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.

I like the camera so far. It is fairly easy to use. I am still learning it's features. Does anybody know where I can find a user group or book that would tell me more about the camera? It comes with a printed manual which is a pleasant surprise. The manual is pretty complete. I am just looking for something more with hints, tips, and lessons. The auto picture seems to do a pretty good job adapting to different conditions. With it being winter, I have not found much opportunity to take pictures except of snow. I am looking forward to this spring when the flower bloom and leaves come out. I like these general purpose cameras over the SLR's because you don't have to carry a lot of lens and you still get pretty good pictures and they are much more economical. This camera comes at a pretty good price for what you are getting.

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.

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.

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 am a longtime Canon fan and was afraid that this camera (which I bought because I wanted a bridge camera with a viewfinder and it was one of the few) would disappoint me in terms of the quality of the images. Quite the contrary. Its zoom is amazing (though you have to be careful not to have something in the foreground that it's focusing on), and the macro function is a delight to use. I am still working my way through it, but so far have found that resetting values is a breeze and reducing to 12 million pixels so I could compare to my Canon point and shoot produced picture quality which is every bit as consistently good as my Canon. The camera is light, easy to hold, very user friendly for the settings, comes with an extensive manual,has enormous versatility, and although I will continue to tuck my Canon into my purse for easy accessibility, the Pentax will definitely be my choice for any serious photography I do.Something that helped me make up my mind was the excellent reviews the Pentax got here on Amazon from accomplished photographers, so if you are not sure, definitely read the reviews.

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.

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.

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

BeautifulVers 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 cameraClaire