The flagship of the Pentax DLSR series, the K-7 is an unusually rugged semi-professional 14.5 MP camera that’s built like a tank: with a splash-proof magnesium alloy body over a stainless steel chassis. While the 14.5 megapixel K20D is less pricey, the  K-7 is even more desirable. This newer model retains all of the K20D’s best features but provides significant benefits:  faster (5.2 fps) drive speed, larger 3″ LCD with 920,000 dot resolution, a viewfinder with 100% coverage, plus upgrades for the sensor, processor, autofocus system, built-in image stabilizer and evaluative metering (now with 77 zones). More importantly, the K-7 offers some entirely new functions, including HD Movie mode.

Design and Features

This is a medium size camera with a large, comfortable handgrip and a bright viewfinder. The body, the optional vertical grip (D-BG4), the high-end DA* series lenses – and the new, affordable WR lenses – are all splash resistant. The 3 inch LCD monitor is fixed, but the 170 degree viewing angle allows for using Live View even when the camera is held at a moderately high or low level.

Pentax provided many external controls including two input dials, a thumb pad, and various buttons including one marked INFO. Press the latter twice for  quick access to a dozen frequently-used functions, reducing the need for hunting through the multitude of items in the full menu.

The K-7 can provide superlative image quality in the Large/Premium JPEG or Raw capture mode, with exceptionally high resolution and remarkable definition of intricate detail. This camera is also desirable for its impressive feature set, with virtually every function and override that the most serious photographer might ever need. (ISO 100) ©2009 Peter K. Burian

Check the specs and you’ll note that the K-7 is equipped with most of the features you might expect in a pro camera, such as 38 custom functions, wireless TTL flash support and high-tech amenities. The most noteworthy include the Electronic Level Detection feature which helps to identify a crooked photo, plus Composition Adjustment and Horizon Correction for solving the problem.

The PRIME II processor can optimize the optical performance of the Pentax AF lens and provides adjustable dynamic range expansion plus a new HDR Capture mode: take three JPEGs at different exposure levels and the camera will combine them into one with maximum highlight/shadow detail.

In addition to HDR capture, the K-7 provides functions for dynamic range expansion with highlight correction (on/off) and with shadow correction (at any of three levels). This series of JPEGs illustrates some of the effects that can be achieved by using only these conventional features. ©2009 Peter K. Burian

This new HDR mode – with Standard and Strong options – is available addition to the conventional Multiple Exposure and dynamic range expansion features. This mode was initially unique to the K-7, but a similar feature is also available now in some of the Sony Alpha cameras. (See the Sony A500 and A550 Digital SLR Review: Field Test Report ).

However, the Sony system allows for taking only two photos, not three. Pentax’ HDR mode works very well, but the K-7 should be mounted on a tripod; that’s because the three JPEGs must be identical to avoid ghosting.

Although this series was produced in post-processing with the HDR digital filter in Playback mode - using the K20D - the K-7 provides an identical feature. As a bonus however, the K-7 can also make HDR images in capture mode, though only at a Standard or Strong level. ©2008 Peter K. Burian

Live View and Movie Mode

Pressing the [LV] button activates a real-time preview of the scene. When shooting still photos, the user can select either of two autofocus technologies. With contrast detection AF (the default mode) there’s no interruption of the live preview during autofocus, but AF operation is very slow: taking one second outdoors and 2 or 3 seconds indoors. (Contrast detect AF with Face Detection is also available.) Switch to Phase Detection AF, and autofocus is a bit faster but reflex mirror flip-flop interrupts the preview. In these aspects the K-7 is similar to many DSLRs.

Live View is convenient to use with manual focus, particularly with the magnification feature that makes it easy to confirm critical focus. Autofocus is also available. While it's slow in the default mode, it's faster with phase detection AF, suitable for many types of subjects. (f/11; ISO 400) ©2009 Peter K. Burian

Select Movie mode and the camera can shoot AVI video clips at 1536×1024 pixels or at 1280×720 pixels at a fast 30 frames per second. At 1080p, it’s possible to shoot 12 minute clips; for 18 minute clips, switch to 720p. The mono sound quality is acceptable as long as the subject is close to the camera and the user makes little noise. Do note that the K-7 accepts an optional (third party brand) external stereo mic; with this accessory it can provide pro caliber audio.

