Pentax just announced news of their latest upper entry level DSLR model, the Pentax K-x. Combining a small form factor and an impressive bevy of features the Pentax K-x is priced to compete in the crowded lower end of the DSLR market with the likes of the Nikon D5000 and the Canon XSI.
At first blush it would appear that Pentax has its sights set on toppling the midrange cameras like the Nikon D90 and recently released Canon T1i. The Pentax K-x features an arsenal of jaw dropping specs that would be extremely attractive to the informed consumer. I’ll list the full specs from Pentax at the end of this article but let me talk about some of them in detail here and compare them to the competition.
In Body Stabilization System
Only Pentax and Sony feature an integrated in body stabilization system with an APS-C size sensor. The claimed stabilization advantage for the K-x is 4 stops. Canon and Nikon both offer stabilization built into their lenses at a significant increase in price. There is some debate among consumers and reviewers as to which system (in body versus in lens stabilization) is better but the actual performance is not necessarily the be all end all. With Pentax and Sony you pay for stabilization once and can then use it with any lens. With Canon and Nikon you have to buy it again and again with each new lens that you purchase. This is probably the biggest single advantage that Sony and Pentax share over Canon or Nikon.
ISO Range
The Pentax K-x brandishes a printed ISO range of 200-6400 (with expansions to 100 and 12800). This is better than both the Canon T1i (ISO 100-3200 with expansion) and the Nikon D90 (ISO 200-3200 with expansions). It will be interesting to see how well the K-x sensor performs at ISO 6400 compared to the higher priced D90 and 1Ti.
AF System
The Pentax K-x features an 11 point AF system with 9 of the points being cross type. Compared to the competition the Canon Rebel XSI hosts a 9 point AF system while the D5000 matched the K-x with 11 points. Only once a thorough review has been performed will we know the advantages or disadvantages of the K-x.
Frames Per Second Burst
The Pentax K-x touts a 4.7 FPS burst which is slightly higher than the publishes 4.5 FPS burst of the higher priced D90 and significantly higher than the 3.4 FPS of the Canon 1Ti. Both the D90 and Canon 1Ti are marketed as mid-range DSLRs while the K-x is considered an upper entry level camera.
Battery Life
The new Pentax K-x is unique from most of the competition in that it utilizes Lithium AA batteries. Personally I’ve always considered this an advantage as you can almost always pick up extra batteries in an emergency and still be shooting while with the custom battery packs of most of the competition you are cursing in frustration while your battery slowly charges back up. Even if you purchase an extra manufacturer battery you’re going to pay much more than a pack of rechargable AA batteries would cost you. So the batteries for the K-x are cheaper, what else? Oh, nothing much other than they have a proposed battery life of about 3 times the closest competition! The Pentax K-x is spec’ed to deliver 1900 shots without flash or 1100 with 50% flash usage. That smokes all the competition. The Nikon D90 is rated to deliver 850 shots without flash and the Canon T1i is promised to deliver 500 shots. Even if the K-x doesn’t come through at its promised 1900 it would still handily beat the competition.
Misc
The Pentax K-x edges out the competition in a few other areas as well. Its got the highest shutter speed at 1/6000ths of a second versus the 1/4000 of most of the competitors. Smaller physical dimensions and weight then most of the competition.
Summary
The Pentax K-x hosts a number of advantages over the immediate competition and even takes on the bigger competitors like the Nikon D90 and Canon T1i without batting an eye. Not only that but the K-x is priced cheaper than the most other cameras on the market. That’s going to turn some heads. With an MSRP set at $649.99 with the included DA L 18-55mm kit lens the K-x is probably hands down the best bargain on the market right now. Considering only MSRP price then the K-x is in direct competition with the Nikon D5000 ($729.99) and the Canon XSI ($749.99) all cameras are offered in a kit with comparable 18-55mm lenses.
