Pentax K-x Digital SLR - Purple Haze

by Jane
(FL, USA)

The Pentax K-x Digital SLR (Purple Haze) won me over, when I finally purchased a DSLR from Amazon. I considered my main goals & requirements for my photography.

Since I would be using the camera mostly for photos of my baby girl (in our tiny apartment with few windows) I knew that it would need to be a good performer in low light.

It would need to be in my price range (sub-$500), be small enough for me to keep in the diaper bag or my purse, basically not something I dreaded lugging around, have a nice selection of lenses available, & I really wanted it to have in-body stabilization rather than stabilized lenses (cost issue for the lenses, mostly). So I finally chose the Pentax K-x Digital SLR.

It has the best low light (high iso) performance in its class. I have seen very little noise in any of my photos, even those taken at night!

It is one of the smallest real DSLRs (by 'real' I mean with a mirror & VF) that you can buy. The only one smaller is the Olympus E620 but that is a couple years old now. I was torn between the Olympus E-P1 & the Pentax K-x Digital SLR, but I saw a comparison photo that swayed me- the size difference is small enough that I figured what I was getting for the added bulk was completely worth it.

It has compatibility with 35 years worth of legacy glass (lenses for film SLRs) which enabled me to purchase a couple of 50mm f1.4 lenses to play with without breaking the bank! A really great option if you're on a budget, BUT they are manual focus only, so probably won't be especially suited for snapshots of a wiggly baby.

I am hoping to become proficient with MF in any case. Canikon have a limited ability to use film lenses as well, but are not compatible with as many lenses as Pentax is. This wasn't a deciding factor for me at first until I learned more about it, and it just suits my style, I think :) Plus it sounds fun.

I still have to obtain an adapter for those 50mm lenses, before I can use them though.

A couple of things that I wasn't so sure about were that the Pentax K-x takes AA batteries- and that there are no visual focus points in the viewfinder. I decided that the flexibility of AA's would be good, since I have rechargables. If I ever have an emergency need for batteries on a trip or something I can run to the store and pick some up.

aving never used a DSLR before, I had no clue whether I needed to see the focus points or not. It hasn't bothered me so far in my usage of the camera.

Let's see what else.. Oh, Pentax has a fantastic line of prime lenses. From what I have read and seen, the Limiteds look amazing!! They are made of solid aluminum instead of plastic like most lenses. The best part for me is that they are lightweight, small, & of a comparable price (or even cheaper in some cases!) than Canikon lenses.

I think the last thing that tipped the scale (as it seemed a hopeless tie in my decision..) was that the Pentax K-x comes in different colors. I know that it has no bearing on the camera's functions but... the novelty was just irresistible. I decided on the purple one.

In Japan you can get a fantastic array (even a multi-colored camera with different shades on the body, grip, lens, etc!) Only a few colors are available in the States though. The Stormtrooper White is a really nice one, it was my second choice.

That's all I can think of for now! I am quite pleased with it so far, I have only had it a few weeks and haven't really run it through its paces yet. The pictures I've taken of my daughter are noticeably improved, but I think that would have been the case with any DSLR compared to my little Panasonic P&S!

I know many people like to be fiercely loyal to their brand, but the truth is that almost all the cameras out today are fantastic performers & are capable of producing excellent photos. Why not try something different and get yourself a Pentax K-x Digital SLR (Purple Haze).