Ricoh equips small Pentax KP SLR camera with ISO 819,200
Ricoh announces the Pentax KP. The relatively small SLR camera has a 24.3-megapixel sensor in the aps-c format, has five-axis sensor stabilization and a light sensitivity of 100 to 819,200 iso.
The range is therefore higher than, for example, the Sony A7S II, which has so far led the way in terms of sensitivity with its full-frame sensor and a range of 100 to 409,600 ISO. It is not clear what actually the highest sensitivity of the sensor in the Pentax KP is and from what value it is pushed by software.
For autofocus, the camera uses 27 phase detection points on the sensor. You can shoot at a maximum of seven frames per second. In addition to a mechanical shutter, the device also has an electronic shutter, with a minimum shutter speed of 1/24,000 seconds.
In addition, the KP depth-of-field bracketing has a new function to increase the depth of field, for example in macro photos. The camera also has motion bracketing, with which the camera takes a series of photos with different shutter speeds.
The KP is being marketed alongside the Pentax K-1 full-frame camera, the relatively new K-70 and the one and a half year old K-3II. The Pentax KP has more adjustment knobs and a retro design. Many of the buttons and controls can be customized to your own taste. The housing can also be adjusted; there are different grips available that can be placed on the camera. In addition to the handgrip that comes standard on the camera, Pentax has also made two optional handgrips that come standard in the box.
You can film at full HD resolution with a frame rate of 30 fps. Filming in 4k resolution is not possible, but with the interval mode a series of photos can be combined into a 4k video file. Pentax’s latest camera inherits the pixel shift feature from the K-1, which allows for higher resolution photos.
Like many other Pentax DSLRs, the KP is dust and weather resistant. The camera has a pentaprism mirror and the optical viewfinder shows one hundred percent of the image. The vertically tiltable 3″ screen on the back of the camera has 920,000 pixels, but is not a touchscreen.
The camera has a built-in flash, but that means there’s no room for built-in GPS. As with the Pentax K-70, the GPS functionality can be added via the optional O-GPS1 module, making the astrotracer functionality also available.
Ricoh gives the Pentax KP the same sensor-shift image stabilization as the K-1, which works over five axes. In addition to horizontal and vertical movements, roll movements about all three axes are also corrected. The KP uses the D-LI109 battery that is also in the entry-level DSLR K-70. This means that, according to Pentax, the battery is empty after 390 photos. However, a battery grip can be used, which also fits the larger D-LI90 battery. The device has WiFi and can be controlled remotely via an app. The KP weighs 703 grams with the battery in the housing. An HDMI connection is missing; but can be added with a SlimPort USB adapter.
Ricoh will release the Pentax KP on February 23 for a suggested retail price of 1299 euros.