The Pentax K-x is competing in the 'upper entry-level' bracket of the market with cameras such as the Nikon D5000, Canon EOS 500D, Olympus E-620 or Sony DSLR-A380. With so many options at this end of the market things can easily become confusing for the first-time buyer. A couple of years ago the predecessors of these cameras were the most 'entry level' offerings of Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Sony respectively, but today all these manufacturers offer cameras below these models (EOS 1000D, D3000, E-450, A230) giving consumers almost too many options to choose from.
Despite - or perhaps because - of this the differences between cameras are narrowing all the time. There are maybe 4 or 5 direct competitors to the Pentax K-x but for the purpose of this studio comparison we've limited the the field to a slightly more manageable two; the Nikon D5000 and the Canon EOS 500D.
Let's start with a quick look at how the competitors line up, including those mentioned above plus the Sony A380 and the Olympus E-620 which, despite not featuring a movie mode, are Olympus' and Sony's most obvious rivals of the K-x:
For the last number of years Pentax' entry level cameras, despite offering attractive features and specifications, have not been able to commercially compete on the same level as their rivals from bigger manufacturers. With the K-x Pentax has combined the K-m's miniscule dimensions with a feature set that is not miles away from the company's enthusiast model K-7. The K-x offers the same resolution as the Nikon D5000 (12.4MP), 720P video and a very high maximum sensitivity of ISO 12800.
On the other hand its LCD only comes with the standard 230K pixel resolution, it has no HDMI output and does not display the AF-points in the viewfinder. All in all the Pentax' specs are in line with the other cameras in this comparison but its main advantage is no doubt the currently very attractive price point. At $550 including the kit lens the K-x is $100 cheaper than the D5000 and $170 cheaper than the EOS 500D which makes it a very attractive alternative to the big players. So on paper the K-x looks like a tempting package. Keep reading on the following pages to find out how all these numbers and specifications translate into real-world image quality.
| |
Pentax K-x |
Nikon D5000 |
Canon EOS 500D |
Price
(single lens kit) |
US: $550 [check price] |
US: $650 [check price] |
US: $720 [check price] |
| Sensor |
• 23.6 x 15.8 mm CMOS
• 12.9 million total pixels
• 12.4 million effective pixels |
• 23.6 x 15.8 mm CMOS
• 12.3 million effective pixels
• 12.9 million effective pixels |
• 22.3 x 14.9 mm CMOS
• 15.1 million effective pixels
• 15.5 million effective pixels |
| Dust reduction |
• Anti-dust materials
• Low pass filter vibration |
• Low pass filter vibration
• Airflow Control System
• Dust reference image |
• Anti-dust materials
• Low pass filter vibration
• Dust reference image |
| Native image size |
4288 x 2848
(3:2 ratio) |
4288 x 2848
(3:2 ratio) |
4752 x 3168
(3:2 ratio) |
| Video |
• 720p24 |
• 720p24 |
• 1080p20
• 720p30 |
| Lens support |
PENTAX K, KA, KAF, KAF2 and KAF3 mount lenses |
• Nikon F-mount
• Includes DX lenses
• AF only available with AF-S or
AF-I lenses |
Canon EF mount
• Including EF-S lenses |
| FOV crop |
1.5x |
1.5x |
1.6x |
| Body shake reduction |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Live view |
Yes, Contrast detect (inc Face detection) or Phase detect AF |
Yes, Contrast detect (inc Face priority) or Phase detect AF |
Yes, Contrast detect (inc Face detection) or Phase detect AF |
| File formats |
• JPEG (3 levels)
• Compressed RAW (PEF)
• Non-compressed RAW(DNG ) |
• RAW (compressed)
• JPEG (3 levels) |
• RAW (comp.
