PENTAX K-01 & smc PENTAX-DA 40mmF2.8 XS - Official Embargo Date: 2/2/2012

[fengwei]

PENTAX K-01

A lens-interchangeable digital camera designed in collaboration with world-renowned designer Marc Newson that developed to be the new addition to the long-lasting family of PENTAX K series.

PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD. is pleased to announce the launch of the PENTAX K-01 lens-interchangeable digital camera. This new, stylish camera was designed in collaboration with one of the world’s most acclaimed designers, Mr. Marc Newson.

In response to the ever-growing digital camera market, PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD. has taken a number of major steps in the development of digital SLR cameras as attractive, user-friendly imaging tools. These include a camera offering a choice of 120 lens-and-body color combinations, and concept models designed in collaboration with various firms and artists. The new PENTAX K-01 is another bold effort in camera design, developed in line with Mr. Newson’s three design themes — a TIMELESS, TRUSTY and TOUCHABLE. At the same time, it provides the full array of advanced functions and user-friendly features expected from digital SLR cameras. The optical viewfinder and quick-return mirror were
eliminated to allow more freedom in designing the camera body. The result is a camera that shows Mr. Newson’s originality in every detail, with meticulous attention paid to all body parts to faithfully reproduce his designs. His design scheme has also been applied to the new smc PENTAX-DA 40mm F2.8 XS unifocal interchangeable standard lens — the world’s thinnest interchangeable lens,* to be launched in the market simultaneously with the PENTAX K-01 camera body — to make the lens-mounted K-01 a complete design package.

The PENTAX K-01 comes with outstanding basic specifications, including sharp, high-resolution images captured by approximately 16.28 effective megapixels, high-speed burst shooting, an extra-wide sensitivity range with a top sensitivity of ISO 25600 (when expanded), and Full HD video recording. In addition, it features the reliable, ever-popular PENTAX K lens mount, so users can make effective use of their entire lens stock — even lenses produced for film-format SLR cameras. While the K-01 makes the perfect choice for start-up digital interchangeable lens camera photographers looking for an easy-to-operate camera, as well as those who demand originality and stylishness from their imaging tool, it also can be a
wonderful second camera for current PENTAX digital SLR users who find pleasure in totally new photographic styles that only the K-01 can offer.

Design concept of PENTAX K-01 by Mark Newson
A modern digital camera with a contemporary yet timeless design. The camera body is compact and trim whilst preserving all the functions of a professional camera. The lines are clean and simple creating an elegant graphical composition. The materials convey quality and honesty. Machined aluminium and natural rubber provide the user with a tactile and durable piece of technology.

TIMELESS, TRUSTY, TOUCHABLE

[fengwei]

[fengwei]

smc PENTAX-DA 40mmF2.8 XS Specification:

Lens Mount: PENTAX KAF Mount
Focal Length: 40mm (Equivalent to 61mm in 35mm format)
Aperture: F2.8
Minimum Aperture: F22
Lens Construction: 5 elements in 4 groups
Angle of View: 39° (with PENTAX D-SLR camera body)
Minimum Focusing Distance: 0.4m
Maximum Magnification: 0.13x
Number of Diaphragm Blades: 9
Filter Diameter: 27mm
Maximum Diameter & Minimum Length: 62.9mm x 9.2mm
Weight: 52g


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Major Features of the smc PENTAX-DA 40mm F2.8 XS lens

1. Exterior design by Marc Newson
Together with the PENTAX K-01 camera body, the exterior of this lens has been designed by Marc Newson. Mounting this lens on the K-01 results in a highly stylish imaging tool.

2. Easy-to-use, super-thin lens for everyday use
This unifocal standard lens offers a focal length equivalent to 61mm in the 35mm format, and measures a mere 9.2 millimeters in length, making it the world’s thinnest interchangeable lens. Thanks to its super-thin design, it is highly portable and easy to store and carry. Its optics were designed based on those of the acclaimed smc PENTAX-DA 40mm F2.8 Limited lens. Its maximum aperture of F2.8 produces sharp, bright images in a wide range of applications, including snapshots, scenic photos, portraits, and even incident-light indoor shooting.

3. Exceptional image-description
In addition to numerical evaluations made by various testing machines, PENTAX has also conducted an image-quality evaluation of hundreds of images actually taken with this lens. As a result, it not only offers outstanding specifications, but also demonstrates exceptional image descriptive power and an image rendition unique to this lens. It features a round-shaped diaphragm, which produces a smooth, natural bokeh (out-of-focus) effect in the background.