The Pentax K-x is already priced lower than its immediate competition but clearly the K-x featureset is far beyond its immediate price competition, Pentax is loooking to challenge the D90 and Canon T1i with the K-x and they appear to have done a good job based on the published specs. At $350 cheaper than the D90 and $250 less than the Canon T1i the Pentax K-x is looking like a mighty attractive option for new DSLRs consumers or even a Canon or Nikon user who might be interested in gaining the in body stabilization that the Pentax K-x offers. More to come on this intriguing camera.
Here are the official Pentax specs for the K-x:
| Sensor: | Type: CMOS with primary color filter and integrated Shake/Dust Reduction sensor-movement system Size: 23.6 x 15.8mm Color depth: 8 bits/channel JPG, 12 bits/channel RAW Effective pixels: 12.4 MP Total pixels: 12.9 MP Recorded resolutions Still: 12M (4288×2428), 10M (3936×2624), 6M (3072×2048), 2M (1728×1152) Movie (resolution/FPS): 1280x720p24 (16:9), 640x416p24 (3:2) Quality levels: ??? Best, ?? Better, ? Good Dust Removal: Image sensor movement combined with SP coating (Dust Alert available) | Lens Mount: | Type/construction: PENTAX KAF2 bayonet stainless steel mount Usable lenses: PENTAX KAF3, KAF2, KAF, KA (K mount, 35mm screwmount, 645/67 med format lenses useable w adapter and/or restrictions) SDM function: Yes Power zoom function: n/a |
| Focus System: | Type: TTL phase-matching 11 point (9 cross) wide autofocus system (SAFOX VIII) Focus modes: AF Auto, AF Single (w focus lock), AF Continuous (available in Action mode including Auto Picture Action, Kids, Pet, Stage Lighting, Night Snap, P/A/S/M/B/Sv), Manual Focus point adjustment: 11 point auto, 5 point auto, AF point select, center/spot AF assist: Yes, via built-in flash | Viewfinder: | Type: Pentamirror Coverage (field of view): Approx 96% Magnification: Approx 0.85X (w 50mm F1.4 at infinity) Standard focusing screen: Natural-Bright-Matte II Diopter adjustment: -2.5 to 1.5 Depth of field preview: Optical & Digital (available via programmable Green button) |
| LCD Monitor: | Type: 2.7” TFT color LCD monitor w adjustable brightness Resolution: 230,000 dots Wide angle viewable: Yes | Built-in Flash: | Type: Retractable P-TTL auto/manual popup flash Guide number: 12 (100/m), 16 (200/m) Coverage: 25mm wide angle (equivalent to 35mm) Flash modes: On, off, redeye, slow sync, slow sync w redeye, slow sync w trailing curtain, wireless Flash exposure compensation: -2 to 1 EV (1/2 steps) |
| External Flash: | Type: Hot shoe (P-TTL, high speed sync), wireless w PENTAX dedicated flash Synchronization speed: 1/180s | Storage Media: | Internal memory: n/a Removable memory: SD, SDHC |
| Interfaces: | Ports: USB 2.0 hi-speed, AV out Video out: NTSC, PAL Printer interfaces: n/a | Power Supply: | Power source: 4 AA (lithium, NiMH rechargeable, alkaline) Recordable images: Approx 1900 (1100 w 50% flash, CIPA) Playback time: Approx 680 min Movie recording time: Approx TBD AC adapter available: Yes (optional) |
| Physical Specifications: | Body dimensions (W x H x D): 4.8 x 3.6 x 2.7” Body weight Without battery or removable memory: 18.2 oz Loaded and ready: 20.5 oz (lithium) Construction material(s): Fiber reinforced plastic polymer covers around a rugged stainless steel chassis Weather resistant: n/a Operating temperature: 32-104°F | Language Support: | English, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, Dutch, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Traditional/Simplified Chinese |