The camera’s built-in image stabilizer – effective with any compatible lens – works in Movie mode, but autofocus is not available. That’s just as well since AF would be very slow as it is with all DSLRs during video capture. Otherwise, the K-7 is quite versatile in Movie mode. The user can pre-set a desired aperture for depth of field control (before recording) as well as several overrides: exposure compensation, AE Lock, WB, picture style, the level for contrast, sharpness, color saturation and hue. Because videos are made in the familiar Motion JPEG format there’s little need for expensive software for editing.

Autofocus is not available in Movie mode but the K-7 is versatile in other aspects. Before shooting a video, several valuable features can be preset. That allows for creating clips with just the right depth of field, exposure, sharpness, contrast, color rendition and so on. (With optional D-BG4 battery grip.)

Evaluation: The K-7 is competitive with most other DSLRs in terms of Live View, but its LCD provides higher than average resolution. Frankly, only the Sony Alpha DSLRs provide much faster autofocus in Live View. It provides an adequate level of user control in Movie mode and generates very good HD clips. For the best results, avoid panning the camera at a very fast speed; this will minimize distortion caused by the rolling shutter. Overall, the K-7 is very competitive with most other DSLRs in terms of its video capture capabilities.

When using Live View for portraits it's worth trying the Face Detection AF feature. When selected, the camera must be at the default contrast detection AF. That's great, because the live preview is not interrupted by reflex mirror action, but AF is not very fast, so it's primarily intended for use with static subjects. (ISO 100; fill flash) ©2009 Peter K. Burian

Playback Mode Palette

In addition to the numerous modes, features and overrides in capture mode, the K-7 offers many in-camera functions for modifying images after they are taken. After a photo is modified, it is saved as an additional JPEG on the memory card. In addition to basic items such as Rotate, Resize, Crop and RAW file conversion, the Palette offers several enhancing items. It’s easy to tweak aspects such as brightness, saturation, hue, contrast and sharpness.

Very few DSLRs provide as many post-processing functions for image modification in Playback mode as the Pentax K-7. Creative photographers who don't want to spend hours at a computer - and those without advanced Photoshop skills - will love some of the many different effects that can be achieved right in the camera. (Digital Filters). ©2009 Peter K. Burian

Creative photographers will also appreciate the more advanced options in Playback mode such as the 16 Digital Filters. These include Monochrome Effects, Watercolor effects, Soft Focus, Extract Color (conversion to b&w but retaining one selected color) and Slim (for an apparent slimming effect). There’s also an HDR option to maximize the detail in both highlight and shadow areas. This works quite well and is much simpler to use than the HDR feature in capture mode.

Evaluation: Any of the effects produced by a Digital Filter can be achieved in pro-grade imaging software (perhaps with plug-ins), but that requires a great deal of technical expertise. By comparison, the in-camera enhancing features are simple and quick to use. The process is also intuitive, because the effect of each Digital Filter – as well as any change in intensity – is visible in the LCD screen display. While some of the filters produce gimmicky effects, my friends loved the camera’s post-processing features.

Speed and Quality

The K-7 is quite fast thanks to a sophisticated PRIME II processor and a large buffer (temporary storage bank). It will fire 40 large/fine JPEGs in a burst at a full 5.2 fps. The SAFOX VIII+ autofocus system – with 11 points, including nine that are cross-hatched – is not lightning fast, but it’s suitable for some action photography. For the best AF speed/reliability, use one of the SDM-series lenses with a supersonic focus motor.

While some competing cameras provide even faster AF than serious sports photographers need, the Pentax system is certainly reliable and very accurate. Even in low light, it will focus in about a half second-as long as the subject is within range of its focus-assist lamp.

When using an SDM lens with ultrasonic focus motor, Continuous AF had no difficulty in tracking the motion of moving subjects allowing me to make long series of sharp photos at 5.2 frames per second. While this is not the best camera for shooting extremely fast/erratic sports action, particularly in low light, it's perfect for most other purposes. ©2009 Peter K. Burian

When used at the default setting in the Natural picture style, the K-7 produced large/premium JPEGs with moderately high sharpness, slightly low color saturation and acceptable color accuracy. It’s well worth using the other picture style modes and/or the parameter adjustments to achieve just the right effect for any type of subject or scene. As expected, low ISO quality is very good. My best ISO 100 to 200 JPEGs are suitable for making exhibition grade 15×22″ prints.

For the best results at very high ISO, use RAW capture mode and then set the ideal level of Noise Reduction in RAW converter software. After conversion and subsequent sharpening (taking care not to exaggerate the noise pattern) you should be able to make a very nice letter size print from an ISO 1600 photo. (RAW capture without flash under stage lighting) ©2009 Peter K. Burian

Digital noise is well controlled at ISO 400, but by ISO 800 – and especially at higher levels – the images exhibit noticeable luminance and chroma noise. Avoid underexposure and your ISO 800 photos will be suitable for very nice letter size glossies. (At default, the multi-zone meter is more likely to over-expose than under-expose.)

