Ricoh Imaging Introduces New PENTAX K-S2 Digital SLR Camera-the Ultimate Family Camera
Featuring built in Wi-Fi, weather-resistant body and the addition of an
all-new retractable standard zoom lens for capturing all of life’s
important moments.
Denver, Colorado February 9, 2015 - Building upon the legacy of
developing durable SLR cameras, RICOH IMAGING AMERICAS CORPORATION is
pleased to announce the launch of the PENTAX K-S2 featuring a 20
megapixel, AA Filter-less CMOS sensor with Prime MII. The PENTAX K-S2
offers high image quality and functionality and guarantees compelling
imagery. With its weather-resistant body, built-in Wi-Fi and NFC sharing
component, it is the perfect companion for families and those who enjoy
capturing images. Kitted with the PENTAX K-S2 is a newly designed,
ultra-sleek retractable standard zoom lens that measures under 1.5
inches in height.
The new PENTAX K-S2 combines a compact, lightweight body with many
advanced features including PENTAX’s award winning weather-resistant
design, in-body shake reduction, as well as SAFOX X AF system ensuring
fast and accurate autofocusing even in challenging situations such as
low light, action, and adverse weather conditions. Multiple views are
achieved with the vari-angle 3.0 inch LCD, 921K dots (RGB+White), and
Air Gapless Construction. With the all-new Self Shot Assist users can
capture the perfect “selfie”. The K-S2’s vari-angle LCD monitor and 2nd
shutter release button assist you in conveniently capturing the best
self-shot.
Sharing favorite images with friends and family is made easy with
built-in Wi-Fi and built-in NFC module. Along with the dedicated app,
“Image Sync”, available for no additional cost in the Android and iOS
stores you can seamlessly remotely operate the camera, transfer images
and share images from your camera to your favorite social networks.
Connecting your camera to your smartphone or tablet is made simple with
built-in Near Field Communication (NFC) and the touch of a button to
easily connect.
The Clarity Enhancement feature, introduced with the K-S2, adds more
realistic texture impression to your imagery. This technology covers
broader and more gradual tone changes of the subject since it was
originally developed to reproduce the images that best match the whole
screen on a display device. Clarity Enhancement is applied automatically
on Advanced HDR and also user-selectable for most still images on the
setting menu.
“The PENTAX K-S2 takes the best of all our innovations and combines them
into the ultimate family DSLR”, says Jim Malcolm, President of Ricoh
Imaging North America.
“The K-S2 has everything to capture the active family, including PENTAX
legendary quality, compactness, weather resistance, and built in Wi-Fi
to easily share with family and friends. We are fulfilling our promise
to deliver the highest quality and innovation imaging products.”
Included in the PENTAX K-S2 kit is the newly developed, retractable
standard zoom smc PENTAX-DA L 18-50mmF4-5.6 DC WR RE lens. Experience
improved convenience and better performance with this ultra thin lens
complete with 7 rounded aperture diaphragm blades for capturing
beautiful Bokeh.
The K-S2 will be available in 3 standard colors: black, white, and
graphite with an orange accent. RICOH IMAGING is also pleased to
announce the color order service for its new PENTAX K-S2 digital SLR
camera. This service provides users with a fashionable way of expressing
their individual style and personal taste. The PENTAX K-S2 offers a
choice of seven color options in two outdoor-themed collections: three
in the Nature Collection; Forest Green, Desert Beige, and Stone Gray as
well as four in the Sports Collection: White and Lime, Black and Pink,
White with a Racing Stripe, and Black with a Racing Stripe.
Pricing and Availability
The PENTAX K-S2 kit including a new retractable standard zoom lens will
be available in standard colors at retailers nationwide and at
www.us.ricoh-imaging.com in March 2015 for a suggested retail price of
$799.95. Color collections will be available in April.
Main Features
The world’s smallest dustproof, weather-resistant body*
The K-S2 camera body is not only designed to be compact and portable,
but also dustproof and weather-resistant. One hundred seals have been
applied to crucial parts of the body to prevent the intrusion of rain
and dust into the interior, making the K-S2 a perfect choice for a wide
range of outdoor activities, including mountain climbing, camping and
sports events. Included in its lens kits is a super-compact zoom lens,
with a length of just 41 millimeters in the stored position despite its
weather-resistant construction. The combination of the K-S2 camera body
and this lens creates a highly portable digital imaging system.
* The world’s smallest model in the dustproof, weather-resistant digital
SLR camera category (as of February 1, 2015, based on RICOH IMAGING
research)
Variable-angle LCD monitor for easy image viewing
The K-S2 comes equipped with an Air Gapless LCD monitor, which has a
special resin layer applied between the protective panel and the LCD
screen to effectively cut down the reflection and dispersion of light
and assure excellent visibility. This monitor also features a
variable-angle design for the first time in a PENTAX digital SLR camera,
allowing the user to set the monitor to the desired viewing angle and
simplify high- and low-angle shootings. By rotating the monitor 180
degrees to face the subject, the user can activate the self-portrait
shutter button, which is provided in addition to the regular
shutter-release button, to keep a firm hold of the camera when shooting
self portraits.
High-precision autofocus system with SAFOX X module
The K-S2 features the state-of-the-art SAFOX X AF sensor module, which
assures responsive, high-precision autofocus operation. With its 11
sensors including nine cross-type sensors in the middle, this AF system
assures pinpoint focus on a subject at a minimum brightness level of as
low as –3 EV. Its select-area expansion function ensures that the sensor
module keeps tracking a moving subject, even when the subject moves out
of a pre-assigned auto-tracking area, by assessing the distance data
collected by neighboring focus sensors. Its AF hold function maintains
the in-focus position, even when the AF system loses track of the
subject after once capturing it in focus. These advanced functions
combine to improve the camera's accuracy in the detection of moving
subjects.
