Pentax K-r

Overview

TechSpot Metascore

Based on 31 expert reviews

Excellent:

13
Good:

15
Average:

2
Bad:

1

Pros:

Fast continuous shooting, In-body shake reduction, High-resolution rear LCD.
Relatively compact body with good control layout, Very good high ISO performance, ISOs up to 25,600, Much better color accuracy than the K-x at default settings, 3-inch hi-resolution (921K dot) LCD, Optional lens distortion and CA correction, Excellent...
Excellent image quality, Simple interface, Thorough feature set, Good high ISO performance.

Cons:

Small viewfinder, Poor kit lens, No autofocus during video.
Mediocre kit lens, Below average battery life, Autofocus struggles in low light, Subtle NR applied to high ISO RAW files which can't be disabled, High ISO NR has trouble with low-contrast areas in the red channel, Contrast setting impacts saturation.

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Last revision on April 25, 2012

Reviewers Liked

Fast continuous shooting, In-body shake reduction, High-resolution rear LCD
Relatively compact body with good control layout, Very good high ISO performance, ISOs up to 25,600, Much better color accuracy than the K-x at default settings, 3-inch hi-resolution (921K dot) LCD, Optional lens distortion and CA correction, Excellent
Excellent image quality, Simple interface, Thorough feature set, Good high ISO performance
Good lowmid ISO image quality
Great value for the money, Very good photo quality (especially with a decent lens), with good high ISO performance, Solid, welldesigned body, in your choice of colors, Sensorshift image stabilization brings shake reduction to nearly all Pentax lenses, 3in
Very high image quality, Fun incamera creative options, Fast AF and continuous shooting
Handles beautifully, High quality construction, Fast and responsive, Excellent colour, Low noise, Quality of lenses, Backwards compatibility with lenses
Good detail and color in JPEGs at base ISO, Good high ISO performance, Compact dimensions for a DSLR, ISO range up to ISO 25600, 6.0 frames per second continuous shooting is class-leading, Option to use AA batteries (with optional adapter), Decent Live Vi

Reviewers Didn't Like

Small viewfinder, Poor kit lens, No autofocus during video
Mediocre kit lens, Below average battery life, Autofocus struggles in low light, Subtle NR applied to high ISO RAW files which can't be disabled, High ISO NR has trouble with low-contrast areas in the red channel, Contrast setting impacts saturation
No depthoffield preview button, LCD screen must be turned off and on manually
No video autofocus
Tends to underexpose and clip highlights, Some redeye; no removal tool in playback mode, 1855 mm kit lens is soft around the edges, has moderate barrel distortion and purple fringing, and some vignetting too, Sluggish contrast detect AF in live view, Can&
Poor video implementation, Sometimes erratic control dial, Lacks HDMI
No weather sealing, No lenshood provided
Outdated Motion JPEG format produces very large movie files, No direct movie button, Tendency to clip highlights in high-contrast scenes, Relatively little RAW headroom means it is difficult to pull back blown detail even when shooting RAW, Slightly unrel

Expert reviews and ratings

The entry-level Pentax K-r boasts fast continuous shooting and does a good job in low-light, but this D-SLR ships with a kit lens that is anything but sharp and lacks autofocus capability during video recording....

By PC Mag on February 27, 2012

On paper, the Pentax K-r features an attractive specification and a number of appealing features for an entry-level D-SLR....

By Photo Answers on January 05, 2012

100

The price has come down considerably since its original launch, and at £400 this impressive all-rounder is now an unbeatable bargain...

By PC Pro on November 15, 2011

By the time you read this you will be able to buy this rather nice DSLR unit in a range of colours as well as the more normal black. To me – providing it’s not pink – I could not care what colour it is providing I get decent...

By GadgetSpeak on August 03, 2011

A ‘something for everyone’ DSLR, the K-r is an unthreatening step-up camera with bountiful creative options, plenty of features and great image qualityOverall Our provides the latest photography news, reviews, previews, features and...

By Digital Camera Buyer on May 09, 2011

If you're looking for a small, lightweight, inexpensive starter DSLR, then the Pentax K-r is a great choice, thanks to its image quality and huge array of features....

By PCWorld on April 01, 2011

100

The Pentax K-r is a great entry-level camera, and fully capable of matching models from Canon and Nikon. If you don't mind the lack of Full HD video, and want a model purely for still photography, then the Pentax K-r should sit right at the top of...

By 5FWD on March 08, 2011

Pentax has consistently produced well performing, decent value digital SLRs since the introduction of the *istD, coming up to a decade ago now. Yet it's a brand that's easy to overlook in the face of the big electronics manufacturers' (Sony,...

By Trusted Reviews on March 07, 2011

It's hard not to like the K-r. Reassuringly solid build and yet surprisingly compact, it sits nicely in the hand and is easy to operate. The menu layout actively encourages you to experiment with the built-in custom image presets and digital...

By What Digital Camera on March 01, 2011

If you’re looking for good-value, then Pentax provides a viable alternative to the big two of Canon and Nikon. The 12.4-megapixel K-r follows on from the entry-level K-x and sits just below the K-5 and K-7 enthusiast models in Pentax’s...

By Macworld UK on February 04, 2011

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