The Noise Reduction feature is “on” by default but the processing is not aggressive. Hence, there’s little blurring of fine detail although some “graininess” is certainly visible. Frankly, in terms of image quality at high sensitivity levels, the comparably priced Canon and Nikon cameras are preferable.

Created by the developers of Silkypix software, the Pentax Utility program is an unusually versatile RAW converter with tools for modifying all aspects of a photo. ©2009 Peter K. Burian

Evaluation: At the most commonly used ISO levels, the K-7 provides very high resolution and excellent JPEG quality at the Premium setting. Most users will be happier after setting in-camera sharpness to a +1 level. Photos made at ISO 100 to 400 with premium-grade DA* lenses exhibit excellent resolution. At higher ISO settings, it’s worth switching to RAW capture. When using the Pentax Utility or another versatile RAW converter program, adjust the noise reduction feature to the optimal level for each image. That will definitely provide the best possible quality in ISO 1600 to 3200 photos.

Final Assessment

This is definitely the best Pentax DSLR to date in terms of versatility, ruggedness, speed and viewfinder coverage. Sure, the K20D was already packed with capabilities, but the K-7 targets an even more experienced photographer with additional amenities. While the many advanced functions make some aspects of operation complicated, it’s worth taking the time to reach a high level of proficiency with the camera. (Shameless plug: you might also want to check out my book, Magic Lantern Guides: Pentax K-7.)

The 14.6 megapixel K-7 - particularly with some of the superb DA* SDM lenses - should satisfy many serious photographers. This camera - with tank like construction - is fast in many aspects, more versatile than most others in its price category and capable of producing excellent images. (ISO 400; +1 in-camera Sharpness, Vibrant picture style) ©2009 Peter K. Burian

At today’s “street” price around $1100, the K-7 offers excellent value. In terms of feature set and build quality it’s competitive with more expensive cameras of other brands. In my estimation, this is a very desirable DSLR that’s perfect in many aspects for the advanced photo enthusiast. It should particularly appeal to those who often shoot outdoors in inclement weather. While comparison shopping, be sure to check out the Pentax K-7 (preferably with a high-end, ultrasonic DA* SDM lens). Take a few photos on your own memory card while trying out the many features and you’ll probably agree that this is a strong contender in the prosumer DSLR category.


For Technical Specifications, visit: Pentax’ K-7 website
Check the latest prices and user reviews at: Amazon Pentax K-7 14.6 MP Digital SLR with Shake Reduction and 720p HD Video (Body Only); B&H Photo Pentax K-7 Digital SLR Camera Body

Pentax K-x body, white version. Photo courtesy of Pentax.

I approach each new camera with a degree of skepticism. Unlike many out there, I’m not as easily swayed by all the media hype and promotional gobbledygook. I’m from Brooklyn and we need to see that something actually works. So when the Pentax K-x arrived, I looked at it, pleased that they sent me the “white” version, only because it reminded me of the Imperial Storm Troopers from Star Wars (would have been a great fit). I unpacked everything, mated the lens to the K-x body, installed the lithium batteries that came in the box, then added my own SDHC card-none included (also takes standard SD-but why hamper the machine out of the gate!). And I started to play with it.

Hmm, not bad, I thought. But let’s see how it performs in the real world. So, intrepid explorer that I am, I ventured outside. It may not be a tropical rain forest, but it is an urban jungle out there rife with photographic opportunities. I was ready for bear (good luck finding one of those in Brooklyn, but you get my drift) and I headed straight for my favorite city park.

Here Kit-ty

Pentax K-x with Kit Lens. A DSLR with style and pizazz. Get a hold of that matching lens. Photo courtesy of Pentax.

By the way, not only is the camera white (with contrasting black touches), but so is the matching SMC Pentax DAL f/3.5-5.6 18-55mm AL kit lens. The camera also comes in red or blue. (Not sure how I would have felt about it in red or blue, but I know I’m happier with this one.) And for the traditionalist, there’s always the standard black version. Other lenses from Pentax are the traditional black tone.

