 such a great ( and unique) DSLR |
| Review Date: December 25, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Penny P., NY , USA |
While attempting to find a good ,mid range ,entry level DSLR, I stumbled across the pentax K-x. I mean, how could I miss that flashy red color. And after extensive research it wasnt just the red color that attracted me to this camera.
First off ,after testing many of the canons and nikons around the k-x's class. ( i.e. canon xsi, t1i, nikon D3000, D5000) I found the pentax much eaiser to pick up and get started. Being a previous canon user myself, the T1i seemed far to intimidating. Right out of the box with the K-x I was able to figure out how to adjust settings and within 15 minutes had some half decent shots.
However the only thing that did not seem to make sense to me was the placement of the delete button ( all the way over in left field). My hand has to shift to hit it. Which i suppose is not a bad thing, considering there is something heartless about a delete button on a camera. ( I love film and am stuck in my ways)
The feel of this in my hands is almost as good as my 35mm metal body film camera (gasp!)it doesnt feel like a cheap toy. Its solid, as one reviewer had also pointed out.
The cross processing feature sold me. I do a lot of cross processing with film , which quickly gets pricey. Although its not film , it pleases me ( and my wallet) that I can now get close results digitally. the digital filters are fun to play around with as well, most notablly: Toy camera , which imatates the 'old school' holgas/diana's that hipsters die for now a days.
live view seems a bit noisy to me. I can hear the camera 'think' ( click )when I change settings such as the iso. But , then again , this is the first DSLR that I have owned ...so it could be minor issue.
Video quality is superb.
and above all the price is right. ( much cheaper than the nikon's and canon's you'll come across in its range)
I urge those looking at buying a new dslr to look into the pentax K-X . you wont be dissapointed. PLUS who else has got a RED! camera.
win win. |
The Pentax K-x is a giant killer!
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| Review Date: May 29, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Edgar_in_Indy, Indianapolis, IN USA |
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.
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Best (and only) Red DSLR
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| Review Date: December 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Peter H. Kosel, Sacramento, CA USA |
I just got mine this week and have not yet had time to learn how to use all the features but can make some comments immediately on preliminary inspection:
1. I like the build quality better than comparable Canon or Nikon models. The Pentax seems to have a metal body and has a solid feel while others feel more like plastic.
2. The Pentax feels better in my hand and is better adapted to one handed shooting because in front the grip widens just above your ring finger to keep the camera from moving downward and in back there is a gentle ridge on the right hand edge of the camera to rest against your thumb and keep the camera from rotating out of your hand. These features demonstrate carefuk ergonomic design and just plain make the camera easier to hold one handed. I recall nothing similar on other cameras I've tried or own.
3. It's red. It's my xmas present to myself and I find this appropriately festive. Further, it should make it easier to find in the clutter. The paint job is not glossy and has a good coefficient of friction, enhancing the ability to hold the camera securely.
4. The shutter release button auto-focuses before the shot with very little pressure and little or no perceptible motion. Final shutter release is accompanied by perceptible tactile feedback. Cameras from other makers take quite a bit more pressure to autofocus which may result in occasional accidental shutter release.
5. The full auto mode is adequate for producing decent pictures in a variety of situations. One doesn't need to learn all the specialized tricks and features right away.
6. The camera insists on asking me what language I speak every time it is turned on. I realize one camera might have several users but I find this inconvenient. Maybe there is something somewhere in the settings which will suppress it.
7. The Canon software I am used to using to download and organize photos doesn't seem to work with this Pentax. That's bad software design and I suspect the blame lies at Canon's door. Generic MS Windows software works OK for transferring files.
As I write there are no other reviews of this red KX; I suggest reading reviews of the black model for further info. |
great purchase
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| Review Date: January 11, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Sandeep Sharma, sandeep |
For the price, this camera is perfect for beginners.
Pros: shutter speed, simple menu and picture modes, cool color-red, battery type AA (available everywhere, be sure to use eneloop), size (slightly smaller than other SLRs), many options in menu, video capability.
Cons: Still have to find one.
some customers mentioned that this camera is a battery guzzler but it's not that bad if you use eneloop or any other Lithium battery. |
You Carry a Great small dSLR & a Piece of Art
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| Review Date: March 30, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Farzin Shokouh, Berkeley, california |
I can write on & on about PENTAX. I was a Canon analog user since I was 8 years old. After a 10-year interruption with my photography, it was time to get into digital. I started with a FUJI bridge camera (S9100). Looking @ Canon dSLR models did not impress me at all until I handled a PENTAX *ist DL. To make it short, PENTAX is ART. Whether its handling, vivid colors, user-friendliness, and more importantly its pictures are closest to Film.
This brand does not advertize much. In fact, they are not good @ it. You have to discover it. Over past couple of years, I've seen how Canikons have tried to use PENTAX ideas & have sold more because of their names (Nikon D40/40x/60 size, Canon redesigning their buttons on their Rebel models).
PENTAX colored K-x's are brilliant artistic pieces besides being sharp with great high-ISO quality & vivid colors. |
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