Pentax X-5 Digital Camera with 26x Optical Zoom and 3" LCD (Black)

I couldn't be more pleased. While it did lack some "basic" features like a UV filter and threads for one, this seems to be the "norm" for this level of product. Images are sharp. Color is good. Camera is small, yet easy to grip. The tilt display/viewer is indispensable for my uses. I do a lot of ground level photography and get tired of laying in the mud. The standard viewer is also clear and one does not have to miss shots because of bright daytime lighting conditions rendering the LCD useless. The ability to select aperture or shutter speed manual exposures and particularly manual "focus" is just icing on the cake. The zoom takes a bit to get used to (it's very fast). I also like the infrared focus assist for low light conditions. I have been a Nikon user for years (I still have my Nikon F), but was disappointed with the P520. Plus it didn't work on aperture setting when it arrived, so I returned it. Amazon was fine with that. I really wanted the tilt back, so I looked around for quite some time until I found this camera. Pentax has been the staple for photography art students for years and they have a good reputation for ruggedness and overall dependability. Add to that, it costs much less than some others, made my decision easy. This camera may have more features than you need, but it has a very reliable and accurate "Auto" mode, so you can just point and shoot and feel confident you got the shot you wanted. In summation (finally) I would highly recommend this camera.

Even better than I expected. Especially like the macro settings, great for extreme close ups. The editing software is more versatile than Kodak. Definitely go for rechargeable batteries because it takes 4 AA's, the good news is the camera is kind on the power so those batteries will keep you running for days. Overall very pleased, it's not rugged, I'm pretty sure a couple good bounces off the ground and it would be toast, but I use it to photograph jewelry, clothing and assorted stuff for eBay. It's nice to switch to the viewfinder to take pics outside without shooting blind because the large screen looses its charm in the bright sunlight, nice to have the option. Pretty intuitive on the technology, not difficult to learn how to use all the bells and whistles. I've had it a couple of months now and so far very pleased.

I love this camera. It has an incredible zoom capability (I've taken pictures from a cliff of surfers in the water below me, and the zoom is good enough that I can practically see their expressions), it takes awesome action shots, and generally does everything I want it to do. The hundred dollar difference between this camera and a cheap point-and-shoot is more than worth it. If you want a better camera than this one, you'll probably going to have to fork over a whole lot more cash. For me, this is all I will need for a long time. Oddly, I enjoy the fact that it uses AA batteries...I've had troubles in the past with chargers for proprietary lithium batteries getting lost, and then you're out of luck. I just use rechargeable AA batteries, and then switch them out as needed. Bottom line...I don't think you're going to find a better camera for this price. Two thumbs up!

