TL;DR: I've owned this camera for almost 3 months now and highly recommend it. Canon and Nikon are great, but this camera is unbeatable at this price point, particularly with its weather resistance and great photography features. Plus who doesn't love underdogs?
This is a great first time digital SLR. I was originally planning on getting something for under $500, be it used or new. A friend who shoots a Canon 7D recommended the Canon T3i which I was almost completely settled on, but then I started reading reviews online and found this camera. I simply couldn't ignore the incredible feature set of camera at this price point, namely:
1) Weather resistance
2) Pentaprism viewfinder with 100% coverage
3) Image stabilization built into the body
4) Dual control dials (front and rear)
5) 1/6000 sec. max shutter speed
6) 6 frames per second (FPS) continuous shooting
To get these features from Canon or Nikon, you need to spend a few hundred more typically. But for me, the weather sealing was the biggest selling point.
WEATHER RESISTANCE
I took this camera to the beach a few weeks ago. Holding it in hand, I double-checked to make sure all the rubber port covers were closed, then walked out into the surf and snapped a bunch of great shots of my wife and kids playing in the water. My only concern was not actually dropping it into the water which due to the pressure of depth might get water past the seals. Fortunately, hand-holding this camera is easy because it has a great handgrip, deep and rubberized. The camera was splashed with seawater and had sand blown on it which stuck due to it being wet, but I wasn't worried, it kept on working. After returning home, I rinsed it off in the shower, dried it with a towel, and it looked good as new. Incredible if you ask me!
Update 2015-01-09: If anyone was wondering, my K-50 is still working fine and still looks as good as new! This is by far my favorite feature of this camera that I can't live without. I love never having to worry about dust and moisture when using this camera!
PENTAPRISM VIEWFINDER
The viewfinder is nice and bright with a pentaprism finder vs the pentamirror you'll find in comparable Canon/Nikon SLRs. It's got 100% coverage, so what you see in the viewfinder is what you'll see in your shot, just the way it should be. I try to frame my shots perfectly in the camera and avoid cropping later. Your autofocus points and confirmation are shown in the viewfinder along with your light meter and the most important controls. With practice, you can change settings to get the shot you want without taking your eye out of the viewfinder very much.
IMAGE STABILIZATION
This is primarily intended to reduce handshake, allowing you to use slower shutter speeds during handheld shooting. The bonus of this feature is that no matter what lens you use, you will benefit from the image stabilization (unlike Canon and Nikon who integrate IS/VR into the lenses, adding to their cost). However, unlike IS built into the lenses, this in-camera image stabilization (called Shake Reduction by Pentax) doesn't actually show its effect through your viewfinder, due to the fact that it moves the camera's image sensor to compensate for movement. With it enabled, I seem to be able to get steady shots with a shutter speed 2 stops slower than 1/(focal length x 1.5). I haven't tested it by turning it off and comparing the results, so I just trust that it's working. Another bonus of this feature is that it allows you to adjust composition before shooting. If you use live view, you can move the image up/down, left/right, or tilt it a bit. I've never actually taken photos using this, but I imagine it might be useful by allowing for minute adjustments when shooting from a tripod to set up the perfect shot.
DUAL CONTROL DIALS
Dual control dials are great when shooting in manual or one of the "priority" modes. You can quickly adjust your aperture, shutter speed, and ISO while staying in the camera's viewfinder. They're also fully configurable, so you can change them to work however you like. Update 8/28/2014: One thing I've found is that it's not possible to reverse the direction that the dials work in.
18-55mm WR LENS
It also happens that this kit lens has very good optical quality. I compared it to an original SMC Pentax 50mm F1.4 prime lens I bought off of Craigslist, which is considered to be a very sharp prime. I can hardly tell any difference between the image quality these 2 lenses produce. This speaks very well for the 18-55. And it's weather sealed. It is a bit noisy during autofocusing, but if that's a concern you can buy lenses for this camera with quieter internal focusing motors; however, they are a bit more expensive. For a kit lens, this thing is great.
1/6000 MAX SHUTTER SPEED
1/6000 is half a stop faster than the 1/4000 offered on comparable Canon/Nikon DSLRs. $6k pro camera bodies typically go up to 1/8000. You'll rarely use it, but if you need it (say, to use a really wide aperture for shallow depth of field on a bright day), it's there for you.
6 FPS CONTINUOUS SHOOTING
The higher FPS you have, the more shots your camera will take in action sequences. If you want to take photos of your kids or pets frolicking around or playing sports, you want as many FPS as you can get. Pros shooting sports for a living use beastly 3 lb., $6k cameras like the Nikon D4s and Canon EOS 1D X which shoot at 10+ FPS. But we're spending less than $500 here, so 6 FPS is pretty darn good. Canon and Nikon's comparable models come in at 5 FPS. The more shots you have of an action sequence, the more options you'll have to choose from, and thus the greater the likelihood will be of having a keeper of your kid smashing his/her first home run or of Fido's priceless tongue-flapping-to-the-side expression.
