Build and handling
First impressions of the Pentax X-5 are very positive. The camera’s pronounced handgrip has a faux leather finish, and is grooved while its deep profile affords a firm grip. So, not only is the camera comfortable to hold, but it is also well balanced and light enough to shoot with one hand or carry around all day on a shoulder.
Start-up is fast, with the X-5 ready to shoot in 2secs. The lens zoom is controlled by the rocker next to the shutter-release button, and its wide 26x optical zoom range takes about 2secs to go from the wide to the telephoto setting. Use the digital zoom and the range is extended to 187.2x, but the quality of the images in these settings is noticeably compromised. The digital zoom extension can be deactivated to prevent accidentally choosing one of these settings.
At the 580mm setting it is much more difficult to keep the X-5 steady when shooting handheld, and the maximum aperture is reduced to f/5.9. Dual SR then compensates for camera shake, and while I found that with a steady hand I was able to shoot at 1/125sec and often get a sharp image, it is better to shoot at around 1/400sec or faster.
Thankfully, a tilt function has been introduced to the LCD screen in the X-5, which aids clear viewing from both high and low viewing angles. Without the tilt function in use, the moderately bright 3in, 460,000-dot screen can be tricky to view. Images can also be composed and viewed using the built-in EVF. I suspect photographers will use the LCD screen more frequently, because the 230,000-dot display of the EVF lacks the vibrancy and crispness to display the final image accurately.
Pentax has opted to use four AA batteries to power the camera, so it is worth buying rechargeable batteries to save money on new batteries every time they run out.
Aperture and shutter priority shooting modes are not available, possibly because the camera features only two available apertures at any given focal length. For those who want control over the exposure, manual exposure is possible, and can be adjusted using the rear dial and the exposure compensation button on the top-plate.
