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Pentax K-50 Press Release

A Digital SLR camera with a weather-resistant, dustproof body, assuring high-quality photography with simple, user-friendly operation

Mississauga, ON – June 12, 2013

PENTAX RICOH IMAGING CANADA INC. is pleased to announce the introduction of the PENTAX K-50 Digital SLR camera. The PENTAX K-50 combines a uniquely advanced feature set, including weather-resistant, dustproof construction, with a consumer-friendly price tag and 120 colour combinations to meet an important additional demand of the creative consumer: personal style.

The PENTAX K-50 boasts outstanding basic specifications that rival many upper-class models, including high-speed continuous shooting at approximately six images per second, super-highsensitivity shooting at ISO 51200, high-precision SAFOX IXi+ autofocus with accurate subject tracking, innovative in-body shake reduction, full HD video capture and a 100% field of view. Its weather-resistant, dustproof construction assures solid performance under demanding outdoor conditions. The K-50 is perfect for families and everyday photography, complete with a wide selection of creative tools and filters for limitless personalized expressions. Plus, eye-fi card compatibility makes image sharing fast and easy. The K-50 is compatible with both rechargeable Li-Ion and AA batteries (via optional AA battery holder)* for the ultimate flexibility and accessibility to a power source when travelling or in remote locations.

The K-50 will be available in a choice of three standard body colours: black, white and red or select from a choice of 117 custom colour combinations (available by special order) to create your K-50 to match your personal style.

Two new lenses featuring simplified weather-resistant construction to enhance the reliability and dependability of the K-50 imaging system are also being introduced — the smc PENTAX-DA L 18-55mm F3.5-5.6AL WR, and the smc PENTAX-DA L 50-200 F4-5.6ED WR.

The K-50 will be available in Canada July 2013 at a suggested retail price of $799.99 for the K-50 Kit including the smc PENTAX-DA L 18-55mm F3.5-5.6AL WR Lens.

* The optional D-BH109 AA Battery Holder is required for AA-battery operation.

Major Features

Availability in 120 eye-catching colour combinations
As the only camera in the DSLR market that is available in customizable colours, the K-50 sets a new benchmark for individual personalization in the imaging industry. Consumers are able to accent their personal expression by selecting a body and grip colour that epitomizes their particular style.

Dependable weather-resistant, dustproof body
With 81 weather seals throughout the entire body, the K-50 ensures worry-free use in any weather condition or outdoor setting. The K-50’s rugged, coldproof design is also made for perfect use in wet, snowy winter conditions, at temperatures as low as -10°C. Its compact, functional body is carefully contoured with delicate curves, assuring that even a photographer with small hands will have a firm grip of the camera.

High-resolution, super-high-sensitivity shooting at ISO 51200
The K-50 features the state-of-the-art CMOS image sensor with a large image-capturing area measuring 23.7mm by 15.7mm, to assure high-speed image data readout. This image sensor is coupled with PRIME M to deliver super-high-resolution, rich-gradation digital images with approximately 16.28 effective megapixels. The K-50 also offers super-high-sensitivity shooting at a top sensitivity of ISO 51200, allowing the photographer to handhold the camera for beautiful nighttime snapshots.

Innovative SR mechanism
The PENTAX-developed SR (Shake Reduction) mechanism effectively compensates the adverse effect of camera shake to deliver sharp, blur-free images, even under shake-prone conditions such as when using a telephoto lens, shooting in the dark without flash illumination, or taking landscapes at twilight. This innovative mechanism works with almost all PENTAX interchangeable lenses — even those developed for film-format cameras.** Thanks to the SR mechanism’s flexible design, which tilts the image sensor unit in all directions, the K-50 offers several useful features to assist the photographer during shooting, including an Automatic Horizon Correction function to assure high-precision image framing and effortless adjustment of horizontal alignment; a Composition Adjustment function to allow minute adjustment of image alignment both to horizontal and vertical directions, as well as slant-wise rotation; and an ASTROTRACER mode to simplify astronomical photography in combination with the optional O-GPS1 GPS Unit.

** Lenses compatible with this mechanism: PENTAX K, KA, KAF, KAF2 and KAF3mount lenses; screw-mount lenses (with an adapter); and 645 and 67system lenses (with an adapter). Some functions may not be available with certain lenses.

High-precision autofocus with SAFOX IXi+ AF module
The K-50 features the state-of-the-art SAFOX IXi+ AF sensor module, which assures responsive, high-precision autofocus operation with 11 sensors (including nine cross-type sensors in the middle). It also features a spotbeam projector to assist AF operation at poorly lit locations. Its select-area expansion function keeps the sensor module tracking a moving subject, even when it moves out of a pre-assigned auto-tracking area, by assessing the distance data collected by neighboring focus sensors. This means not only greatly improved accuracy and speed of detecting moving subjects during autofocus operation, but also the enhanced autotracking performance of moving subjects when using a telephoto lens.

High-speed continuous shooting, at approximately six images per second
When shooting sports, stage performances or wildlife, the K-50’s high-speed continuous shooting function comes in handy. It allows the photographer to record active, fast-moving subjects in a series of images, at a maximum speed of approximately six images per second (in the JPEG recording format).

