Pentax K-01 first hands-on preview videos

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  • February 4, 2012 at 11:44 am

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Pentax K-01 MILC hands-on

The Pentax K-01 mirrorless camera surely has a unique design, it’s small but thick, as a brick. There’s a reason for that though, as it can accept the huge number of K-mount lenses, designers had to maintain the format’s 45.46 mm flange back distance (the distance from the lens mount to the sensor). To compare, Micro Four Thirds has a 20mm flange back, Sony’s E-mount 18mm and Fujifilm’s new X-mount just 17.7mm.

Love it or hate it, it’s got some pretty tasty internals, including the same excellent 16.28-megapixel APS-C sensor as the Pentax K-5, of course compatibility with excellent Pentax APS-C SLR glass, 1080p video capabilities and even an HDR mode directly selectable on the mode dial — you can find a full list of specs and pictures in our initial coverage here.
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Pentax K-01 APS-C mirrorless K-mount camera announced, priced at $750, beautiful on the inside

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  • February 2, 2012 at 9:43 am

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Pentax K-01 yellow with front flash open

We were the first to report that today was going to be a Pentax day. The camera maker, has just announced a the K-01 (pronounced kay- zero-one), a mirrorless APS-C camera that features a standard Pentax K-mount.

Together with the camera, Pentax has also cheered on the accomplishment of creating the world’s thinnest interchangeable lens, the 9.2mm (0.36 inch) thick DA 40mm f/2.8 XS lens. While we’ve seen a number of small pancakes in the past, particularly for MILC systems with smaller sensors, like Micro Four Thirds, this is truly tiny compared to other APS-C lenses. Pentax is no stranger to thin lenses, as it already has a 15mm thick 40mm f/2.8 Limited pancake lens.
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First leaked pictures of the Pentax K-01 camera and DA 40mm f/2.8 XS lens

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  • February 1, 2012 at 12:17 pm

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Pentax K-01 with strap

We already more or less know that the Pentax K-01 mirrorless camera, designed in collaboration with Marc Newson, will be announced tomorrow. We now have the first images of the K-01 camera and the new DA 40mm f/2.8 XS lens.

The camera has the rounded lines that we would expect from a Marc Newson design, and below you can also see the K-01 in all three colors, including a really bright yellow — we know that Pentax has a thing for bright colors if the K-r is any indication.

We can’t say we are too enamored with the design, as we are with the design of the Fujifilm X-Pro1 let’s say, but if this camera is priced competitively, as most Pentax cameras are, it will be great value for money. After all, image quality is expected to be top-notch, as this camera is rumored to have the same 16-megapixel sensor as the excellent Pentax K-5. Another big selling point of this MILC (mirrorless interchangeable lens camera) is that it will be compatible with a huge selection of current Pentax K-mount lenses; that’s a big advantage for anyone already invested in the system, as well as over other mirrorless systems with more limited lens choice.
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Pentax K-01 mirrorless camera designed by Marc Newson to be announced on February 2nd?

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  • January 30, 2012 at 5:32 pm

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Pentax Mark Newson designed camera London event invitation

We’ll file this into ironic. We were day-dreaming during the weekend over the old Asahi Pentax, and today we received the above invitation for a new product launch event by Pentax in London on February 2nd. The new camera has been designed in collaboration with Sydney-born industrial designer Marc Newson, famous for combining smooth organic lines and bright vivid colors into his products.

The timing matches previous rumors for a new K-mount camera announcement from Pentax, just in time for the CP+ camera show in Yokohama. All rumors point to a new mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) to be named Pentax K-01. Again quoting previous rumors, the K-01 will have the same 16-megapixel sensor as the K-5, it will support K-mount lenses but will come with its own new DA 40mm f2.8 lens that is less than 1cm thick.
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Vintage camera: we love these old Asahi Pentax commercials (video)

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  • January 29, 2012 at 5:48 pm

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Asahi Pentax 35mm SLR camera commercial

It was 1957 when the Asahi Optical Company had introduced a new 35mm film SLR camera, the Pentax. It was Japan’s first single-lens reflex camera and it became an instant success. In fact, it was so successful that its control layout became the standard for 35mm SLR cameras and its design inspired countless others. The camera maker even decided to change its name to match the name of the camera which had put in on the map — Pentax.
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