn't want to spend a fortune but at the same time I didn't want something that would be a waste of money. I couldn't be happier with this camera. It's smaller than the Nikon and it's comfortable to handle & easy to use.

My only recommendation is to not buy the 2 lens kit that includes the 50-200mm.... but to get the 300mm for a little extra. The 200 isn't enough and I really don't use it like I would if it had a little more zoom capability like a 300.

Lot of people look at Canon or Nikon while trying to buy their first DSLR because it is a safe bet. However if they do that, they will overlook a wonderful little camera the Pentax K-x. Like most, my main focus was Canon or Nikon when I started looking for my first DSLR but heeding to the advice of my friend and also by the ratings in [...] I was swayed towards Pentax.
First of all this is a really small and light camera. You have to hold it in your hand to believe it. It is even smaller than my previous Panasonic bridge camera.
I bought the camera with two lenses 18-55 and 50-200. For a novice, the camera and lens are just a boon. It is light to carry around everywhere and the picture quality is great. I see great details in the photos from the 12 MP CMOS sensor. The camera is quite fast. There is live view but better not use it if you are photographing something dynamic. For a static object you can use the Live view which has a face detection capability as well.
The video is one of the best things about the camera. I did not expect it to take such crisp and clear videos. I am pleasantly surprised by the quality. Though it can capture 4 GB of video at a stretch, the quality is really nice.