Pentax KP

Lab Review lab tests and comments supplied by BetterNet, Shutterbug’s TIPA-affiliated testing lab.Shutterbug is the sole U.S. representative within TIPA, a worldwide association of photo and imaging magazines.

- George Schaub

THE NEW PENTAX KP IS A COMPACT AND RUGGED DSLR system packed with a lot of advanced features. It’s fitted with a 24MP APS-C-sized sensor without a low-pass filter. The camera uses a single SD card slot to store images and videos on SD/SDHC/ SDXC cards. The tough body of the camera is weather-sealed and dustproof. All of the interfaces are covered by thick rubber caps, while the hatch for the SD card slot has a very thick rubber seal to prevent the intrusion of dust and water.

FEATURES, BUILD & HANDLING 

The Pentax KP offers numerous and sometimes unusual features. With its movable sensor it can use a “low-pass filter simulation” to prevent moiré effects even though the camera sensor lacks a low-pass filter. In addition, this sensor system can be used for a “pixel shift” image series. In this mode the camera takes a series of images and generates a single image from the series. (In contrast, some Olympus cameras use this technology to create images with higher image resolution; the Pentax KP uses “pixel shift” to create a higher “color resolution” because all three RGB signals are captured for every single pixel.)

A third function based on the Pentax KP’s moving sensor is an automatic alignment of the image to create photos with a perfect horizon line: in this scenario, gyro sensors work with the electronic level system to rotate the image automatically into perfect position. The last function using the moving sensor is Pentax’s unique “Astrotracer,” which allows photographers to shoot sky images at night with the bulb/time exposure that records bright star dots rather than “star streaks.” For this function the camera needs to use GPS information that is provided by the optional “O-GPS1” GPS module.