645D On Display At PIE 2009

Akihabara News (link) has some photos taken at the Pentax booth of the upcoming 645D and the limited edition K-m ("Camo" finish) and K20D ("Titanium" finish). I'm not sure if this is the very same 645D prototype we saw at previous industry trade shows 2 years ago (I think it might be), but it certainly looks finished enough to be a production model, although I imagine there are a few more subtle refinements to come.





All photos copyright Akihabara News, 2009.

Pentax 645D and MF Lenses For 2010 Release

645D Prototype, circa 2007.

It's coming, and it's likely going to be a fraction of the cost of Mamiya's medium format camera. But no one knows much about it, except that it's probably at least 9 months away from retail.

Pentax is retiring their old 645NII and 67 systems, which comes as an expected development considering that today they have officially announced that the Pentax 645D, a 30MP digital camera replacement for medium format film systems, is finally on the production road map for release in 2010. A new prime lens, the Pentax-D FA 55mm F2.8 lens, will be available specifically for this new camera as well as an unspecified "wide-angle" lens (see the latest lens list here from Pentax Japan). News on this is very skimpy today, but as soon as there's more to chew on, I'll post it. In the meanwhile, 1001NoisyCameras has a round-up of reaction links.

K20D in Limited Edition "Retro" Silver

Pentax Japan has announced the future availability of a retro-looking (or Cylon-looking) Special Edition K20D kit, limited to 1,000 production units, available in Japan later this year in October. Yep, October. No word on pricing yet, but the regular K20D can be found for under $700. What do you think? I think it looks like it's winking at me.

Olive Green K-m Available Now In Japan

Well, this snuck up and surprised me today. Maybe I didn't seen it coming, even with the hunter's orange pin stripe. Maybe that's why this new limited edition "Olive" Pentax Km is going to appeal to people who go out hiking or who collect Coleman gear in a way the white Km (K2000 in North America) never did. It's onsale at the end of April in Japan for 70,000 yen, which includes matching Olive lenses. Snipers rejoice!

Via Akihabara News

Pentax X70 is available for Pre-Order at Pentax WebStore

The Pentax WebStore has been great at releasing exclusive items, like the white K2000, and now they have the inside track on the first batch of X70 MegaZoom digicams. You can now pre-order the X70 for $399 direct from Pentax. Out-of-stock orders usually ship within 10 days, so maybe this means the X70 will be in consumer's hands very, very soon.

Link: http://www.pentaxwebstore.com/detail/PTX+17491

Hoya and Pentax Talk About Summer 2009 and What's To Come

DC.Watch.Impress had a recent sit down with Taku Sendai, manager of Hoya's Product Planning (pictured right), and in the course of the interview a few juicy nuggets of information were harvested for us to speculate upon. (See the full article in translation from Google here.)

First of all, Sendai very briefly mentioned that a new model of DSLR camera which is not a successor to the K20D, but something with next-generation features and possibly a new body-type, will be announced for Summer 2009. Not much is said about what will make this model so different that it will be a new class of camera for the line-up, but it's suggested that it will be a new direction more akin to the K200D series (perhaps lighter weight, more compact, and with advanced functions not typically found in an amateur SLR - but targeted to the amateur demographic). It will likely outperform the K20D. I wonder if it offers more resolution than the K20D, because then this might require special refinements to the optical design of future lenses. And we have to wonder what Pentax has up its sleeves regarding size improvements, seeing as the micro four-thirds trend is taking off and the K2000 is still relatively new in the market. Will this new camera be the answer?

Also, Sendai confirmed that the "digital 645" is a top priority now, and this is to stay competitive against "full-frame" sensors offerings from other companies for advanced amateur and professional users. So, don't expect a full-frame sensor camera from Pentax any time soon. I think that if people were looking for an upgrade from their K20D, perhaps the digital 645 is going to be the path that Pentax and Hoya are expecting you to take.

Finally, there was another nail in the coffin that puts to rest rumors of Pentax's involvement in Samsung's new prototype camera. Even though Pentax has partnered with Samsung for DSLR cameras in the past, Sendai says they are not involved with the Samsung NX series unveiled at PMA (the NX features a yet unidentified interchangeable lens system paired with a small body that uses a digital viewfinder instead of a mirror for a more compact size). So it looks unlikely that the NX series will be using a variation of the K-mount lens system, like on the Samsung GX models.

One of the best methods for surviving a recession is to hunker down in the design process and innovate products that customers can't find anywhere else and build on your best. Judging from Sendai's comments, it looks like Pentax has put some serious thought into navigating the slumping economy with a cautiously optimistic plan for the summer and the next holiday season by delivering really fresh cameras that are backed by solid R&D. That's some really good news.

Above photo © DC.Watch.Impress.

