Ricoh is purchasing the Pentax camera business from optical glass-maker Hoya for roughly 10 billion yen (~$124.2 million) in order to jump into the DSLR game. Hoya had purchased Pentax back in 2007 mainly for its medical technologies and was widely expected to sell off the camera division of the company. Ricoh already makes a number of quality compact cameras, but the market is slowly being eaten up by large-sensor interchangeable lens cameras and mobiles phones. The company is planning to continue using the Pentax brand name on its newly acquired camera lines.
(via Reuters via 1001 Noisy Cameras via Engadget)
Pentax has just announced the Q, the world’s smallest interchangeable lens camera (ILC). Unlike existing ILC cameras, which have large sensors despite their tiny bodies, the Q has a tiny 1/2.3-inch sensor that’s more comparable to the sensors in point-and-shoot cameras. Thus, the Pentax Q can be considered the world’s first interchangeable lens point-and-shoot camera, though it is packed with the features and manual controls found on ILCs and DSLRs.
The camera shoots 12.4MP JPEG or raw stills at up to 5fps, records 1080p video at 30fps, and offers the traditional shooting modes found on DSLRs (i.e. P, Av, Tv, M). ISO goes up to 6400, there’s a 3-inch LCD on the back, and a funky onboard flash pops up in a strange way to help illuminate your photos.
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Pentax is super big on the customization and design aspect of cameras (much to the annoyance of photography purists), offering colorful DSLRs and all kinds of strange special edition ones as well. Now, with the introduction of customizable faceplates on the RS1500, they’ve discovered a new way to make money from their camera lines — special faceplates made by other companies. They just announced today that they’ve partnered with DC Comics for a custom faceplate pack. Available for £120 (~$200) starting in May, each pack includes 7 superhero skins, a 4GB SD card, and a Green Lantern carrying case. Fun idea, but the price is a bit steep if you ask us…
(via Foto Actualidad)
What would it look like if you tripped and with a Pentax Spotmatic F camera in hand, and it somehow smashed neatly into its most basic components? Artist Todd McLellan gives us an idea by taking one apart, neatly arranging it on a table, and photographing it in a style similar to Carl Kleiner’s IKEA baking book shots.
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A new limited edition Pentax K-r has emerged to steal the award for “ugliest looking DSLR” from the Korejanai robot edition one we shared last year. The camera is designed for fan’s of the Japanese singer Bonnie Pink and will cost $1,100 when they’re available in March 2011. Luckily, mankind will only be cursed with 100 of these cameras.
(via DVICE)
Apparently this is what Pentax considers “legendary collaboration”: a Korejanai robot edition (Korejanairobomoderu) of the K-r DSLR. It doesn’t boast any spec upgrades from the stock version, but instead sports a wacky primary color paint job and a robot head attached to the hotshoe. You’ll also get a matching special edition 35mm ƒ/2.4 prime lens to complete the horrifying awesome look. If only these were working DSLR cameras that also transformed into robot action figures.
Only 100 will be sold at a price of ¥99,800 (~$1,190), and pre-orders start at midnight on December 24, 2010.
Legendary collaboration again! (via Engadget)
DXOMark.com just published their review of the Pentax K-5 sensor, finding that it was superior to every other APS-C sensor they’ve tested:
No need for suspense: this new 16.3 MP sensor is simply the best APS-C we have tested so far, sometimes able to compete even with very high-end full-frame cameras.
The overall score of the K5 puts it in the lead with 82 points — more than 9 points better than the D90 or the Alpha 55, and 16 points ahead of the Canon 7D or 60D. The K5 is literally the best APS-C performer for each segment, even in low ISO.
(via The Online Photographer)
At Photokina 2010 Pentax had a toy capsule vending machine that spit out mini Pentax DSLR cameras in exchange for coins. The colorful cameras are made to attach to standard hot shoes, giving your camera a little buddy while shooting.
If only the toy capsule machines at the grocery store dispensed these things!
Image credits: Photograph by Ron Hendriks and used with permission
Pentax has announced its new K-5 DSLR camera as Photokina is getting underway in Cologne, Germany. The new 16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor camera has nice but pretty standard specs and features: 11 autofocus points, an HDR mode, 7fps burst shooting, a 3-inch LCD screen, an ISO range of 100 to 12800 (expandable to 80 to 51200 via custom functions), 100% viewfinder coverage, 1080p video recording at 25fps, and a magnesium alloy body. The K-5 will be available starting in mid-October at around £1200 (~$1875) with a kit lens.
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Earlier today Lens Tip published a leaked photograph of an upcoming Pentax K-5. The article is no longer available, suggesting that they were forced to take it down.
Yesterday someone over on PentaxForums posted a list of specs. If the specs are the real thing, then the K-5 will be a 16.2 megapixel DSLR with HD video recording, a magnesium alloy body, ISO expandable to 25,600, 18 autofocus points, 8 fps continuous shooting, and a price of $1700 for the body only.
One iffy thing about this leak is that the body looks pretty much identical to the Pentax K-7. Do you think it’s a fake?
(via Photography Bay)
