Pentax KP

Pentax KP is Pentax's Advanced DSLR camera first revealed on January of 2017. The camera comes with a 24MP, CMOS APS-C sized sensor and has a full resolution of 6016 x 4000.

The KP is ranked #28 out of 92 in Advanced DSLR cameras & overall #161 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our list. Please check our Smart camera filter to see camera listings based on your custom requirements.

The following is a graph of multiple factors used in the rating system.

The Pentax KP is part of a family of digital cameras. You can see the full range underneath.

You can check the KP from several angles in the gallery here.

Below is a checklist of benefits and drawbacks of the Pentax KP based on aspects which are oftentimes regarded as useful in a camera.

The Pentax KP houses the PRIME IV processor chip. The sensor specification in the Pentax KP is 23.5mm x 15.6mm (APS-C). The 367 mm² sensor can capture 6016 x 4000 pixels and aspect ratios of 3:2. The camera features Image Stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis). In body stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization as the latter can cause cropping.

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The CMOS sensor has 24 megapixels and gives a native ISO range of 100 - 819200. RAW format is saved which means that you have wider room to maneuver in post.

The graphic underneath displays the KP's sensor dimensions when compared to other common sizes. The KP sensor has a crop factor of 1.5 and is highlighted in green.

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To get a sense of specific aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Pentax KP weighs about 1.55 lb (703g / 24.80 oz) & the volume of the camera is 132mm x 101mm x 76mm (5.2" x 4.0" x 3.0"). The weight of average Advanced DSLR camera is 776g so the Pentax KP is similar as compared to various rivals.

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Down below is a picture of the Pentax KP alongside a soft drink to help you to get a feel for its scale.

The top view just below will show the button design on the KP.

The KP works with the Pentax KAF2 mount and has 17 lenses on sale. Below is some of the lenses we have in our database which will fit the KP.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight

Pentax smc DA 60-250mm F4.0 ED IF SDM60-250mmf/4.0 1040g

Samsung D-Xenon 18-55mm F3.5-5.618-55mmf/3.5-5.6 225g

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Pentax smc DA 300mm F4.0 ED IF SDM300mmf/4.0 1070g

Irix 45mm F1.445mmf/1.4925g

Venus Laowa 105mm F2 Smooth Trans Focus105mmf/2745g

Venus Laowa 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO100mmf/2.8638g

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Samsung D-Xenon 12-24mm F4 ED12-24mmf/4.0 430g

The KP has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes
• GPS Yes

Digital cameras with NFC and Bluetooth compatibility can be controlled wirelessly with smartphones. You can send pictures and usually adjust camera settings with no need to connect directly to the camera.

Several applications even give a Liveview and release the shutter in case you are not close to the camera. If the camera includes a HDMI port, it can be connected to an external monitor. Most cameras enable you to charge the battery pack with the USB socket.

The highest possible video quality in the Pentax KP is 1920 x 1080 and you can shoot in MPEG-4 and H.264 format. 1080p quality delivers a great balance in quality versus file sizes but 1080p won't give you any room to crop. Although the camera offers a mic port, it is missing a headphone port which means that you won't have the capability to check your audio levels.

Pentax KP provides weather proofing making it a great option for use in rough environments. This is especially helpful in case you are unsure about the conditions you might face in outdoor photography.

The Pentax KP comes with a 3 inch tilting display screen supporting a resolution of 921 thousand dots.

Sadly the display screen is not a touch screen.

Photography Glossary

The ViewFinder specs for Pentax KP are the following:

• ViewFinder Optical (pentaprism)
• ViewFinder Coverage 100%
• ViewFinder Magnification 0.63x

For sunny outdoor conditions which make the camera displays washed out and difficult to see, viewfinders are quite valuable.

Pentax KP continuous shooting rate is 7.0 frames/s. The highest shutter speed is 1/6000 sec. The camera also provides silent electronic shutter of 1/24000 sec. Keep in mind that the electronic shutter can result in "rolling shutter" in certain lighting conditions.

Pentax KP features both built in flash together with external flash support.

Pentax KP features just Contrast Detect Auto Focus & is missing Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot snappier & accurate in comparison with Contrast Detect autofocusing. The camera comes with Face detect which can be helpful for people photography.

It comes with 27 focus points to pick from. It also comes with Tracking Auto Focus for moving objects. Pentax KP features manual focus in case it is required in low light situations or you want to have more exact control on focus.

The battery life (D-LI109) on the Pentax KP is fashioned to last for 390 photos according to the CIPA requirements which is lesser compared with it's competition. The average Advanced DSLR camera battery life is 909. Nikon D780 has got the best (2260) battery life in this group of cameras.

Below is a listing of Advanced DSLR cameras which have the best battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Nikon D780
KP vs D7802260 yesnoyes

Nikon D850
KP vs D8501840 yesyesyes

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Nikon Df
KP vs Df1400 yesnono

Canon 90D
KP vs 90D1300 yesnoyes

Nikon D500
KP vs D5001240 yesyesyes

The following diagram displays a summary of the Pentax KP for specific categories of photography. To look at more, have a look at the specific section underneath.

The Pentax KP gets a points tally of 80 which is tremendous, meaning that it is a tremendous fit for portrait photography. Shooting portraits leans heavily to sensor specs, RAW support along with the potential to work with off-camera flash.

Coming in at a outstanding points tally of 76, the Pentax KP is a outstanding pick for street photography. A very good street photography camera gives a fine balance of picture quality plus portability.

A nice sports photography rating of 72 means the Pentax KP is a fine choice for photographing sports. A camera should have good autofocus plus shutter speeds for sports photography.

Size is really crucial when choosing a travel camera. Overall, the Pentax KP gets a above average 61 as a travel camera which is a good fit to purchase for your holidays.

If you are planning to choose a camera for landscape photos, the most vital aspect will no doubt be image quality. The Pentax KP with it's terrific rating of 77 for a landscape camera is a tremendous fit amongst it's competition.

A vlogging camera really should posses a moving screen, mic input and if possible IBIS. Taking all things in to account, the Pentax KP is just not very good for vlogging as it delivers a lousy rating of 34.

If you are trying to find alternatives to the KP, below is a number of the highest scored cameras which fall within the category of Advanced DSLR.

The line graph just below gives you a bird's eye view of the KP versus it's highest ranking rivals listed previously.

Following are additional cameras you might view as alternate options. To read through a comprehensive comparison, simply click the "compare" link.