Kx review

tarsus · 10-19-2009, 02:02 PM

Review of Kx at Pentax K-x Digital SLR Review. The ISO 6400 test shots look incredibly good.

Gooshin · 10-19-2009, 03:30 PM

he failed to talk about autofocus speed and accuracy (unless i totaly missed it)

also high-iso noise is only 30% of the real problem, the more important part is how good is the dynamic range once the iso starts to go up, and those images dont really show it too well.

*bogiesbad* · 10-19-2009, 06:24 PM

The Ephotozine review of the K-x sure has attracted a bunch of new members

*Ash* · 10-19-2009, 06:38 PM

A very positive review.
Those ISO 6400 results at full-size are spectacular - a lot of detail is retained (no doubt the exposure was either spot-on or ETTR).

Yeah, I also missed those AF points - they may not be looking hard enough into these aspects at ephotozine...

The 'Toy Camera' mode sounds interesting, though...

*PNTXFTW12* · 10-19-2009, 07:06 PM

I wish my K7 had the same ISO performance as the K-x

WerTicus · 10-20-2009, 10:36 AM

yeah im having trouble deciding which to buy!

go for the two dials or better iso? hrmmmm I wonder how annoying the kx would be with only one dial...

maleek · 10-20-2009, 03:25 PM

Thanks for posting this! This I gotta read. I wonder when I actually will have to shoot in ISO 6400. I agree that dynamic range is more important.

*Ash* · 10-20-2009, 04:32 PM

If DR is preserved reasonably well at ISO 6400 (and it looks quite impressive in those results), then it would come in handy in many situations - handheld macro/low-light shots without flash, fast action shots, etc.

GerryL · 10-20-2009, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by WerTicus

yeah im having trouble deciding which to buy!

go for the two dials or better iso? hrmmmm I wonder how annoying the kx would be with only one dial...

I haven't used anything with 2 e-dials yet (K10D, K20D, K7) and one e-dial works just fine.
I love my K100DS and won't trade it for a K200D or K10D because of it's high ISO capability.

Being able to get the shot at low light situations is better than having 2 e-dials where you can no longer open the aperture enough with one e-dial nor lower the speed enough with the other e-dial so as not to introduce shake blur.
Being able to amp up the ISO is better and just putting the camera dial on "Av" for the only e-dial you would need to scroll.

**Marc Sabatella** · 10-20-2009, 05:33 PM

FWIW, K10D would be a definitely step down in noise compared to the K100D, but the K200D isn't. Even though they use the same sensor, the K10D problems are really in its analog-digital converter. I've done enough direct comparisons and read enough of GordonBGood's analyses to be quite convinced the K200D is at least as good at high ISO as the k100D. But at this point, that seems moot, because the K-x is looking like the no-brainer choice when it comes to high ISO performance.

bazzie · 10-21-2009, 12:49 PM

How about the battery problem which they've highlighted? 24 hours and they're depleted? I used to be an AA supporter, but since acquiring my GX10 and Optio S12 I've defected to the Li-on opposition.

**Marc Sabatella** · 10-21-2009, 01:13 PM

I'd expect that, as the reviewer surmised, he got bad batteries. I really doubt that will turn out to be the norm. Although to be sure, one owner has reported something similar so far, so I'd say the jury is still out while waiting for more data to come in. I find lithiums and Eneloops to both be good enough that I can't imagine ever preferring proprietary alternatives - I've got a drawer full of electronic devices that I can no longer use because their proprietary batteries died and getting a replacement is impossible or too expensive to be worthwhile.

centme37 · 10-22-2009, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by Marc Sabatella

I'd expect that, as the reviewer surmised, he got bad batteries. I really doubt that will turn out to be the norm. Although to be sure, one owner has reported something similar so far, so I'd say the jury is still out while waiting for more data to come in. I find lithiums and Eneloops to both be good enough that I can't imagine ever preferring proprietary alternatives - I've got a drawer full of electronic devices that I can no longer use because their proprietary batteries died and getting a replacement is impossible or too expensive to be worthwhile.

Having used the K-x for only a few days with Enelopes, battery icon is still fully green after shooting RAW+ however, when taking a short video the battery indicator changed to the warning symbol. Video uses Live View and my guess is that using Live View heats up the sensor? and as described in the manual, during movie recording the heat buildup may cause the camera to shut down. After returning to regular photo taking the battery icon returned to fully green. My take is that there should be no problem getting good battery life under normal shooting conditions but using a lot of Live View will shorten life considerably.