PENTAX ANNOUNCES K100D DIGITAL SLR WITH SHAKE REDUCTION

May 22, 2006

PENTAX ANNOUNCES K100D DIGITAL SLR FEATURING SHAKE REDUCTION

Visit the image vault: http://www.pentaxtech.com/Press/pressfiles.html


GOLDEN, CO (May 22, 2006)…PENTAX Imaging Company announced today the PENTAX K100D, which combines 6.1 effective megapixels with a host of advanced technologies including a Shake Reduction (SR) system to deliver high-quality digital SLR photography and user-friendly operation to all levels of photographers.
The PENTAX-developed Shake Reduction (SR) system in the K100D effectively offers a two-stop advantage for sharp, blur-free images even under difficult shooting conditions, such as using a telephoto lens or shooting in low light without a flash.
The SR mechanism is designed to minimize camera shake by oscillating the CCD image sensor vertically and horizontally at high speed using magnetic force, while adjusting the speed of oscillation in proportion to the amount of camera shake detected by a built-in sensor. As a result, the system does not require special anti-shake lenses and can be used with almost all existing PENTAX interchangeable lenses.*
“The ease-of-use, advanced features and attractive price make the PENTAX K100D digital SLR a perfect choice for users moving up from a point-and-shoot camera,” said Ned Bunnell, director of marketing, PENTAX Imaging Company.
Also announced today is the PENTAX K110D, an entry-level digital SLR camera, which has all of the features of the K100D with the exception of Shake Reduction. Both models reflect a new digital SLR naming system that references the reverse compatibility that each body has with the legacy of PENTAX K-mount lenses. The PENTAX K100D will ship along with the smc 18-55mm lens in July 2006 for $699.95 US, while the PENTAX K110D will ship along with the smc 18-55mm lens in August 2006 for $599.95 US.
Along with the two new SLR models, PENTAX announced the smc PENTAX DA 21mm F3.2 AL Limited interchangeable wide-angle lens. Previewed at PMA 2006 in Orlando, the lens features a versatile angle of view and an ultra-thin, pancake design that offers go-anywhere portability that is ideal for casual, day-to-day photography. The latest lens inherits all the attributes of the acclaimed PENTAX Limited lens series including high-quality image reproduction, distinctive visual description, and high-grade lens-barrel finish. The smc PENTAX DA 21mm F3.2 AL Limited lens will ship in July 2006 for $549.95.
* Lenses compatible with this mechanism are: PENTAX K-, KA-, KAF- and KAF2-mount lenses; screw-mount lenses (with an adapter); and 645- are 67-system lenses (with an adapter). Certain lenses may lose part of their functions.
Additional product information is available at: www.pentaxslr.com while an image gallery is available at: http://www.pentaxtech.com/Press/pressfiles.html
PENTAX Imaging Company is an innovative leader in the production of digital cameras, lenses, scopes, eyepieces, binoculars, mobile and laser printers, scanners and Internet cameras. For more than 80 years, PENTAX technology has developed durable, reliable products that meet the needs of consumers and businesses. With headquarters in Golden, Colorado, PENTAX Imaging Company is a division of PENTAX of America, Inc.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Michelle Martin
303.728.0224
michelle.martin@pentax.com
www.pentaxslr.com

CONSUMERS:
1-800-877-0155
pentaxinfo@pentax.om


PENTAX K100D Digital SLR
FACT SHEET

PENTAX-original Shake Reduction mechanism for sharp, blur-free images
The K100D features a PENTAX-developed Shake Reduction (SR) system, which effectively reduces camera shake for sharp, blur-free images even under difficult shooting conditions, such as using a telephoto lens, shooting in low light conditions without a supplementary flash illumination. The K100D SR mechanism is designed to minimize camera shake by oscillating the CCD image sensor vertically and horizontally at high speed using magnetic force, while adjusting the speed of oscillation in proportion to the amount of camera shake detected by a built-in sensor. This system does not require special anti-shake lenses and may be used with almost all existing PENTAX interchangeable lenses.*
* Lenses compatible with this mechanism are: PENTAX K-, KA-, KAF- and KAF2-mount lenses; screw-mount lenses (with an adapter); and 645- and 67-system lenses (with an adapter). Certain camera and/or lens functions may be disabled.

11-point wide-frame AF to capture off-center subjects in crisp focus
The sophisticated K100D SAFOX VIII autofocus system features 11 sensor points (with nine cross-type sensors) to automatically focus on the subject with utmost precision, even when it is positioned off center. The in-focus sensor point is automatically superimposed in red in the viewfinder for at-a-glance confirmation. This high-precision AF system offers a choice of two AF modes: the conventional single AF, and the continuous AF,** which maintains focus on the moving subject as long as the shutter release button is pressed halfway down.
** The continuous AF mode is selectable by the user only when P, Tv, Av, M or B is selected as a shooting mode on the mode dial. This mode is automatically activated by the camera when the Auto Picture Program, or one of the Picture or Scene modes, is selected.