AUTOFOCUS IN LOW LIGHT
I wanted to add a note about autofocus in low light in response to the criticism of what is considered the most helpful review on this site as of this writing. This reviewer stated that his camera hunts for focus in "med room lighting situations". While I don't own any Canon or Nikon cameras and thus can't compare the autofocus of the K-50 to them like he can, I can tell you that I do not have any autofocus problems in any lighting situations. The only time my camera hunts for focus is in very dim lighting situations. I'm talking indoors at night where my subject is in a shadow of a room lit only by a small tabletop lamp (with lampshade) 20 ft away. Otherwise it focuses every time. Note that this is WITHOUT using the camera's AF Assist lamp, a toggle-able feature which shines a very bright green light towards the subject during autofocus. With this lamp, you should be able to focus in any situation. I turned mine off but if I ever need it, it's there and it works.
Update 2015-01-09: I've been pondering this, so I decided to geek out and compare the AF sensitivity specs of the K-50 with its competitors. These specs are quoted from each respective manufacturer's product webpage:
Pentax K-50: EV-1 to 18 (ISO 100)
Canon T5i: EV -0.5 - 18 (at room temperature and ISO 100, based on Canon's testing standards)
Nikon D3300: -1 to +19 EV (ISO 100, 20°C/68°F)
So Pentax and Nikon are equal in low light AF sensitivity, with Canon a slight step behind.
SUMMARY
I highly recommend the Pentax K-50 to anyone, new or experienced in photography, looking for a solid digital SLR. The weather resistance sealed the deal for me. Maybe someday I'll "upgrade" to a high-end weather-resistant Canon or Nikon full-frame camera, but for now, and for around $500, this camera is a winner.
Also, if you're willing to wait a couple of months, you can order a custom-colored K-50 from Pentax's website which I think is pretty cool. I just wanted it to be all black so was fine with this stock model.
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Reviews with images
I couldn't have dreamed of a better beginner's DSLR.
TL;DR: Unless you earn your living taking photos, the incredible value of the K-50 and the Pentax system overall vastly outweighs the disadvantages compared to Canon and Nikon systems.I originally decided to buy a DSLR for honeymoon photos. I had always been happy enough with cell phone photos, but I figured a little extra effort and money were worth it for something as important as a honeymoon.Knowing full well that I wasn't and would likely never be a pro-level photographer, I researched entry level DSLRs and was originally going to go with Nikon until I saw a commenter on an article heckling the author for leaving Pentax out of a list of best entry level DSLRs.After researching Pentax and the K-50 I decided it was the best fit for my needs, and I think it's very likely a fit for yours too.If you're coming from a history of cellphone cameras and point-and-shoots like I did, you'll be floored by the quality and flexibility of the K-50. Even if you're already familiar with DSLR caliber photography, I think you'll find the K-50 holds its own admirably.Where the K-50 really shines is in its value. You won't find in-body image stabilization, weather sealing, dual control dials, or an intervalometer in another camera until you start paying a lot more. In-body image stabilization in particular will have a real impact on your day to day (or rather night to night) photos. Additional lenses you buy will be cheaper too since they won't have to have their own stabilization components. The weather sealing can make a big difference as well. I've shot in heavy rain and gotten the camera covered in rainwater without any trouble whatsoever. If you're uneasy about image quality not holding up to Canon or Nikon, consider that not only will practical quality differences be slight especially from a hobbyist perspective, but having image stabilization and weather sealing will let you get shots you'd otherwise miss. Getting the shot is the most important part of photography!The biggest downside is that Pentax lenses and accessories are less prolific than Canon or Nikon. There's still a ton of great lenses, just not as many. In particular the really high end professional Canon and Nikon lenses generally don't have an equivalent for a Pentax mount. This is why I say that if you don't earn you living taking photos you'll very likely be happy with a Pentax.As a bit of an open source nut, I also love that the native RAW format of the K-50 is Adobe's open DNG standard.Since this is a camera review, I figure rather than continuing to ramble about specifics, I'd simply include some shots that show off the versatility of the K-50.- The first is a straightforward daylight photo of a woman at a renaissance fair.- The second is a six second exposure in early morning light of my cat laying on the bed. Being able to do long exposure and avoid the noise of signal amplification is where a proper camera really breaks away from a cellphone camera.- The third is a shot of the dragon at Harry Potter World breating fire. I was only able to get this shot by shooting in burst mode and holding down the shutter when I expected the fire to start. The K-50 will pull 5 frames per second which was perfect for this.- The fourth is a high sensitivity (ISO 1600) evening light photo of a lizard. This mostly shows off the bokeh of the kit 18-55 zoom lens, which is just ok. I didn't apply any noise reduction, so if you zoom in you can get an idea of the noise characteristics of the sensor.- The fifth is a handheld night photo of a carousel. This is where the K-50's in-body image stabilization really shines. Being able to shoot handheld at night with only ISO 1600 sensitivity is only possible because of it. Otherwise it would have to be a lot noisier to keep the exposure time low enough to avoid camera shake.- The sixth is a 15 second exposure of my wife's desk lit only by her spooky Halloween sting lights.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2014
Style: DA L 18-55mm WR f3.5-5.6 LensColor: BlackVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2016
I've shot on the other major ecosystems (Canon, Nikon) and Pentax is by far the one I have most fun with. The camera is lightweight, grips so excellent in the hand that I do not use the camera strap. Has a weather-sealed body and kit lens, can be coupled with eye-fi for wireless photo transfer to a tablet or smartphone, Nikon and Canon do not have weather sealing at this price level.
