Pentax has announced a new SLR camera that has 26x optical zoom on a low price tag. What’s the catch?
The X-5 looks professional with its protruding grip, bespoke mode dial and studded lens. The cam targets the digital camera audience who is looking to take their photography more seriously, but aren’t prepared to tackle the complexity of a SLR.
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It has a 16MP CMOS sensor with a top-end ISO 6400 sensitivity. Light reaches the sensor through a versatile lens endowed with 26X optical zoom, but it is also capable of capturing extreme close ups with a 1cm macro mode.
Photos are displayed on the 460,000 dot, 3 inch LCD monitor, which can be tilted in various angles, restoring control to the photographer when they’re trying to take photos in tight spaces.
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The X-5 records videos in Full HD (1080p) resolution at 30 frames per second. It offers creative playback features that produce slow-motion movie playback and fast-forward playback.
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So far, the X-5 look attractive, especially considering it delivers all of this for $299. But there is a catch.
The catch is it’s powered by four AA batteries, and although Pentax estimate the camera will snap 300 photos on a fresh pair of alkaline, that low $299 cost will compound every time you buy a fresh set of batteries.
But if you have a good set of rechargeable batteries, then head into stores come October where the X-5 will be available in black and silver.
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