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Pentax offers 'special edition' K-5 DSLR kit: silver body, 40mm slimline lens, $1,600
It's good to see a special edition that may actually deserve its name, for once. When the silver version of the popular K-5 came out last year, it was priced at $1,700 body-only. This new kit, which will be limited to 1,500 units worldwide and available from April, will cost just $1,600 including the bundled lens. And it's decent glass: an ultra-thin, Marc Newson designed beauty with a 40mm fixed focal length and f/2.8 aperture -- just like on the mirrorless K-01. The only thing missing? There's no sign of a "Limited Edition" stamp anywhere on it, but luckily we're too modest to notice.
Pentax releases O-GPS1 add-on for DSLRs, appeals to astronomy nuts
Pentax's Optio WG-1 GPS point-and-shoot satisfied geotaggers out of the box, but owners of its K-5, K-r and 645D DSLRs have had to make do with third-party taggers like the PhotoTrackr or Eye-Fi. The new hotshoe-mounted O-GPS1 module fixes that oversight by recording latitude, longitude, altitude, Coordinated Universal Time and shooting angle. Everyday snappers might find an extra hotshoe attachment cumbersome, but astro-photography enthusiasts could well be enticed by the device's interesting "ASTROTRACER" function. This helps you take clearer photos of celestial bodies by using the in-built sensors to calculate a star's movement and then employing the camera's shake reduction system to compensate. Sounds clever, but be advised: this module is only for Pentax DSLRs -- and only for very specific models at that. You'll get full functionality with the K-5 and K-r cameras, and geotagging (no ASTROTRACER) with the 645D. Oh, and you'll need to make sure your camera's firmware is up-to-date. Peer carefully through that lens and you'll see the O-GPS1 heading for a July landing, priced at $250. [Thanks, Iddo]
Pentax K-7 and K-x firmware upgrades pack SDXC compatibility
Last November Pentax's mid-range front runner, the K-5 DSLR, got an upgrade, now the K-7 and K-x are following suit. New firmware updates for both cameras tout SDXC card compatibility, increasing memory, but failing to follow through on speed -- Pentax notes transfer rates won't hit UHS. Despite the company's Japanese website listing the K-7 as a discontinued product, the camera also gets increased video editing functions in playback mode, as well as improved image sharpening settings. Now, follow the source links below, and let Pentax upgrade you.
Pentax K-5 review roundup: solid but pricey upgrade from the K-7
Pentax's K-5 DSLR has been around for a little while now, but it's only just recently received enough reviews to establish something of a critical consensus. The short of it is that the camera largely addresses most of the criticisms leveled at the K-7 it's replacing -- namely, lackluster image quality and poor high ISO performance in particular -- but those improvements come at a fairly hefty cost. The K-7 costs about $300 more than the Nikon D7000, which Digital Photography Review notes has a similar sensor but a "significantly more versatile AF system." Photography Blog also came to some similar conclusions, but notes that the "headline-grabbing top-speed of 512000 is frankly unusable," and suggests that Pentax should have simply followed Nikon's lead and capped things at 25600. Despite that high price and some minor issues, however, DP Review says the camera is a "no-brainer" upgrade for current Pentax users, but obviously still something of a tough sell for Canon or Nikon users. Hit up the links below for some additional takes on the camera. Read - Digital Photography Review Read - Photography Blog Read - Imaging Resource Read - Pocket-lint
Pentax K-5 DSLR and Optio RZ10 hands-on
We didn't get a chance to lay hands on any of the colored variants, but the solid black Optio RZ10 was easily one of the best feeling point-and-shoots we've touched in quite some time. Pentax doesn't advertise the coating as being "soft touch," but that's exactly the vibe we get. It's also shockingly small to have a full-on 10x optical zoomer, and while things will get pretty ugly at ISO 6400, it's one of the few handhelds that even give you the option. The K-5 DSLR, on the other hand, simply didn't feel like a $1,600 piece. And it should, given that's what Pentax is charging for it. Sure, it's solid enough and comfortable to grip, but it's got a lot of proving to do in the reviews to come before we fully recognize the value proposition. Head on down below if you're up for more eye candy. %Gallery-103095% %Gallery-103096%
Pentax K-5 brings 16.2MP sensor, 'much faster' AF, and enhanced HDR to midrange DSLR party
Photokina is just about getting started over in Germany today, and Pentax has grabbed the opportunity to unveil its next K-series shooter nice and early. The new K-5 looks exactly as a leak earlier this month suggested, meaning it's an almost identical brother to the weather-resistant K-7. Of course, the big changes are taking place within, with a new 16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor -- said to be equivalent in performance to the one in the 645D -- a 100 to 12800 ISO range, 7fps burst mode, much-improved 11-point autofocus, and an overhauled HDR mode. ISO can also be jacked up to 51200 with a custom function, but we wouldn't expect to get the finest imagery out of that. Other specs include a 3-inch, 921k-dot LCD around the back, 100 percent viewfinder coverage, 1080/25p video, and (sadly) only SDHC memory card compatibility -- there'll be no SDXC action for the big spenders among us.%Gallery-102734%
Pentax K-5 DSLR leaks out, leaves us guessing at the specs
Quite appropriately for a camera, all we have in this here leak is the one image above. It shows a purported K-5 DSLR from Pentax, whose body looks almost a carbon copy of the well loved, but now aging, K-7. The biggest (only?) difference we've been able to spot between the two is in the jog dial on its top left shoulder, which now looks quite a bit taller. Also making the transition from the K-7 is the 18-55mm Weather Resistant lens, which should make the K-5 another well fortified shooter from Pentax. Now if we could only know what's inside the shell as well, we'd be as happy as our jaded souls can be.