Pentax K-r DSLR Review

John Riley reviews the new mid-level Pentax K-r DSLR.

Posted: 03/11/2010 - 14:16

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification

Pentax was once one of the two marques of choice for the Professional Photographer. However, the 1960s are a long time ago now and things have changed considerably. Pentax has survived in a smaller way the change to a bayonet mount, the coming of AF, the electronic revolution and is now forging ahead in the Digital Era, striving to regain that lost ground. The *istD was the first of the line and slowly but surely Pentax have been expanding and progressing their range of offerings. The K-x made a major step forwards and now is the K-r set to capitalise on that success? We shall see, in black, white or red...

Pentax K-r Features

The Pentax K-r is a mid-range DSLR with a 12.4MP CMOS chip. It uses the Pentax KAF2 bayonet mount which enables full use of all Pentax bayonet lenses from the manual focus A series onwards. If the lens has an “A” on its aperture ring then in almost all cases all that lens's functions will be available. Earlier lenses than the A series can be used with restrictions.

Image stabilisation and dust removal are via sensor shift. An SP coating on the sensor also reduces the chance that any debris will stick. Up to 4EV stabilisation is possible. This is available with any lens.

The usual Pentax PEF RAW format is joined by the option of Adobe's DNG open RAW standard, a useful way to future-proof our images.

AF is a new SAFOX IX system with 11 points, 9 of which are of the cross type. Metering offers the usual choice of Matrix (16 segments), centre weighted and spot.

Viewing of the subject is either by the 95% Penta-mirror optical viewfinder or via LiveView. The monitor is a 921,000 dot TFT LCD screen with a wide viewing angle.

There are a wide variety of modes and shooting styles, plus a blistering 6fps continuous drive when needed. Movie mode offers recordings at 1280x720 pixels.

A novel feature is the provision for alternative battery types. A Lithium battery pack is supplied as standard, but this can be changed for an internal holder for 4 AA cells. The holder is purchased separately. AA Lithium batteries could offer up to 1600 images per set if the flash is not used. The supplied DL-I109 offer up to 560 images per charge.

The final choice, following on with considerable success with the K-x, is the colour – in the UK this is black, white or Pentax red.

Pentax K-r Photos of Equipment

Pentax K-r Handling

The camera looks and feels solid. It rests comfortably in the hands and the placement of controls and buttons follows Pentax principles. The contour of the grip offers an excellent hold on the camera and there are no buttons in unfortunate places that could be accidentally pressed.

The controls are firm and operate smoothly, buttons are of high quality and the overall finish is of an impeccable standard. Clearly high grade plastics are used and the assembly is of a high precision.

The camera mount is metal and the DA L standard zoom bayonets firmly into place. The lens is all plastic, including its mount, but in practice this works and lasts well.

The K-r feels just right in use. The viewfinder gives a crystal clear optical view and of course this has the advantage over an EVF in that a quick preview of a scene can be made without having to switch on the camera.

The 921,000 dot screen is bright, detailed and clear.

Access points to batteries and SD card via separate doors are both well built and should present no problems.

The K-r is a very attractive looking camera that is well designed for the job.

Pentax K-r Performance

The camera operates in all respects totally reliably. It is very, very fast. Start up time is well under 1 second, write times are not a problem, even when shooting at maximum frame rate. All the functions are responsive and virtually instantaneous.

The manual claims a continuous burst at 6fps in JPEG can be maintained for 25 frames. My own test suggests that this is a conservative estimate and I found that the frame rate only dropped from maximum after approximately 28 frames.

The metering system appears to be spot on in most circumstances. It is certainly very hard to fool, but in extreme cases exposure compensation can be dialled in and is clearly displayed on the rear screen and in the viewfinder. Centre weighted and spot modes are offered for those who prefer them.

The focusing system seems to have been upgraded from earlier Pentax models and snaps in very smartly, with no hunting or indecision. In daylight it has no trouble keeping up with the frame rate. This performance is well maintained in very low light levels and even dim street lighting at night does not prevent the camera from confidently locking on.

