Pentax Lowers d-SLR Price

By Greg Scoblete -- TWICE, 2/1/2006

Golden, Colo. — The incipient price war in the digital SLR category gained momentum as Pentax announced that effective today it would lower the price of its *ist DL digital SLR kit from a suggested $799.95 to $599.95.

The move positions the 6-megapixel *ist DL as among the least expensive digital SLRs on the market, competing against Nikon’s D50, Konica Minolta’s Maxxum 5D and Canon’s initial EOS Digital Rebel.

The kit will include the 18-55 DA lens. The company will also offer a $100 rebate on select SLR lenses through the end of March.

Marketing director Ned Bunnell said the move was a piece with the company’s heritage, citing the introduction 30 years ago of the K-1000 as “one of the most popular and affordable entry-level film SLRs ever manufactured.”