Pentax is slated to announce a new k-mount mirrorless body at the CP+ camera & photo show in Japan, according to the latest rumors leaked by a Japanese camera blog and other sources. CP+ runs from February 9th, 2012 through February 12th; it starts in just three weeks!
The K-01 will be a mirrorless camera that uses the current K-mount lenses compatible with the Pentax DSLR lineup. Judging be previous rumor trends, we believe this name is tentative.
Further specifications
"921,000 dot" 3-inch, VGA LCD screen from the K-5
K-5 image processing and sensor (16.3 Mp)
1080p HD video at 30fps
1/4000s-30s shutter speed range
Contrast-detect autofocus (81 metering points)
Built-in flash
12.1cm wide x 7.9cm high x 5.9 cm deep (compare to Pentax Q at 9.8cm x 5.8cm x 3.1 cm)
560g loaded with battery (compare to 200 for the Q)
New DA 40mm kit lens
Available in 3 lens kits
3 different colors
Electronic viewfinder
The most exciting thing about this camera will without a doubt be the fact that it uses K-mount lenses, making it compatible with thousands of current and legacy lenses both by Pentax and other manufactures.
Judging by its size, this camera will be closer to a DSLR than a compact camera. As it's rumored to be developed by Hoya, this means that it's been in the pipeline for a while and it will likely have a lot of components in common with the K-5. It is also believed that alongside this camera, replacements for the current DSLRs (the K-r and K-5) from the pre-Ricoh era are being finalized.
