Daily Briefing: Lighting Gear Arrives, CES, Camera Reviews… Canon EOS 5D Mark II Price Drop! (Plus Freebies!)

Pentax K-x vs. Nikon D3000: Entry-Level ISO Comparison

13 comments

Posted by Patrick on Jan 13, 2010 in Cameras

Pentax K-x vs. Nikon D3000: Entry-Level ISO Comparison

The Pentax K-x and the Nikon D3000 are marketed as entry-level cameras, and for the most part their feature sets are geared to the photographer new to DSLR cameras. Physically, they appear to be quite close, in fact direct comparison shows them to be very similar in size and shape, even the 18-55mm kit lens on both cameras appears to be very similar.

But the 2 cameras do have their differences. The D3000 seems even more oriented to beginners than the K-x. It has a “Guide” mode, that for the most part will walk a consumer through the steps needed to take a certain type of photograph, say of a moving subject. The D3000 offers the proper shooting mode, while sort of explaining what needs to be done to get the required results. The camera layout is sparse, and the interface is very easy to use, again presumably all in an attempt to not overwhelm first-time DSLR photographers.

The K-x also caters to a slightly more advanced beginner, but also the creative beginner. It isn’t quite as sparse on the details as the D3000, there’s more direct camera controls on the back for the example, it also has a more advanced feature set, which includes HD video, and the ability to get more creative with a number of great filters that can be applied in-camera to captures.

Another advantage the K-x has, image quality. The K-x has a 12.4 megapixel sensor vs. the D3000’s 10.2 megapixels, which equates to a bit more resolution, but as we’ve mentioned before the K-x has surprisingly good low-light capabilities. While understand the concept of ISO might be a little confusing for beginners, the ability to shoot in lower light without having a lot of noise is a very good thing, and the K-x is much better at this than the D3000, and better even than more expensive cameras.

Finally it’s important to note the K-x checks in at the same price as the D3000–in other words, it’s a tremendous value.

Availability

You can get both cameras right now, at B&H Photo. Extra bonus, the cameras ship for free.

Pentax K-x

Nikon D3000

B&H has $50 instant savings right now on the D3000!

ISO Samples

Use the image below to orient yourself to the following crops. Both cameras set to similar settings in aperture priority at f/8. Noise reduction and dynamic range enhancements turned off for both. These are 100% crops, but due to resolution differences the K-x files are a bit bigger. The full set of the K-x ISO samples are here. The D3000 original uncropped ISO files are here.

Pentax K-x Iso samples source

Crop 1

pentax crop 1 100pentax crop 1 iso 200
ISO 100ISO 200
pentax crop 1 iso 400pentax crop 1 iso 800
ISO 400ISO 800
pentax crop 1 iso 1600pentax crop 1 iso 3200
ISO 1600ISO 3200
pentax crop 1 iso 6400 12800
ISO 6400 - ISO 12,800 (Pentax Only)

Crop 2
pentax crop2 iso 100pentax crop2 iso 200
ISO 100ISO 200
pentax crop2 iso 400pentax crop2 iso 800
ISO 400ISO 800
pentax crop2 iso 3200pentax crop2 iso 3200
ISO 1600ISO 3200
pentax crop2 iso 6400 12800
ISO 6400 - ISO 12,800 (Pentax Only)

Continue the Discussion

facebook-logo-square

Join us on Facebook! Become a fan of Neutralday today!

Become a fan of Neutralday on Facebook. Interact with us and stay updated on what's coming next at Neutralday, photography news, and other fans' insights.

twitterlogo

Follow us on Twitter! Grab our tweets right here.

Follow Neutralday on Twitter. Insights on the cameras we're reviewing, and frequent photography related news, thoughts, and links.

Support Neutralday by shopping at our preferred retailer, B&H Photo

Explore Similar Posts


13 Responses to “Pentax K-x vs. Nikon D3000: Entry-Level ISO Comparison”

  1. Enche Tjin says:
    January 13, 2010 at 9:09 pm

    Seems like the Pentax kx samples are underexposed?

    reply
    • Patrick says:
      January 13, 2010 at 11:06 pm

      Enche,
      perhaps a bit…I generally put cameras at +1 exp comp for this scenario given the white background. I try to keep the settings about the same (if I can), otherwise folks will complain about rigging the test. That said, underexposing should reveal more noise on the K-x (esp in the darker areas), but it still looks pretty good to me.

      reply
  2. Eolake Stobblehouse says:
    January 14, 2010 at 3:19 pm

    Thanks.
    (I linked here.)

    I find that the Pentax cameras I have had, while wonderful, including the K-x, tend to underexpose a little.

    reply
  3. kkl says:
    January 16, 2010 at 2:44 am

    K-x ISO is amazing, not to mention it’s built-in shake-reduction…..

    reply
  4. Eolake Stobblehouse says:
    January 16, 2010 at 8:26 am

    Funny you should mention it, I was not too impressed, but then learned that you have to wait for half a second after focusing for the SR to stabilize. Then it’s really helpful. I tested it last night, I think I’ll blog it here soon. I can take useable pics at 1/8 with a 105mm-e lens, that’s really good.

    reply
  5. Eolake Stobblehouse says:
    January 16, 2010 at 3:26 pm

    OK, here we go.

    reply
    • Patrick says:
      January 17, 2010 at 1:39 am

      Yeah that isn’t clear if you were to just pick up the camera and start using it. But as you’ve demonstrated the K-x has some pretty good IS going, though as folks have pointed out at your site, the IS isn’t visible in the viewfinder, ala Canon and Nikon lens based IS systems. Pretty easy to get past IMHO.

      reply
  6. mihai says:
    January 20, 2010 at 4:17 pm

    Wow!!! this camera is really a revelation for me.
    Am I mistaking or the iso capability could easily be compared with the one on the nikon d300 instead?
    Way to go Pentax!!!

    reply

Leave a Reply