Pentax has released details of its the K-01, which sports an APS-C sized sensor and is the first mirrorless camera to natively support an existing SLR lens line-up.
The K-01 shares many features with the Pentax K-5 and uses the same 16.28 megapixel sensor. It is also compatible with all K-mount lenses and accessories designed for Pentax DSLRs. However, it has no viewfinder and it features a new PRIME M image processing engine. The aluminium alloy body has been designed by Marc Newson and comes in to colours: black, white and yellow. The design features neat, straight lines and a rubberised grip. High-quality aluminium alloy buttons are optimised for functionality and visual attractiveness.
The three colour options for the new Pentax K-01
The camera includes built-in sensor-shift stabilisation and supports ISO settings up to ISO 25,600 with noise reduction at all sensitivity levels. The PRIME M processor supports Full HD video recording at 30, 25 or 24 fps using H.264 compression. Soundtracks are recorded in stereo and a dedicated movie button is provided, along with a jack for an external microphone.
Front, back and top views of the Pentax K-01
Users can set the camera to embed copyright information in images. Raw files can be ‘developed’ into JPEGs in the camera and correction for distortion and lateral chromatic aberration is also available. The K-01 also supports a high degree of button and dial customisation and provides a peaking indicator to help users to obtain accurate focus.
According to a Pentax press release, the K-01 will become available in March. In the US, the body-only MSRP will be $749.95, and the 40mm kit $899.95. In Europe, the body will sell for ø‚ £629.99 and the kit with DAL 18-55mm lens and the DAL 50-200mm lens for ø‚ £799.99. The kit price is also listed as 699 Euros. We’ll add information on local release dates and pricing as they become available.
Specifications
Image sensor: 23.7 x 15.7 mm CMOS sensor vwith 16.49 million photosites (16.28 megapixels effective)
Image processor: PRIME M
A/D processing: 12-bit
Lens mount: Pentax KAF2 (compatible with KAF3, KAF, KA lenses)
Focal length crop factor: 1.5x
Image formats: Stills -DNG.RAW, JPEG (Exif 2.3), RAW+JPEG; Movies – MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
Image Sizes: Stills – 4:3 aspect: 4352 x 3264, 3840 x 2880, 3072 x 2304, 2304 x 1728; 3:2 aspect: 4928 x 3264, 4224 x 2816, 3456 x 2304, 2688 x 1792; 16:9 aspect: 4928 x 2776 x4224 x 2376, 3456 x 1944, 2688 x 1512; 1:1 aspect: 3264 x 3264, 2880 x2880, 3204 x 2304, 1728 x 1728; Movies: 1920 x 1080 at 30/25/24 fps; 1280 x 720 at 60/50/30/25/24 fps; 640 x 480 at 30/25/24 fps
Image Stabilisation: Sensor-shift type
Dust removal: SP coating and vibration of low-pass filter
Shutter speed range: 30 to 1/4000 seconds plus Bulb
Exposure Compensation: +/- 3 EV in 1/2 or 1/3 Ev steps
Exposure bracketing: 3 frames
Focus system: Contrast detect AF with AF/MF switching; dedicated LED assist light; focus peaking in MF
Focus modes: face detection, tracking, select and spot modes
Exposure metering: TTL metering with multi-segment, centre-weighted and spot modes
Shooting modes: Auto (with auto scene selection), P, A, S, M, Bulb, HDR (JPEG only); Scene modes: Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Moving Object, Night Portrait, Sunset, Blue sky, Forest, Night Scene, Night Scene HDR, Night Snap, Food, Pet, Kids, Surf & Snow, Backlit Silhouette, Candlelight, Stage Lighting, Museum
Picture Style/Control settings: Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, Radiant, Muted, Bleach Bypass, Reversal Film, Monochrome, Cross Processing; plus 4x HDR settings
Digital Filters: Extract Colour, Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Shading, Invert Colour, Colour
Colour space options: sRGB, Adobe RGB
Custom functions: 16
ISO range: Auto, ISO to ISO 12,800 in 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV steps; expansion to ISO 25600
White balance: Auto (TTL by CMOS image sensor), Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent (x4), Tungsten, Flash, CTE, Manual; +/- 7 steps of fine adjustment
Flash: Retractable P-TTL auto pop-up flash, GN: 12 (ISO 100/m): P-TTL, Red-eye reduction, slow synch, trailing curtain synch; High-speed synch with Pentax external flash unit
Flash exposure adjustment: -2.0 to +1.0 EV
Sequence shooting: Max. 6 fps for large/fine JPEG
Storage Media: SD, SDHC and SDXH cards
Viewfinder: No
LCD monitor: 3-inch TFT colour LCD with 921,000 dots and AR coating
Playback functions: Single-frame, Index (4/9/16/36/81 frames), Enlarge (up to 16x with scrolling and quick magnification), Slideshow, Calendar filmstrip, Picture rotation (auto mode available), Histogram (independent luminance/RGB available), bright/dark area warning, Shooting information, copyright display, folder display
Interface terminals: USO 2.0, HDMI (Type C Mini), AV output, stereo microphone jack
Power supply: D-LI90 rechargeable lithium-ion battery; CIPA rated for approx. 500 shots/charge with 50% flash usage
Dimensions (wxhxd): Approx. 121 x 79 x 59 mm (body only)
Weight: Approx. 480 grams (body only)