They made it official yesterday – the Pentax K-01 compact mirrorless system camera is for real. It has a brand-new, large 16-megapixel APS-C sensor, a 3-inch 921k-dot LCD display and full HD video with selectable frame rates, including 60 frames per second at 720p. Those features alone make the new The Pentax K-01 (pronounced ‘kay- zero-one’) solid competition for other mirrorless camera systems. What makes the Kay Zero One different is the lens mount and the camera’s emphasis on design (hands-on video, below). Instead of making a new mount for the K-01, Pentax decided to use their standard K-mount, making the camera compatible with “25+ million PENTAX K-mount lenses spanning decades.” And instead of designing the K-01 in-house, Pentax commissioned world-renowned industrial designer Marc Newson, “the most acclaimed and influential designer of his generation.” Mr. Newson has designed everything from furniture to yachts but as far as I know, this is his first camera design.
Continue reading →