Pentax Pop One Out For The Holidays

Fooled me. I thought it was a new DSLR on the table. It turns out it was a new bridge camera from Pentax. I think our Pentax enthusiasts are going to like this one.


Bridge cameras are about the shape that the original digital cameras were - though from what I have seen on the net, the first digital camera looked like a big Hifi set on a rack with a lens attached. No, what I mean is that the bridge camera generally has a good-sized grip at the right side, a fixed lens that may or may not be a zoom, and a set of control knobs and buttons on the right side of the back. It is larger than a compact camera and won't drop into your pocket. As time has gone on they have taken on more and more of the functions of high-end digitals without needing to change lenses - modern bridge cameras are invariably fitted with zoom lenses.

This Pentax is named the X5. That has nothing at all to do with the range of the zoom lens - it is 26 X zoom. That is about a 22mm to a 580mm viewpoint in the old 35mm speak. There are 16 megapixels on the sensor - spread out pretty evenly. It does all the fun stuff like video, face detection, smile capture, and even pet detection. I know a lady who keeps pythons and rats (apart) and I wonder if the designers have provided for her.

Never mind - nearly everyone else will find some mode or program inhere to make their image work. And fortunately the manufacturers have retained the traditional AA battery supply for this camera - if you are nowhere near a power point you can still find AA batteries at every servo or supermarket.

The whole package will be instantly familiar to Pentax DSLR users - the control layout and menus are very similar to current practice. If you are looking for a lightweight solution for a trip or safari, and want to work in the easiest Pentax way, this is a good choice.

One tip. DO NOT, on any account, set the shutter sound to "3". Just don't.