Pentax K-x

Nathan Yan — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:49:23 +0000

Pentax K-x (space white)

Following up on their K-7, Pentax has now come up with an entry-level K-x. While it doesn’t bring anything groundbreaking that wasn’t already seen on the K-7, it packs in many of the features seen on many competitors’ midrange model, and perhaps pending reviews on image quality and disregarding the overall Pentax system upgrade options, is probably the best choice out there currently for the beginning photographer/student.

The big headline features:

12.4MP CMOS (different from the K-7 14.6MP sensor, but interestingly also uses CMOS unlike all previous Pentaxes which used CCDs)
ISO up to 12.8k
Live-view with face-detect AF
720p, 24fps video
4.7fps continuous shooting
$650 MSRP with 18-55 kit lens (and likely to drop further once it gets off pre-order)

With the specs listed, this is a camera you’d expect in the high-hundreds, competing with the likes of Canon’s Rebel T1i or Nikon’s D5000/D90, yet it’s got a price closer to that of the entry-level Rebel XS or D3000.

A comparison:

Pentax K-x comparison

Camera	Canon Rebel XS	Nikon D3000	Pentax K-x	Nikon D5000	Canon Rebel T1i
Sensor, crop	10MP, 1.6x	10MP, 1.5x	12MP, 1.5x	12MP, 1.5x	15MP, 1.6x
ISO range	100-1600	100-3200	100-12800	200-6400	100-12800
Live-view?	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Live view AF	Yes	None	Yes, face-detect	Yes, face-detect	Yes, face-detect
Video	None	None	1280x720, 24fps	1280x720, 24fps	1920x1080, 20fps
AF	7pt, 1 cross-type	11pt, no cross	11pt, 9 cross-type	11pt, 1 cross-type	9pt, 1 cross-type
Continuous FPS	3fps jpg, 1.5fps raw	3fps	4.7fps	4fps	3.4fps
Image stabilization	lens-based	lens-based	sensor-based	lens-based	lens-based
Size	127 x 97 x 61mm	127 x 97 x 64mm	122 x 91 x 69mm	127 x 104 x 79mm	130 x 97 x 61mm
Weight	450g	485g	516g	560g	480g
Price (with kit lens, Amazon)	$499.95	$529.95	$649.95	$719.63	$781.89

In a comparison with the $500 entry-level cameras, the K-x blows them away in nearly aspect, and goes toe-to-toe or even exceeds the D5000 and Rebel T1i in every single category, despite being significantly cheaper (especially once the street price drops lower from MSRP)

Interestingly enough, the Pentax K-x will come in a variety of colors, including an ultra-spiffy red (below), the space white shown above, and your ordinary black.

Interestingly enough, Pentax Japan features a site where you can come up with your own custom color scheme, and apparently order it as well, which personally is an insanely appealing prospect.

Pentax K-x (red)

Pentax K-x custom design - design your own!

I think this is a ranking of custom designs that users have created

Pentax K-x press release

Electric Shuttersounds » K-7

Pentax K-x

Pentax K-x comparison