Golden, Colo. –
unveiled Monday new spring digital
camera introductions, highlighted by a new and improved Optio all-weather
camera, and a limited silver edition of the K-5 semi-pro d-SLR.
Pentax also
announced a new wide-angle fixed focal length d-SLR lens compatible with its
645D medium-format camera.
The highlight of
the new offerings was the Optio WG-1 (shipping in April at a $350 suggested
retail) all-weather camera featuring waterproofing to 33 feet, shock resistance
from up to a 5-foot drop, and crush resistance for up to 220 pounds.
Other features
include a 14-megapixel sensor, an enhanced digital microscope mode with five
macro LEDs, fast face-detection technology, smile capture, and blink detection
for portraits including a Self-Portrait Assist mode adaptable for use with
social-networking uploads.
The WG-1 will
include a wide-angle 5x internal optical zoom lens (28-140mm equivalent),
720p/30 fps HD video capture and a 2.7-inch LCD screen.
It is designed to
resemble mountaineering equipment and features a woven-web fabric strap in
complementary color accents and a carabiner hook to attach to hiking and
climbing gear.
The WG-1 will also
be compatible with Eye-Fi wireless SD memory cards (sold separately) offering Wi-Fi
photo transfer capability to computers or Web sites.
Pentax will also
make a version of the WG-1 with built-in GPS (WG-1 GPS), which will ship in
April with a $400 suggested retail.
Pentax also
introduced a special limited silver edition of its semi-pro K-5 d-SLR, offering
Pentax enthusiasts a retro SLR look for a modern camera.
Like the
traditional K-5 model introduced in September, the silver edition features a
high-resolution 16.3-megapixel CMOS sensor; 7 fps burst shooting speed; 80-12,800
ISO sensitivity, expandable to 51,200; and widescreen 1080p/25fps HD video
capture.
The company will
support the special camera with three matching silver prime lenses in the SMC
Pentax DA 21mm F3.2 AL Limited Silver, the SMC Pentax DA 40mm F2.8 Limited
Silver and the SMC Pentax DA 70mm F2.4 Limited Silver. Pricing and availability
will be announced later.
Meanwhile, the
company introduced the Pentax D FA 645 25mm F4 AL [IF] SDM AW prime lens for
the d-SLR and Pentax’s 645D medium-format camera.
The lens offers a
19.5mm fixed focal length in the 35mm format (or approximately 15.5mm when
mounted on a Pentax 645-format film SLR camera body). The lens is said to provide the widest
perspective of all the Pentax 645 lenses, perfect for landscapes and indoor
shooting in confined spaces.
It will ship in
April with a $5,000 suggested retail.
