Denver, CO—Pentax Ricoh Imaging Americas’ Pentax X-5 point and shoot features a high-magnification, 26x super-telephoto optical zoom lens that provides photographers with a focal length of 4-104mm (22.3mm ultra-wide-angle to 580mm super-telephoto equivalent) along with a macro mode, which allows the close-up capture of subjects as near as 0.4 inch.
“The new X-5 features classic Pentax styling. It is the ideal compact travel companion for photo enthusiasts who want a digital camera with them wherever they go that’s capable of taking every type of image from gorgeous portraits to scenic landscapes to extreme close-ups and more,” said John Carlson, senior manager, Sales and Marketing, Pentax.
For image composition and playback, the camera utilizes a tiltable, 3.0-inch high-def LCD screen that enables users to shoot from high and low angles to keep the subject framed in the image area. Also key is the one-two punch of a state-of-the-art image processing engine and back-illuminated CMOS image sensor with low-noise, even up to ISO 6400, and 16.0 effective megapixels. The X-5 also boasts an electronic viewfinder with diopter adjustment.
Notable is the camera’s handheld night scene shooting mode, which helps photographers capture blur-free nighttime images by taking multiple images at once and blending them into a single composite picture. This is augmented by Pentax’s triple Shake Reduction (SR) system, which couples a proprietary mechanical sensor-shift-type SR mechanism with a digital SR mode for stills and movie SR mode for video to more effectively compensate for camera shake. This hybrid system is engineered to assure sharp images and video even under camera-shake-prone shooting conditions, such as when using a telephoto lens or shooting in poorly lit locations.
For video capture, there’s a Full HD movie recording function in the H.264 recording format. The X-5 can capture extended movie clips with 1,920×1,080 pixels at a 16:9 aspect ratio and a frame rate of 30 frames per second. It also offers creative playback features like high-speed movie mode for slow-motion playback and time-lapse movie mode for fast-forward playback. And a micro-HDMI terminal is included for the output of recorded movies and sound to external devices.
Other features include: the Pentax-original auto picture mode that automatically assesses conditions and selects the most appropriate shooting mode from 16 options; burst shooting of 10 images per second, for a maximum 30-image sequence; an auto macro function that automatically switches the focus mode to macro when it detects the subject is close to the lens; a quick-set mode dial that lets shooters select the desired shooting mode from 10 choices—including the hands-off auto picture, scene, program, manual, landscape and handheld night snap—with a turn of the dial, without having to access the on-screen menu; 12 digital filters to add creative touches to captured images; creative image-processing tools such as stretch filter, small face filter and a collage function; remote control operation using an optional remote controller; and compatibility with Eye-Fi Wireless LAN SD memory cards.
The Pentax X-5, offered in a choice of silver or black bodies, will be available this month with a suggested retail price of $279.95. pentaximaging.com