lossless 14-bit)
• JPEG (2 levels) |
| RAW+JPEG |
RAW + JPEG (Any quality) |
RAW + JPEG (Any quality) |
RAW + JPEG (Fine) |
| Auto focus |
• 11-point TTL
• 9 cross-type sensors
• Range: -1 to +18 EV
• Contrast detect AF in live view |
• 11 area TTL
• Cross-type at center
• Range: -1 to +19 EV
• Contrast detect AF in live view |
• 9 area TTL
• Cross-type F2.8 at center
• Range: -0.5 to +18 EV
• Contrast detect AF in live view |
| AF illuminator |
Flash strobe, must be raised |
Built-in lamp |
Flash strobe, must be raised |
| Metering sensor |
• 16-segment metering
• 1-21.5 EV working range |
• 420 pixel RGB sensor
• 0 - 20 EV working range |
• 35 pixel sensor
• 1 - 20 EV working range |
| Metering |
• Multi-segment
• Center-weighted
• Spot metering |
• 3D Color Matrix Metering II
• Center-weighted average
• Spot |
• Evaluative
• Partial
• Center-weighted average
• 4% spot |
| Exp. comp. |
+/- 3.0 EV |
+/- 5.0 EV |
+/- 2.0 EV |
| Sensitivity |
• ISO 200 - 6400
(with 100 and 12800 equiv) |
• ISO 200 - 3200
(with 100 and 6400 equiv) |
• ISO 100 - 3200
(with 6400 and 12800 equiv) |
| Auto ISO |
Auto (100-12800) |
User definable maximum ISO and minimum shutter speed |
Auto (100-1600) |
| High- ISO NR |
Yes (4 levels) |
Yes (4 levels) |
Yes (4 levels) |
| Shutter speed |
• 30 to 1/6000 sec / Bulb
• 1/180 sec flash-sync |
• 30 - 1/4000 sec / Bulb
• 1/200 sec Flash sync |
• 30 - 1/4000 sec / Bulb
• 1/200 sec Flash sync |
Continuous
shooting |
• 4.7 fps
• 17 JPEG frames
• 5 RAW frames |
• 4 fps
• 67 JPEG/Fine frames
• 11 RAW frames |
• 3.4 fps
• 170 JPEG/Fine frames
• 9 RAW frames |
| Flash |
Electronic release pop-up |
Electronic release pop-up |
Electronic release pop-up |
| Viewfinder |
• Pentamirror
• Frame coverage 96%
• Magnification approx. 0.85X
• Natural-Bright-Matte II focusing screen
|
• Pentamirror
• Eyepoint 18 mm
• Frame coverage 95%
• Magnification approx 0.78x
• B-type Bright View Clear Matte Mark V |
• Pentamirror
• Eyepoint 18 mm
• Frame coverage 95%
• Magnification approx 0.87x
• Precision matte screen |
| LCD monitor |
• 2.7 " TFT LCD
• 230,000 dots |
• 2.7 " TFT LCD
• 230,000 dots
• Hinged/swivel |
• 3.0 " TFT LCD
• 920,000 dots |
| Mirror-lockup |
Linked to self-timer |
No (exposure delay mode) |
Custom function |
| Other features |
• In-camera retouching
• RAW development
• D-Range
• Multi-exposure
• Digital filters
• HDR capture |
• In-camera retouching
• Active D-Lighting
• RAW Development
• Interval shooting
• Stop motion movies |
• Multi-shot self-timer
• Image verification data
• Auto Lighting Optimizer
• Highlight Tone Priority
• Remote Live view shooting (via USB)
• Eye sensor
• DOF preview |
| Storage |
SD/SDHC card |
SD/SDHC card |
SD/SDHC card |
| Battery |
AA-batteries |
EN-EL9a (7.2 V, 1080 mach) |
LP-E5 (7.4 V, 1050 mach) |
| USB |
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed |
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
|
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed |
| HDMI-output |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Vertical grip |
No |
No |
BG-E5 (option) |
| Dimensions |
122.5 x 91.5 x 67.5 (4.8 x 3.6 x 2.7 in) |
127 x 104 x 80 mm
(5.0 x 4.1 x 3.1 in) |
129 x 98 x 62 mm
(5.1 x 3.9 x 2.4 in) |
| Weight (no batt) |
515 g (1.1 lb) |
560 g (1.2 lb) |
480 g (1.1 lb) |
