Pentax 645D Japan announced
Hasselblad has their Ferrari edition, Leica has the Ti and other special editions – and now Pentax, already making a veritable rainbow of K-r colours, are adorning their flagship 645D Medium Format system with a classical Japanese finish. The 645D is pretty much what happens when you approach medium format without any preconceptions and with a lot of experience in the consumer digital market; get a K DSLR and a medium-format digital sensor, and you get DSLR usability and medium-format images.
Produced to celebrate Pentax’s win of the 2011 Camera GP – with the 645D crowned “Camera of the Year” – the 645D has a hand finished lacquer body treatment and is available strictly to order for a two month period; delivery could take four months.
The release also confirms support for the O-GPS1 module, though the star tracking will not be applicable to this fixed sensor camera.
Official release after the break.
PRESS RELEASE EMBARGOED UNTIL 11PM ON WEDNESDAY 13th JULY 2011
PENTAX 645D Japan
A Limited Edition Kit of the PENTAX 645D —
Awarded “Camera GP Japan 2011 Camera of The Year”
PENTAX Imaging Systems Ltd is pleased to announce the launch of the PENTAX 645D Japan camera kit. Produced to celebrate the PENTAX 645D being named “Camera GP Japan 2011 Camera of The Year”, this limited-edition kit features a beautiful, red lacquer-finished 645D camera body. Orders for this special kit can be placed during a two-month period from July 20 to September 20, 2011 through one of PENTAX’s 645D preferred suppliers. Visit www.pentax.co.uk/645D for details.
Product Overview
1) Kit components:
• PENTAX 645D Japan camera body
• Leather Strap 645D Japan O-ST123
• Body Mount Cap 645D Japan
• Centre-Spot-Matte Focusing Screen DS-80
• Specially designed paulownia-wood packaging
2) Production: Built to order
3) Order period: Earliest (July 20, 2011) / Latest (September 20, 2011)
*Actual order period may vary according to the regions.
4) Delivery: Four months or more from receipt of order
First marketed in June 2010, the PENTAX 645D is a high-performance medium-format digital SLR camera combining super-high-resolution digital images — assured by approximately 40 megapixels — with exceptional reliability and superb operability. It was selected “Camera GP Japan 2011 Camera of The Year” for its array of original, outstanding features including a large CCD sensor, and a dependable, dust-proof, weather-resistant body that operates in temperatures as low as –10°C.
Major Features of the PENTAX 645D Japan
1. Using the innovative lacquer techniques developed by Sakamoto Urushi Manufacturing Co., Ltd. of Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, PENTAX has made use of the traditional art of urushi (lacquer) for the exterior of the 645D Japan camera body. This exclusive lacquer finish not only gives the camera an elegant, exquisite appearance, but also enhances the camera’s durability. In order to create a sense of exclusiveness and a rich depth to the coating, the process requires a number of painstaking steps, such as pasting many different types of silver leaves on a black-lacquer base — as if creating a collage of torn paper — and applying an overcoat of paint in a rich Bordeaux-wine tone. This sophisticated, meticulously handcrafted lacquer technique using natural urushi and silver leaves means that each camera body will be slightly different, ensuring the camera will be a one-of-a-kind, unique possession for the photographer.
2. The PENTAX logo on the camera front panel and the mode-dial settings on its upper panel are gold-plated. The rubber portion of the grip has a semi-glossy black finish.
3. Made of a synthetic leather material, the exclusive strap carries a “Camera GP 2011 Camera of The Year” insignia and a PENTAX 645D logo, both in gold.
4. Each camera body is marked with its individual serial number, proof of its limited-edition status.
5. The camera mount cap has been exclusively designed for the kit, and features a glossy black coating.
6. The LCD panel on the camera’s upper panel comes with white backlight illumination, instead of the green-tinted illumination of the standard model.
7. The exclusive Centre-Spot-Matte Focusing Screen DS-80 is mounted on the camera.
8. The specially designed packaging is made of high-grade paulownia wood, with a “Camera GP Japan 2011 Camera of The Year” logo mark laser-engraved on its top cover.
9. The firmware installed in the camera body has been updated to the latest version (Ver.1.11), and is compatible with the optional O-GPS1 GPS unit.
Note: The camera body’s features and specifications are identical with those of the standard model, except for the firmware.