Ricoh Imaging has announced that it will show a full-frame Pentax ‘reference product – a digital SLR camera currently under development’ at CP+ next week in Yokohama (Feb 12 – 15).
Details were scarce: it will be released by the end of 2015; it will have a large, 35mm full-frame sensor; K-mount with compatibility with DA-series lenses via image-cropping.
If the mooted camera adopts current Pentax K technology, it will go up against Canon and Nikon as the only full-frame DSLR with in-camera image stability.
Adding some substance to the announced intention to ‘go full frame’, Ricoh Imaging also announced two new full-frame-compatible K-mount lenses – real products available from around April, and already on pre-order in some markets.
The HD Pentax-FA★ 70-200mm F2.8ED DC AW is a premium lens (‘Star Series’ in Pentax parlance) providing f2.8 maximum aperture over the entire zoom range. The HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW is a super-telephoto zoom lens for K-mount digital SLR cameras (230-690mm zoom range with existing Pentax DSLRs.
The press material for both lenses emphasises full frame compatibility: ‘(The) image circle is optimized to cover even the image size of 35mm film-format SLR cameras. As the result, it not only assures brilliant, high-resolution images without compromising the sharpness at edges even when mounted on an existing Pentax digital SLR camera body, but it is also capable of accepting future models with larger image sensors without modifications.’
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