| Image Stabilization: | Type: Sensor-shift Shake Reduction (4 stops max) | Metering System: | Type: TTL open aperture, 16 segment metering Sensitivity range: EV 1-21.5 (ISO 200, 50mm F1.4) Multi-segment: Yes Center weighted: Yes Spot: Yes Exposure compensation: +/- 3 EV (1/2 or 1/3 steps) Exposure lock: Yes (available via programmable AF/AE-L button) Exposure bracketing: Yes, 3 frames, up to +/- 1.5 (1/2 steps) or +/- 1.0 (1/3 steps) |
| ISO Sensitivity: | Auto: 200-6400 (1, 1/2, 1/3 EV steps), up to 1600 in Bulb, expand to 100-12800 Manual: 200-6400 (1, 1/2, 1/3 EV steps), up to 1600 in Bulb, expand to 100-12800 | White Balance*: | Auto preset modes: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent (D, N, W, L), Tungsten, Flash, CTE Manual mode(s): Yes * WB fine adjustment available in all modes |
| Shutter: | Type: Electronically controlled, vertical run, focal plane shutter Shutter speed: 1/6000 to 30 sec, bulb available | Capture Modes: | Mode selection: Auto Picture (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Action, Night Scene Portrait, Standard Flash Off), Picture (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Action, Night Scene Portrait, Standard Flash Off), Scene (Night Scene, Surf & Snow, Food, Sunset, Kids, Pet, Candlelight, Museum, Stage Lighting [JPG], Night Snap [JPG]), Program, Sensitivity Priority, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Metered Manual, Bulb (available in Metered Manual), Movie Custom Image Modes: Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, Muted, Monochrome. Color modes include gamut radar and fine adjustment for saturation, hue, key, contrast, sharpness (regular and fine adj). Monochrome mode includes adjustment for film filter effects (green, yellow, orange, red, magenta, blue, cyan, infrared), toning (sepia warm/cool), key, contrast, sharpness (regular and fine adj). Cross Processing mode available for creative random effect generation. Green simplified mode available: n/a P/A/S/M/B: P, A, S, M, B (in Metered Manual), Sv (Sensitivity Priority) Date stamp: n/a Digital filters (capture): Toy Camera, High Contrast, Soft, Starburst, Retro, Color Extract (6), Fisheye, Custom (8) Data record: Folder name (standard/date) |
| Drive Modes: | Mode selection: Single, Continuous (Hi, Lo), Self Timer (12s, 2s), Remote (0s, 3s), Auto Bracket, HDR Capture (+3, 0, -3 w 2 blend settings), Multi-Exposure Continuous FPS: Approx 4.7 FPS (Continuous Hi: 17 JPG, 5 RAW), 2 FPS (Continuous Lo: unlimited JPG, 11 RAW) Self-timer: Yes (12s, 2s) Remote control: Yes (infrared, 0s, 3s) | Playback Modes: | Mode selection: One Shot (no data, basic data, full data, color channel histogram), Multi Image Display (4, 9, 16, or 36 thumbnails), Calendar Filmstrip, Folder, Magnification (quick zoom available), Select & Delete, Movie Playback (no data, basic data, full data), Bright/Dark Indication Mode pallet: Image Rotation, Digital Filter, Resize, Cropping, Slideshow, Image Comparison, RAW Development, Index Print, Protect, DPOF Magnification: Up to 16X, scrollable Digital filters (playback): Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Extract Color (6), Watercolor, Pastel, Miniature, Base Parameter Adj, Monochrome (filter effects, toning), Color (6), Soft, Starburst, Fisheye, Slim, HDR, Custom Filter |
| File Formats: | Still: RAW (PEF, DNG), JPG (EXIF 2.21), DCF 2.0 (design rule for camera file system), DPOF, Print Image Matching III Movie (compression): AVI (motion JPG) | Custom Functions: | Functions available: 22 |
| Computer Requirements: | *For device connectivity. Bundled software requirements may vary. Windows: Windows XP/Vista/7, USB 2.0 port Mac: MacOS-X 10.3-10.5, USB 2.0 port |
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Nice features,i suspect it might beat the K7 in terms of high ISO noise,i might get one to go along with my K7 if this is the case.