Pentax K-x DSLR Camera Review

Introduction

The Pentax K-x ($649.95 with lens) bills itself as one of the cheapest video-capable DSLRs on the market. When it came to video controls and quality, however, the K-x was a lackluster performer. If all you want is a video mode that is simple to fool around with, the K-x should suit you fine, but stay away if you're looking for a DSLR with high-quality video or professional performance. In addition to the black model showed to the left, the K-x is available in navy, red, or white.

Exclusive - Read the full review of the Pentax K-x at DigitalCameraInfo.com, including complete, comprehensive video testing and analysis by CamcorderInfo.com.

Color & Noise Performance

The Pentax K-x did an alright job in our color accuracy test, but its numbers weren't quite as good as the average video-capable DSLR. On the bright side, the camera did have a very good saturation level and it offers a number of color settings that work with video mode. Click here to read our full color performance review, including color swatches and crops.

Color Accuracy Performance
Color Test Chart (above), Color Error Map (right)
The Pentax K-x produced a color error of 4.93 and a saturation level of 98.3% in our bright light color testing. (The map on the right is a diagram of the color error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camcorder processed each particular color.)

As with color accuracy, the K-x put up decent numbers in our noise test, but its performance was still eclipsed by the other video-capable DSLRs we've reviewed (although not by much). Click here to read our full noise performance review, including crops and comparative analysis.
 

Motion & Sharpness

The Pentax K-x record 720p HD video using a 24p frame rate (it also has a standard definition recording option). Its motion rendering wasn't bad, but the camera did show more signs of artifacting than most high-end video-capable DSLRs. Click here to read our full motion performance review, including video clips.

The Pentax K-x captured slightly sharper video than the other 720p video-DSLRs we've reviewed, but its image wasn't nearly as sharp as a Full HD camcorder is capable of capturing. The Canon T1i is the only video-DSLR in the table below that captures a Full HD 1920 x 1080 video image. Click here to read our full sharpness performance review.

Low Light Performance

The Pentax K-x struggled in our low light testing, particularly with our low light sensitivity test. The thing is, many video-capable DLSRs have done poorly with low light sensitivity, so the K-x is not alone here. Click here to read our full low light sensitivity performance review.

Required Illumination *

* the lower the lux required, the better the performance

The K-x didn't produce very accurate colors in our low light testing, but its saturation level remained around 100%.  Click here to read our full low light color performance review, including comparative images and analysis.

Auto Low Light Color Performance
Color Test Chart (above), Color Error Map (right)
The Pentax K-x produced a color error of 6.27 and a saturation level of 101.2% in our low light color testing. (The map on the right is a diagram of the color error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camcorder processed each particular color.)

The K-x had higher noise levels in low light than most of the video-DSLRs we've tested. Still, the noise levels measured on the K-x were lower than what most consumer camcorders register in our low light testing. Click here to read our full low light noise performance review, including crops and comparative images.

Conclusion

The Pentax K-x isn't the kind of camera you want to use for your professional video shoot. Its manual controls are lackluster, its handling is a bit finicky, and its video quality limited to a 1280 x 720 resolution. That being said, you would be hard pressed to find a cheaper video-capable DSLR than the Pentax K-x ($649.95 with its kit lens). So, if all you're looking for is a DSLR that will let you play around with a video mode, then the K-x isn't a bad choice. Its reasonable price, compact size, and simple video mode should be attractive for that purpose. Still, there are plenty of other interesting video-DSLRS that offer a similar set of video features. If you want anything more than the basics, you should stay away from the Pentax K-x. It doesn't have shutter speed or ISO control in video mode, and none of its manual controls can be adjusted while video recording is taking place. It also lacks a continual autofocus system, has a terrible on-board microphone, and it doesn't even ship with an AV cable (it also has no HDMI terminal). There's really not much for a serious videographer to like about the Pentax K-x.

Exclusive - Read the full review of the Pentax K-x at DigitalCameraInfo.com, including complete, comprehensive video testing and analysis by CamcorderInfo.com.