Pentax K-x Digital SLR Camera (Single Lens Kit 18 - 55mm)

A classic Pentax P30T has been my trustworthy SLR for years, in the past, allowing me to shoot outstanding pictures and accumulate a lot of 35mm lenses and accessories in the process.So, even if I embraced the digital world with some astonishing "bridge" cameras many years ago, when I noticed that the prices of recent APS-C DSLR have dropped considerably, I jumped at the chance of getting the most affordable Pentax DSLR body I could find.As a matter of fact, Pentax is among the most "self-compatible" brand as regards older lens mounts, and basically almost any traditional 35mm lens that fits into a DSLR body can be used, one way or another. (Especially by setting the "Use aperture ring" function for "A" lenses, and the "TV-shift" stop down method for manual ones, as Pentax forums describe in detail.)So, I chose the K-X, which offered the best cost-performance ratio, in my opinion, even if - after reading _all_ the tons of reviews, forums and user opinions on the Web - I was well aware of several shortcomings of this specific model.Now, having used the camera intensely in each and every possible function I could try, on one hand I can confirm the issues that have already been noticed and discussed in detail on the Web and also here on Amazon, but on the other hand I can also confirm that, _with some experience and a little patience_, most of them can be overcome or plainly ignored, and you can get _astonishingly good and professional results with this camera_, way above entry-level (depending on your lenses, of course). So, I consider it a real bargain, especially given the incredible Eneloop bundle (see below), and I will just offer my considerations about these common "cons" for possible buyers having any doubts:1) Incorrect battery meter: contrary to what many users think, unfortunately the issue of an excessively sensitive battery meter, which reports as almost discharged even freshly recharged "standard" Ni-Mh batteries, was _not_ solved with firmware 1.01, but its effects have been reduced (basically the camera ignores the low-charge indication most of the times...). By the way, my camera was shipped with version 1.00, which I updated promptly to 1.01, but I did not even try the recent 1.02, due to alarming negative-effect reports from Pentax users in the forums.Luckily, Amazon sent me with the camera, _free of charge_, a wonderful Eneloop recharger and 4 AA batteries (!), and I can confirm that with _these_ batteries you can go on using the camera _all day long_, with this firmware, without having to worry about the camera shutting-down (they lasted 2 days with _hundreds_ of shots on their _first_ charge!). You can almost do the same with other LSD (low-self-discharge) batteries, like Infinium or Re-Cyko ones (I tried both), but with these batteries the battery meter will stay red most of the time, even if the camera will _keep working perfectly for hours_ as if the meter was in the green (sometimes you can re-set it to yellow by switching off/on the camera or using briefly Live View). With the Eneloop ones, instead, the meter stays in the green for a long time. So, this is a non-problem actually. (Just be sure to _set battery type manually_ and never use partially discharged batteries for firmware upgrades...)2) No indication of AF point in the viewfinder with multi-point AF. I will not even consider this a real issue: spot metering is usually the best choice in most cases, and Focus Lock and Live View allow to decide exactly what you are focusing on...3) Unusable/slow Live View: the implementation of Live View on this camera can be very slow and inaccurate, if you use the Contrast AF method for Live View; nevertheless, if you just select the Phase-difference AF, the focus lock is reached much more quickly, even if the camera needs to raise/lower the mirror more times. Another negligible problem which just needs a little patience.4) Inaccurate LCD: the LCD on this camera has "only" 230.000 pixels, compared to more recent models like the K-R, but the definition is not the real problem: the image is very sharp and clear, and all the displayed info are perfectly readable (very efficient menu system with very few controls, by the way). The real problem, IMHO, is that the depicted previews can be considerably brighter and more washed-out, compared to the actual results shown on the PC screen. Luckily, it is possible to calibrate at least the colours of the screen, another high-end function offered by the camera, to solve partially this problem. The screen contrast is not very high, anyway, and you can only regulate brightness, so you need to keep this into consideration in evaluating the pictures you have shot.5) Low quality of the provided stock 18-55 lens. The all-plastic-body lens shipped with the camera feels really cheap, and it is definitely not that sharp or bright, but it is very fast and precise in AF, and it can be very useful as wide-angle (remember that - even if you have a good old average SLR wide-angle lens, you need to multiply the focal by 1.5 to calculate the equivalent on an APS-C digital sensor, so it can become almost a 50 on a DSLR...)Nevertheless, I did not buy this camera to use the stock lens as it is, and as soon as I tried my trusted SMC 50mm F:2 I got _wonderful results_, so all you need to get professional-quality pictures is a decent lens and some experience. By the way, it is worth noting that this camera offers also an incredibly useful in-camera HDR feature, which can produce astonishing wide-range pictures (you need a tripod, though, since it does not auto-align pictures).6) Overexposure: it is true that this camera, at default settings, tends to overexpose pictures, but I got used to just leave the exposure compensation to -1 or -2 and regulate the picture quality settings with a little more contrast and shadow compensation, and I quickly forgot about this issue too.7) Useless video mode: this may be is the worst aspect of this camera. I would really have preferred a CCD sensor, and dispense with the video function, which is terribly grainy, suffers from the inevitable rolling shutter distortion of all CMOS sensors and is barely controllable (no focus or other regulations during shooting, just auto aperture), so it can be useful only in broad daylight, IMHO.Finally, a few important words on the feature set of the camera: I was _shocked_ at the _dozens_ of onboard features and controls, including lens aberration/distortion controls, very detailed RAW development and programmable filter sections, which feel almost like having Photoshop in your pocket! I was able to "develop" a RAW image, calibrating tones, colours, contrast, highlights and shadows, applying _customised_ filters to it, and cropping and resizing it to 16:9 format in few _seconds_, all in camera, with outstanding results! Considering that the average JPEG quality of the images from the camera is nowhere near the quality of the JPEGs processed from RAW files that you can obtain with proper development, this is a great advantage, in my opinion. The results, by the way, are gorgeous: vibrant colors, perfect exposures, detailed images, lots of filtering combinations, great post-processing flexibility: all you need is a good subject as a start!I think these are the most critical points to consider in deciding whether to buy these camera or not: if you already own some good lenses with Pentax mounts, and especially if you have time and patience to properly develop RAW pictures with the camera features or with the _extremely_ good included Silkypix software, this camera is capable of great, professional results. On the other hand, if you do not have any good Pentax lenses, or if you do not want to waste any time in preparing/processing your shots to obtain optimal results, maybe you might want to consider other lens kits or more costly models/brands...The Web is full of samples, let your eye decide!

