Pentax Ricoh Imaging has unveiled a new digicam, the Pentax MX-1, which features slim, contemporary styling and is ideal for low-light photography.
Angled front view of the Pentax MX-1. (Source: Pentax Ricoh.)
The MX-1 has a classic design reminiscent of traditional film cameras, with a textures rubber grip and brass top and bottom panels plus a metal lens ring, tiltable 920-000-dot LCD monitor and dedicated mode and exposure compensation dials. Internally, it boasts a 7.6 x 5.7 mm back-illuminated CMOS sensor with 12-megapixel resolution and a state-of-the-art imaging engine that supports Super Resolution technology and ISO settings to 12800. Raw file capture is supported, along with in-camera raw file development.
Rear view of the Pentax MX-1 with the monitor tilted for waist-level shooting. (Source: Pentax Ricoh.)
The camera’s 4x optical zoom lens (28-112mm in 35mm format) has a maximum aperture of f/1.8 to f/2.5. An ‘intelligent zoom’ extends the range up to 8.7 times (218mm in 35mm format equivalent). Dual shake reduction combines sensor-shift and digital compensation and a dual-axis digital level gauge is available to ensure horizontal and vertical alignment. The new camera supports Full HD movie recording employing efficient H.264 compression. A dedicated movie button is provided. Time-lapse movies can be recorded and a new High-speed Movie mode records movie clips for slow-motion playback, both of which are recorded at VGA resolution (640 x 480 pixels). A pop-up auto flash is included, along with remote control sensors on the front and back panels.
Creative functions include 15 digital filters, image processing tools such as Stretch and Small Face filters and a Collage function, a choice of four aspect ratios and compatibility with Eye-Fi cards. The MX-1 measures approximately 122.5x 60 x 51.5 mm and weighs around 363 grams (without battery and SD memory card).
Details are available at http://pentaximaging.com/digital-camera/MX-1_Silver.