The basic one-lens kit is priced very reasonably (under $650 street), but if you’re willing to spend a bit more, you can up the ante and add a 50-200 or 55-300 zoom to the deal ($750 and $850, respectively)-and still get a great bargain. That means you’ll be ready to shoot landscapes, portraits, and, with the longer lenses, wildlife (such as that bear we alluded to earlier). (Don’t forget to multiply focal length by the APS-C sensor factor: 1.5X, to arrive at the effective focal length. That’s especially important when determining a usable range of values under low lighting conditions, with the camera’s in-body image stabilizer.)

18mm to 55mm lens. These two shots show this lens at either extreme. It's a cute lens, in that matches the tone of the camera. I only wish they'd included the lens shade. Still, this lens performed well, although I spent most of my time with the longer zoom, which came with a lens shade. ©Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

What’s even more amazing about this camera, at this price, is that you don’t have to settle for a smaller sensor, such as Micro/Four Thirds. OK, granted, perhaps it is not as small as some of the latest Micro Four Thirds sub-compacts now out there (the built-in optical viewfinder and reflex housing/mirror account for that), but it is small and light enough to wear around your neck without complaint on a hot, humid day while hiking around St. John USVI.

On the Surface

The K-x has a nicely contoured, textured grip, although the back, particularly under the thumb rest, is on the smooth side. Not having used the camera in a humid clime, hard to say if that would affect anything, but I doubt it.

All the camera controls on the K-x are neatly arrayed, with all but one-the flash popper-upper/delete button-situated conveniently on the right side, including the lens release. Granted, I’m more used to having a lens release on the left, because otherwise your fingers tend to get tangled, but you get used to it. What I found a bit disconcerting was combining the flash and delete buttons in one. But this too, is something you get used to before long.

Well, there is one other function located separately. As expected, the diopter correction is situated adjacent to the optical finder-actually rides atop it. And it’s a slider that lacks the fine-tuning you may be used to on more robust DSLRs. Still, this did not prove to be a problem.

So, when do I start griping and grumbling and tell you what I really think? Well, I hate to disappoint, but you won’t find too much of that here. This little camera truly surprised me. Okay, there are some things I wasn’t overly thrilled with, and we’ll get to them in due time. Be patient.

The Interface

Pentax K-x Black Version--back. The camera features a user-friendly interface. Photo courtesy of Pentax.

Camera manufacturers are beginning to understand that we, at any level of expertise, and especially eyeglass wearers like myself (who hate putting on glasses just to read an LCD panel), like having the information up front-or in back, to be precise, on that large color monitor-and in large type, with maybe some graphics thrown in. The K-x entirely bypasses a top-panel vanilla data panel in favor of the rear and fairly sizable color monitor, which is bright and fairly easy to see even outdoors, except under direct sunlight (so you duck under the shade-no biggie). As soon as you turn the camera on, you see the operating/shooting mode boldly emblazoned on the LCD, which is also true when switching from one to the next. Need the date and time? It’s there also-and very readable.

Practically every button serves a key function. There’s no confusing array back here-just the meat and potatoes that you need to capture that image.

The thumbwheel is where it should be, falling directly beneath your thumb. And there is only one such wheel, which leads to less confusion. What’s more, it’s sensitive to the shooting mode when in shutter-priority, aperture-priority, and sensitivity-priority modes. Yes, folks, this is a camera that has had sensitivity training-about time! Well, not really, since I don’t know anyone who would choose this option when there’s a chance of getting grainy images as a result. But stay tuned, there’s more ground to cover before we discuss the fineness of our coffee grounds.

Getting back on track, in manual mode, you have to hit the AV (+/-) button on top to shift between shutter speed and aperture settings. Next to that button is a button with a green dot that you define. Unfortunately, I have no idea what I set it for (Ain’t that always the way it is with custom functions?).

Two buttons to the immediate right of the LCD (next to the cursor buttons) are Info and Menu. If the camera settings are not displayed, hit the Info button once to show them, twice to get to a screen with a broader spectrum of parameters. Between this screen and the dedicated buttons can be found all the essential control settings you’ll need. You may note a few parameters grayed out/off. These apply only to JPEG captures. If the camera is set for RAW or RAW+JPEG capture, these functions become unavailable. So how do you get around this? Set the green button to switch from one to the other. Hey, now I remember what I’m using that button for! (Just remember to hold it down for a second.) And so that I don’t leave you in a lurch, let’s turn to some of the more interesting functions you get with the K-x.

Picture and Scene Modes

Pentax K-x Black Version--top. The camera features a comfy grip. Photo courtesy of Pentax.

