Tough It Out: New Pentax KP Is Sealed Tight Against the Elements

Ricoh’s newest Pentax DSLR can endure the slings and arrows of nature’s misfortune (or your own). The Pentax KP is dust proof, weather-sealed and compact.

It features a 24-megapixel, APS-C-sized CMOS sensor with an ISO range of 100-819,200 and a five-axis image stabilization system good for up to five stops of compensation. Like several other recent Pentax DSLRs, the KP has no AA filter and incorporates an AA filter effect which lets you adjust the strength of moiré reduction (or turn it off completely).

There’s also a Pixel Shift Resolution mode that compiles a series of images by shifting the image sensor in tiny increments and then combining the images in camera to create a single photo with less noise and more accurate colors. The KP adds a motion correction function to Pixel Shift Resolution which can compensate for subject movement and prevent or reduce image blur if a subject sways during an exposure.

The KP uses a 27-point AF system with 25 cross-type points with metering available down to -3 EV.

Additional features include:

• an electronic shutter with speeds up to 1/24,000 sec.
• top mechanical shutter speed of 1/6000 sec.
• compatible with an optional GPS unit for geotaging and Pentax’s ASTROTRACER feature, which enables you to keep stars as pinpoints of light during long exposures.
• a vertical-tilt, 3-inch LCD monitor
• customizable controls
• full HD/30p video recording
• 4K time-lapse movie mode
• Wi-Fi

The KP ships at the end of Feb. for $1,100 and is available for pre-order now. It will be available in black or silver body styles.