Auto sensitivity control up to ISO equivalent 3200
The K100D features an auto sensitivity control function, which automatically sets the optimum standard output sensitivity — up to equivalent ISO of 3200, which is the highest automatic setting in its class — based on such data as the subject's brightness level and the lens focal length. Since this function allows the use of higher shutter speeds in poor lighting situations (such as indoor sports events and night scenes), it helps photographers reduce camera shake and prevent blurred images.

Auto Picture Mode for effortless point-and-shoot SLR photography
The K100D offers the exclusive PENTAX Auto Picture Mode, which automatically and instantly selects one of the four Picture modes — including Portrait, Landscape and Macro — by calculating various photographic factors to assure optimum results. Since this advanced shooting mode takes away all the concerns about aperture, shutter-speed, white-balance, saturation, contrast and sharpness settings, the photographer can concentrate on image composition and shutter opportunity.

Large LCD monitor to facilitate image viewing and menu setting
The K100D incorporates a large 2.5 inch color LCD monitor on its back panel that offers a wide-view design that allows views from over 140 degrees vertically and horizontally, ensuring effortless image viewing even from a diagonal position. With a total of approximately 210,000 pixels, the monitor offers digital zooming of playback images up to 12 times for easy confirmation of the image's focusing status and details. The large monitor size allows for large letters, digits and icons on the menu screens to facilitate menu confirmation and camera operations. In addition, the color scheme between the menu listings and the background is optimized for each menu screen to assure at-a-glance confirmation, even under varying shooting conditions.

True-to-life, rich-gradation images assured by 6.1 effective megapixels
The K100D features a large, high-performance 23.5mm x 15.7mm CCD as its image sensor, assuring the faithful reproduction of the desired photographic intention in the resulting images — from images with beautiful out-of-focus backgrounds to those with edge-to-edge sharpness. Combining 6.1 effective megapixels with a high-performance imaging engine and advanced image-processing technologies, the K100D is designed to produce beautiful, true-to-life images that are rich in gradation. What's more, it offers a choice of two finishing touches of “Natural” or “Bright” to create a distinctive atmosphere.

Super-compact, ultra-lightweight body, with outstanding rigidity
While the K100D is designed to be compact and lightweight to enhance operability and portability, it also incorporates a newly developed stainless-steel chassis and a fiber-reinforced engineering plastic housing to reinforce its overall rigidity and durability.

Bright, clear viewfinder
The K100D features a lightweight penta-mirror viewfinder, which combines PENTAX finder optics and a Natural-Bright-Matte II focusing screen to deliver bright, clear subject image with a 0.85X magnification and a 96 percent field of view.

Top shutter speed of 1/4000 second
The K100D offers a top shutter speed of 1/4000 second to freeze fast-moving subjects and capture decisive moments and features a flash synchronization speed of 1/180 second and a bulb setting (B) for extended exposures.

Continuous shooting at approximately 2.8 images per second
To trace the movement of an active subject or capture a sequence of the subject's expressions, the K100D offers a continuous shooting mode that allows the photographer to capture multiple images (up to five images at “Best” image quality in JPEG format) at a maximum speed of approximately 2.8 images per second.

Upgraded standard software package
The K100D's standard software package consists of the PENTAX PHOTO Laboratory 3 that features the reliable SILKYPIX image-processing engine (developed by ICHIKAWA SOFT LABORATORY) for RAW data processing, and the PENTAX PHOTO Browser 3 that offers faster data processing speed and better operability than the previous version, and can convert RAW images to the DNG format. DNG is a public, archival format for digital camera raw data.

Save-by-day Storage Capability on an SD memory card
Images may be stored in a standard format where all files are located in one folder, or the images can be stored in folders for each day of shooting automatically on an SD memory card.

Additional features
·19 custom functions to personalize camera operations
·SD memory card compatibility
·Eight distinctive Scene modes to accommodate specific subjects/applications
·Choice of two depth-of-field preview functions (digital/optical)
·Choice of 16-segment multi-pattern metering, center-weighted metering and spot metering to accommodate various photographic applications
·Noise reduction mechanism to reduce digital noise during extended exposures
·Dual power source (two CR-V3 lithium batteries, or four AA-size batteries)
·USB 2.0 (HI-SPEED) compatibility for speedy data transfer to PC
·Choice of image format between JPEG (Best, Better or Good) and RAW
·Five digital filters (Black-and-white, Sepia, Slim, Soft and Brightness) for easy editing of recorded images
·PictBridge compatibility

