Introduction

Ease of Use

The Pentax K-r is outwardly virtually identical to its cheaper brother, the K-x, so a lot of comments that we made about that camera apply equally to the new K-r. When you pick the K-r up for the first time and attach the supplied 18-55mm kit lens, it actually feels quite impressive, despite its budget price-tag and all-plastic construction. The K-r is just a little bigger and heavier than the K-m, although you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the two.

Very little about the K-r build quality feels compromised - it even has a sturdy memory card door (typically a weak-point of entry-level DSLRs), metal lens mount and metal tripod mount in-line with the lens. Images are saved to SD / SDHC cards, the most common media format currently available, with a slot accessed via the right hand side of the DSLR, if viewed from the back. The supplied rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery or the optional four AA batteries (fitted via an adapter) which power the camera are stored in a separate compartment at the base of the handgrip.

As you'd perhaps expect at this price-point, the Pentax K-r doesn't offer any form of weather-proofing - you'd need to go to the the more expensive K-7 for that. The camera has a deep, contoured handgrip on the right-hand side, coated in a rubberized compound to aid grip, that enabled me to use three fingers to hold it and my right forefinger to operate the shutter button. There is a generous contoured area where your right thumb sits, with the rest of the body finished in a textured matt black plastic. The K-r thankfuly dispenses with the rather strange, thin and cheap-looking silver rim that runs around the K-x, making it look like a more serious proposition.

The K-r is the first Pentax digital SLR camera, and indeed the first DSLR, to feature the IrSimple high-speed infrared data transmission system, the sensor for which is built-into the handgrip. This allows wireless image transfer from camera to camera, or from camera to a web page via a mobile phone, allowing easy sharing with other K-r users and perhaps more usefully uploading downsized images to the web.

Just like Pentax's other DSLRs, the shutter release action on the Pentax K-r is quite loud and mechanical, something that you will either love or hate. I liked it, although it isn't great for close-up candid photography as your subject will probably hear you if you get too close. At around 600g the Pentax K-r is certainly lightweight enough for you to carry around over your shoulder all day. Pentax claim a battery-life of around 1,000 shots using high-powered NiMh AA batteries and 470 shots with the lithium-ion, an excellent showing if not quite on a par with the K-x. You do get the useful option of using both battery types, making the K-r a great choice for long trips away in far-flung climes, as back-up AA supplies can be easily found and replaced almost anywhere in the world.

The K-r inherits a similar 11-point AF system to the Pentax K-7 and the K-x, with the AF points spread out more widely across the frame and importantly illuminating them to show what the camera is actually focusing on, something that the K-x didn't do. Focusing is quick and consistent in good light with the standard 18-55mm kit lens, even with fast-moving subjects that travelled across the frame, which is a marked improvement on previous Pentax DSLRs. The 11-point AF system offers fairly generous scene coverage and the camera also happily achieves focus indoors and in low-light situations. Unlike the K-x, the powerful AF Assist lamp can be used without having to raise the built-in flash.

The K-r is also quick to get going. Flick the on/off switch that handily encircles the main shutter button and you're up and shooting in around a second, with no noticeable shutter delay. The K-r features a shutter unit which provides a fast top shutter speed of 1/6000th second and a very competitive 100,000 shutter release life-span, a figure more commonly associated with professional SLR cameras.

Front	Rear

The K-r features the same high-speed PRIME (PENTAX Real Image Engine) II imaging engine as the K-7 and K-x. It takes less than a second to store a single JPEG image at the highest quality setting with no discernible lockup between taking shots, allowing you to keep shooting as they are being recorded onto the memory card. For single RAW images the Pentax K-r is just as fast, again with no lockup between shots. In the fastest continuous shooting mode you can hold down the shutter button and take a very speedy 6 frames per second for up to 25 JPEGS or 12 RAW files, or there's a slower 2fps mode available which allows you to shoot JPEGs until the memory card becomes full or 36 RAW files. This makes the K-r the quickest Pentax DSLR camera and also one of the quickest in its class in terms of continuous shooting speed.