The Pentax K-x has a dedicated Auto Pict setting on the mode dial. You wanted some gripes? Here it comes. This mode makes absolutely no sense to me at all. I point it around my office/studio and it gives me readings ranging from face detection (pointed at a chair) to a runner to a scenic view. The flash doesn’t automatically pop up unless set to Auto; user overrides, however, remain in place. So what is it doing? I haven’t a clue.

Now, let’s skip past this auto setting and move to the specifically defined picture modes, which are supposedly “auto” with a purpose. Here, by hitting the Info button, we can see which parameters have been tweaked, although, again, all subject to user overrides such as exposure compensation, ISO, and flash. And there appears to be no rhyme or reason for the settings the camera uses. It doesn’t set a faster shutter speed for action or a shallower depth of field for a portrait; in fact, these settings are identical, when you point the camera at the same subject. So what gives!

Even at the macro setting, the aperture hovers at the same setting (all other variables aside, namely ISO and extreme brightness). Although each picture mode will set AF to single-shot or continuous on its own-that’s at least something. But to be practical, I say just skip these picture modes altogether. There’s still a lot of camera to explore, and you’re still getting a good bang for your buck.

The scene (SCN) modes, on the other hand, do appear to take more control over the camera. To access this function, hit the Info button, scroll to the scene mode (the first icon), and hit the OK button. Then you’ll see an explanation of what the setting does. Unfortunately, the information is sparse and not really anything of practical value, so your best bet is to just play around with each of the choices.

The museum setting prevents you from inadvertently using the flash by deactivating the flash button. It also deactivates the flash cursor button, with a reminder when you attempt to use it. The same applies to other scene settings, such as candlelight and sunset-although, I would like to use fill flash here, but can’t. (Picture mode also has a flash verboten setting that you can use if you have a bad habit of popping the flash where and when you shouldn’t.) The flash is otherwise accessible in most modes, but does not pop up automatically-unless set on Auto. When set for kids or pets, the camera goes into continuous AF (no doubt with face detection for kids), and burst mode.

Pentax K-x Black with Flash. The built-in flash proved handy in many instances. Photo courtesy of Pentax.

Movies, Live View, and AF

To manually activate face detection, the camera must be used in Live View. There is also a dedicated movie mode setting, which kick-starts Live View mode. Since the camera lacks an articulating monitor, you can’t hold it the way you normally would a video camera, although I personally prefer to use the optical finder on my vid-cams.

As with other cameras that employ Live View for movies, temperature build-up can have deleterious effects on quality (translation: increased noise) and the camera may shut down, essentially following Isaac Asimov’s Third Law of Robotics mandating that a robot must protect itself. And what is a sophisticated, microprocessor-governed camera if not a form of robot? But don’t be scared. The Three Laws of Robotics also dictate that no harm should come to humans, no matter how badly some people treat their cameras. (For a different perspective, read R.U.R. – Rossum’s Universal Robots, a play by Karel Capek-so perhaps you should be more attentive to the needs of your camera.)

Movies are recorded in 1280 x 720p/16:9 or 640x416p/3:2–at 24 fps, captured in AVI format (Motion JPEG compression). Still capture maxes out at 4288 x 2848. Color depth is 8 bits/channel JPEG and 12 bits/channel RAW.

The dedicated Live View (LV) button is on the back of the camera. Live View can lead to really tardy autofocusing when face detection or contrast detection are selected, operating off the image sensor. I’d recommend the wide array (phase detection utilizing the AF sensor) setting instead, although this does black out the viewfinder momentarily in this operating mode. In Live View, focusing only occurs when you press the shutter button part way.

On the other hand, standard AF operation, with however many focusing points you select, is surprisingly fast. Except under very low lighting, which has been the bane of many AF systems.

The one annoying aspect to autofocusing is in continuous AF. The camera beeps each time it locks onto its target. There’s no off switch for this mode alone.

Soccer. I was pleasantly surprised by the K-x's ability to capture breaking action with continuous AF. Since these were minors playing, I avoided shots showing faces. I used the 50-200mm lens with a 1/500 sec shutter speed (ISO 800). ©Jack Neubart. All rights

Nifty In-Camera Effects and Other Features

The K-x boasts some neat in-camera effects, largely applicable to JPEG capture. But the camera gives RAW shooters a workaround so that you can still exploit this machine’s “digital filters.” Namely, with the card in the camera, apply the effects to the stored image with post processing. This way you have your RAW cake and eat it too (okay, doesn’t sound so tempting when I put it that way). You can even create your own custom filter.

