PENTAX Announces Five Q Mount Interchangeable Lenses
Designed for Exclusive Use with the PENTAX Q Digital Interchangeable Lens System Camera
Mississauga, ON – June 23, 2011
HOYA CORPORATION PENTAX Imaging Systems Division and PENTAX Canada Inc. are pleased to announce the launch of five interchangeable lenses designed for exclusive use with the new PENTAX Q digital interchangeable lens system camera. Featuring the newly designed Q lens mount, these new lenses come in two distinctive series: The two models of the High-performance series offer exceptional image rendition, while the three models of Unique series assure the effortless capturing of creative images.
The five new lenses have been developed for exclusive use with the newly launched PENTAX Q digital interchangeable lens system camera — currently the world’s smallest, lightest model in its class.* All are designed to be super compact and lightweight by optimizing their image circle to the size of the CMOS image sensor used in the new Q mount camera body, making them the perfect partners for the pocket sized, go anywhere PENTAX Q. By providing two distinctive lens series — the High-performance series emphasizing image rendition, and the Unique series emphasizing creative imaging and with both series offering outstanding cost performance and easy lens changes, these new Q mount lens series give the PENTAX Q users a lens lineup that delivers all the benefits of a digital interchangeable lens system camera, including the fun of creating different perspectives and visual effects through quick, effortless lens changes.
The High-performance series includes the “PENTAX-01 STANDARD PRIME” prime standard lens and the “PENTAX-02 STANDARD ZOOM” standard zoom lens. The Unique series includes the “PENTAX-03 FISH EYE” prime ultra-wide-angle lens, the “PENTAX-04 TOY LENS WIDE” prime wide-angle lens and the “PENTAX-05 TOY LENS TELEPHOTO” prime telephoto lens. The two TOY LENS models are designed to produce a distinctive toy-camera-like visual effect.
* The world’s smallest and lightest digital interchangeable lens system camera, as of June 15, 2011 (based on PENTAX research).
High-Performance Series
The High-performance series has been developed to bring out the optimum imaging power in the PENTAX Q digital camera by combining exceptional image rendition with effortless handling, while also offering a high grade finish. Featuring the state-of-the-art optics incorporating special optical glass elements and PENTAX exclusive lens coating technology, this series delivers beautifully defined, high quality images that are sharp and high contrast, even at their edges. The AF motor installed in the lens barrel assures smooth, quiet focusing operation. Thanks to the lens shutter mechanism, the PENTAX Q’s built-in auto flash can be synchronized even to the camera’s top shutter speed of 1/2000 second (or 1/250 second when using an accessory flash unit). The lenses are also equipped with a built-in ND (neutral density) filter, which comes in handy for shooting with an open aperture at bright locations or when you desire to use slower shutter speeds.
The “PENTAX-01 STANDARD PRIME”
This prime standard lens has a focal length equivalent to 47mm in the 35mm format. Since it offers a natural perspective similar to that of the human eye, it can be used as a multi-purpose, daily-use standard lens for many different subjects, including landscape and portraiture. With a large maximum aperture of F1.9, it not only performs superbly in dim locations, but it also makes it easy to throw the background out of focus. Incorporating two high grade aspherical optical elements, this lens compensates various aberrations to a minimum and produces beautiful, high resolution images that are bright and crisp even at the edge of the image field.
The “PENTAX-02 STANDARD ZOOM”
With a focal length range equivalent to that of a 27.5~83.0mm zoom lens in the 35mm format, this standard zoom lens is ideal for various applications in the wide angle to medium telephoto range. Incorporating a total of four extra-low-dispersion and low-refractive index aspherical optical elements in its optics, it assures exceptional image rendition while effectively reducing chromatic aberration to a minimum over the entire zoom range. It also offers a minimum focusing distance of 30 centimeters at all focal lengths to simplify close-up photography.
Unique Series
This series offers outstanding value and allows the user to produce a variety of distinctive, dramatic images simply by altering the angle of view and perspective through quick, effortless lens changes. They all feature manual focus operation, fixed aperture and plastic lens mounts, and have no lens shutter unit — the main factors contributing to the massive reduction in size and weight and making them far more affordable than conventional interchangeable lenses.
The “PENTAX-03 FISH EYE”
This ultra wide angle lens offers an extra wide angle of view of 160 degrees along the diagonal line of the image sensor, allowing the photographer to create a fish-eye visual effect with great ease. Thanks to its distinctive ultra wide angle characteristics, it produces unique, eye-catching images with an exaggerated perspective, distorted subjects, and a pan-focus effect that captures every element in the image field in sharp focus.
The “PENTAX-04 TOY LENS WIDE” and “PENTAX-05 TOY LENS TELEPHOTO”
With their optics designed specifically to retain various lens aberrations, these lenses produce subdued, heartwarming images like photos taken by a toy camera. The “PENTAX-04 TOY LENS WIDE” is a prime wide angle lens with a focal length equivalent to 35mm in the 35mm format; the “PENTAX-05 TOY LENS TELEPHOTO” is a prime medium telephoto lens with a focal length equivalent to 100mm in the 35 format.
Exclusive optional accessories
PENTAX-100 PL Filter
When attached to the “PENTAX-01 STANDARD PRIME” or “PENTAX-02 STANDARD ZOOM”, this 40.5mm polarizing filter minimizes reflections on the water or glass surface, which are difficult to remove during digital processing, to assure crisp, high contrast images.
MH-RA 40.5mm
A metallic, dome-shaped lens hood for exclusive use with the “PENTAX-01 STANDARD PRIME” lens.
PH-SBA 40.5mm
A plastic, square-shaped lens hood for exclusive use with the “PENTAX-02 STANDARD ZOOM” lens.
PENTAX Canada Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of HOYA CORPORATION PENTAX Imaging Systems Division of Japan and maintains offices in Mississauga. PENTAX Canada Inc. markets digital SLR and compact cameras, lenses, sport optics, closed circuit television lenses and medical equipment.
PENTAX on the web at www.pentax.ca