Pentax taps into enthusiast compact market with MX-1

Pentax has unveiled the brand new MX-1 compact camera, its first contender in the enthusiast compact camera market.

According to the Pentax press release, MX-1 is packed into a vintage and stylish body, featuring brass top- and base- covers. There are two color options for the brass covers: black or grey. Either one of them renders the same stylish feeling as the old, traditional film cameras.

MX-1 boasts a 12-megapixel back-lit CMOS image sensor, with a fast 4X zoom, 23-112mm (35mm focal length equivalent) f/1.8-2.5 lens. The sensor is also dual stabilized with both sensor-shift-type and digital SR (Shake Reduction) technology. Even if its ISO sensitivity tops at 12800, the fast lens enables the user to take photographs in most dim lit situations. The camera also has a “Night snap” mode that uses the HDR technique, taking multiple images at once and merging them into a single photo.

Pentax built the camera bearing functionality in mind, thus granting the user a DSLR-like experience. MX-1 provides 10 shooting modes, from Auto Picture to Metered Manual, and offers dedicated and easy to access controls. It also delivers in-body RAW image processing.

Moreover, the Pentax MX-1 features 15 special filters, which can turn dull photos into exceptional ones. Among the filters, users will be able to find Toy Camera as well as Miniature. The filters can be easily accessed through the user-friendly menu, which has been revamped, compared to older Pentax cameras, in order to provide easier access to all settings.

In order to show that the camera was developed for pro-grade photographers, the company has added a dedicated exposure compensation dial on the camera. This way, users will not be forced to go back to the menu screen and waste precious time.

Additionally, Pentax MX-1 records full HD 1920×1080 30fps videos in H.264 format. Its simple design enables the user to begin recording from any shooting mode, with the dedicated record button. It features high-speed recording mode and time lapse mode as well, both fixed at VGA video size (640 x 480 pixels).

Besides these features, MX-1 also packs two remote control sensors (one on the front and one on the back), a tiltable 3″, 920k dot LCD, popup flash, and it is compatible with Eye-Fi SD memory cards, thus being able to transfer files wirelessly.

Pentax MX-1 will be available for purchase starting with February, at a suggested retail price of $499,95.