The tried and trusted dust removal system is the same as other Pentax DSLRs and works in three stages: first, an anti-static coating on the CCD helps repel dust and other nasties, while secondly, any that do settle are shaken free by a high speed, vibrating CCD-shift mechanism. Lastly, a sticky pad at the base of the CCD collects any stray particles to prevent them from attacking the sensor a second time round.

If you've had a bad experience with DSLRs and dust in the past, then the K-r offers a neat feature called Dust Alert which is designed to show exactly where the dust is on the image sensor. A vertically and laterally correct image of the sensor shot at f/16 is shown on the LCD screen, indicating exactly where any stubborn dust particles may be lurking. While this feature won't prevent dust from getting onto the sensor, it does provide a quick and easy way of checking for it. In addition Dust Removal can be set to activate whenever the camera is turned on, and you can also use the built-in Sensor Cleaning function to lift the mirror and clean the image sensor with a blower brush or third-party cleaning solution.

Dust removal is twinned with a body-based shake reduction system, offering a 4-stop improvement, and meaning that any attached Pentax KAF-mount lens immediately becomes stabilized. This works with almost any lens that you attach to the K-r, providing a significant cost advantage over DSLRs from Canon and Nikon, which use a lens-based image stabilisation system (compatible lenses are the PENTAX K-, KA-, KAF-, KAF2- and KAF3-mount lenses; screw-mounted lenses (with an adapter); and 645- and 67-system lenses (with an adapter)).

Turn it on in the main menu and the K-r automatically compensates for camera shake, which is a slight blurring of the image that typically occurs at slow shutter speeds. In practice I found that it does make a noticeable difference, as shown in the examples on the Image Quality page. You don't notice that the camera is actually doing anything different when Shake Reduction is turned on, just that you can use slower shutter speeds than normal and still take sharp photos.

When you turn the K-r on or change the shooting mode, a graphical overview of how that mode operates is briefly displayed on the rear LCD screen. The 3 inch LCD screen is identical to the K-7's - it's bright, clear and has a good refresh rate, and the high pixel count of 921,000 dots is excellent for a mid-range DSLR.

The rear screen also doubles as a comprehensive status display, which can be called up by pressing the OK button in record mode. If you then press the INFO button, you can also change all the settings right on the screen using a combination of the navigation pad and the rear e-dial. This ingenious solution spares you the pain of having to enter the menu, and makes most setting changes very simple. The colour temperature of the screen can be modified if you think it doesn't match that of your calibrated computer monitor, but the contrast and gamma cannot be altered.

Front	Side

The large shooting mode dial on top of the Pentax K-r offers dedicated modes for moving subjects, close ups and night portraits, flash off, macro, landscape and portraits – alongside the more creative likes of program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual. These are backed up by full auto (the Auto Pict mode) and 10 different scene mode settings. The latter includes a night scene setting, a surf and snow setting, a text mode, food, sunset, kids, pet, candlelight and 'flash prohibited' museum modes. All are indicated via the rear screen by unthreatening cartoon icons.

The Auto Pict mode automatically detects scenes that require the Night Scene Portrait, Portrait, Landscape and Macro modes. The camera automatically sets the aperture, shutter speed, white balance, saturation, contrast and sharpness, leaving you to get on with composing the scene and taking the picture. Pentax have also included the Sv mode from the K-x on the K-r. Sensitivity-Priority automatically selects the best combination of aperture and shutter speed for your chosen ISO speed. The sensitivity can be shifted instantly (in 1/2 or 1/3 steps) by turning the rear control dial. This allows you to quickly select an ISO speed without having to access the menu system, which is very useful in rapidly changing light conditions.

