Ricoh has announced the Pentax K-1 Mk II, a 36.4-megapixel full-frame DSLR camera with improved Pixel Shift technology and low-light performance with a maximum ISO 819200.
The Pixel Shift Resolution System II has been improved to capture finer details and more realistic colour by recording RGB colour data.
Pixel Shift also has a new Dynamic mode, which allows photographers to use the technology without a tripod. It detects slight fluctuations of shake typical when shooting handheld, and minimises these effects by using the K-1 Mk II’s in-body shake reduction mechanism. The end result is the sensor shifting a single pixel for four images, and synthesising them into a single composite.
‘This technology comes from the reverse thinking of pixel shift technology to utilise the minute camera shake itself to product the composite images. Therefore, by detecting the camera shake in three dimensions, the continuously captured four images are analysed based on the detected camera shake information and combined into a single file to produce one super high resolution image.’
The camera has a new accelerator unit, which works with the Prime IV image processor to minimise noise while retaining high resolution at all sensitivity levels, with Ricoh emphasising the benefits in challenging low-light conditions.
The latest full-frame from Pentax shares many identical features to its predecessor, the K-1, including the sensor, Prime IV processor, a strong weather-resistant body, viewfinder, storage options.
Other features include:
– 33 AF points (25 cross-type) with updated tracking algorthim;
– Burst shooting of 4.4 fps (maximum 17 RAW images or 70 JPEGs);
– 1080/30p video.
PhotoCounter is chasing up local availability and pricing.
For now, we’ll run the American RRP, which is US$1999 body only. Or US$2399 with a body and HD Pentax-D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR zoom lens. Available from April.
There’s also a North America trade-in service for K-1 owners, and even a US$500 upgrade to modify a K1 to K1 Mk II specifications. We will clarify whether this will come to Australia – check back in the next few days.
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