Review: Two Years Traveling with a Pentax Digital Camera

A digital camera can make all the difference in your vacation. With the right one, you'll capture brilliant images of exotic destinations worthy of of framing. Pick the wrong one, and you'll be stuck with 6 by 4-inch prints languishing in a desk drawer.

When I booked a flight to New Zealand in 2007, I'd outgrown compact and superzoom cameras. I started shopping for a Single-Lens Reflex camera (aka, the kind of camera that's covered in buttons and doesn't fit in your back pocket). I interrogated photographers and searched online, rejecting the typical entry-level Nikons and Canons. A talented graphic artist's advice led me to the 5-MP Pentax K100D Super. I picked one up on closeout for $350 with an 18-50-millimeter lens. Though it's discontinued, many of its features and benefits live on in the 12.4-MP Pentax K-x, which you can find with a lens for less than $650. I've seen it as low as $460.

Here's what I've learned from owning the K100D Super, and how it applies to the Pentax K-x.

Pentax Cameras are Built Tough

My graphic designer friend knows how I travel - with a backpack, into inhospitable places. He assured me that a Pentax would handle being dropped, getting manhandled and being subjected to extreme temperatures. He was right. I've sent my K100D Super crashing to the ground numerous times. I've used it in the Arizona summer and while exploring glaciers in Iceland. It has never failed me. I'm confident the K-x can handle the same punishment.

Vintage Glass is A-OK

Nothing improves your photos like quality lenses. Some of the best lenses date back to the 1970s. And you can find them cheap at camera stores and pawn shops. A modern Pentax DSLR is backward compatible with that lovely, cheap, high-quality glass as long as it's a K-mount lens. You can even use non-K-mount lenses with an adaptor. Pentax puts image stabilizers in the camera body rather than in the lenses. That's part of the reason the lenses are backward compatible. You'll have to get comfortable shooting fully manual or with the aperture priority setting to take advantage of this feature. But that will make you a better photographer.

It's Compact

The K100D and K-x are both smaller than pro-level DLSRs. They're lighter, which makes them easier to travel with. You can tuck them away in smaller bags. On the other hand, a slightly smaller camera forces Pentax to move certain adjustments into a system of buttons and menus rather than switches or dials on the camera. For instance, I'd love the ability to set white balance or switch ISO with a rotary dial rather than buttons and menus. But that's a trade-off for a compact footprint. DPReview.com shows the K-x next to its Nikon and Canon competitors, and you can readily see the size difference.

A Convenient SLR

The K-x runs on four AA batteries, just like its predecessors. That's a huge bonus. There would be nothing worse than having battery problems while abroad and not being able to replace or recharge a fancy proprietary battery. But you can get AA batteries anywhere. The Pentax cameras seem to get great life from the Energizer Lithium batteries. I used only one set on a two-week trip.

Improvements Over my K-100D Super

The K-x has nearly double the megapixels. This doesn't impress me much and means each RAW file will just take up more room on the storage media (SD cards). Already, I can print out 16 by 20-inch prints with stunning color and details. I can't imagine printing much larger, so I don't need the extra MP. The K-x can shoot in burst mode slightly faster. The buffer is still a bit slow, so in RAW mode you may have to wait for the camera to move the images to the SD card. That's typical of this class of camera, though. The K-x also has a High Dynamic Range setting - I often find HDR images far too cartoonish and overdone; tasteful HDR can be quite cool, though, and this feature gives some creative power. My K100D Super can't take video, but the K-x can. Handy! For better or worse, you can get the K-x in a plethora of other colors besides black (yes, pink is among them).

Bottom line - check out the Pentax K-x if you're seeking a full-featured, versatile and durable SLR for traveling. What really puts it ahead of its Canon and Nikon siblings is its size and ability to use vintage lenses. It's a perfect camera for inexpensively discovering the benefits of high-quality lenses - and building your collection.

SOURCES
DPReview.com
Pentaximaging.com
Two years of using a Pentax K-100D Super