Pentax K-x review

At this rate, it seems entirely possible that by this time next year no DSLR worth its salt will be missing a video mode.

The 12.4-megapixel Pentax K-x is the latest to throw its hat into the ring, joining Nikon and Canon in the ranks of mid-range, HD-capable DSLRs.

The K-x may sit humbly at the bottom of Pentax's range, but it doesn't feel like a budget camera. The screen on the back is a bright 230,000-pixel, 2.7in TFT, and while the K-x's body isn't overly endowed with controls for adjusting your shots, it's not missing anything important, and the directional pad on the back doubles as a useful set of shortcut keys.

It's also extremely comfortable to handle - better than the Canon 500D, though not quite as comfy as the Nikon D5000. The grip is a decent size, and the kit lens is one of the very best we've used.

The zoom ring is beautifully smooth, and our test images looked great. Fine details were sharp and the K-x had no trouble getting colours right. You can set the ISO as high as 12,800, though this is something of a party piece: noise was an issue on our images at settings of ISO3200 and higher. However, even at ISO1600, we were pleased with the fine details on our images. Our test pictures weren't quite as fine as those from the Canon 500D at high ISOs, but at lower sensitivities there's no meaningful distinction to be made. The 5fps (frames per second) continuous shooting mode is another handy addition.

The K-x's Cmos sensor and Prime II image processing engine combine to allow it to shoot 1280 x 720 video at 24fps. The results in our tests were little short of stunning. Colours were accurate and motion was smooth in the resultant Motion Jpeg files. The K-x also enjoys a few edges over Nikon's HD-shooting DSLRs, as there's no irritating five-minute time limit on your video files. A further, even bigger plus, is that Pentax's Shake Reduction (SR) technology is housed inside the K-x's body, rather than in individual lenses. This means that the sensor itself is moved slightly to compensate for camera shake rather than the elements inside the lens, and the result is that, effectively, every lens you can buy is optically stabilised. It makes a huge improvement to video, particularly as we noticed a fair bit of frame wobble without SR turned on.

Pentax's insistence on using AA batteries in its lower-end cameras remains, and as ever there are as many upsides as there are drawbacks. On the downside, using plain alkaline batteries, you can only capture a relatively small number of pictures - 210 without using the flash, claims Pentax. You can count on spending around £20 on a charger and a set of rechargeable batteries. However, this done, you can expect to capture a more standard 610 shots with Ni-MH batteries, with the added benefit that you can buy AA batteries at virtually every store on the planet - useful if your rechargeables give up the ghost in the middle of Mongolia.

If you're in the market for a mid-range DSLR, you're faced with a difficult choice. The Nikon D5000 is the cheapest, the most comfortable to use and there's no denying its excellent image quality. If you're after the best value stills photography, it's the one to buy. If video is more of a priority, then it's a straight race between the Canon 500D and the Pentax K-x. You save £20 by opting for the Canon 500D, which also gives you better quality H.264 video, a larger screen and the benefits of a Lithium-Ion battery. It's also compatible with Canon's formidable range of professional lenses. The Pentax has a better-quality kit lens, and the benefits of in-body stabilisation shouldn't be overlooked. Overall the Canon edges it, but the K-x will look significantly more attractive if the price drops between now and Christmas.