Introduction
Yes, I know the threat title is clickbaity but allow me to explain. The KP is my first Pentax, though I’ve been a casual shutterbug for decades, since film. I’ve owned and tried many brands but I am not loyal to any one. In terms of DSLRs I’ve had the most experience with Canon and Nikon. I felt that sharing my first impressions may be of interest to the community here because of my “outsider” non-Pentaxian (yet) point of view. I can’t immediately dub myself as a Pentaxian just because I own a single Pentax body with a single lens.
I feel it’s worth noting that this is the first photography related forum that I’ve joined and posted in. I’ve lurked for a while and there’s something about you passionate people that gravitated me here.
As I have posted in the new members section, I was attracted to the KP mainly because of the hipster appeal, to me at least. I say that with the risk of some eyeballs rolling. Also the pandemic made me so bored that I wanted a new “world” to learn and explore. Anyway, enough of the rambling and on to the meat of the review.
Body and Design
It’s worth saying again that I absolutely adore the retro-modern design. I’m still on a honeymoon, so I find myself mostly staring at the camera when I should be taking photos with it instead. It’s definitely a classic and I believe the aesthetics will age well. I think the black looks better, as the color of the silver seems too warm and creamy. (For me, Fujifilm does it best with the cool silver tone of their bodies.)
I’m proud to rock a camera that’s made in my motherland. It’s quite well built and feels robust, right up there with Canikon’s mid to top tier crop DSLRs. The dials and buttons feel great. That function dial is now my benchmark for feel and robustness. At first I thought it was locked or stuck because it was so stiff to turn. I love the function dial’s, um, function too: something that other brands do not have. Perhaps it is unique to the KP too, meaning no other Pentax has it? I’m not sure.
The battery charger has a production date of May 2020 and the body firmware is already at 1.11, giving me peace of mind that my unit isn’t an old stock sitting in the warehouse for 3 years. Anyone know how to decode the date of manufacture from the body’s serial number?
I’ve only spent a day with my KP, surely I need more time to develop my muscle memory for it, but I can say that I like the ergonomics and user interface. Thumbs up for the 3rd dial, TAv, the green button, AF mode button, generous customisable function buttons and the deep “customizability” of the camera itself. This is a proper midrange crop DSLR and dare I say a proper top of the line APS-C DSLR even, in the absence of the K-new. Yes, even a Pentax noob knows about that K-new controversy. But let’s not open that can of worms here. :)
My perspective on the 100% pentaprism (pun intended): Pentax does not have the economies of scale to have different kinds of OVFs, so my guess is they share the same OVF for all their crop bodies. On the other hand, Canikon intentionally cripples their entry level models with smaller pentamirrors. I think this is one of the ways Pentax (and its users) “win.”
I don’t miss touchscreen functionality and the below average screen resolution, maybe because I’ve been shooting long before million dot touchscreens were a thing.
Nitpicks? Yes, my pinky finger hangs for its dear life, even with my smaller Asian hand. The grip was sacrificed to the altar of the aesthetics and compactness gods. I ordered my KP from Japan and unfortunately the JDM model did not come with the other grips. To anyone who has a medium grip that is collecting dust, I am gladly accepting donations. I can pay for the USPS to my sibling’s house in Boston. :) Also, the shutter button could’ve been metal. But again, these are nitpicks. It’s tough to find something to complain about with this DSLR.
Performance and Practicality
At this point, I should say that I’m using only the DA 50mm f1.8 nifty fifty with the KP. I got the cheapest new lens I could find, just to get this baby running. Down the road I plan to invest in a HD 20-40mm Limited as it seems to be the one lens to own for the KP. Tell me if I’m wrong. I’m also tempted to get the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8. Should I?
Anyway, happy with the output so far. I’m getting good results stopped down from f2.8. AF is snappy, though noisier than I’m used to. I find the 27 AF points sufficient and not feeling the need for more. In fact, is there a way to turn off the two points on the left and right? I don’t need them. I shoot mostly still or idle subjects, so I don’t care much for AF-C and tracking.
Here’s something that I consider as a killer feature for Pentax: saving RAW as DNG. Here’s why: I use Lightroom Mobile fairly often to tweak photos before sharing to friends and family, or social media. With the free version of Lightroom Mobile I can edit DNG images taken with my Android phone camera but I could not edit RAW files from other cameras unless I pay for the subscription. However, the free Lightroom Mobile allowed me to edit DNGs from the KP! The app can even recognise and correct distortion and CA of the nifty fifty, though the KP can also do this internally.
Transferring files via Wi-Fi is slow but better than nothing. It could be useful if you wanted to share a photo on the go and while traveling. Using a timer, transferring one DNG photo to my Note 10 took exactly one minute.
Everyone knows that video is Pentax’s Achilles’ heel. But this is true for most other DSLRs in this price range. In my opinion DSLRs in general isn’t suitable for video and if you’re a hybrid shooter, you should really get a mirrorless instead. That said, for casual use i.e. if I just wanted to capture a short clip of my 6 year old enjoying a popsicle, then the KP would be more than sufficient. A smartphone can also do that job, but not quite the same way as the natural bokeh of a nifty fifty.
The battery’s CIPA rating isn’t the best, that’s why I immediately bought a couple of DSTE replacement battery which has a higher 2100mAh rating than the OEM battery, though I haven’t tested if they actually last longer. Got the DSTE batteries for cheap and as long as they don’t explode, catch a fire or hurt the camera then I’m fine with them as backup. Please let me know otherwise. And speaking of accessories, I also got a JJC glass screen protector for the display and it works well.
TL;DR
No buyer’s remorse here. This is a photography tool that I will really enjoy owning, using and holding on to.
I can’t wait to get onboard an Airbus and travel again, rack some serious mileage on the shutter, and proudly rock that camera strap. While I generally don’t care what other people say, each time someone takes a second glance I will have a quiet dignity and say in my mind “yeah, she’s something else, isn’t she?” Quite literally.