Positioned next to the shutter release button is a dedicated button for aperture and exposure compensation adjustment (+/- 2EV), performed in tandem with the command dial that falls under your thumb at the back of the camera. To the right is the Green mode button, which has two uses - firstly, when shooting in Manual mode, a single push of the green button allows you to instantly set the correct exposure for the subject, as calculated by the camera, useful if you need a starting point for your own exposure. Secondly, the K-r offers a Hyper Program function which instantly switches to either the Shutter-Priority or Aperture-Priority mode from the Program mode, simply by turning either of the control dials on the grip. Pressing the Green button then returns to the Program mode.

To the left of the shooting mode dial is a hump that houses the built-in pop up flash, slightly bigger and higher than on the K-x, and as expected you also get a hot shoe for additional illumination via an external flashgun, should it be desired. Just behind this, and above the optical viewfinder – which in itself is large and clear – is a large slider for diopter adjustment. The Pentax K-r's optical viewfinder is identical to the K-x's and is pleasant enough to use, offering approximately 96% field of view and 0.85x magnification. The 3 inch LCD screen offers good visibility even in bright sunlight and the on-screen menus and icons are legible and easy to navigate.

To the right of the screen are an array of four vertical buttons, including the familiar playback, info, and menu buttons. The Delete button has been relocated (now shared with the button for manually activating the pop up flash, not a particularly logical move) to accommodate the K-r's Live View mode. You can use this mode to hold the K-r at arm's length or mount the camera on a tripod, with a single press of the new LV button on the rear displaying the current scene on the LCD screen. Focusing is achieved by pressing the small AF button on the rear of the camera or by half-pressing the shutter-button.

Live View is fine for use with stationary subjects, but forget it if you want to track a moving subject. The AF system in Live View mode takes a couple of seconds to lock onto the subject, making it much better suited to subjects that don't move. The Face Recognition AF mode works quite well, as promised quickly identifying up to 16 people in the frame, but again it takes a couple of seconds to lock onto a non-moving subject. More impressively Live View can be used in the continuous shooting mode with no restrictions on the 6fps rate, as the K-r sets the mirror to the lock-up position. New to the K-r is the new magnified view feature, which zooms into the image and back out again to clearly show that the correct focus has been achieved. Although I appreciated this quick way to check the focus, the inability to disable it if required may annoy some users.

Top	Info Screen

If you grow tired of waiting for the K-r to focus in Live View mode, you can alternatively use manual focus, with up to 10x magnification available via the Info button to help you fine-tune the focus (you can also use the Info button to magnify the subject by up to 6x when Auto Focus is on). Most of the main camera settings are displayed in Live View, including a helpful electronic level that helps to keep your horizons straight, and a small but helpful histogram. You can also change the aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, ISO speed and a number of other settings when Live View is activated.

Live View is also used for the feature that will generate a lot of interest in the Pentax K-r: its movie mode. This is the third Pentax DSLR camera to shoot HD quality video, recording high-definition video at 1280 x 720 pixel resolution at 25fps in the Motion JPEG (AVI) format. Video can also be recorded at 640 x 480 pixels at 30fps or 25fps. The maximum size of a single video clip is either 4 gigabytes or 25 minutes. There's a built-in microphone for mono recording, but sadly no socket for connecting an external stereo microphone or HDMI port for playback on a HD TV, as on the K-7. You can still connect the K-r to a standard TV set via NTSC/PAL though.

There are some notable drawbacks to the Pentax K-r's video mode. It's quite difficult to actually start recording one. You have to set the Mode Dial to the Movie mode, then press the AF-On or half-press shutter button to set the focus, then press the shutter button to begin recording (with the same button ending the movie). It's not on a par with the one-button system that some rivals offer, and you can't take a still shot during recording either. As with most other DSLR cameras that offer a video mode, you also can't autofocus during movie recording. Pre-focusing before beginning recording, then focusing manually during the take is the only option.

In addition you can't set the aperture from the camera during recording, only before, so you will want to use lenses that have an aperture ring if possible. The K-r can be set to Auto Aperture Control, which removes the flexibility of being able to set the aperture yourself but at least enables the camera to change it during recording to suit the subject matter. The shutter speed cannot be set by the user in movie mode either, so you will have to rely on the camera's auto-exposure system while filming.

