Pentax MX-1 Pro Reviews

Boasting top-notch build quality and retro-styled design, the Pentax MX-1 enthusiast compact combines timeless styling with modern niceties such as a tilting LCD screen, fast 4x optical zoom lens, RAW still image capture and Full HD movie recording. Though the 1/1.7-inch imaging sensor might not produce photos that rival those from larger sensor cameras, the image quality from the MX-1 -- especially at lower ISOs -- remains quite pleasing. The Pentax MX-1 is definitely worth a look as a compact backup for serious photographers, or a serious step-up for advanced beginners.

Pentax's first entry into the premium pocket camera category is big on image quality but also a bit big for the pocket, which narrows its niche a little more than its competitors. Still, it's a very capable camera with a good set of features, a handsome finish, and an impressive sensor and lens combination.

Pentax isn't alone in offering a compact digital with an oversized sensor--Sony, Canon, and Olympus all offer compacts with large sensors that I've reviewed for this site; Samsung offers one that I haven't and this list of manufacturers is by no means all-inclusive. If you're looking for a compact to take the place of that DSLR on casual shooting trips, seek to upgrade from an entry-level compact, or are looking for your first digital camera and want something you can grow into as your photographic skills mature, you owe to yourself to include the MX-1 in your search.

Pentax's first attempt at a serious compact camera for professionals is bravely very different to its main rivals, thanks largely to (in our opinion) its appealingly retro design. We can't think of any other digital camera that has actual brass top and bottom plates that are designed to show their true colours with time and wear! On the flip side, the MX-1 is quite big and bulky for this class of camera, and it also suffers from a major flaw that will drive pro-shooters mad - the seemingly inescapable "Data being recorded" message that's almost permanently displayed if you shoot in Raw mode as the camera struggles to process the image data. If you have enough patience, though, the Pentax MX-1 is a likeable camera that shares quite a lot of features with its DSLR cousins.

First impressions can be lasting, but they can also be turned on their head - and the latter is what the MX-1 has done to us. It might not have all the bells and whistles of some of its competitors - there's no hotshoe, touchscreen or fancy-pants Wi-Fi - and it is a hefty chunk of a camera. But we forgive that; we almost don't care. Why? - because the MX-1 focuses on things that matter: decent image quality with DNG raw files for tweaking to perfection, lasting battery life, a sharp 28-112mm f/1.8-2.5 wide-aperture lens and solid build quality. It's a camera for camera people. Not being able to add a viewfinder is a big shame, and one thing that would push the MX-1's standing further up the ranks - but the tilt-angle LCD screen does go some way to save this. The MX-1 may not quite have it all, but this burly camera delivers equally hardy performance and build quality and we've come to love it despite its shortcomings. One not to be overlooked.

In the past few months, the majority of camera manufacturers have introduced a new premium compact camera to their ranges. It's a lucrative area of the market, appealing to those looking for a good back-up camera and those who can't get everything they want from the camera on their phones. Pentax's latest introduction, the MX-1, is styled after the original film camera of the same name. It's a positively retro design, at least from the front. At the back is a tilting LCD screen, which belies its digital reality. According to Pentax, the camera's 12 million pixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor is a new design from Sony. The sensor size is typical for premium compact cameras (except the Sony RX100), coming in at 1/1.7 inches, which is the same as the Panasonic LX7, for example.

The Pentax MX-1 is a new "serious compact" with a bright f/1.8 4x optical zoom lens, tilting 3 inch screen and slightly larger than normal backlit CMOS sensor. The MX-1 features a retro design with top and bottom brass plates and is available in silver and black or entirely black.

The Pentax MX-1 is a beautifully designed camera, but some issues with image quality and performance prevent it from living up to its potential.