The Pentax K-S2 is a powerful mid-range Pentax DSLR that made its debut in the final weeks of February, 2015. It sets a number of firsts for Pentax, as no other K-mount body before it featured built-in Wi-Fi or an articulating LCD screen.

Very good image quality; Class-leading low-light AF; All lenses stabilized; Many advanced features; Built-in Wi-Fi & NFC; Articulating LCD; Great for family photos; 100% coverage viewfinder; Weather-sealed; Solid build quality; Compact; User-friendly; Fast performance; Compact kit lens with silent...

Hard to hold with larger lenses; small grip; Only 11 AF points; Quite heavy for its size; JPEGs lack detail compared to RAW files; Small RAW buffer; 12-bit RAW; Loud shutter; Limited battery life; Poor video quality and few framerate options; Live view button requires 2-handed operation; Wireless...

Pentax is sometimes seen as a conservative brand, but the Pentax K-S2 changes all that with features never seen before in the company's DSLRs: A tilt/swivel screen, in-camera Wi-Fi and a retracting kit lens. And that's not all.

Very compact for a weather-sealed DSLR; Good ergonomics and great viewfinder; Excellent image quality; Decent performance for its class; Articulated screen is great for difficult compositions; Offers features not found in other Pentax DSLRs, Unusually compact for a weather-sealed camera, For the...

18-50mm kit lens is fiddly and prone to jamming when retracted; Wi-Fi is slow and unintuitive; Slow startup; Limited movie mode; Poor battery life for a DSLR; Priced too close to its enthusiast-grade sibling, Barely any cheaper than the enthusiast-grade Pentax K-3, Power switch turns too far, too...

Ricoh has been plugging away in the consumer dSLR space, even using flashing lights and a cornucopia of colors to attract first-time and family buyers to its Pentax models, away from more staid Nikons and Canons.

The Pentax K-S2 offers excellent photo quality; a solid weather-sealed build; a big viewfinder and a broad feature set

Its video quality is middling to poor

Who it's for: Entry-level or enthusiast photographers who want an all-around camera - especially for the outdoors - and don't care about video. Following close on the heels of Nikon's D5500, the 20-megapixel Pentax K-S2 ($800 with 18-50mm kit lens) fits neatly into the same class of midrange DSLRs...

Weather-sealed body and kit lens; In-camera image stabilization; Large viewfinder with 100 percent field of view; Vari-angle (swiveling) LCD; Dual command dials

Plasticky feel; poor video quality

Pentax K-S2 review: Pentax's new DSLR offers some impressive specs, but is it enough to catch Canon and Nikon? Pentax is pitching the K-S2 as a ‘family' camera, but its powerful features, twin control dials and weatherproofing will appeal to enthusiasts too.

Not going to make this long, have not tried everything but most and liked them all. I upgraded from a K20, which I know it's weaknesses but loved it's handling. The build quality of the S2 is good, dials feel solid but easy to move. The mode dial is metal and turns easily.

SR fast start; Low noise; AF fast and accurate

Make sure it fits your hands

The new Pentax K-S2 sports an impressive specification. It also re-introduces a conventional mode dial, has a new standard zoom and, a first for a Pentax DSLR, a fold out articulated screen.

Superb ergonomic design; Fold out screen; Glass pentaprism finder; Weather resistance; Value for money; High image quality; Built in Wi-Fi and NFC; New compact retractable lens

No top screen; Plastic outer shell rather than magnesium alloy; Lower frame rates than K-3

You would probably expect the new Pentax K-S2 to be a straightforward follow on from the K-S1. While it has the same sensor - a 20 million pixel CMOS device with no anti-aliasing filter - a lot of the outward design of the camera has changed it to make it more appealing to enthusiasts.

The Pentax K-S2 is an entry-level DSLR with plenty to prove. It's hard to compete with Canon and Nikon in the DSLR game. Even Sony, which has produced some of our all-time favourites, struggles. Today's contender is the Pentax K-S2.

Great image quality; particularly for RAW; Excellent viewfinder; Handy OIS system

Fairly poor for video; Non-touch screen

It's been a while since I have been sent a camera that stretches me a little. Providing the amount of stretching is a little I like it as it stops you getting into a rut that allows the camera to make all the choices without you having to think.