Pentax K-50 Review

Anyone planning to buy a digital SLR camera, maybe not first think of Pentax. The rather small manufacturer of photo division is now completely slipped from the roof of Ricoh. Here, engineers were not idle, and have developed the Pentax K-50 is an interesting mid-range DSLR.

It continues the tradition of Pentax cameras equip with features from some of the mainstream. Whether that pays for the photographer and videographer, the K-50 had to provide extensive practice in the use.

Pentax K-50 – Ergonomics and Processing

The first contact with the Pentax K-50 was a discreet one. Your body looks more conventionally despite its curved forms and stands out pleasantly from exaggerated angular design of its predecessor from K-30. Once in hand, surprised the camera with her rich weight. About 600 grams, they suppressed ready and equipped with the kit lens SMC DA L 18-55/3.5-5.6 AL WR on the scale.

The haptic of the Pentax K-50 is beyond any doubt: The quality plastic cover stretched over a stainless steel chassis. The construction seems durable and durable, almost as if the camera body machined from Give full.

But that’s not enough – Pentax has specially protected against environmental influences, the K-50. 81gaskets seal off the camera against water, snow and sand – such outdoor qualities not found in the class of K-50 otherwise.

Even the price-optimized lens unit is provided with a rubber ring on the bayonet. The combined AV-/USB-Anschluss and the jack for the wired remote control sitting under thick rubber flaps, memory card and battery compartment are reliably closed by flap with Pentax K-50 spring hinge tidy. The battery compartment opens to the rear of the camera – as the source of energy also remains accessible even if a generously sized quick-release plate is attached.

The enclosed battery D-LI109 fills the battery compartment to approximately two-thirds because the battery compartment offers enough space for four AA batteries that can power the Pentax K-50 alternative energy.

Pentax had such a clever idea, which is quite welcome in view of not just rich range of standard batteries of less than 500 shots. Too bad that the Pentax adapter sleds for the four batteries seem to put into the box of Pentax K-50 – it must be purchased separately.

Only the playful layout, the map views something – because it also does not help that about a dozen, different color combinations for screen display are provided. Smart is the green ” panic ” button: you will make all custom changes to the current shooting mode immediately back to the default values.

Joy comes on when looking through the viewfinder. The Pentax K-50 produces a quite bright viewfinder images with a complex pentaprism covering the picture to 100 percent for an APS-C camera is nice and big.

It is also not self-evident that the focusing screen can be replaced with the K-50 – through a grid with lines. Since you almost forget that the camera also offers Live View, then the rear display is used to control the viewfinder.

The 3″ monitor with 921,000 pixels to solve contemporary high, but he is neither folding nor pivot. On a touch function waived Pentax – insofar as the Pentax K-50. Therefore, remains rather traditional. The vertical alignment of the camera supports K-50 with an electronic spirit level – in Live View mode. It shows two axes, when looking through the viewfinder only the horizontal deviation.

Pentax K-50 – Image Quality

With the more conservative by today’s standards-resolution sensor, the Pentax K-50 should have few problems with noise. The signal-to-noise ratio up to ISO 800 at about 40 dB remains. Below the critical limit of 35 dB, it decreases only beyond the ISO 3,200, but then falls almost linearly. ISO 3,200 is also the limit up to the luminance noise remains unobtrusive, the most annoying color noise, the Pentax K-50 even over the entire sensitivity range up to ISO 51,200 under control.

From ISO 800, the grain size of the noise is a little high but is never critical. That this very good up to ISO 3,200 noise performance is mainly on the account of noise reduction, the measurement of the texture sharpness shows: the finest image details have been beyond the base-sensitivity above.

The loss of detail is visible but not before ISO 3,200. Up to this ISO value, the K-50 can use so no regrets for large images. Smaller prints are 6,400 possible with Pentax K-50 ISO still without visible loss of quality. The two highest ISO levels, you should avoid as far as possible. The images seem muddy and blotchy.

Not only, the noise reduction, and the set lens means well with fine picture details: the resolution climbs at the shortest and longest focal length to about 55 line pairs per millimeter (lp / mm) – an excellent value. The joy is clouded about the excellent resolving power. In that it will not reach far off at the edges.

Especially in the wide-angle end at the edges than 35.6 lp / mm achieved – the edges of the image get so much detail poorer. Certainly play a role in chromatic aberrations that are clearly marked on the screen and are visible with a circumference of about two pixels too.

Fortunately, the Pentax K-50 waits for an automatic correction of color to fringe, but which is disabled by default. For large aperture Pentax K-50 shows memory card slot and battery compartment but the kit lens a somewhat pronounced tendency to vignetting, stopped down to F8 vignetting nearly disappear. It cannot overlook the fact is that the lens is recorded strong barrel-shaped with a short focal length – for architectural photos without stomach it is better to rely on a high quality fixed focal length.

The K-50 convinces with a very good input dynamic range that is up to ISO 1,600 over 10 EV. Even in 6,400 it processed higher contrasts of 9.2 aperture stops. The image processing is the default ” Vivid ” crisp up screaming.

The latter is particularly true for the color reproduction: The K-50 saturates the colors much too strong and already on the camera screen! The Pentax K-50 had this grandstanding not necessary at all: It shines up to ISO 3,200 with a very high color resolution. The output dynamics is excellent up to ISO 400, ISO up to 3,200. It remains well. The white balance works exactly, just beyond the 25,600 it comes to visible deviations.

Pentax K-50 – Conclusion

With the Pentax K-50 impressively underlines that even a small manufacturer can offer excellent cameras. First, the K-50 impresses with its robust, splash-proof housing, an excellent lens reflex viewfinder and a thoroughly successful ergonomics.

As you forgive her like smaller weaknesses, such as the rigidly built-screen or the graphical menu layout failed. Also impressive is the list of features – at least until it comes to classic recording capabilities. Probably no other camera in its class offers so many opportunities for exposure.

It is remarkable how quickly you get the auto focus in Live View mode focuses the speed of the classical phase AF but lags slightly behind the competition.

Even more clearly in the video is the distance functions: mono sound and no continuous AF are not up to date. Comfort features such as a touch screen, GPS or WiFi connection you must also renounce.

For this, the Pentax K-50 scores with classic photographic virtues: The picture quality is very good (but not with the default preset Picture Style!), The K-50 receives fleet JPEG series and offers a very flexible interval function.

That the price-optimized lens unit does not keep the high quality level of the K-50 in all respects, hardly detract from the generally very positive impression of the camera. Anyone looking for a rugged camera for traveling and all occasions and less emphasis on video, the Pentax K-50 should definitely pick it up again!

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88%

Very Good

Our Opinion

PROS : Extremely flexible options for exposure control., Rugged, weather-resistant and ergonomically designed housing., Good image quality up to ISO 1600., Power supply with AA cells possible.
CONS : AF a little slow (but fast in Live View)., Display rigidly installed., Limited video capabilities (no continuous AF, mono sound).

• Design
• Features
• Performance
• Value of Money