I bought this camera as I have always been interested in photography at some level. So I decided to take the plunge into DSLR and after reading many reviews chose the K-x. I have had it since the 23rd Dec 11 and already created photo's I always wanted to create. The beauty about DSLR's you can shoot as many times as you like for trial and error and I encourage this. Would recommend a remote and a tripod as they are essential for quality photo's. The batteries are very good also they last a cosiderable time so no panicking. I feel this camera is excellent value for money, for people who do not have a limitless budget, but who want to dip there toe into the exciting World of photography.

Easy to use.Quick to shoot.Low battery consumption.This was a present for my cousin but I gave it a good run (150+ pictures).Why is this review so short? Because five sentences is a great policy:--------------------------------------------Q: Why is this email five sentences or less?A: [...]

Had this cam. for 2years + now and still learning it's features. Got great results with my older "K" lenses which was 1reason for buying. Use alongside 2 smaller "good" point & shoot digitals but this is far superior.

After steadfastly refusing to pension off my 30 year old Pentax K1000 I finally capitulated and bought the K-x and I am delighted with it. The camera is very easy to use and all my old manual K Mount lenses fit. It uses AA batteries so no expensive replacements, but as is common with digital cameras it eats normal alkaline batteries, so buy a couple of sets of good quality rechargeables such as  Duracell Active Charge Rechargeable AA Batteries 2000mAh Pack of 4 HR06-A  they are cheap enough and last much longer than alkalines.Image quality is just superb, the sensor is very low noise which makes taking pictures in low light very easy, it's even good enough for some Astrophotography. The 'Auto Pict' mode makes day to day photography a doddle but for the more adventurous there are all the usual manual modes, fully manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, etc. It's just a shame I can't add a few sample pictures to this review!Just one down point; to update the camera's firmware the manual recommends the use of the optional mains power supply, this little gem costs over £117!!!! a total rip off, and unfortunately at the moment there is no alternative. It's possible to send the camera to Pentax Service twice to be upgraded and still be in pocket! There is no other reason to have the power supply, the memory card can be installed in your PC so connection vis USB isn't really necessary.If it wasn't for that I'd have given it 5 stars.

I have had one of these cameras for at least 6 years and it has given me an immense amount of pleasure from the photographs I have taken. The IR remote stopped working and after emailing Ricoh for guidance, their technicians decided it needed a repair. At the time of noticing the fault I decided that as I did not use that function very often, I would ignore it. Recently however, it occurred to me that it went defective after I had updated the firmware to 1.2. I decided therefore to return the software to 1.1 and see if that cured the fault. During my research I found a reference to Firmware 1.3, but there was no download at the UK site. After more research I found it on the Japan website, which was in English by the way, so easy to navigate and here is the link. http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/support/download_digital.html I installed it using the instructions that came with the download after unpacking, which was an easy process. Now my camera is functioning fine with the wireless remote I bought years ago and also via the remote from my Sony Blu Ray player. I thought I would just spread the word.