SD Logo is a trademark
PENTAX, K100D and smc PENTAX are trademarks of PENTAX Corporation
PENTAX PHOTO Browser and PENTAX PHOTO Laboratory are trademarks of PENTAX Corporation
All other brands or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Design and Specifications are subject to change without notice

PENTAX K110D Digital SLR
FACT SHEET

11-point wide-frame AF to capture off-center subjects in crisp focus
The K110D's sophisticated SAFOX VIII autofocus system features 11 sensor points (with nine cross-type sensors) to automatically focus on the subject with utmost precision, even when it is positioned off center. The in-focus sensor point is automatically superimposed in red in the viewfinder for at-a-glance confirmation. This high-precision AF system offers a choice of two AF modes: the conventional single AF, and the continuous AF,** which maintains focus on the moving subject as long as the shutter release button is pressed halfway down.

** The continuous AF mode is selectable by the user only when P, Tv, Av, M or B is selected as a shooting mode on the mode dial. This mode is automatically activated by the camera when the Auto Picture Program, or one of the Picture or Scene modes, is selected.

Bright, clear viewfinder
The K110D features a lightweight penta-mirror viewfinder, which combines PENTAX-original finder optics with a Natural-Bright-Matte II focusing screen to deliver bright, clear subject images with a 0.85X magnification and a 96 percent field of view.

Large LCD monitor to facilitate image viewing and menu setting
The K110D incorporates a large 2.5 inch color LCD monitor on its back panel. Its wide-view design allows the photographer to check the monitor image over 140 degrees vertically and horizontally, ensuring effortless image viewing even from a diagonal position. With a total of approximately 210,000 pixels, it also offers digital zooming of playback images up to 12 times for easy confirmation of the image's focusing status and details. The large monitor size allows for large letters, digits and icons on the menu screens to facilitate menu confirmation and camera operations. In addition, the color scheme between the menu listings and the background is optimized for each menu screen to assure at-a-glance confirmation, even under varying shooting conditions.

Auto Picture Mode for effortless point-and-shoot SLR photography
The K110D offers the PENTAX-developed Auto Picture Mode, which automatically and instantly selects one of the four Picture modes — including Portrait, Landscape and Macro — by calculating various photographic factors to assure optimum results. Since this advanced shooting mode takes away all the concerns about aperture, shutter-speed, white-balance, saturation, contrast and sharpness settings, the photographer can concentrate on image composition and shutter opportunity.
Auto sensitivity control up to ISO equlivalent of 3200 standard output sensitivity
The K110D features an auto sensitivity control function, which automatically sets the optimum standard output sensitivity — up to 3200, which is the highest automatic setting in its class — based on such data as the subject's brightness level and the lens' focal length. Since this function allows the use of higher shutter speeds in poor lighting situations (such as indoor sports events and night scenes), it helps the photographer to effectively reduce camera shake and prevent blurred images.

AA-battery power supply for easy battery replacement on the road
The K110D is powered by four AA-size batteries — available nearly everywhere around the globe — for worry-free batter replacement. It also accepts two CR-V3 lithium batteries.
True-to-life, rich-gradation images assured by 6.1 effective megapixels
The K110D features a large, high-performance 23.5mm x 15.7mm CCD as its image sensor, assuring the faithful reproduction of the desired photographic intention in the resulting images — from images with beautiful out-of-focus backgrounds to those with edge-to-edge sharpness. By combining 6.1 effective megapixels with a high-performance imaging engine and advanced image-processing technologies, the K110D is designed to produce beautiful, true-to-life images that are rich in gradation. What's more, it offers a choice of two finishing touches of “Natural” or “Bright” to create a distinctive atmosphere.

Compatibility with existing PENTAX interchangeable lenses
The K110D is compatible with all existing PENTAX interchangeable lenses. This compatibility lets the photographer use various lenses for the same subject, or select the most appropriate lens for a given situation, assuring the top visual creativity available only through SLR photography.
** Lenses compatible with the K110D are: K-, KA-, KAF- and KAF2-mount lenses; screw-mount lenses (with an adapter); 645-system lenses (with an adapter); and 67-system lenses (with an adapter). Certain lenses may lose part of their functions.

Super-compact, ultra-lightweight body, with outstanding rigidity
While the K110D is designed to be compact and lightweight to enhance operability and portability, it also incorporates a newly developed stainless-steel chassis and a fiber-reinforced engineering plastic housing to reinforce its overall rigidity and durability.

