Pentax announces four additional Q mount lenses

PENTAX Imaging Company has announced four accessory Q-mount lenses designed for exclusive use with the PENTAX Q – the world’s smallest, lightest interchangeable lens system camera (ILC). Each new lens is highly compact and lightweight with an optimized image circle to match the size of the Q’s CMOS image sensor. This new Q-mount lens series offers PENTAX Q users a comprehensive lens selection.

PENTAX 02 Standard Zoom

With a focal length equivalent to a 27.5-83.0mm zoom lens in the 35mm format, this standard zoom lens is ideal for wide angle to medium telephoto range. With four extra-low-dispersion and low-refractive aspherical optical elements, the lens offers exceptional image rendition while effectively reducing chromatic aberration to a minimum over the entire zoom range. The Standard Zoom features a minimum focusing distance of 11.8 inches (30 centimeters) at all focal lengths for close-up photography. Featuring a high-grade finish, this lens incorporates the special optical glass elements and PENTAX exclusive lens coating technology for beautifully defined, high quality images that are sharp and high contrast even to the edges. The AF motor installed in the lens assures smooth, quiet focusing operation. The lens shutter mechanism allows the PENTAX Q’s built-in auto flash to be synchronized to the camera’s top shutter speed of 1/2000 second (or 1/250 second when using an accessory flash unit). This lens is also equipped with a built-in ND (neutral density) filter for open aperture shooting at bright locations or when using slower shutter speeds. The lens price $299.95 USD.

Three additional lenses also are announced. Each offers outstanding value at an affordable price so users may produce a variety of distinctive, dramatic images. Each features manual focus operation, fixed aperture and lightweight lens mount minus a lens shutter unit to reduce size and weight.

PENTAX 03 Fish-Eye

This ultra wide angle lens offers an extra wide 160 degree angle of view allowing photographers to create a fish eye visual effect. The distinctive ultra wide angle characteristics produce unique, eye-catching images with an exaggerated, distorted perspective and a pan-focus effect that captures every element in the image field in sharp focus. The lens price is $129.95.

PENTAX 04 Toy Lens Wide and PENTAX 05 Toy Lens Telephoto

With optics designed specifically to retain various lens aberrations, these lenses produce subdued, nostalgic images like photos taken with a traditional toy camera. The Toy Lens Wide is a unifocal wide angle field of view with a focal length equivalent to 35mm in the 35mm format. The PENTAX 05 Toy Lens Telephoto is a unifocal medium telephoto lens with a focal length equivalent to 100mm in the 35mm format. The PENTAX 04 Toy Lens Wide price is $79.95 and the PENTAX 05 Toy Lens Telephoto is $79.95.

Additional accessories for the PENTAX Q system lenses will include the following (prices and availability to be announced):

PENTAX-100 PL Filter

Attached to the PENTAX 01 Standard Prime or PENTAX02 Standard Zoom, the 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 Lens

A plastic, square-shaped lens hood for exclusive use with the PENTAX 02 Standard Zoom lens.

Initially, the PENTAX Q system will ship in Japan. Anticipated shipping time to the United States is early Fall 2011.

Each of these lenses may be pre-ordered now on www.pentaxwebstore.com The PENTAX 01 Standard Prime kit lens will not be sold separately. More information is available here: www.pentaximaging.com/news

Panasonic unveils Leica Summilux DG 25mm F1.4 lens

Panasonic today announced a new interchangeable Micro Four Thirds lens, the LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm/F1.4 ASPH. (H-X025), compatible with the company’s LUMIX G Series of compact system cameras (CSC), including the LUMIX GF3, which was also announced today. The LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 ASPH. lens features outstanding brightness of F1.4, and despite the high-performance, it also remains incredibly compact and lightweight. The lens’ brightness allows for a beautiful soft focus when shooting both photos and videos – without having to rely on a flash.

The LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 ASPH. lens adopts Panasonic’s Nano Surface Coating technology on the surface of the lens, which helps dramatically minimize reflection at the entire visual light range (380nm-780nm). The technology encompasses an extra-low refractive index coating with nano-sized structure and results in the super-clear photo with dramatic reduction of ghost and flare.

The new lens system comprises of nine elements in seven groups using two aspherical lenses and one UHR (Ultra High Refractive) index lens. The newly developed UHR index lens and glass mold aspherical lenses achieve uniformed description from the center to the edges.

The lens’ versatile 25mm focal distance (Equivalent to 50mm on a 35mm camera) is suitable for wide variety of occasions, giving users the flexibility in composition, perspective and aperture control. The lens is capable to take daily snapshots including scenic sunsets to dimly-lit indoor shots to the deliberately-creative shots using soft focus.

When mounted on the Panasonic LUMIX G Series digital cameras, the LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm/F1.4 ASPH. lens can take maximum advantage of Contrast AF system, which boasts both high accuracy and high speed for optimal photos. Furthermore, seven blades give the aperture a rounded shape that produces an attractively smooth effect in out-of-focus areas when shooting at larger aperture settings. The lens also features a metal mount, making it extremely durable – even when repeatedly changed.

The LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 ASPH. lens will be available in August 2011 and pricing will be announced approximately 30 days prior to shipping. For more information about Panasonic LUMIX G Series digital cameras and Micro Four Third lenses, please visit www.panasonic.com/lumix.