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Showers of April rumors bring flowering of May dSLRs?

Given that the timing is right for manufacturers to update various models, it should come as no surprise that the rumors are leaking left and right--especially at sites whose stock-in-trade is tracking these types of rumors.

My favorite of the moment is over at Canon Rumors, which repeats info suggested in the forums at Fred Miranda. A favorite not because I think the specs are particularly accurate--a full frame 16-megapixel sensor, or maybe 18 megapixels, HD video, 12fps burst, 65-zone metering, 48 AF points (think the AF will get fewer complaints with all those points?), better viewfinder and built-in Wi-Fi… Read more

Pentax compacts, K2000 kit get instant rebates

If money's tight, but you don't want to miss out on spring photo opportunities, Pentax is offering up some instant savings on three of its compact cameras and its entry-level digital SLR.

Starting Friday through April 11, the company is knocking $20 off the prices of its basic compact, the Optio E70, and its lightweight ultracompact Optio P70, as well as the waterproof Optio W60. Or if you want more than a point-and-shoot, the K2000 dSLR kit with DA L 18-55mm lens and AF200FG flash has a $50 instant rebate, bringing the price down below $550.

I recently … Read more

Pentax goes military with olive green K-m dSLR

Last December, Pentax unveiled the stormtrooper white K2000 dSLR. The company is following up with a camera that adheres to military guidelines--the olive green K-m.

The specifications remain similar at 10.2-megapixel resolution, a 5-point autofocus system, 3.5 frames-per-second burst mode, and a 2.7-inch LCD on the rear. All that's missing to make this dSLR a rugged commando are shockproof and waterproof features.

Rambo wannabes will also be glad to know that this iteration of the K-m will ship with an 18-55mm olive green lens, too.

According to tech blog Akihabara News, the camouflage-colored Pentax dSLR will … Read more

Pentax unveils new 15mm Limited Series lens

At the PMA show yesterday, Pentax announced a new Limited Series lens, the DA 15mm f4 ED AL Limited. The ultra-wide angle lens has a 23mm equivalent in 35mm terms and has a closest focusing distance of 6 inches. The lens has an aspherical (AL) lens element, and an extra low dispersion (ED) lens element to minimize chromatic aberrations and ensure image quality. Image distortion is claimed to be extremely low for an ultra wide-angle lens.

As with others in Pentax's Limited lens series, it is built to a high-quality standard, featuring the lens barrel, cap, and built-in hood … Read more

Pentax extends its reach to first megazoom

Better late than never? Pentax makes a surprisingly belated entry into the megazoom digital camera market with the $399.99 X70, a competitively spec'd camera. In fact, its lens and sensor specifications look amazingly similar to that of the Nikon P90: a 1/2.33-inch 12.7-megapixel CCD and 24x f2.8-5 26-624mm-equivalent zoom lens.

Unfortunately, there's not much here to differentiate it from the crowd, at least on the surface. The X70 incorporates a 2.7-inch LCD, but it's fixed--many competitors offer tilting or fully articulated displays. It doesn't support HD movie capture, instead maxing … Read more

Pentax K20D dSLR goes south of $800

With PMA 2009 coming next week, there's a chance Pentax may announce a new follow-up to last year's 14.6-megapixel CMOS flagship K20D. At the very least the company's getting a little preshow coverage thanks to a $200 price cut.

Starting immediately, the Pentax K20D body only is $799.95. Paired with the DA 18-55mm II lens it's $879.95 or with the DA 16-45mm lens it's $1199.95.

We liked the K20D overall in spite of some color accuracy issues. It was a good-bang-for-your-buck camera at its original price, so this price drop only … Read more

Cheap shots: Compact cameras under $150

With PMA 2009 nearing, camera manufacturers are rolling out their spring compact point-and-shoot lineups, making it a good time to hunt down deals on last year's models.

Here's a collection of cameras that are already fairly inexpensive for what they offer. Keep in mind, being as low priced as they are, that you should not expect perfect photo quality or blazing-fast performance.

What you will get is a decent pocket camera for very little investment with generally simple operation and the occasional extra feature like a 5X optical zoom or advanced face detection.

Pentax president raves about Leica D-Lux 4

Most imaging companies' employees probably wouldn't be caught dead using their competitors' products, but it seems Ned Bunnell, president of Pentax Imaging (USA), thinks otherwise.

On his personal blog, he wrote about how impressed he was with the Leica D-Lux 4 (equivalent to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3), and gave a short, positive review of this shooter. Bunnell commented that the "lens is sharp and distortion seems to be very well controlled."

His affection for a competitor's shooter garnered some pretty interesting comments from readers. Some people are baffled as to why the president of Pentax would be raving about Leica's products when he should be more focused on his company's direction. However, some Netizens think Bunnell is doing an excellent job by looking at the current market and trying to improve on it with future Pentax cameras. … Read more