The Great White Storm Trooper is back! Read our full Pentax K-x review, complete with videos and images.
The entry-level DSLR market is flooded with hype, but the 12.4-megapixel Pentax K-x blasts all of the marketing shenanigans away with an overall awesome performance. Like the Pentax K2000 and Pentax K-7, the little and big siblings to the new K-x, superb image quality resided at the core of the camera's existence, whether we shot in JPEG, RAW, or 720p HD video. There's something magical about Pentax's APS-C CMOS sensor that brings an untouchable aesthetic to the world of digital imaging, and the Pentax K-x gave the Nikon D5000, Olympus E-620, and Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 respective runs for their money. Check out our hands-on video.
Shooting with the Pentax K-x
For a shooter's first DSLR, the Pentax K-x is packed to the brim with a decent set of shooting features. Various Digital Filters axed the need to drop a significant chunk of change on Photoshop, and the included Pentax image software provided just enough to get the DSLR newbie up and running. Color options were bountiful, thanks to extensive White Balance and Hue/Saturation/Sharpness options. We could also apply effects after the fact in Playback.
The Pentax K-x offers an HDR mode that combines three images at three different exposures into one, but make sure you have a rock steady hand or the camera is mounted to a tripod to avoid blurred edges. We loved playing with Cross Processing, which is designed to emulate a cross process in film, where certain chemicals are used to produce an unconventional affect on purpose. Manual controls were generous, offering a 100-12,800 ISO range, 30-sec 1/6000 shutter speed, and f/3.5 f/32 aperture. The Pentax K-x ships with a versatile 18-55mm lens, though aftermarket lenses are readily available.
Auto Focus was rapid and accurate, while Auto Exposure was usually spot on. There was a mode for every shooting environmentAperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Sensitivity Priority, and a full Manual mode. We did notice a slight difference in quality between RAW and JPEG, but not anything earth-shattering, and certainly a narrower gap than previous generation K-series cameras. Check out our image samples and videos below.
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