Resolution and noise are intertwined and the slightly lower pixel count no doubt helps with noise reduction. 12.4MP still makes for some impressively clean images, full of vibrant detail. Exhibition prints will not be a problem.

ISO and noise performance

Noise levels are seriously tackled and as a result there are extensive options provided. An extended range of 100 – 25,600 ISO is offered and at all settings any noise pattern is crisp and clean. At the maximum setting in daylight the appearance is similar to a very fast film, but with very sharp grain structure. In lower light the appearance is softer, but action stopping images in ridiculously dark places become a possibility. For normal picture making, it is only at 6400ISO that any real deterioration sets in. I am happy that for the highest quality images up to 800ISO would be fully usable and that in the proper circumstances all the speed available could be put to good use. This is a new benchmark of capability for Pentax in an area being furiously fought over by all the manufacturers.

Pentax K-r ISO test images

Colour reproduction has always been a strength and this Pentax is no exception. AWB produces neutral-warm images and switching to Daylight is my favourite trick for maintaining the shifting qualities of the ambient light. If warmer images still are required, then Cloudy gives a result similar to an 81A warming filter on film. Skin tones are just right so I expect that wedding and portrait photographers will be pleased with the results and, more importantly, their clients will. There are all the usual presets for incandescent and fluorescent light and a custom white balance can be taken where necessary. However, that Pentax warmth is very pleasant just as it is, so there may be little need to try to filter it away.

The full range of colours is well reproduced and there are no weak points. Blues are a particular area of interest and difficult subjects such as bluebells I would expect to be handled well.

In some situations the presets will be needed, and certainly incandescent (tungsten) light is outside the normal range for AWB. Fluorescent light is always difficult as it does not have a complete colour spectrum and hence no specific colour temperature, but the camera does a good job.

Pentax K-r White-balance test images

One interesting result shows that the Infra Red blocking filter over this sensor may not be as strong as on previous Pentax DSLRs. Making a “pseudo infra red” image using Channel Mixer in Photoshop gave a very impressive result. This extends the creative possibilities of the K-r and I find this a welcome feature.

There is a very full dynamic range, as can be seen from the step wedge images, and this comfortably exceeds what can be printed on inkjet paper or seen on some monitors. This is one of the advantages of digital and the range of film is being exceeded many times over. It seems there is little need with the K-r to reduce exposure to prevent washed out highlights as in general the indicated exposure is correct.

LiveView opens some interesting possibilities and seems very effective with the K-r. Essentially we can use the camera in the same way that most compacts are now used – composing and focusing whilst viewing the LCD screen. This means that low level shots, for example of forest fungi, may not need to have the photographer kneeling or lying on the ground quite so much. The focusing is slower in this mode as the camera zooms in the image to focus and then zooms out again to take the shot. Most compact cameras are no faster though, so it is acceptable. Using LiveView is time limited and will switch off after 5 minutes. It can be switched on again, but the camera monitors internal temperature and will switch off again when safe levels are exceeded. Live View is enabled by a single press of a dedicated button and switched off again in the same way. The mirror is of course flipped up whilst Live View operates, so optical viewing is not available at the same time.

Shooting movies is also limited by temperature, but in this case up to 25 minutes of shooting is possible before the camera needs to cool down again.

The battery options are quite innovative. The provided Li-Ion DL-I109 battery pack has a potential capacity of up to 560 images without flash, or 470 with 50% flash usage. This equates to 300 minutes of viewing on the LCD screen.

As fill-in flash in daylight is well balanced, the possibility of using the built in flash unit is increased. If the AA insert is purchased then various types of battery can be used, with Lithium AA cells offering a capacity of up to 1600 images. Even after almost 300 test shots, the provided battery still shows full power, so my expectation is that the quoted figures may well be realistic.