I was reluctant at first to purchase this camera thanks to its small sensor (typically smaller sensors show more noise in the images), but, since it is a backlit sensor, similar to the Pentax Q (which I thoroughly enjoy), I decided to try it. The cost helped, too, of course. So far, I have shot nearly 300 images since getting the camera, and, so far at least, I am very impressed with the images I have obtained. The camera build quality is okay but is nowhere near the level of the Q. Buttons don't have much in the way of tactile feedback and actually seem somewhat mushy on my copy. The camera itself is fairly lightweight considering the amount of glass in that zoom lens, but it is bulky, making it seem (to me) to be bigger than it really is. I suspect those people with small hands might have difficulty with the grip -- it's very deep, but fits my hand pretty well. The battery door, the bane of many modern cameras, seems awfully flimsy (IMO), but perhaps it is better built than it seems -- I've certainly had no problem with it so far even though it is very tight-fitting with batteries installed. The LCD tilts nicely and solidly holds its place, no matter where it is positioned. When I turn up the brightness, the LCD is clearly visible in the direct Texas sunlight I have to cope with. The EVF, while being somewhat low resolution, is actually far better than I had expected, being clear enough for composition and manual focusing. The EVF diopter adjustment can accommodate my terribly myopic eyes. I can even see the entire view with my glasses on! On my copy of the camera, the exposure is a bit off. I've had to dial in a -0.7 to -1.0 EV to get a better shot. Switching to Spot metering helps a little, but the exposure is still too bright in most situations I have encountered so far. The camera resets the EV setting to 0.0 upon restart, a bit annoying to me, but not a big deal and it may be irrelevant to the average user. Images are surprisingly clean to my eyes, but when pixel peeping I can see that noise has been handled a little too aggressively by the camera. I suspect it would only be noticeable in huge prints, though, which I don't make very often. Unfortunately, though, the camera provides no RAW saving capability, but the JPG engine is quite good enough for me. I have not bothered trying any ISOs beyond 400; 400 is the max I ever use for my style of photography, even when shooting film. The lens covers a huge range (one of the selling points of the camera, right?) and the optical quality is pretty good. However, some chromatic aberration creeps in when shooting high contrast scenes (birds against a clear sky, for example), especially at the longer focal lengths. Again, it's really only noticeable to me when pixel peeping. Zooming is virtually silent and reasonably fast. For that matter, once you turn off the annoying shutter noises, the camera is incredibly quiet. Be warned about startup/shutdown and processing times, though. The camera is rather slow to start: positioning the lens takes a second or so and increases slightly if you have the zoom "memory" set -- this is where the camera returns the camera to zoom position it was last at when powered down. Powering down also takes a second or so as the lens has to follow an interesting "dance" to retract into the camera. Finally, even when pre-focused, I have noticed a modest delay in capturing/saving photos. The camera isn't really one for you action photogs, sorry to say. The macro is phenomenal! While many cameras reserve macro for the widest location in the zoom range, the X-5 uses the middle end of the zoom, giving the photographer better composition options, IMO. There is also a 1 cm macro setting that really lets you close in on your subject. Manual control is implemented better in this camera than in some others I have used. Tapping the EV button on top will switch the control wheel between shutter speed and aperture. This arrangement works quite well for me but YMMV. What has really surprised me is the battery life. As I wrote above, I have shot nearly 300 photos so far and the battery indicator hasn't changed since I first put in the batteries (Sanyo Eneloops). All in all, if you are interested in a bridge camera with a long zoom range, you really can't beat the Pentax X-5. While the size might put off some, remember you are getting a zoom lens that goes from 22.3mm to 580mm (in 35mm equivalent focal lengths). It is far from perfect, but, given the cost, it is well worth the money. I know this is a rather long-winded review, but I hope someone will find it useful.

After reading the many helpful reviews here, I decided to buy one. I've had a K-5 for about a year and a Pentax 300mm DA SMC that I did a quick comparsion against. Hand-held from my deck at full optical extension, the X-5 is approximately equivalent to a 380mm lens in an APS-C sensor format; i.e., if you shot a subject at 380mm with a K-5, the image would be just about the same size for the X-5 at full extension. As you would expect, contrast and resolution is marginally better for the K-5 Pentax 300mm combination, but not bad at all for the X-5. I decided to do a similar comparison at wide angle against the Tamron 10-24mm super wide angle lens in the K-5 with APS-C sensor. The wide angle on the X-5 lens is equivalent in terms of image size on the K-5 with the Tamron lens at 17 mm is the same as the widest setting on the X-5 lens. So for those of use who don't have the means to use full frame 35mm sensors, in terms of the typical DSLR, this X-5 camera produces images equivalent in size to a range of 17 - 380 mm; at 16MP. Not bad for an all-in-one camera. After some tests, the selection between a high and low f/number in Manual mode seems to produce identical Depth of Field results suggesting that this "aperture" selection is really just a EV difference, likely done electronically; the same sort of effect you would get by using a 3.5 EV neutral density filter, allowing you to use a slower shutter speed than otherwise possible. From what I see, I would say the lens aperture is fixed. Although I wasn't able to change DoF, the choice of "f/numbers" could be useful in achieving the desired exposure under bright conditions. You can turn it on without removing the lens cap if you turn it on by holding down the playback button and you're in playback mode and if you don't, mine didn't pop the lens cap off as someone said would happen; I was just asked to confirm when I had removed it. No problem. I like it that you can program the "Green Button" as a separate function button and assign often used operations to the four-way controller. I programmed mine with ISO, Focus Area, Exposure Metering Area, and White Balance, the four things I tend to change most often, so I can reset ISO, for example, or the other three quickly with just a few button presses. I like being able to turn off the big LCD and see the smaller version through the viewfinder, but the tilt-out LCD is great for taking pictures of plants that are closer to the ground; when I get down on my knees at my age it's hard to get back up again :) It does a very nice job with close-up focusing, and whereas I had been using a Tamron 90mm macro lens with the K-5, the X-5 will do just fine for documentation purposes. I'd tried to use my Optio W80 for wildflowers, but with the noise issues there at even moderate ISO, no viewfinder, no tilting LCD, and various other problems (such as no manual controls), the X-5 solves all those without being too heavy and bulky to carry around for three hours in the summer sun. It would have been nice to have a separate slot for the SD card so you didn't have to open the battery compartment every time you need to get it out, and I'm hopeful that the Pentax design engineers picked the right materials so it lasts awhile. It's very similar to my K100D Super battery compartment latch and that's lasted for 5-6 years with 15,000 shots without any signs of a problem. Even through there will be a significant loss in dynamic range, still I can use Adobe Camera Raw with the jpgs. I'm expecting the D-Range options to make up a little of the difference but I guess I'll have to start paying more attention to exposure than I have been. So that's a quick first impression, and I'll update this after a month or so of use in the field and on an upcoming vacation, leaving the heavy camera bag and tripod at home.

