With the imminent availability of the Pentax K-5 II, B&H Photo has dropped the price of the original Pentax K-5 to $849 as final stock gets cleared out.  While lower prices may be available from independent internet sellers, this is the lowest online offer from an authorized US Pentax retailer (price on Amazon: $899, Adorama: $879).

This price is less than half of the K-5's original launch MSRP of $1749, making the camera a true bargain, while it lasts. According to B&H, this is their las K-5 shipment.

For more details on the K-5, please see our Pentax K-5 review.  See also our Pentax K-5 II photokina report for what's new in the K-5 II.

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Today, we've observed a $50 price drop on the Pentax K-30 at authorized Pentax retailers, including  B&H photo in New York and Amazon.com. Although not all big Pentax outlets seem to be showing the new price at this point, it wouldn't surprise us if the Pentax K-30 body price started falling to $799 nationwide over the course of the coming days.  The camera's original MSRP was $849.

Most Pentax K-30 kits have also fallen in price, with the unfortunate exception of the 18-135mm and 55-300mm kits.

This appears to be the first official price reduction of its kind for the K-30 in the US.  Users in our Pentax Price Watch forum have spotted better international deals (i.e. one from the Pentax Web Store in Singapore), though as with all international purchases, these may be subject to customs fees, higher shipping costs, or warranty restrictions, all of which can quickly close the gap in price.

Even at the original MSRP, we believe the K-30 was fairly priced for its class, but we hope that this and future price drops will also make the camera an attractive intro-level option!

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Sigma has launched a fresh series of instant rebates this month.  Of particular interest are the $150 and $50 instant rebates on the Sigma 50-500mm "Bigma" and 17-50mm F2.8, both of which we've reviewed in-depth and can highly recommend. Refer to the table below for a breakdown of the rebates and an overview of each lens.

New Sigma Pentax Lens Instant Rebates Through Oct. 30, 2012
	Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM We found this lens to outperform the Pentax DA* 16-50mm F2.8 optically, and it features more reliable autofocus.  Check out our in-depth comparative review for more!	Price: $619
	Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM Also known as the "Bigma", this lens is one of our members' all time favorites.  Its 10x zoom range makes it a very versatile lens for more than just ultra-telephoto photography.	Price: $1509
	Sigma 10mm F2.8 DC HSM Fisheye This is the fastest fisheye lens currently available for Pentax.  It offers a 180-degree field of view.	Price: $599
	Sigma Wide Angle 28mm f/1.8 EX Aspherical DG DF Macro This is one of the fastest wide-angle lenses available for Pentax, and it features an interesting twist: macro capabilities.	Price: $399
	Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC HSM This is the widest rectilinear zoom lens available for Pentax.	Price: $649

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Despite the fact that the new mid-range Pentax K-30 was already priced very close to Pentax's flagship from 2010, the price of the Pentax K-5 keeps on dropping.  The K-5 is now available for $879 at B&H Photo and other major retailers, which represents a $20 drop over the old price of $899, which earlier fell from $919.

If you are still torn between the K-30 and K-5, we invite you to read our in-depth Pentax K-30 review, in which we compare the two cameras side-by-side.

We are keeping our fingers crossed that this price drop doesn't mean that the K-5 is being discontinued, but rather that the price of the K-30 will also drop, and that the K-5 will be replaced by a very high-end APS-C successor.  We expect this successor to be unveiled at the Photokina trade show in September, which we will be covering live and in-person!

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We've just been advised by Adorama that a special coupon code (S0101010) will save you about $100 on the Pentax K-01 body and kits, which have already fallen in price due to a Pentax instant rebate that was announced earlier this month.

This appears to be an exclusive offer among the NYC Pentax retailers, and applies to all three kit colors (black, yellow, and white).  Simply enter the coupon during checkout to obtain the discount.

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The price of the Pentax 15mm Limited lens, which we reviewed for you a couple of weeks ago, has unexpectedly fallen to $549 today, down by $100 from $649 (MSRP).

Once again, the lower price is only available at Amazon US and B&H Photo, and retailers such as Adorama still show the old price.  Based on the short duration of temporary Pentax lens price drop last month, we believe that this offer will not last, even though Pentax's recent pricing policy is far from predictable.  If you were otherwise interested in this lens, this is your opportunity to secure it!

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Tamron has just increased the mail-in rebate on their 17-50mm F2.8 lens for Pentax to $75 and extended it through September, lowering the final price of the lens to $424, which is $50 less than last month's price.  Secure your copy today!

Now that the price of the Pentax DA* 16-50mm lens has gone up to $1099, the Tamron is a better alternative then ever- and according to our findings, it has better image quality, too!  Read the Tamron 17-50mm vs Pentax DA* 16-50mm vs Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 comparative review.

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The price of the Pentax K-5 (click here for our review) keeps on diving in the US, with pricing as low as $899 at Adorama camera, $909 at B&H photo, and $919 at Abe's of Maine and Amazon.  These are among the largest Pentax retailers in the US, and they are all authorized Pentax dealers, meaning your camera will come with the full manufacturer's warranty should you decide to buy it from one of them.

At a price of practically half the original MSRP, there's no doubt that the Pentax K-5 will soon see a successor and in turn be discontinued.  If you wish to learn more about the K-5, visit its entry in our camera database!

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