The Menu button accesses the logical main menu system. You're given the choice of four horizontal folders. Image record/capture mode and playback settings are displayed next to each other so you can make decisions and adjustments on the fly. The third folder contains the familiar set up options, with the fourth affording access to a wealth of custom settings. A nice touch is that each folder is split into a varying number of pages, with a maximum of 7 options per page so that you never have to scroll down past the bottom of the screen. To the right of the Menu button is a four-way control pad with central OK button – a similar set up to that found on most digital compacts that will be familiar to those trading up. It provides quick access to the Burst, ISO, Flash and White Balance settings.

The Pentax K-r's HDR Capture option (only available for JPEGs) takes three images with different exposures, and then records a single image that combines the properly exposed parts of each one, expanding its dynamic range. The number of modes has been expanded to 6, with the strongest setting producing a rather extreme result. Although the K-r can now microalign images before combining them, allowing hand-held HDR shots to be taken, for best results it's important to always use a tripod to prevent camera shake from blurring the HDR image, and it still doesn't work very well for moving subjects.

Memory Card Slot	Battery Compartment

Similar to Nikon's D-lighting, Sony's DRO, and Olympus' Shadow Adjustment Technology, Pentax's D-Range allows you to correct the highlights (On or Off) and/or the shadows (3 different levels) before taking a JPEG or RAW image. Although this option is always at your disposal, remember that it is meant to be used in strong, contrasty lighting at base ISO.

The Pentax K-r also has a multi exposure mode that allows you to combine between two and nine different JPEG or RAW images into a single photo and a Cross Processing mode with four built-in effects and custom options that replicates the traditional effect of cross-processing film (remember that?!).

Pentax's Custom Images, similar to Nikon's Picture Styles and Canon's Picture Controls, are preset combinations of different sharpness, contrast, saturation and colour tone settings. You can change the saturation, hue, high/low key, contrast and sharpness for each of the nine options, which now include Bleach Bypass and Reversal Film?.

The Pentax K-r additionally offers seven different Digital Filters, which allow you to quickly apply an artistic effect to a photo before taking it (JPEG images only). Note that applying the Digital Filters slows the camera down somewhat, as it has to process the image for a few seconds after it's taken. The K-r can also be set to automatically compensate for both distortion and lateral chromatic aberration of any DA- and DFA-series lenses.

Once you have captured a photo, the Pentax K-r has an above average range of options for playing, reviewing and managing your images. You can instantly scroll through the images that you have taken, view 9 thumbnails, zoom in and out up to a magnification of 16x, compare two images side-by-side, and see detailed information about each image by pressing the Info button. You can also delete single or multiple images, view a slideshow, rotate, resize and crop an image, protect images so that they cannot be deleted, and set various printing options, including creating an Index sheet of multiple thumbnails.

Importantly the Pentax K-r can display a histogram after taking a photo (just press the Info button) which is a great help in evaluating the exposure, plus any areas that are over-exposed flash on and off in the LCD preview to show you want you should be compensating for with your next attempt (you can turn this on or off). If you have never used a digital camera before, or you're upgrading from a more basic model, reading the comprehensive and easy-to-follow manual before you start is a good idea. Thankfully Pentax have chosen to supply it in printed format, rather than as a PDF on a CD, so you can also carry it with you.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 12.4 megapixel Best JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5Mb.

The Pentax K-r produced photos of excellent quality. Noise is well controlled by the Pentax K-r, starting to appear at ISO 1600 and becoming more easily detectable at the faster settings of ISO 3200 and 6400 when viewing images at 100% magnification on screen (particularly in the RAW files). The fastest settinga of 12800 and 25600 look much better on paper than in reality. Colour saturation is commendably maintained throughout the ISO range.

The 12.4 megapixel JPEG images were a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpening setting and ideally require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting. Image stabilisation via the camera body is a great feature that works very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range. An added bonus is that it works with any lens that you attach to the K-r.

