Pentax K-50 Officially Announced

Latest weather-sealed DSLR from Pentax

By PF Staff in Pentax Announcements on Jun 12, 2013

Pentax has just announced the weather-sealed Pentax K-50 DSLR, the successor to the current Pentax K-30 upper entry-level DSLR.  The K-50 which will ship in early July.

The specifications of the K-50 are virtually identical to those of the K-30, though the K-50 is capable of shooting at ISO 51,200, while the K-30 was limited to ISO 25,600.

Pentax K-50 highlights:

• Special order in one of 120 color combinations
• Full weather-sealed for exceptional outdoor performance
• 16-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
• Prime M image processor
• 6FPS framerate
• 1/6000 maximum shutter speed
• ISO 100-51,200
• 100% viewfinder coverange with 0.92x magnification
• 4 optional focusing screens
• 1080p video at 30FPS in H.264 .MOV format
• Dual control wheels for easy operation
• Body-based shake reduction
• Dual-axis electornic level
• 11-point autofocus
• 3-inch LCD screen with 921k dots (VGA)

Even though the difference between the K-30 and the K-50 is almost purely cosmetic (the K-50 has a more conservative design), Pentax has made one change which we're sure many users will greatly appreciate.  Pentax has added weather sealing to the kit lenses that are going to ship with the K-50; these lenses will be branded as the SMC Pentax-DA L 18-55 F3.5-5.6 AL WR and SMC Pentax-DA L 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED WR.  These lenses feature the same optics as the old DA L lenses, and the old lenses will not be phased out. Instead, they will only be bundled with cameras that are not weather-sealed.  In other words, it looks like Pentax will no longer be bundling non-weather-sealed lenses with their outdoor DSLRs. (Note: DA L lenses, unlike DA lenses, have plastic lens mounts, do not include lens hoods, and do not feature full-time manual focus overried.  A DA version of the 18-55mm WR continues to be available.)

The K-50 will be cheaper than its predecessor.  While the K-30 launched at a body-only price of $799 in the US, the K-50 will be $100 cheaper, costing only $699.  Retailers will stock the K-50 in black, red, and white versions (with matching kit lenses).  117 other color combinations will be available for special order.

The K-50 18-55mm WR kit will retail for $779, while the dual 18-55mm + 50-200mm WR kit will retail for $879.  There will also be a premium 18-135mm WR kit for $1099.

Pentax has also just launched the K-500, a cheaper version of the K-50 without weather sealing.  The K-500 is otherwise identical to the K-50.

The complete K-50 specifications are available in our Pentax camera database.  We have also created a dedicated K-50 forum for future owners of this camera.

Click here to pre-order your K-50 at B&H Photo

More photos of the K-50:

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Here is a link to all K-50 kits at B&H photo.