Despite being one of the oldest brands in the photography world, Pentax struggles against the big names of Canon and Nikon to lure in those all important entry level customers.

Weatherproof; 100% field of view viewfinder; 6fps shooting

Fixed screen; Noisy operation; No Wi-Fi

The Pentax K-50 doesn't leave much to be desired. Like its predecessor, the K-30 , it delivers excellent image quality, has a host of innovative and unique features, and has many capabilities and options that are typically reserved for higher-end cameras.

Excellent image quality; In-body shake reduction and dust removal; Competetively priced; User-friendly interface; Very fast live-view autofocus; Loaded with features otherwise uncommon for its class; 100% pentaprism viewfinder; Fully weather-sealed; Durable construction; Handles well; AA...

12-bit RAW files; rather than 14-bit; Viewfinder autofocus speed lags behind the competition; Autofocus poor for sports; Drops out of live view when menu is accessed or mode is changed; Loud autofocus with screwdrive lenses; Somewhat loud shutter; Live view button oddly placed; Relatively-short...

I loved the camera body, the features are amazing and too many to list buy this over other brands and it`s weather proof to boot. con 1 : The focus on the lens did not seem right, i tried to adjust it in the setting but could see no difference, hopefully it was a bad lens and the other will be fine.

This is quite a meaty DSLR kit unit, however for me a little spoilt by its white colour, while this may be being picky – again – it does draw attention to the unit and if you are taking images in a ‘less savoury area' it could mean you are targeted.

This is quite a meaty DSLR kit unit, however for me a little spoilt by its white colour, while this may be being picky – again – it does draw attention to the unit and if you are taking images in a ‘less savoury area' it could mean you are targeted.

The Pentax K-50 is uniquely weather-sealed and sits at a nice price without sacrificing image quality. The design is excellent and comfortable, performance is on track and image quality is quite good.

Coming barely a year after the introduction of their fine K-30 model, Pentax was wise enough to not stray from the formula of specifications and features that made the K-30 so desirable in rolling out the new K-50.

Very good still image quality; Eye-Fi wireless compatibility; Good continuous shooting speed; In-body stabilization; Weather sealed

No continuous AF during video capture; Video on the slow side to initiate; Kit lens lacks sharpness at maximum aperture

There was a time when Pentax SLRs were proudly worn round their owners' necks. Now-legendary models, such as the Pentax K1000, Spotmatic and ME Super, were the cameras of choice for enthusiast photographers, which made the Pentax brand one of the biggest in the industry.

The Pentax K-50 was announced in June 2013 as a replacement for the popular K-30, which we reviewed in August 2012 . It has a similar, weather-sealed, dust-resistant body but improved versions of the 16.3-megapixel APS-C sensor and PRIME M processor, which have been tweaked to reduce noise and...

Everything that makes the Pentax system great, now at a lower price