Pentax K-50 Pro Reviews

As the biggest selling point of the camera is its weather-proofing credentials, to get the most from the K-50, you'd be better off investing in the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 WR (weather resistant) lens to make the whole package more durable. That lens also gives you more flexibility and is overall a better performer than the 18-55mm lens which is supplied as the standard kit. Unfortunately, that does mean a big increase in the price, so if you're on a tight budget that's bad news. Happily, image quality is very good, and it's great to have a good amount of flexibility with raw files to work with, while the JPEGs straight from the camera are also very pleasing. Overall, this is a good purchase for those looking for their first DSLR and want something a little bit rugged that can cope with a wide variety of different shooting conditions. If you have no particular affiliation to the Canon and Nikon standards here, definitely think about the K-50, if for the weather-sealing alone.

I'm not sure K-30 owners will be rushing out to trade into a K-50 in order to acquire an Eye-Fi capability missing from their current platform, but folks looking for a new or first-time DSLR can rest assured the K-50 is a worthy successor to the K-30, and that's a ringing endorsement indeed.

The Pentax K-50 is a very minor refresh of 2012's K-30 DSLR camera, additionally offering support for Eye-Fi wireless cards, an extra ISO 51200 setting, more sober styling than the "aggressive" K-30, and the option to uniquely customise the colour to one of 120 combinations. In all other respects the new K-50 is identical to the old K-30, making that camera a bargain if you can track one down. Perhaps the biggest attraction of the K-50 is its more affordable price-tag on launch, especially in the US. So by not deviating from the K-30 in any great way, Pentax have delivered another excellent DSLR camera that delivers a lot of features and performance without breaking the bank. We've always had a soft spot for Pentax DSLRs and the new K-50 is no different. This is an appealingly well-specified, intuitive, weatherproof and customisable DSLR with few real drawbacks. The combination of near 100% viewfinder coverage and the large, high-res LCD screen make the K-50 a joy to use in terms of image composition, and the fast 6fps continuous shooting rate and responsive AF system make it quick to use.

Outstanding controls and a big viewfinder make this SLR a joy to use

While the weather-sealing is a nice addition that adds to the already quality feel of the K-500, it's perhaps the fact that the AF points are superimposed in the viewfinder that transforms the performance of the camera, making it a lot more satisfying and pleasurable to use compared to the K-500, making the K-50 one of the best entry-level DSLRs going.

The Pentax K-50 is a very strong offering from Pentax, with a few unique bonuses such as weather resistance and even the range of colours. The idea of personalising a camera is something relatively new in the UK, but why not? It adds a certain something and takes nothing away. A rugged and reliable all weather DSLR that is well worth a look.

The Pentax K-50 is a fully weather-sealed D-SLR camera with an big optical viewfinder and fast burst shooting capability. It's available to order in any of 120 color combinations, but its video functionality is behind the times.