Lens Performance

The lens provided as standard is the SMC Pentax DA L 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6. This L version has an all-plastic construction, including the mount, and is sold without a lenshood. Although a lenshood could arguably be regarded as essential, in practice it was all but impossible to induce any flare.

The same applied to chromatic aberration as there seemed to be very little if any colour fringing of any type. Branches against sky were handled with ease.

The lens is slightly warm in tone, good for portraits, and wide open is softer than when stopped down to mid apertures. Open aperture seems usefully balanced for portraits, although plenty of detail is still there. Mid aperture crisps up the image very nicely, and at f22 and beyond it softens again but is still usable where depth of field is the main consideration.

Edge quality is well maintained, some fall off being evident at wider apertures and wider focal lengths, but still remaining a usefully sharp lens.

Distortion is where lens designers tend to allow more leeway and here we have no exception. Partly to favour other lens properties such as sharpness, contrast and low chromatic errors, distortion is allowed to creep in. At 18mm there is definite barrel distortion, this has become slight pincushion at 35mm and increases slightly more at 55mm. It is no worse than many lenses, and for some wide angle shots some barrel distortion may be considered beneficial.

If desired, there is a Lens Correction feature that identifies the properties of known lenses and corrects them in camera software. It works.

The performance of this lens is actually very impressive, especially as it is costing very little when purchased with the camera body. It is definitely worth having as part of the package and will serve very well.

Pentax K-r Sample Photos

Pentax K-r Verdict

We have a well made, fully specified, compact and efficient camera in the Pentax K-r. It is attractive in appearance and handles beautifully. It can hold its head high in the company of higher priced rivals from the main manufacturers and also offers advantages in image quality, lens quality and extensive backwards compatibility. The excellent near-infra-red performance will please some buyers, as will the multiple power source options.

The lens is excellent and gives a tempting introduction to the qualities of the rest of the range. Only weatherproofing is missing, but that would not make a better performing camera.

I have no doubt that the K-r is a worthy contender for our cash. For existing Pentax users there is no better option at this price level, for those new to Pentax I firmly believe they will be impressed. For those considering an EVF DSLR then a consideration here is that the K-r is not really that much more bulky and it does offer much better battery life, a superb optical viewfinder and a much wider choice of lenses.

The conclusion is that Pentax have a new and exciting product here that offers excellent performance and is very well priced to compete in the marketplace. Highly recommended.

Pentax K-r Specifications

Manufacturer	Pentax
Lens
Effective Magnification	1.5x
Image Sensor
Pixels	12.4Mp (Megapixels)
Pixels (W)	4288
Pixels (H)	2428
Sensor Type	CMOS
Sensor Size	No Data
Sensor Size (width)	No Data
Sensor Size (height)	No Data
Aspect Ratio
LCD Monitor
LCD Monitor	3in
Screen resolution	No Data
Touch Screen	No Data
Focusing
Focusing modes	Autofocus Manual
Exposure Control
Shutter speeds shortest	30sec
Shutter speeds longest	1/6000sec
Bulb mode	Yes
Exp modes	Program Aperture-Priority Shutter-Priority Manual Scene modes
Metering	Multi Pattern Spot Centre-weighted - Average
ISO sensitivity	100 - 25600
White balance	Auto Manual
Exposure Comp	+/-3
Viewfinder
Magnification	No Data
Shooting Options
Continuous shooting	No Data
Video
Movie mode	Yes
Video Resolution
Video FPS	No Data
Stereo Sound	No Data
Optical Zoom with Video	No Data
Other Features
Image Stabilisation	Yes
Interface
HDMI	No
USB	USB 2
Wi-Fi	No Data
Storage
Card Type	SD SDHC
File Type	JPG RAW
Power Source
Battery Type	D-LI109, 4x AA
Battery Life (CIPA rating)	No Data
Box Contents
Box Contents	No Data
Dimensions
Weight	544g
Width	No Data
Height	97mm
Depth	68mm

Members gallery photos using: PENTAX K-r

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