Pentax K-500

The K-500 is an APS-C DSLR from 2013, built around a 16.28-megapixel CMOS sensor. It suits anyone learning photography or wanting a simple camera for everyday stills.

Two practical choices shape daily ownership. It runs on four AA batteries, and image stabilisation sits inside the body instead of inside the lens.

The camera weighs 646 g and accepts Pentax KAF lenses. It has no weather sealing, so it needs shelter from rain and dust rather than shrugging them off.

The optics score of 62 is good, placing this camera around the middle of cameras in our database for Optics. The 16.28-megapixel APS-C sensor offers resolution for prints and moderate cropping, alongside the Prime M processor.

In-body stabilisation is the highlight. It counters camera shake with any mounted lens, so handheld shooting becomes steadier, which helps in fading light. It reduces camera shake only, not subject movement.

Framing goes through an optical pentaprism viewfinder, giving a natural view of the scene. Sensitivity spans ISO 100 to 51200, leaving room to keep shooting as light falls.

Speed is where constraints appear. Autofocus offers 11 points, and the 6 fps continuous rate is a maximum figure, so it suits casual action without promising sustained fast bursts. The 1/6000 s shutter ceiling covers general daylight work.

Video earns a modest score of 57. Full HD is the highest resolution offered, and the fastest frame rate the camera records is 30 fps, so the toolkit is basic but serviceable for casual clips.

Clips record as MPEG-4 files. The Full HD ceiling means no 4K projects, so the camera suits family footage, holiday clips and simple web content but not high-resolution video work.

A built-in timelapse function creates motion sequences without extra gear, a useful option for anyone shooting landscapes, clouds or other slow-changing scenes.

Live view helps with framing on the screen. Because 30 fps is the maximum frame rate, there is no high-frame-rate capture for slow-motion work.

Features score a modest 41, and the set is simple. The 3-inch LCD carries 921,000 dots, and live view is available for composing on the screen.

The screen neither tilts nor responds to touch, so settings change through buttons and overhead or low-angle framing is awkward.

Wi-Fi is built in, but there is no Bluetooth and no GPS, so location tagging must come from a phone or separate device.

A built-in flash covers quick fill light, and an external flash can be fitted when more power is needed. The body is not weather sealed, so rain and dust call for care.

The storage and battery score of 32 is limited, and the single card slot is one of the reasons for it. That slot takes SD, SDHC or SDXC media with no in-camera backup, so carry spare cards for shoots you cannot repeat.

Power comes from four AA batteries. The 710-shot rating is a rough guide rather than a promise for every outing, but replacement cells are easy to carry and swap in seconds.

There is no USB charging, which matters less than usual here because fresh batteries replace both cable and charger. Packing spares is simply part of owning this camera.