The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds and Bulb mode allowing you to capture enough light in all situations. The built-in pop-up flash worked well indoors, with no red-eye and adequate overall exposure.

The Digital Filters quickly produce special effects that would otherwise require you to spend a lot of time in the digital darkroom, although some of them are less useful than others. The D-Range options help make the most out of both the shadows and highlights in a high-contrast scene (and it works for both JPEG and RAW files), while the HDR mode greatly expands the dynamic range of a JPEG by combining three differently exposed images in-camera. The multi exposure mode combines between two and nine different JPEG or RAW images into a single photo.

Noise

There are 9 ISO settings available on the Pentax K-r. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting, with JPEG on the left and the RAW equivalent on the right:

JPEG	RAW
ISO 100 (100% Crop)	ISO 100 (100% Crop)
ISO 200 (100% Crop)	ISO 200 (100% Crop)
ISO 400 (100% Crop)	ISO 400 (100% Crop)
ISO 800 (100% Crop)	ISO 800 (100% Crop)
ISO 1600 (100% Crop)	ISO 1600 (100% Crop)
ISO 3200 (100% Crop)	ISO 3200 (100% Crop)
ISO 6400 (100% Crop)	ISO 6400 (100% Crop)
ISO 12800 (100% Crop)	ISO 12800 (100% Crop)
ISO 25600 (100% Crop)	ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

File Quality

The Pentax K-r has 3 different JPEG file quality settings available, with Best being the highest quality option, and it also supports RAW (Pentax's PEF format and Adobe DNG). Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

Best (5.03Mb) (100% Crop)	Better (3.01Mb) (100% Crop)
Good (1.36Mb) (100% Crop)	RAW (11.2Mb) (100% Crop)

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your tastes.

Original (100% Crop)	Sharpened (100% Crop)

Flash

The flash modes include Auto, manual (on/off), red eye reduction, slow-speed sync, rear curtain sync, high-speed sync and wireless sync. These shots of a white ceiling were taken at a distance of 1.5 metres.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (27mm)	Flash On - Wide Angle (27mm)
Flash Off - Telephoto (82mm)	Flash On - Telephoto (82mm)

And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On setting or the Red-eye Reduction option caused any amount of red-eye.

Flash On	Flash On (100% Crop)
Red-eye Reduction	Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The Pentax K-r lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 20 seconds at ISO 100. We've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.

Night Shot	Night Shot (100% Crop)

Shake Reduction

The Pentax K-r has a Shake Reduction mechanism built into the camera body, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, I took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with Shake Reduction turned off, the second with it turned on. Here is a 100% crop of the image to show the results. As you can see, with Shake Reduction turned on, the images are sharper than when it's turned off. This feature really does seem to make a difference and could mean capturing a successful, sharp shot or missing the opportunity altogether.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length	Shake Reduction Off (100% Crop)	Shake Reduction On (100% Crop)
1/10th / 27mm
1/6th / 82mm

D-Range

Similar to Nikon's D-lighting, Sony's DRO, and Olympus' Shadow Adjustment Technology, Pentax's D-Range allows you to correct the highlights (On or Off) and/or the shadows (3 different levels) before taking a JPEG or RAW image. Although this option is always at your disposal, remember that it is meant to be used in strong, contrasty lighting at base ISO. Below you can see a comparison between Off and both highlight and shadow correction set to on/full strength; the difference is mainly noticeable in the shadowed areas on the left and right sides of the photo.

Off	On

HDR Capture

The Pentax K-r's HDR Capture option (only available for JPEGs) takes three images with different exposures, and then records a single image that combines the properly exposed parts of each one, expanding its dynamic range. Here is an example which was shot with the six different modes (Off, Auto, On, 1, 2 and 3). Although the K-r can now microalign images before combining them, allowing hand-held HDR shots to be taken, for best results it's important to always use a tripod to prevent camera shake from blurring the HDR image, and it doesn't work very well for moving subjects.

