Nikon D850 vs Pentax K-x

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon D850 and the Pentax K-x, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Nikon D850 was introduced in August 2017 and Pentax K-x was introduced in December 2009. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D850 over Pentax K-x.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax K-x over Nikon D850.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Nikon D850 has a 3.2" Tilting screen with 2,359k dot resolution and Pentax K-x has a 2.7" Fixed screen with 230k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Nikon D850 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Nikon D850 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Nikon D850 has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinderPentax K-x has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder. Nikon D850 has 100% coverage with 0.75x magnification and Pentax K-x has 96% coverage with 0.85x (0.57x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

Nikon D850 features a 45.7 megapixel Full Frame BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 858 mm². Its native ISO range is 64 - 25,600 and expands to 32 - 102,400 in boosted mode. Pentax K-x features a 12.6 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.4 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 243.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400 and expands to 100 - 12,800 in boosted mode.

Nikon D850 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Nikon D850 is equipped with EXPEED 5 processor and can take pictures up to 8256 x 5504 resolution. Pentax K-x is equipped with PRIME processor and can take pictures up to 4288 x 2848 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3936 x 2684, 3072 x 2048, 1728 x 1152 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Nikon D850 has Nikon F lens mount and Pentax K-x has Pentax K_AF2 lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Nikon D850 its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length. Due to APS-C sensor in Pentax K-x its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.

No Low-Pass Filter on Nikon D850

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon D850. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Pentax K-x

Pentax K-x has a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Nikon D850

Nikon D850 has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Nikon D850

Nikon D850 has a built-in Bluetooth (version 4.1 LE) which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

NFC on Nikon D850

Nikon D850 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon D850 comes with EN-EL15a battery pack with battery life of 1840 shots and Pentax K-x comes with 4 x AA battery pack with battery life of 1900 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon D850 has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) and one for CFexpress Type B / XQD. Pentax K-x has a single SD/SDHC card slot.

Shutter

Nikon D850 has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Pentax K-x has Electronically controlled Vertical Run Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon D850, and up to 1/6000 sec on Pentax K-x. Nikon D850 can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps. Pentax K-x can shoot continuously up to 4.7 fps.

Focusing

Nikon D850 has 153 (99 cross-type) focusing points and Pentax K-x has 11 focusing points. Nikon D850 has detection range from -4 to +20 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon D850 ranges from -3 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Nikon D850 and ±3 EV range on Pentax K-x. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D850 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax K-x.

Flash

Pentax K-x has a built-in flash with maximum range of 16.00 m and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot shoe. Nikon D850 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Nikon D850 and 1/180 sec on Pentax K-x.

Nikon D850 body has dimensions of 146 x 124 x 79 mm (5.75 x 4.88 x 3.11") and Pentax K-x body has dimensions of 123 x 92 x 68 mm (4.84 x 3.62 x 2.68"). Nikon D850 weighs 1005 g (2.22 lb / 35.45 oz) and Pentax K-x weighs 580 g (1.28 lb / 20.46 oz).

Nikon D850

Pentax K-x

146 mm

124 mm

123 mm

92 mm

124 mm

92 mm

79 mm

68 mm