Pentax Announce The K10

Pentax, the company who created my first SLR, have announced their first high-end digital SLR. This camera is a compact but high-quality model well suited for use by serious amateurs, art photographers, semi-pros, and professionals.

The new camera is called the K10 "D" and features a 10.2-megapixel CCD APS-C-sized sensor with an FOV Crop of 1.5x. Features include: 22-bit A/D conversion which is the highest of all existing DSLRs. Native support for DNG RAW files which allows the shooting of up to 9 Adobe DNG RAW images at 3 images per second or an unlimited number of JPEGs at the same speed.

Full weatherproofing with seventy-two weather seals and gaskets in the body, which effectively make the camera virtually waterproof. A Built-in Shake Reduction (SR) System and combatibility with all Pentax lenses, including all manual-focus lenses. There is also a removeable battery grip: The D-BG2 battery grip doubles the life of the camera’s rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It is also weatherproof like the camera, and, features full vertical-hold controls: a vertical shutter-release button, preview lever, two control dials, AE-lock button and the green button which enables instant return to program mode from aperture- or shutter-priority, as well as instant return to a metered setting while in metered-manual mode.

The Dual dust-elimination system, uses both a vapor-deposited fluorine compound coating on the sensor to repel dust, and high-speed physical vibration of the sensor itself to shake off the offending particles. The large glass pentaprism provides Ninety-five percent coverage and .95X magnification, there is also a diopter adjustment.

Other features include a stainless-steel body, 11-point autofocusing, and sensitivity to ISO 1600. There's also a dedicated button which allows you to toggle between RAW and standard modes. The K10 weighs 28 oz. loaded with battery and a card and should retail for US $900 in a body only package or for $1000 with a kit lens. The battery grip should cost US $190.