Off	Auto
On	HDR1
HDR2	HDR3

Custom Image

Pentax's Custom Images, similar to Nikon's Picture Styles and Canon's Picture Controls, are preset combinations of different sharpness, contrast, saturation and colour tone settings. You can change the saturation, hue, high/low key, contrast and sharpness for each of the seven options?. They are shown below in the following series, which demonstrates the differences.

Bright	Natural
Portrait	Landscape
Vibrant	Muted
Bleach Bypass	Reversal Film
Monochrome

Digital Filters

The Pentax K-r offers seven different Digital Filters, which allow you to quickly apply an artistic effect to a photo before taking it (JPEG images only). They are shown below in the following series, which demonstrates the differences. Note that applying the Digital Filters slows the camera down somewhat, as it has to process the image for a few seconds after it's taken.

Toy Camera	Retro
High Contrast	Extract Colour
Soft	Star Burst
Fisheye

Cross Processing

The Pentax K-r has a cross processing mode that replicates the effects of cross-processing film. Here is an example:

Off	On
1	2
3

Multi Exposure

The Pentax K-r has a multi exposure mode that allows you to combine between two and nine different JPEG or RAW images into a single photo. Here is an example:

Example 1

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Pentax K-r camera, which were all taken using the 12.4 megapixel Best JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Pentax K-r enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files in either the PEF or DNG formats. We've provided some Pentax RAW (PEF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

Product Images

Front of the Camera

Front of the Camera / Pop-Up Flash

Isometric View

Isometric View

Front of the Camera

Isometric View

Isometric View

Rear of the Camera

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

Rear of the Camera / Info Screen

Rear of the Camera / Info Screen

Rear of the Camera / Turned On

Rear of the Camera / Main Menu

Top of the Camera

Bottom of the Camera

Side of the Camera

Side of the Camera

Front of the Camera

Front of the Camera

Memory Card Slot

Battery Compartment

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Pentax K-r adds a few new features, most notably the 6fps burst shooting mode and expanded ISO range, to the proven user interface of the cheaper K-x and the high-resolution screen and illuminated AF system of the more expensive K-7, to create a compelling mid-range DSLR. It's also significantly cheaper than its main rivals.

Although to all intents and purposes it looks and feels virtually identical to the year-old K-x, don't let that put you off the K-r. The bigger and higher-res screen, improved auto-focus complete with illuminated points, faster 6fps continuous mode, and ISO range of 100-25600 all add up a camera that's well-positioned between the entry-level K-x and the venerable but still capable K-7.

The small and lightweight design, increased number of creative filters and effects, hand-holding auto modes and the compact-like handling make the K-r ideally suited to first-time DSLR owners. At the same time the extensive range of manual modes, wide ISO range, fastest shutter speed of 1/6000th, 100,000 shutter life-span, long battery life and not one but two RAW formats are music to the ears of more experienced shooters.

Not everything is perfect - the K-r's HD video mode is identical to the K-x and therefore still not the most user-friendly experience. There's no handy one-touch recording, a reliance on manual focusing, inability to change the aperture or shutter speed during recording, large file sizes that quickly fill your memory cards, and the inherent handling quirks of the DSLR format, especially with the non-articulating screen.

On a more positive note, the K-r's image quality remains excellent. The K-r creates noise-free JPEG images from ISO 100-800, only starting to become apparent at ISO 1600, with progressively more noise and colour desaturation at the higher settings of 3200, 6400 and the attention grabbing 25,600 setting. Although the top speeds don't produce very usable results, the K-r still holds its own against the main competition from 100-3200, arguably the speeds that you'll use most often.

In summary the Pentax K-r is a logical fusion of the K-x and K-7, nicely filling the price-gap between the two whilst offering a worthy upgrade to the former and cheaper alternative to the latter. As a very well-specified and crucially cheaper alternative to the Big Two of Canon and Nikon, the new Pentax K-r is a great mid-range DSLR that is a worthy recipient of our Highly Recommended award.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4.5
Features	4.5
Ease-of-use	5
Image quality	4.5
Value for money	4.5

Specifications

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