The Return of the Digital 645?

Pentax's John Carlson, speaking to AmateurPhotographer.co.uk's Chris Cheesum, has said that Pentax plans to show an updated prototype of the Digital 645 camera in Tokyo later this month, and the model may even be ready to go on sale in Japan this year. The camera will be first seen at Photo Imaging Expo. Perhaps a bit jokingly, Carlson is said to have been skeptical of a large U.S. launch:

"And Carlson told us that it will not be marketed in the United States because Pentax predicted it would only sell 200 units there."

Last year, it had been speculated that Pentax had put the long gestating product to rest while they marshalled their resources around other entry-level and photo enthusiast camera models. Now it looks like maybe there's still life in those Pentax 645 lenses yet!

Link: PENTAX REVIVES MEDIUM FORMAT DIGITAL CAMERA PLAN (UPDATE)

Pentax Announces the X70 Camera and the DA 15mm F4 Limited Lens

After rumors this weekend, Pentax fans weren't too surprised to see that Pentax has unveiled a brand new digital camera today, the Pentax X70. It's a 24x mega-zoom "bridge" camera that has many of the features of a DSLR, but with a standardized built-in lens like a point-and-shoot. It's not much smaller than a DSLR, but it is lighter and it comes at a lower price point that should make it fairly competitive, about $399 or less when it arrives on the street in April.

X70's Best New Features

Like Pentax's recent DSLRs, the X70 doesn't wimp out on trying to give you everyting you need for excellent image quality. First, there's the 1/2.3 sensor* capable of 12MP RAW capture, up to 11 frames per second in a 21 frame burst, with special capture tricks you won't find on any previous Pentax DSLR. For example, there's ISO 6400 for extra sensitivity. And new Auto-Tracking autofocus, with Face Recognition for up to 32 faces, and with blink detection to avoid shots where the subject is closing their eyes. Plus, you can choose different frame ratios (4:3, 3:2, 16:9, or 1:1). (* Sorry, I had the wrong information about the sensor when this first posted, and this has been corrected.)

The SMC coated zoom lens on the X70 goes from the 35mm lens equivalent of 26mm (wide angle) to an amazing 624mm (super tele-photo). And there's a Super-Macro mode for focusing up to 0.4 inches in front of your small subjects. And all of this range has Pentax's patented Shake-Reduction for gyro-stabilized shots. And then you can factor in digital zoom for an additional 150x, or 3900mm. Eeegads!

Finally, 720p HD movie mode, wrapping all the above (zoom, SR, autofocus) into amazing video. HD Video mode is one feature I hope will make it to a Pentax DSLR this year. I'll be anxious to see how this sensor and lens combo fairs in image tests later this spring, but if it has low noise and fast response, perhaps even better than the recent K2000, this will be a breakthrough camera for the brand.

The Pentax DA 15mm F4 Limited Lens

Not content to leave out the lens candy for DSLR fans, Pentax announced an amazing super-wide angle lens for Pentax DSLR cameras. The small and gem-like DA 15mm Limited for $649, available in April! This is what Pentax has to say about the new lens:

Ultra wide-angle perspective: This new lens offers a 23mm angle of view (in the 35mm format) for eye-catching wide-angle images. Enjoy visual effects unique to ultra wide-angle lenses such as enhanced perspective and an expanded depth of field. This lens is perfect for capturing sweeping landscapes, magnificent architecture and confined interiors.

Limited Lens series quality: The PENTAX Limited Lens series is designed for the ultimate in image reproduction. True to the Limited lens tradition, this new lens not only assures excellent image quality, but also produces sharp, clear images with minimal distortion and outstanding contrast even at the maximum aperture. The optical design has been optimized for digital photography, and the barrel, built-in hood, and cap are all made of a high-grade aluminum material that is shaped for perfect proportions.

High-performance optics: This lens incorporates a hybrid aspherical (AL) lens and an extra-low-dispersion (ED) glass optical element to assure high-quality images with minimal aberrations, including lateral chromatic aberration. Compared with other ultra wide-angle lenses, image distortion is also extremely low.

Compact, lightweight design: With newly developed optics, this ultra wide-angle lens design is extremely compact and lightweight. It has no dome-shaped protrusion on the objective element, allowing the photographer to easily mount any 49mm diameter filters, including circular polarizing filters which are popular in landscape photography.
Additional features:

• Built-in flower-shaped lens hood, with extendible design for easy carrying
• Minimum focusing distance of 0.5 feet (18 centimeters) for close-up photography
• PENTAX-developed Quick-Shift Focus System for instant switching to manual-focus operation after the subject is acquired by the AF system
• PENTAX-original Super Protect (SP) coating on front surface of the lens makes it easy wipe away fingerprints, cosmetics and other stains and smudges