I have had this camera for 2 years. I like the styling because it looks a more expensive DSLR. It takes very good pictures in any light. There are lots of features that make this camera fun to use even for beginners. Great for trips, parties, kids and pets. I would have liked a hot shoe but the flash puts out enough light for most shots. It is very lightweight and the tilting screen has spoiled me to the point I look for it on other cameras. The macro is incredible. I suggest only using Energizer 9x lithium batteries. Other batteries don't last very long. The build and photo quality are excellent. You won't be disappointed with this camera.

Big disappointment! I really liked this camera when I got it. It is super easy to set and use, the pictures are great. However, while shooting on a very mild summer day in the middle Eastern USA, the camera locked up after about shots and that was the end of it. The book had said that it might overheat in hot humid jungle type climates, but I was no where near there. The manual said to let it cool off and all would be okay, so I did. I brought into the air conditioned house, let it sit for three hours, then tried to shut it off again. NO go! Finally I removed the batteries and let it sit for a while, then reloaded the batteries. The camera shut down, and restarted without a problem. I figured if it was so sensitive to temperature, the manual had also warned against cold weather exposure also, then I did not want it. I returned it, and, thinking that perhaps it was just a one in a million error in manufacture ordered a second one. The second camera had been used, and returned so was not, in my opinion, new. I returned it. I tried a third time, with no better luck so returned the third camera also. I then purchased another and am quite please with it. I will not name the camera because I reviewing the pentax, not my final choice. Amazon was great arranging the returns and refunds, even though there had been a computer glitch on the first return and I had to pay for my own return shipping Amazon promptly reimbursed my full return shipping fee without hassle, once I advised them of the situation. The same for the other two cameras.

This camera is something of a disappointment. I've been a Pentax used for 40 years and have always loved them. Well built, incredible SMC lenses, rugged perfection. But this one just isn't. I realize I'm comparing apples and oranges putting a Spotmatic up against a modern, low end digital, but I still expected the quality and dependability that Pentax has always represented. This camera (X5) takes beautiful photographs. Every camera does. I've never heard anyone say..."This thing takes crappy pictures!"...about any camera. I had this camera for four months and it quit working. It powered up alright, but the auto focus locked up, the shutter was inoperative as well as all other electronic functions. I changed batteries..restarted several times etc. etc...all the usual. Still frozen. Disappointing...... Another point about general operation...the zoom does not function while in video mode. Was this an oversight? I found the FACE finding function to be an annoyance, but you can disable it. When turning the camera on, a message comes onscreen saying the lens cap is still in place....and then the camera shuts off. What purpose could this serve? What if I just wanted to look at my pictures? I don't need to remove the cap for that. Just another annoyance. Thankfully Amazon was good about refunding my money, and I now have a new Olympus on the way. I cant wait to try it.

Nice camera, good grip, sturdy and good features. I appreciate the 2 viewers when it is too sunny to see on the external viewer.

Very good product. Beside overall good picture quality, I would like to particularly mention about its performance in low light. Takes good video as well.

good

Beautiful Vers good

I like the camera except for the zoom , It will take a while for me to get use to it. The camera is my first digital. I chose Pentax because my husband had several and like them.It's his choice camera Claire