Pentax K-50 review

IMAGE QUALITY – CLICK SAMPLES TO ENLARGE

It’s much more competitive for image quality. Colours were balanced and natural and focus was consistently sharp, although processing RAW output in Lightroom gave a significant boost to the fidelity of fine details. Automatic exposures in high-contrast scenes tended to be on the dark side to avoid clipping the highlights, but that’s a sensible precaution that tends to give better results if you’re willing to take the time to process raw shots. Noise levels were in line with the competition, with solid results at ISO speeds up to 6400. Once again, though, RAW via Lightroom gave significantly better results than the JPEG output.

Details and colours in JPEGs are hard to fault

However, shooting RAW gives a significant boost to fine details

Lightroom’s noise reduction is a good deal better than the camera’s own, but neither is a bad result

CONCLUSION

Ultimately, there’s not much to separate the K-50 from rival SLRs for image quality. The Nikon D5200 has the potential for capturing a little more detail with its 24-megapixel sensor, and the Canon 700D’s JPEGs capture the most flattering colours to our eyes, but there really isn’t much in it. The K-50’s bigger viewfinder and more elegant controls feel far more significant, and its weather sealing should mean it can take photos in situations where the others would remain firmly in their camera bags.

It’s not so tempting for anyone who’s interested in video, but we doubt that this will deter many potential buyers. However, Pentax’s reluctance to add HDMI gives the impression of a company that’s not too bothered about staying on the cutting edge, as does the lack of an articulated or touch-sensitive screen. The lack of any Pentax full-frame SLRs is another slight niggle for those considering nailing their colours to the Pentax K-Mount mast.

We’d be tempted to go for the K-30, which is currently available for around £460. It’s also worth briefly mentioning the K-500, a sister model that lacks a few features including weather sealing but is extremely aggressively priced at around £350 (full review coming soon).

Taken on its own terms, though, it’s impossible not to admire the K-50. It offers the best shooting experience of any SLR in this price bracket, and its image quality is more than up to scratch. Though the Canon 700D remains our top all-round pick.