Hi Pentaxian friends.
The Pentax K-r has been out since September 2010. Is replaced the Pentax K-x which was a huge success for Pentax. It would have been a mistake to replace the K-x with a totally redesigned DSLR because of its popularity. So the Pentax K-r was born, but with the same heart, the 12.4mp CMOS sensor.
I was contemplating whiting a new e-book for it, and I even wrote about one fourth of the book. Since then, I received many emails requesting the K-r e-book. I thought about it a long time and decided that I couldn't write a specific book for the K-r because A) The similarities in their operation are not worthy of a new e-book. The K-x e-book is sufficient to learn about the K-r's operation. B) It made no sense to sell you, likely at a higher price, a new e-book just for the sake making money. C) The differences are mostly in the body
and shape of the camera. Therefore, if you purchased a new Pentax K-r, my K-x e-book will suffice and you will save a few bucks as the newer e-books are selling for $15.00 instead of the $11.00 for the K-x.
I listed the differences between the two cameras below:
The K-x had a maximum ISO of 12,800 with expansion while the K-r has a maximum ISO of 25,600 with expansion. (Great improvement, but once you know how to change ISO, it's all the same)
The K-x had a continuous shooting speed of 4.7fps (17 frames) while the K-r has a continuous shooting speed of 6.0fps (25 frames) (Again, this is great but as far as operating it, there are no changes.)
The auto focus of the K-r is faster and more accurate. It also has an AF assist light for better focusing in darker areas.
The K-r has the AF point confirmation in the viewfinder, which is a great addition but doesn't change anything as far as shooting.
The K-r can use the supplied rechargeable battery or can use four AA batteries with the optional adapter. That is great if you travel.
The camera body of the K-r is slightly larger and has a modified shape.
The K-r has movie custom images mode, night scene HDR, cross process mode and IR simple, which are the only real changes in the functionalities. They are not worthy of a new- book.
The k-x has a 2.7" LCD screen and the K-r has a 3" LCD screen.
I believe that once you learn the primary functions that are the same as the k-x, the four new functions will come easy.
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| Front view of the K-x. |
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| Front view of the K-r. Slightly modified body with the addition of the AF assist light. |
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| Rear view of the K-x. |
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| Rear view of the K-r. Note that the function buttons are the same. The body is slightly different and the LCD screen measures 3" diagonal as compared to 2.7" on the K-x. |
There you have it. If you need a reference manual other than the confusing owner's manual, the K-x e-book is what you need. The Owner's manual shows you what, the K-x e-book shows you what, why, when and how, with plenty of illustrations and real images, and written in laymen terms. Download a free sample of the book from this page:
Pentax e-books.
Thank you for your visit,
Yvon Bourque
