(Credit:
Pentax)
Pentax has announced the release of the Pentax SMC DA 17-70mm f4 AL SDM lens for Pentax digital SLR cameras. First shown at PMA 2008, the 17-70mm lens has a constant aperture of f4 through the entire zoom range, with a working focal length of 26-107mm. It has Pentax's SDM system with built-in supersonic motor for quiet and responsive autofocusing when used on a compatible Pentax DSLR. The lens is compatible with the K20D, K200D, K100D Super, and K10D (with firmware 1.30 or later). When used on other Pentax bodies the focus is automatically switched to manual. Featuring Pentax's Quick-shift Focus System that enables you to switch from auto to manual focus with a turn of the focus ring. It has a minimum focusing distance of 11 inches and weighs in at 17.1 ounces with a length of 3.7 inches. It will be available in July at around $600.
Pentax K20D
(Credit: Pentax Corp.)You've gotta admire feisty little Pentax. Undeterred by a dSLR market dominated by Canon and Nikon, plus the deep-pocketed relative newcomer Sony and tireless veteran Olympus, Pentax continues to refine and innovate its offerings rather than just trying to sell cheap models built from off-the-shelf parts. This year sees the first tangible result of the company's alliance with Samsung, a 14.6-megapixel CMOS sensor, which makes its way into Pentax's new midrange model, the $1,300 K20D (body only). Pentax's other new model, the entry-level $799 K200D (a kit with the new smc PENTAX DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II lens), looks more like the typical budget package.
According to Pentax, the new sensor requires less space for the ancillary circuitry, allowing for photodiodes with the same area as those of a 10-megapixel sensor. In theory, this should allow for higher-resolution images with noise equivalent to that of the lower-resolution ones; we won't know until we test it. In other respects, the body and much of the technology of the K20D carries over from its predecessor, the K10D. Pentax claims improved sensitivity for the image stabilization, and a slightly larger LCD with improved off-angle viewing.
At its price point, it competes directly with the Canon EOS 40D, though like the K10D it offers many features, including the dust- and weatherproof body, sensor-shift image stabilization and wireless flash controller, that you'll see in pricier models like the Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 or Olympus E-3.
Selected specs:
| Pentax K10D | Pentax K20D | Canon 40D | |
| Sensor | 10.2-megapixel CCD 23.6 x 15.8mm |
14.6-megapixel CMOS 23.4 x 15.6mm |
10.1-megapixel CMOS 22.2 x 14.8mm |
| In-body image stabilization | Sensor shift | Sensor shift | None |
| Sensitivity range | ISO 100 - ISO 1600 | ISO 100 - ISO 6400 | ISO 100 - ISO 3200 |
| Focal-length multiplier | 1.5X | 1.5X | 1.6X |
| Continuous shooting | 3 fps unlimited JPEG/12 raw |
3 fps 38 JPEG/16 raw |
6.5fps 75 JPEG/17 raw |
| Viewfinder | 95% coverage 0.95X magnification n/a fixed matte focusing screen |
95% coverage 0.95X magnification n/a fixed matte focusing screen |
95% coverage 0.95X magnification 22mm eye point interchangeable matte focusing screen. 2 optional focusing screens $45 each: grid, Super-Precision Matte |
| Autofocus | 11-pt AF n/a |
11-pt AF 9 cross-type |
9-pt AF all cross-type to f/5.6 |
| Live View | No | Yes | No |
| LCD size | 2.5 inches/140-degree view | 2.7 inches/160-degree view | 3.0 inches/not available |
| Built-in wireless flash controller | Yes | Yes | No |
Pentax K200D
(Credit: Pentax Corp.)At $799, the K200D kit enters a more crowded field, one currently dominated by the Nikon D40x and Canon EOS Rebel XTi, both of which seem ripe for replacement. (Pentax will offer a body-only version of the K200D for $719.) It jumps to a 10-megapixel CCD from its predecessors'--the K100D, K100D Super, and K110D--6 megapixels, uses a pentamirror viewfinder rather than a pentaprism, for a lighter body, and increases to a 2.7-inch LCD. Unlike the older models, it also takes 4 AA-sized batteries (Pentax claims 1,100 shots off 4 disposable lithium cells). Like the K200D, it uses sensor-shift image stabilization and implements an enhanced dynamic range mode, which theoretically provides enhanced highlight detail.
Pentax expects to ship the K20D in April, while the D200D should be around by the beginning of March.
On Sale Now: $599.95
View the latest prices for Pentax K200D (Body only)
On Sale Now: $754.85
View the latest prices for Pentax K200D (with 18-55mm lens)
Pentax's current K10D
(Credit: CNET Networks)The latest rumor has it that Pentax plans to announce two new SLR models, the K20D and K200D, on January 24, a week before the Photo Marketing Association trade show that begins.
A now-defunct discussion thread on a Chinese Web site, helpfully archived at DCHome.net and supplemented by postings at Bigbigcar.com and PhotoMalaysia forums, includes a few supposed details about models that would presumably replace the K10D and K100D:
The alleged K20D has a 14-megapixel sensor of the smaller APS-C size, a 14-bit analog-to-digital converter (for better tonal gradations than typical 12-bit converters but leading to larger raw files), a live-view LCD, the same weather resistance as the K10D, and better sensor-shift shake reduction. The lower-end K200D is supposed to have a 10-megapixel sensor and a bigger memory buffer for longer stretches of continuous shooting.
Also a possibility are three new lenses, all appearing on a Pentax road map document (click for PDF): a 60-250mm f/4 to be announced in December and a 200mm f/2.8 and a 300mm f/4 to be announced with the cameras in January.
Rumors, some appearing derivative, also cropped up at DPReview and PentaxForums.
(Via Photography Bay.)
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