Optical finder with approximately 100% field of view
Despite its compact size, the K-50 features a glass prism finder with nearly 100% field of view and approximately 0.92-times magnification (with a 50mm F1.4 lens at infinity) to cover the entire field of view for easy focusing and framing. Since it delivers a clear view of the subject even in bright sunshine and eliminates parallax and time lag in the viewfinder image, the K-50 responds efficiently and reliably to demanding applications and subjects, such as landscapes requiring delicate, high-precision framing, and sports scenes where the timing of shutter release is critical. The in-focus point is indicated as a red point in the viewfinder for at-a-glance confirmation.

High-quality movie recording
The K-50 captures high-resolution, full HD movie clips (1920 x 1080 pixels) in the H.264 recording format, with a choice of frame rate (30, 25 or 24 frames per second). It even comes with creative image-processing tools*** like Custom Images and useful movie-recording features like an interval movie recording function, for the production of more personalized movies.

*** The frame rate may vary when nonstandard image processing is required.

Effortless, user-friendly Auto Picture and Scene modes
The PENTAX-original Auto Picture mode automatically selects the most appropriate shooting mode for a given subject or scene from Portrait, Landscape, Macro and other distinctive shooting modes. The K-50 sets all vital camera settings, including shutter speed, aperture, white balance, saturation, contrast and sharpness, allowing the photographer to concentrate on image composition and shutter opportunity. The K-50 also offers 19 Scene modes, including Night Scene Portrait, Pet and Backlight Silhouette, to simplify photographing complicated or demanding subjects and scenes by optimizing all camera settings with a simple choice of the corresponding icon on the camera’s LCD monitor.

A selection of image-processing tools for creative, personalized expression
The K-50’s custom image function allows the user to easily and quickly select the desired finishing touch for a particular image, with a choice of 11 custom images. These include Bleach Bypass to create a dramatic visual effect used in motion pictures, and Cross Process to produce fanciful, eye-catching images with dramatic colours. The K-50 also offers 19 distinctive digital filters to add distinctive visual effects to captured images and produce creative, artistic images without the need for a computer. The user can even explore new creative possibilities by applying multiple filters to a single image.

Choice of two power sources
In addition to the standard rechargeable lithium-ion battery capable of capturing approximately 480 images with a single recharge,**** the K-50 can also be powered by four AA-size batteries using the optional D-BH109 AA Battery Holder. Since AA-size batteries can be easily obtained almost anywhere around the world, there’s no need to worry about battery shortages, even when on the road.

**** Under testing conditions prescribed by PENTAX, using the D-LI109 Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery with no flash discharges.

Other features
I. Large, wide-view 3.0-inch LCD monitor with approximately 921,000 dots
II. 77-segment multi-pattern metering system for extra-accurate light measurement
III. DR (Dust Removal) mechanism to shake dust from the surface of the CMOS image sensor
IV. Digital level for extra-accurate image composition
V. PENTAX-designed Hyper control system to assure flexible, unfailing response to the photographer’s creative intentions
VI. RAW data retrieve function to save an original raw data of a just-recorded JPEG-format image
VII. RAW/Fx button for single-action switching of image file format, as well as for assignment and instant recall of a specific function
VIII. Compatibility with Eye-Fi wireless LAN SD memory cards
IX. SILKYPIX Developer Studio 3.0 LE for PENTAX RICOH IMAGING(RAW-data processing engine developed by Ichikawa Soft Laboratory) included, together with the K-50’s in-body RAW data processing capability

Overview of weather-sealed lenses:
The smc PENTAX-DA L 18-55mm F3.5-5.6AL WR lens and smc PENTAX-DA L 50-200mm F4-5.6ED WR lens feature a simplified weather-resistant construction, which prevents the intrusion of water into the lens barrel. By mounting one of these lenses on the K-50 camera body, the user creates a highly durable, dependable digital imaging system, even when shooting in the rain, mist or spray.

smc PENTAX-DA L 18-55mm F3.5-5.6AL WR lens
This standard zoom lens covers focal lengths from 27.5mm wide angle to 84mm moderate telephoto (in the 35mm format). Thanks to the incorporation of high-performance aspherical and super-low-dispersion glass optical elements in its optics, it assures outstanding image resolution and remarkable brightness, even at the edges, while effectively compensating various aberrations.

smc PENTAX-DA L 50-200mm F4-5.6ED WR lens
This telephoto zoom lens covers focal lengths from 76.5mm moderate telephoto to 307mm super telephoto (in the 35mm format). With the incorporation of extra-low-dispersion (ED) glass optical elements, it assures excellent description of the subject in various telephoto applications, including portraiture, sports/action and landscape, while effectively compensating chromatic aberration over the entire zoom range.

PENTAX RICOH IMAGING is a leader in the production of a variety of adventure ready digital cameras including weather-resistant digital SLRs and stylish, compact, waterproof cameras, as well as lenses, flash units, binoculars, scopes, and eyepieces. With headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario, PENTAX RICOH IMAGING CANADA INC. is a subsidiary of PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD. Visit us on the web at www.pentax.ca

Pentax K50 Full Specification