Pentax K-m

By Leonard Goh
Jul 8, 2009

The Pentax K-m was announced last year at the biennial imaging tradeshow, Photokina, held in Cologne, Germany. Then, Canon had already introduced the EOS 450D and Nikon was banking on its D60 to compete in the entry-level dSLR category. The K-m distinguished itself by drawing power from four AA-sized batteries as opposed to lithium-ion cells which are typically used by dSLRs.

However, the Japanese company's presence was overshadowed by the two bigger players which aggressively marketed their products. Still, in no way is the Pentax dSLR's feature set poorer than its rivals. In fact, we found its image quality rather impressive. But its design can be made more user-friendly and the metering more accurate.

Design

At first glance, the K-m looks like just any other dSLR--matte-black chassis with a prominent prism hump and handgrip. When we flipped the shooter around to its rear, we noticed that it had minimal buttons. While this makes the dSLR look less intimidating to use for amateurs, the large labels for each button slightly cheapens the aesthetics of the camera. That said, older folks who have difficulty reading fine prints will appreciate the bigger fonts.

The handgrip is large and comfortable to hold with a groove for you to latch your middle finger onto. In addition, the rubbery texture provides a good grip on the K-m.

One gripe with the Pentax dSLR is that its rear command dial is situated too near the viewfinder. We tended to poke our face with our thumb while operating the dial. For users wearing spectacles like this reviewer, you may find yourself hitting the side of your glasses frame quite frequently.

Unlike most dSLRs which have the flash button placed at the side, the K-m's implementation is behind the snapper, right above the LCD. This was not much of an issue once we got used to its location.

Tags: DSLR, Camera, font, LCD, Pentax

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