In "green" (Auto Picture) mode, it works well as a point and shoot for those just starting out but, the ease of use with this camera will have you rocking the aperture priority (Av) mode, shutter priority (Tv) mode, aperture/shutter (TAv) mode, sensitivity (Sv) mode and full manual (M) mode before you can say "Nikon". Dual jog wheel control allows quick changes to shutter speed and aperture. Exposure compensation +/- is at your fingertip right next to the shutter button. The camera takes exceptional photos and focuses quickly.
In the "green" mode, the camera will pick the correct scene for what is being shot but, if you don't like what it picks, you can choose a different scene from the display panel by hitting the "info" button twice and then using the cursor to choose the scene you want. The camera will manage it all for you if that is your desire but, the real magic will happen when you un-tether yourself from the auto mode.
The K50 has other cool features such as photo copyright info, custom user settings to create your own pre-progammed shooting modes, full manual mode and one other setting the other guys don't have is the aperture and shutter (TAv) mode together. I really like this mode because it allows me to control the amount of light coming into the sensor and the depth of field while letting the camera manage the iso and the exposure. If I don't like the cameras exposure setting, I can simply adjust it on the fly while shooting. Live View focus peaking, etc.
I've come up through the ranks with one Pentax or another along the way. I bridged from a Sony mega-zoom to the Pentax K-100d and then moved onto the Pentax K20d. They all performed well and will withstand the daily grind of shooting for a living.
The biggest drawback to me and it has been this way with all the entire Pentax line is the 1/180th limitation when using a manual flash. Most other brands will go as high as 1/250th and higher if you know how to cheat (like with the old Nikon D40). It's the one thing I have never liked about Pentax cameras but, it is not a showstopper. Making other in camera adjustments will make this limitation a non-issue with a little practice.
For under $400 with the standard kit lens, you can't go wrong and adding other lenses is not expensive as the others. You can get a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens for $90. There is a lot of great K-mount glass out there on the cheap. If you are looking to get into the dSLR game, this is your ticket in. You'll be totally happy with this camera.
Style: DA L 18-55mm WR f3.5-5.6 LensColor: BlackVerified Purchase
Biggest Bang For the Buck on a Beer Budget
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2016
I've always cheered for the underdog and in this case, the underdog brings a lot to the table. This advanced pro-sumer dSLR is masquerading as an entry level shooter and should not be dismissed or overlooked.Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2016
I've shot on the other major ecosystems (Canon, Nikon) and Pentax is by far the one I have most fun with. The camera is lightweight, grips so excellent in the hand that I do not use the camera strap. Has a weather-sealed body and kit lens, can be coupled with eye-fi for wireless photo transfer to a tablet or smartphone, Nikon and Canon do not have weather sealing at this price level.
In "green" (Auto Picture) mode, it works well as a point and shoot for those just starting out but, the ease of use with this camera will have you rocking the aperture priority (Av) mode, shutter priority (Tv) mode, aperture/shutter (TAv) mode, sensitivity (Sv) mode and full manual (M) mode before you can say "Nikon". Dual jog wheel control allows quick changes to shutter speed and aperture. Exposure compensation +/- is at your fingertip right next to the shutter button. The camera takes exceptional photos and focuses quickly.
In the "green" mode, the camera will pick the correct scene for what is being shot but, if you don't like what it picks, you can choose a different scene from the display panel by hitting the "info" button twice and then using the cursor to choose the scene you want. The camera will manage it all for you if that is your desire but, the real magic will happen when you un-tether yourself from the auto mode.
The K50 has other cool features such as photo copyright info, custom user settings to create your own pre-progammed shooting modes, full manual mode and one other setting the other guys don't have is the aperture and shutter (TAv) mode together. I really like this mode because it allows me to control the amount of light coming into the sensor and the depth of field while letting the camera manage the iso and the exposure. If I don't like the cameras exposure setting, I can simply adjust it on the fly while shooting. Live View focus peaking, etc.
I've come up through the ranks with one Pentax or another along the way. I bridged from a Sony mega-zoom to the Pentax K-100d and then moved onto the Pentax K20d. They all performed well and will withstand the daily grind of shooting for a living.
The biggest drawback to me and it has been this way with all the entire Pentax line is the 1/180th limitation when using a manual flash. Most other brands will go as high as 1/250th and higher if you know how to cheat (like with the old Nikon D40). It's the one thing I have never liked about Pentax cameras but, it is not a showstopper. Making other in camera adjustments will make this limitation a non-issue with a little practice.
For under $400 with the standard kit lens, you can't go wrong and adding other lenses is not expensive as the others. You can get a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens for $90. There is a lot of great K-mount glass out there on the cheap. If you are looking to get into the dSLR game, this is your ticket in. You'll be totally happy with this camera.
Images in this review
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