Upgraded standard software package
The K100D's standard software package consists of the PENTAX PHOTO Laboratory 3 that features the reliable SILKYPIX image-processing engine (developed by ICHIKAWA SOFT LABORATORY) for RAW data processing, and the PENTAX PHOTO Browser 3 that offers faster data processing speed and better operability than the previous version, and can convert RAW images to the DNG format. DNG is a public, archival format for digital camera raw data.
Save-by-day Storage Capability on an SD memory card
Images can be stored in a standard format where all files are located in one folder, or the images can be stored in folders for each day of shooting automatically on an SD memory card.

Additional features
·High-speed shutter unit, with a top speed of 1/4000 second
·High-speed continuous shooting, up to five images (at “Best” image quality in JPEG format) at the speed of approx. 2.8 images per second
·Eight distinctive Scene modes to accommodate specific subjects/applications
·19 custom functions to personalize camera operations
·SD memory card compatibility
·Choice of two depth-of-field preview functions (digital/optical)
·Choice of 16-segment multi-pattern metering, center-weighted metering and spot metering to accommodate various photographic applications
·Noise reduction mechanism to reduce digital noise during extended exposures
·USB 2.0 (HI-SPEED) compatibility for speedy data transfer to PC
·Choice of image format between JPEG (Best, Better or Good) and RAW
·Five digital filters (Black-and-white, Sepia, Slim, Soft and Brightness) for easy editing of recorded images
·PictBridge compatibility

SD Logo is a trademark
PENTAX, K110D and smc PENTAX are trademarks of PENTAX Corporation
PENTAX PHOTO Browser and PENTAX PHOTO Laboratory are trademarks of PENTAX Corporation
All other brands or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Design and Specifications are subject to change without notice.

PENTAX DA 21mm F3.2 AL Limited
FACT SHEET

Specifications
Lens mount: PENTAX KAF mount
Lens construction: 8 elements in 5 groups
Angle of view: 68° ( when used with *istD series & K100D body )
Aperture control: Automatic
Number of diaphragm blades: 7
Minimum aperture: F22
Metering system: TTL open-aperture metering
Minimum focusing distance: 0.2m (0.66ft.)
Filter size: 43mm or 49mm
Maximum magnification: 0.17X
Dimensions (diameter x length): 63mm x 25mm (2.5inch x 1.0inch)
Weight: 140g (4.9oz) without hood / 155g(5.5oz) with hood

Ultra-thin, super-lightweight design
With newly developed, high-performance optics, this new lens measures only one inch (25 millimeters long) and weighs a mere 4.9 ounces (140 grams). Mounted on a PENTAX digital SLR camera body, the lens protrudes very little from the camera's front panel, making it an ideal choice for carry-everywhere, instantaneous snapshot photography.

Versatile wide-angle perspective
Mounted on a PENTAX digital SLR camera body — including the new K100D — this lens offers an angle of view equivalent to a 32mm lens in the 35mm format. This versatile angle of view produces natural images with a moderate perspective and an expanded depth of field (or a wide in-focus area), making it ideal for many different types of subjects and occasions, including snapshots, landscape, travel photos, and architecture.

High-performance optics
This lens incorporates a hybrid aspherical lens in its eighth optical element to effectively compensate for a variety of aberrations, which cause adverse effects on overall image quality. In order to assure high-quality image reproduction over the entire focusing range, it also features a floating mechanism, which is designed to adjust the degree of aberration compensation in relation to the focusing distance.

Limited Lens-series quality for distinctive visual description and a premium appearance
The PENTAX Limited Lens series is designed for ultimate image reproduction by combining a series of mechanical and numerical evaluations with human assessment of test shot samples. True to this tradition, this new lens not only assures excellent image quality, but also produces sharp, clear images with outstanding contrast even at the maximum aperture, because its optical design has been optimized for digital photography. In addition, its lens barrel, hood and cap are all made of a high-grade aluminum material, shaped for perfect proportions and striking beauty.

SP coating to protect the lens against water and grease
The PENTAX-original Super Protective (SP) coating is applied to the front surface of the lens. Through a vapor deposition process, the lens surface is coated with a special fluorine compound to repel dust, water and grease, making it easy to wipe off fingerprints and cosmetics.

Digital SLR-exclusive design
This lens is exclusively designed for use with the PENTAX digital SLR cameras, with an image circle perfectly proportioned to the CCD size (23.5mm x 15.7mm), and optics optimized for digital imaging characteristics. Combining high-quality image reproduction with an ultra-thin, super-lightweight design, it is a perfect partner to PENTAX digital SLR cameras.

Other features
· PENTAX-developed Quick-Shift Focus System for instant switching to manual-focus operation after the subject is captured in focus by the AF system.
· Minimum focusing distance of 20 centimeters for close-up photography.
· Dual filter attachment design: 43mm filters on the hood, and 49mm filters on the lens (without use of the hood).

PENTAX, and smc PENTAX are trademarks of PENTAX Corporation.
Design and Specifications is subject to change without notice.

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