All buttons and dials are fully weather and dust sealed,[8]: 94 [9] the LX being the first camera to have this feature, even among professional-grade contemporaries.

The film take-up spool is of the "Magic-Needles" type, as found on the Pentax M Series cameras, which simplified loading.

[10][8]: 94  Both the viewfinder and focusing screen are interchangeable to suit the task at hand, with a large choice of alternatives available.

[9] These features made the LX highly sought-after among professionals both during and after production, with prices on e-commerce sites like eBay in the range of $200 to $400.

[5] In contrast, the 8-second maximum[3][4] of both the Nikon F3 and Canon New F-1's automatic modes make the exceptionally long exposure time only achievable with bulb photography.

The blue flag, together with the aperture f-stop window, meant that manual exposure settings are still visible in the viewfinder without batteries, unlike the LCD screens seen in the F3.

[15] The system also removes any necessity for a viewfinder window blind,[14] which would be necessary in other SLRs to prevent light from coming in the eyepiece and adversely affecting the exposure.

The coupling port caps, once removed using a screwdriver or a nickel, could be stored on the top of the winder or motor drive during use to prevent losing them.

[20] The Motor Drive LX was available for photography in situations where a fast framerate is needed (like sports photography), featuring a stepless variable speed of 0.5 to 5 fps—a unique feature among competitors[d]—and a smaller, lighter construction, weighing in at 240 grams (0.53 pounds)[21] on its own, and can rewind a 36-exposure roll of film in 8 seconds.

[20] For simplicity, the Winder LX was also offered as a lighter, more self-contained alternative to the motor drive system, weighing in at 285 grams (0.628 pounds).

[e] The winder is slower than the motor drive, with a fixed continuous shooting speed of 2 fps and a 15-second rewind, but is smaller and self-powered with 4 AA batteries.

[1]: 42–43 The Pentax LX body was updated at least three times during its 20-year production, with a key variation being in the design of the shutter button lock switch.

Other minor variations are the removal of two of the white dots on the front shutter curtain and the ability to activate the light meter by pressing the button on the viewfinder release lever.

There is no official distinction between the early and later models, and no link between exact serial numbers and design variations has been found, so the years of the updates are unknown.

[citation needed] The Pentax LX Titanium was produced in 1994 in a limited edition of 1000 titanium-plated cameras to mark the company's 75th anniversary.

[24][7] The Pentax LX 2000 with an SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/1.2 lens in a lighter metal finish was released in the year 2000.