High-resolution images produced by an image sensor with approximately
20.12 effective megapixels and a super-high sensitivity of ISO51200
The K-S2 features a high-performance CMOS image sensor with
approximately 20.12 effective megapixels to deliver
super-high-resolution images. It is also designed without an optical AA
(anti-aliasing) filter to optimize the imaging power of its
high-performance image sensor. By coupling this image sensor with the
high-performance PRIME MII imaging engine, the K-S2 delivers
true-to-life, fine-gradation images by effectively minimizing noise at
all sensitivity levels, even during super-high-sensitivity shooting at
ISO 51200.
In-body shake reduction (SR) mechanism, and anti-aliasing (AA) filter simulator for effective moiré reduction
- In-body SR mechanism
The K-S2 features a PENTAX-developed SR (Shake Reduction) mechanism to
effectively minimize camera shake and assure sharp, blur-free images,
even in camera-shake-prone conditions such as when using a telephoto
lens, shooting low-light scenes with incident light only, or
photographing sunset scenes.
-
Innovative AA (anti-aliasing) filter simulator**
By applying microscopic vibrations to the image sensor unit at the
sub-pixel level during image exposure, the K-S2’s AA filter simulator
provides the same level of moiré-reduction effect as an optical AA
filter. Unlike an optical AA filter, which always creates the identical
result, this innovative simulator lets you not only switch the AA filter
effect on and off, but also adjust the level of the effect, so the user
can effortlessly apply the desired effect to a particular scene or
subject.
- Supportive shooting functions
The K-S2’s SR unit has a flexible design that tilts the image sensor
unit in all direction, by shifting it horizontally (left/right) and
vertically (up/down), and even rotating it. Taking advantage of this
flexibility, the K-S2 provides a host of handy shooting functions,
including ASTRO TRACER, which simplifies advanced astronomical
photography in combination with the optional O-GPS1 GPS Unit.
Optical viewfinder with nearly 100-percent field of view
Despite its compact body, the K-S2 is equipped with a glass prism finder
featuring the same optics and coatings as those used in higher-level
models. With a magnification of approximately 0.95 times, it provides a
broad, bright image field for easy focusing and framing.
High-speed shutter to capture fast-moving subjects in crisp focus
The K-S2 provides a top shutter speed of 1/6000 second to assure sharply
focused images, even with fast-moving subjects. Coupled with its
high-speed continuous shooting function with a top speed of
approximately 5.5 images per second, it lets the photographer freeze
once-in-a-lifetime shutter opportunities in beautifully focused images.
Wireless LAN compatibility for easy access to smartphones, for the first time in the PENTAX K series
The K-S2 features wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) functions to provide better
access to smartphones and tablet computers. It also provides NFC (Near
Field Communication) functions for easy pairing with NFC-compatible
smartphones and other communications devices, simply by bringing the
K-S2 into proximity with a target device. Also by installing the newly
developed, exclusive Image Sync application on a communications device,
the user can effortlessly control the K-S2’s aperture, shutter-speed and
ISO-sensitivity settings, release its shutter, check the live-view
image, and even browse and upload recorded images onto SNS sites such as
Facebook remotely.
RICOH-original image-processing technologies
The K-S2 features a Clarity Enhancement — a RICOH-developed imaging
technology designed to capture the subject’s texture and unevenness more
truthfully and produce a more true-to-life depiction of the subject
based on the human visual characteristics. Also provided on the mode
dial is a new A-HDR (Advanced HDR) position, which combines the Clarity
Enhancement with the conventional HDR mode that composites a single,
extra-wide-gradation image from three images taken at differing
exposures. Thanks to this new mode, the user can capture more dramatic,
painting-like HDR images with great ease.
An assortment of photo-shooting tools for creative, personalized expressions
The K-S2 provides a choice of 11 Custom Image modes for flexible control
of various parameters, as well as nine digital filters. Coupled with 19
distinctive Scene Modes and the hands-off Auto Picture mode, the K-S2
assures simple, quick selection of the desired shooting mode for a given
scene or subject.
Dual electronic dials
The K-S2 provides a pair of electronic dials: one on top of the grip,
and another on the back panel. In the P (Program) mode shooting, for
instance, the user can control the aperture and shutter-speed settings
independently using these dials, allowing more intuitive camera
operation without the need to remove the eye from the viewfinder.
Full HD movie recording
Equipped with a built-in stereo microphone, the K-S2 captures beautiful
Full HD movie clips (1920 x 1080 pixels; 30/25/24 frame rate) in the
H.264 recording format, along with natural, lively stereo sound. It also
assures flawless, high-quality movies even with fast-moving subjects.
It even provides advanced movie functions, such as a 4K Interval Movie
mode that connects still images recorded at a certain interval to create
a single movie file, and a Star Stream mode to fade in and out the
traces of stars to recorded movies.
Other features
-
77-segment, multi-pattern metering system for high-precision light measurement
-
DR (Dust Removal) mechanism for effective elimination of dust on the CMOS image sensor using ultrasonic vibration
-
Self-timer functions usable in continuous shooting mode
*The specifications of camera bodies and lenses are identical to those of standard models.
*Designs and specifications are subject to change without notice.
** This function is most effective with a shutter speed of 1/1000 second
or slower. This function is not available during HDR (High Dynamic
Range) shooting.
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