Pentax has a launched yet another 24MP APS-C DSLR. Normally I’d be celebrating a new DSLR, but with Pentax it’s a different story. For years now, it’s been recyling the same basic 24MP sensor in countless different guises, and even as Pentax fan I have to admit my remaining interest in this brand is waning.
For the record, my first two serious cameras were a pair of Pentax MX bodies, one in black, on in silver, and a selection of Pentax primes. Those cameras are long gone, but I do have a pair of Pentax ME Supers, and a pair of Spotmatics, not to mention a bunch of screw and bayonet lenses.
In my cupboard I have a Pentax K-20 (underrated) and in my time I have also reviewed the K-70 (on which the K-F seems largely based), the K-3 III, KP, K-1 (Mark I and II) and others I’ve forgotten, largely because it’s become increasingly difficult to distinguish one 24MP APS-C Pentax DSLR from another and to work out which of them is available this week.
But let’s see what the KF has got anyway.
Pentax KF key features
- Rugged, dustproof and weatherproof body: always a strong feature of Pentax DSLRs
- 24.2MP APS-C sensor: no antialiasing filter so sharpness should be good, Pentax lens quality permitting
- Optical pentaprism: with 100% field of view and 0.95x magnification – that’s a good quality viewfinder
- Vari-angle LCD: a major plus point, and previously found only on the Pentax K-70, which I liked
- Hybrid phase detect AF in live view: another feature found only on the K-70
- Sensor Shift mechanism: offers in-body-image stabilization, dust removal and even a high res shooting mode
Pentax KF: my opinion
This looks like a development of the Pentax K-70, a model which I always considered the best in the Pentax APS-C line-up, no doubt with a selection of new features to bring it up to date – or at least offer some advantages over the older model.
I think it’s a good move from Pentax, and even the price isn’t too bad. Starting at $849.95, the Pentax KF is pretty affordable for a powerful enthusiast DSLR – so I take back a lot of my negative observations at the start!
Unlike (it seems) most photographers today, I actually like DSLRs and I think they have some handling and operational advantages over mirrorless cameras.