4. SP coating to block dirt and dust
The front surface of this lens is treated with SP (Super Protect) coating, which applies an exclusive fluorine compound to the lens surface through a vapor deposition process. This SP coating not only repels dust, water and grease, but also makes it easy to wipe off oily stains such as fingerprints and cosmetics.

[fengwei]

Major features

1. Immaculate, tasteful design by Marc Newson
The PENTAX K-01’s body consists of neat, straight lines to optimize both functionality and visual attractiveness. Original-design push buttons and control levers are efficiently laid out across the body, while brilliant colors are used on two key buttons for instant recognition: red for the video recording button, and green for the functional green button. The mode dial and the power switch are made of high-quality aluminum alloy, while the memory card slot and connectors on the comfortable, easy-to-hold grip are covered with protective rubber.What’s more,Mr. Newson’s original design scheme is evident in all elements of the K-01, including the product logo, the camera strap (included) and even the start-up screen that comes on when the K-01’s power is turned on.

2. Exceptional image quality assured by digital SLR camera system
The PENTAX K-01 comes equipped with a newly developed CMOS image sensor measuring 23.7 millimeters by 15.7millimeters.With approximately 16.28 effective megapixels, this extra-large sensor assures high-speed readout of image data signals. The K-01 also features the new “PRIME M” imaging engine to assure first-rate movie recording performance in a digital interchangeable lens camera. It also offers an extra-wide sensitivity range — from ISO 100 to ISO 12800, or to ISO 25600 when expanded using a custom function — while minimizing annoying digital noise at all sensitivity levels.

3. Compatibility with all PENTAX lenses
The ability to change lenses is a great benefit of the digital interchangeable lens camera system. That’s why the PENTAX K-01 is designed to accept a wide array of PENTAX interchangeable lenses,** including those produced for film-format SLR cameras. Thanks to this lens compatibility, the user can choose a most suitable lens for a particular subject or scene and create the desired visual effect and perspective with great ease.

4. High-quality video recording
The PENTAX K-01 comes equipped with a Full HD video-recording function to capture high-quality movie clips (1920 x 1080 pixels). With the H.264 recording format, it offers a choice of frame rate (30, 25 or 24 frames per second) to ccommodate user-specific applications. It also comes with two new features to facilitate video recording: Red button for instant pushbutton start, and a stereo microphone for more realistic sound. While adding personal touches to recorded clips using various Custom Images, or recording the subject in a series of video clips using the interval movie shooting mode. The PENTAX K-01 also comes with an HDMI type C terminal, which allows the user to simultaneously output both Full HD movie clips and stereo sound, as well as an external microphone input terminal.

5. New-generation HDR mode
The HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode, which produces one extra-wide-gradation composite photo from three images taken at different exposure levels, has been upgraded to create a greater range of visual expressions. This upgraded HDR mode can be instantly selected with a turn of the mode dial. The user can take advantage of newly added features to select one of three exposure increments as well as the level of effects, while an automatic position adjustment function assures precise alignment of three images even when they are taken with a handheld K-01.

6. A selection of image processing tools for personalized expressions
The PENTAX K-01’s Custom Image function allows the user to select the most appropriate finishing touch for a particular subject or scene to express the photographer’s creative intention or taste. Included in 11 Custom Images are: Bleach Bypass to create a dramatic visual effect used in motion pictures, and Cross Process to produce a fanciful image with unusual colors. The K-01 also features 19 distinctive digital filters — including Miniature, which turns an actual scene into an image full of miniature models — to easily apply different visual effects to recorded images. The user can be even more creative and imaginative by applying multiple digital filters to a single image.

7. Smooth, quiet, high-speed burst shooting
The PENTAX K-01’s high-speed burst shooting mode comes in handy when preserving the action of fast-moving subjects in a series of images, since it captures up to six images per second. With its mirrorless construction, K-01 also offers exceptionally silent mechanical operation incomparable to existing PENTAX digital SLRs that allows user to concentrate on to photography even when shooting such subjects as stage performances.

8. Large, wide-angle 3.0-inch LCD monitor with approx. 921,000 dots
The PENTAX K-01 features a large, easy-to-view, high-resolution 3.0-inch color LCD monitor with approximately 921,000 dots. Its wide-view design assures a clear view of the monitor from approximately 170 degrees horizontally and vertically, making it particularly useful in low- and high-angle shooting.

