Pentax Announces New 10MP DSLR

September 15, 2006: Pentax has unveiled a new DSLR camera, the K10D, which features a 10.2 megapixel CCD sensor and proprietary Shake Reduction system, similar to that on the K100D.
The anti-shake technology claims a 2.5 to 4 stop advantage for shooting in low light or with telephoto lenses. The new camera has a dust-proof, weather-resistant body construction featuring 72 seals throughout the camera to allow photographers to continue shooting even in dusty or rainy environments. It also sees the introduction of a new PRIME image processing engine, which is supported by 22-bit A/D conversion for more accurate colour tones with richer gradation. An improved buffer memory increases capture speed and allows for in camera image processing.
The K10D also comes with a CCD Dust Removal system, which uses a Special Protect (SP) coating that helps keep the CCD surface dust-free and adds a shift mechanism to shake dust off the CCD. The new model includes both a 2.5-inch LCD display with 210,000 pixels and a 140-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angle and a glass pentaprism viewfinder that offers a 96% field of view and a 95x magnification. Exposure modes are provided for any shooting situation and the 11-point autofocus system and 16-segment meter will give sharp, correctly exposed images even in difficult lighting conditions.

Other features include the proprietary SAFOX VIII 11-point phase matching AF system, a choice of 16-segment multi, centre-weighted, and spot metering and a shutter speed range from 30 to 1/4000 second plus Bulb. The shutter mechanism is rated for 100,000 cycles. ISO sensitivity ranges from 100 to 1600 and the camera offers the standard auto, P, A, S and M shooting modes plus Sensitivity-priority AE and Shutter & Aperture-priority AE. Auto, manual and six pre-set white balance modes are provided. The five-mode popup flash has a GN of 15.6 (ISO 200/m) and covers out to a 28mm angle of view. Flash sync speed is 1/180 second and flash exposures are adjustable from +1 to -2EV. A hot shoe is provided for external flash units.

The components used in the K10D’s anti-shake system.
Continuous shooting is available at 3 fps and the buffer memory can store up to 12 shots of JPEG frames to card capacity. Other features include a variety of digital filter modes: four black and white, three sepia, 18 colour, three levels of soft filtering, “slim” filtering, and a brightness filter in playback mode). The K10D also offers a two or 12-second self timer, and a zero or three-second remote control mode. Images are stored on SD media, and the Pentax K10D is compatible with the new SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) standard. The camera is powered by a proprietary D-LI50 lithium-ion rechargeable battery.

The above schematic diagram shows the position of the weather-resistant sealing in the K1-D body.
Announced concurrently with the K10D is the smc Pentax-DA 70mm F2.4 Limited lens, designed for exclusive use with Pentax digital SLR cameras and featuring an ultra-thin pancake design and uni-focal, medium-telephoto optics. With a medium-telephoto perspective, this new lens is ideal for many applications including portraiture and landscape. Pentax has also released details of the new D-BG2 battery grip, which is designed for exclusive use with the K10D. This battery grip can be used in combination with the camera’s rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to double the camera’s battery life. With a vertical shutter-release button, preview lever, two control dials, AE-lock button and green button, the new battery grip makes vertical-position shooting simple and effortless. It also features the same dust-proof, weather-resistant construction as the K10D camera body.
Local distributor, C.R. Kennedy & Company (www.crkennedy.com.au) has not released details of pricing and availability for the K10D. However Pentax’s US website is quoting the following: The K10D body will ship by November 2006 for US $899.95, and as a kit with the DA 18-55mm lens for US $999.95. The D-BG2 Battery Grip will ship at the same time for less than US $190.00. The PENTAX DA 70mm lens will ship in October 2006 for less than US $600.00.

Camera Type: Auto-exposure digital SLR still camera with TTL auto focus, built-in retractable P-TTL auto flash, and CCD shift shake reduction and dust reduction
Image Capture Device: 10.75 megapixel interline interlace CCD with a primary colour filter (10.2 megapixels effective)
Color Depth: 8 bit (JPEG) or 12 bit (RAW) x 3 colours
Recorded Pixels: JPEG 10M(3872×2592 pixels), 6M(3008×2000 pixels), 2M(1824×1216 pixels), RAW 10M(3872×2592 pixels)
Focus System: TTL phase-matching 11-point autofocus system (SAFOX VIII)
Autofocus Modes: AF-Single (with focus lock), AF-Continuous, Manual
Shake Reduction: CCD Image Sensor Shift
Lens Mount: Pentax KAF2 mount compatible with Pentax KAF2, KAF and KA mount lenses
Power zoom function: Available
Kit Lens: DA series18-55mm f3.5-5.6 smc Pentax zoom (27-83mm in 35mm format)
Light Metering: TTL open-aperature metering with choice of: 16-segment, Centre-weighted & Spot meter; Metering Range: EV1 – EV21.5 (At ISO 200 with 50mm f1.4 lens)
Sensitivity: Auto, ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Exposure Control: Green, Program AE, ISO Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter & Aperture Priority AE, Metered Manual, X-Sync, Bulb
Exposure Compensation: +/-3 EV (1/2 or 1/3 steps)
Auto Exposure Lock: Available
Depth of Field Preview: Via viewfinder or LCD
Auto Bracketing: 3 frames +/-1.5EV (1/2 steps) or +/-1EV (1/3 steps)
Shutter Speed: 1/4000 – 30 seconds and Bulb
White Balance: TTL Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, Manual
Flash: Built-in series-control retractable P-TTL pop-up flash; GN 15.6 (at ISO 200/m);
Flash Modes: Auto, Flash-off, Flash-on, Auto + Red-eye reduction, Flash-on + Red-eye reduction; Flash Exposure Compensation: +1 to -2 (1/2 steps)
Digital Filter: Black & White (4 types), Sepia (3 types), Colour (18 types), Soft (3 levels), Slim (+/- 8 levels), Brightness (during playback)
Drive Modes: Single-shot, Continuous 3 fps to card capacity (JPEG), 12 frames (RAW), Self-timer (12sec, 2sec), Auto bracketing, Extended bracketing, Remote Control (0sec, 3sec)
Storage Media: SD memory card, SDHC memory card
File Formats: Still – JPEG (Exif 2.21), RAW (PEF, DNG), DCF (Design rule for Camera File system), DPOF (Digital Print Order Format), PRINT Image Matching III
Optical Viewfinder: Pentaprism with Natural-Bright-Matte II focusing screen; 95% coverage, 0.95x Magnification (with 50mm f1.4 lens, -1-1); Diopter Adjustment: -2.5m^-1 to +1.5m^-1
LCD Monitor: 2.5-inch, TFT colour LCD (Low Reflection) with Histogram display; Approx. 210,000 pixels
Playback Modes: Single, Index – Nine image; Magnification: 20x
Interfaces: USB 2.0 high speed; Video output compatible with NTSC and PAL formats
Power Source: Rechargeable D-LI50 Lithium-ion battery, Optional AC adapter
Dimensions (W x H x D): 141.5 x 101 x 67.5mm
Weight: 710g (without battery and SD memory card)