Pentax K3 Prestige Edition Announced

Pentax K3 Prestige Edition Announced
July 2014, Carl Garrard

Today Ricoh/Pentax announced a new Prestige Edition Pentax K3 DSLR. Besides the gorgeous color (really this is one bad ass looking camera), the special edition will only sell 2,000 units worldwide and comes with a matching battery grip and special camera strap. Two batteries are also included with the package as well. Pentax/Ricoh are known for special edition cameras, and the K3 already comes in a special edition silver version as well- granted with many more units produced than the Prestige Edition. It's selling for a pretty good price if you are a collector in my opinon. Read the press release below and decide for yourself.



Pentax K-3 Zone
Here are the official press images of the Pentax K3 Prestige Edition below, and I've included a link to the the silver version available arleady. In my opinion, this new gunmetal color is just simply fantastic.

Pentax K-3 Premium Silver Edition Better Than The Prestige?

RICOH IMAGING releases special-edition

 Prestige model of the award winning
PENTAX K3

Denver, Colorado July 23, 2014 In keeping with its tradition of excellence and the new standard of performance, RICOH IMAGING AMERICAS CORPORATION is proud to announce the launch of the PENTAX K-3 Prestige Edition.

The K-3 Prestige is a special-edition model of the original PENTAX K-3, the flagship of the K-mount digital SLR camera series. It comes in a stylish, high grade, gunmetal gray shade and commemorates the many awards bestowed upon the K-3 by revered photography publications and organizations such as; DPreview, PC Magazine, Imaging Resource, as well as the Technical Image Press Associations (TIPA) award for “Best Digital SLR Expert” in 2014. This illustrious version of the award winning K-3 will be available in a limited quantity making this special edition highly sought after.

The PENTAX K-3 Prestige Gunmetal Edition* will be made available in a limited quantity with only 2,000 units being offered worldwide. This limited-edition model features a sleek, gunmetal gray body with a BG-5 battery grip designed exclusively for the K-3. This makes it a perfect match for the HD PENTAX DA Limited lens series, which is designed for unrivaled image rendering. This special package also includes an exclusive, black leather strap, a gunmetal D-BG5 battery grip, and two dedicated batteries for use in both the camera body and the battery grip.

As the Premiere DSLR in Ricoh Imaging’s robust and full-featured APS-C lineup, the PENTAX

K-3 brings unparalleled technology and advanced specifications presenting photographers with a solution that raises the bar while removing limitations. The K-3 provides an array of outstanding features, including high-resolution image reproduction with approximately 24 effective megapixels, a 27-point AF system, high-speed continuous shooting at approximately 8.3 images per second, high-precision exposure control with a newly designed 86,000 pixel RGB light-metering sensor, a new, large, high-resolution LCD monitor, and an optical viewfinder with the largest, brightness subject image in its class. The AA simulator, a highly innovative function developed specifically for the K-3, allows the user to effectively minimize moiré without actually installing an optical AA filter in the camera. This provides a choice of filtered or filter-free shooting for a given scene or subject. The K-3 also offers greatly-enhanced movie recording features and smartphone-accessible functions. The time-proven dustproof, weather-resistant body construction ensures dependable, flawless performance in the field.

Pricing and Availability

The K-3 Prestige Edition will be available at retailers nationwide and at www.us.ricoh-imaging.com in August, 2014 for a suggested retail price of $1399.95. To learn more about the comprehensive lineup of PENTAX products as well as other Ricoh Imaging products, please visit www.us.ricoh-imaging.com.

Main Features

·         The camera body and the battery grip are finished in a high-grade gunmetal gray coating to match both the black and silver colors of interchangeable lenses.

·         The specially designed camera strap, included as a standard accessory, is made of artificial leather, and embossed with the lettering 2014 TIPA BEST DIGITAL SLR EXPERT and the PENTAX K-3 logo.

·         Two dedicated batteries are included in the package for use in both the camera body and the battery grip.

·         All components are packaged in a box designed exclusively for this product.

·         The firmware installed in the camera body has been updated to the latest version (Ver.1.10)

·         24 effective mega-pixels in an APS-C sized CMOS sensor

·         Fastest continuous shooting at 8.3FPS

·         Selectable Anti-Aliasing Filter

·         SAFOX11 Autofocus Module

·         Real Time Scene Analysis with 86,000 pixel sensor

·         FLU, Eye-fi Wireless, and SDX Memory card compatibility

·         Professional H.264 video

·         PENTAX body-based Shake Reduction (SR)

·         Dual SD card slots

·         Pentaprism Optical Viewfinder for 100% FOV and .95 magnification

·         Fully weather sealed

·         Multi-pattern white balance

·         100-51200 ISO

·         HDMI port

·         HDR Image Capture

·         Magnesium alloy body w stainless steel chassis

Note: The camera body’s features and specifications are identical with those of the standard model, except for the firmware