Included in post-processing is HDR. Using the effect in post is pretty much a wasted effort. Well, perhaps I shouldn’t quite say that: the HDR conversion in post does do a little to improve the image, but not nearly as much as you’d want or expect.

HDR, in capture mode, is an effect that involves a bracketed burst of three exposures (normal, under and over), which the camera blends in order to squeeze out all available tonalities. The camera should be on a tripod with the entire world perfectly stationary (any movement will produce ghosting artifacts or prevent perfect registration of the composite images). There are two HDR settings. HDR 2 tends to go overboard and evens out all the tonalities. The HDR 1 setting preserves more of the contrast, and it definitely is an improvement over the non-HDR version in recapturing lost tonal detail. Unfortunately, you can’t use it with RAW captures, which means you’re losing considerable image information out of the starting gate.

Not available to the camera in post are the cross-process effect and lens corrections, namely for distortion and color fringing (lateral chromatic aberration, to be specific).

Cross-process. In this instance, I wanted to see what the cross-process effect would look like. Since there are so many variables involved in cross-processing, one can't fault this rendition. So you either love it or leave it. ©Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

Normally, I’d pooh-pooh digital camera effects. But I have to admit, I like many of those offered here. To be blunt, they’re fun, and I believe that’s the raison d’etre behind this camera in the first place: Make picture-taking fun.

Other features include in-camera shake reduction. Here the options are limited to on or off-no in-between settings, which may make it less confusing for some, rather than trying to fathom what the different image stabilization functions mean and when to use them.

And there’s the obligatory dust reduction system, with an interesting twist. The camera lets you get a visual of the sensor and its resident dust in a memory capture that’s revealed on screen. See dust? Manually activate the in-camera dust-shaker-offer. It took a few tries, but the sensor was finally dust free. The only bothersome aspect to all this is that this is a noisy system, with a noticeable kick when activated.

Church. I photographed this neighborhood church with the 50-200mm lens. If you look carefully (upper right), you can see one of the dust spots before the sensor was fully rid of them. Dust spots are normally more easily seen in areas of uniform tonality, especially bright areas such as sky that are underexposed. ©Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

Digital Noise. I'd activated High ISO NR (noise reduction), which helped a little, but you can see how digital noise becomes readily apparent at high ISO levels. I would still use a noise reduction plug-in on these shots (all cropped tightly from a horizontal shot of the church). ©Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

In Conclusion

The manual that comes with the Pentax K-x is 300+ pages long. So you can see that there is a lot of functionality built in.

No, not every feature was to my liking-especially the part about requiring four AA cells, since the camera does not come with a rechargeable Li-Ion battery pack. Granted, the single-use lithiums that came with the camera do last a long time, but these batteries are costly to replace. Alkalines have a short life in this camera. And rechargeable NiMH (Nickel metal hydride) batteries proved quirky.

I’m told by Pentax that these rechargeables should be rated over 2000 mAh, preferably 2450 mAh, which meant that most of my rechargeables were unsuitable. I didn’t fare any better with freshly charged 2100 mAh cells either, so I’m not sure how much of a difference 2450 would make. It could be that you not only need freshly charged but new and freshly charged NiMH cells for this camera. And the brand of NiMH batteries could be the issue-too many variables. Pentax also mentioned that when switching batteries, allow at least a minute before turning the camera back on. So, to be safe, let’s just stick with disposable lithiums (but dispose of properly). When shooting with Live View, expect a greater drain on power.

Well, I did say that all was not perfect with the K-x. Image quality was very good, if not remarkable. And the AF system was largely on track, especially when it came to action photography. The lenses were easy to work with, if noisy during AF operation. Noteworthy was manual focusing on these lenses-with positive detents at either end of the focusing spectrum preventing you from rotating the ring too far. That was a refreshing contrast to many higher-priced lenses on other cameras. So, when I reflect back on the experience, I have to admit that I was quite pleased. Quite pleased indeed.

More Effects. Much of the drama was lost in the shade (or overcast-I can't recall which), so I applied the high-contrast effect, which, in truth produced as much a super-saturated look as a high-contrast rendition. But I kinda like it. Then I decided to extract the reds and oranges, again during the capture stage. You can vary the flavors of each of the effects and never grow tired of them. ©Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

Verdict. Buy it. The Pentax K-x is fun and easy to use. And it’s a bargain! If you’re worried about the batteries, you’ll probably do okay just carrying around a spare set of lithiums.


For more information: Visit the Pentax K-x page
For technical specifications: Visit Pentax
See current prices and user reviews: (about $650 with kit lens) at Amazon, at B&H