9. PENTAX-original SR mechanism for sharp, blur-free images
The PENTAX K-01 incorporates the PENTAX-developed SR (Shake Reduction) mechanism. Usable with all compatible lenses, including those produced for film-format SLR cameras, this mechanism produces sharp, blur-free images even under demanding conditions that are prone to camera shake, such as when using a telephoto lens, shooting in the dark without flash illumination, or capturing landscapes in the twilight.

10. Effortless, user-friendly Auto Picture and Scene modes
The PENTAX K-01 features the PENTAX-original, user-friendly Auto Picture mode, which selects the most appropriate shooting mode for a given subject or scene from Portrait, Landscape, Macro and other distinctive shooting modes, while optimizing all camera settings, such as aperture, shutter speed, white balance, saturation, contrast and sharpness. As the result, the photographer can concentrate on image composition and shutter opportunity. The K-01 also offers 19 different Scene modes, which simplifies the photographing of difficult subjects or demanding scenes — such as Night Scene Portrait mode, Pet mode, and Backlight Silhouette mode — simply by choosing the corresponding icon on the camera’s LCD monitor.

11. Other features
I. TTL image-sensor metering, with a choice of multi-segment,
center-weighted and spot modes
II. Contrast-detection autofocus system, with 81 selectable focus points
III. DR (Dust Removal) mechanism to shake off dust adhering to the
surface of the CMOS image sensor
IV. CTE white-balance control mode to emphasize the predominant
color of a particular scene, such as the sunset
V. A choice of four image sizes (4:3, 3:2, 16:9 and 1:1) to accommodate
different subjects and applications
VI. Multi-exposure mode (up to nine exposures on a single image), with
an auto exposure compensation function
VII. Interval shooting mode, useful in time laps recording of landscapes
and flowers/plants from an exact same location and angle
VIII. Compatibility with the new-standard SDXC and UHS Speed Class 1
memory cards
IX. SILKY Developer Studio 3.0 for PENTAX RAW-data development
software (developed by Ichikawa Soft Laboratory) included;
in-camera RAW-data development also available

[fengwei]

[simon6z]

but read that 40mm XS is only for k-01 and not for k5 or kr, any clarification on why for k-01's mount and not k mount?

[fengwei]

but read that 40mm XS is only for k-01 and not for k5 or kr, any clarification on why for k-01's mount and not k mount?

DA 40/2.8 XS Lens Mount: PENTAX KAF Mount

And K-01 is still a K mount camera after all

[kof88]

I could guess its even smaller than the current K-mount DA40 ltd, pretty sensible to create K-01 only lenses to compliment a new body.

EDIT: actually i'm fooled by the term as well, KAF is just as good as current up-to-date K-mount

[pinholecam]

FW, thanks for the information.


Just one question from me.
OVF/EVF or none?

I have no doubts its going to have good performance though.

[hjbyeo]

OVF/EVF please! Hoping that it's MX-D!!

[fengwei]

FW, thanks for the information.


Just one question from me.
OVF/EVF or none?

I have no doubts its going to have good performance though.

There is only one 'FINDER' on the camera, and it's the 3.0-inch LCD screen, same as the one on K5 ...

[pinholecam]

There is only one 'FINDER' on the camera, and it's the 3.0-inch LCD screen, same as the one on K5 ...

Ok. Thanks.
Oh..well... I'd still get it over a NEX just for form factor and K-mount. (just hope not too expensive)

Bloody hell! now I find myself refreshing this page every 5mins to check for info.

[darrrrrrrrrr]

DA40 can get even smaller????

[sunnycamera]

no viewfiner? then it may will work like "K mount version of NEX 5" than NEX 7,

[fengwei]

DA40 can get even smaller????

Original DA40: dimension 63mmx15mm, weight 90g, filter size 49mm
New DA40 XS: dimension 63mmx9mm, weight 52g, filter size 27mm

[hellfire88]

interesting, waiting to find out more. espescially on the new DA40mm since this is an overlap with the current da40mm. looks to be smaller than the current da40mm. weight only 52g?!?!

[fengwei]

Ok. Thanks.
Oh..well... I'd still get it over a NEX just for form factor and K-mount. (just hope not too expensive)

Bloody hell! now I find myself refreshing this page every 5mins to check for info.

It'd be a very good backup camera for K7/K5 'cause they share the same battery, and millions of K mount lenses w/o using any adapter

[Lightbulb]

FW, what is the specs for the other 3 kit lenses? Any WR for K01? How about WR 12-35? thanks!

[Yamakasi]

when will it reach our Singapore shore?

[edutilos-]

Indicative price???