Pentax launches limited edition K2000 kit

[David Rasnake]

It's a statement of fact that entry-level DSLRs all pretty much look the same. Well, they did until now.

Pentax has unveiled a special limited-edition version of its K2000 interchangeable-lens camera that's not black, and not silver, but white. Even better, the new release comes in two-lens kit featuring whited out versions of the company's 18-55mm and 55-200mm DA L lenses.

Basic specs of the limited edition K2000 mirror those of the original, with a 2.7 inch LCD, a five-point AF system, sensitivity from ISO 100 to 3200, and a beginner-friendly interface. The K2000 also provides in-body image stabilization (Pentax calls it Shake Reduction), which stabilizes any lens that's mounted to the camera.

Other technical details concerning the K2000 can be found in our original K2000 announcement.

The latest K2000 and matching lenses are certainly visually arresting, if only because of their uniqueness. We're wondering if die-hard Pentaxians wouldn't have preferred the long-rumored silver alloy-clad variant instead (to match their silver FA Limited primes, of course), but whatever you think of the new color scheme, there's no denying that Pentax is living up to its "be interesting" tag line with this one.

The limited edition K2000 will be available in February. Quantities and U.S. pricing were not provided in the official press release, but we'll update this story as information becomes available.

Pentax K2000 Limited Edition Specifications:

Sensor	10.2 megapixel, 23.5x15.7mm CCD
Zoom	Pentax KAF3 mount (compatible with all K mount lenses)
LCD/Viewfinder	2.7", 230K-dot TFT LCD; Penta-Mirror optical viewfinder (96% coverage, 0.85x magnification) with diopter adjustment
Sensitivity	ISO 100-3200
Shutter Speed	30-1/4000 seconds
Shooting Modes	Auto Picture, Picture, Scene, Program, Sensitivity Priority, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, Bulb
Scene Presets	Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Action, Night Scene Portrait, Standard Flash-Off, Night Scene, Surf & Snow, Food, Sunset, Kids, Pet, Candlelight, Museum, Stage Lighting, Night Snap
White Balance Settings	Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent W, Fluorescent D, Fluorescent N, Flash, Color Temperature, Manual
Metering Modes	Multi, Center-Weighted, Spot
Focus Modes	AF Auto, AF Single, AF Continuous, Manual
Drive Modes	Single, Continuous High, Continuous Low, Self Timer, Remote, Auto Bracket
Flash Modes	On, Off, Red-Eye Reduction, Wireless
Self Timer Settings	10 seconds, 2 seconds, Off
Memory Formats	SD, SDHC
Internal Memory	None
File Formats	JPEG, RAW (PEF/DNG)
Max. Image Size	3872x2592
Max. Video Size	N/A
Zoom During Video	N/A
Battery	4 AA batteries
Connections	USB 2.0, video output
Additional Features	Shake Reduction, Custom Image Functions, Dust Reduction System, dedicated Help button, white limited edition finish, bundled with matching DA L 18-55mm and DA L 55-200mm lenses

[f4ding]

Nice. Go Pentax! Hopefully more people will buy Pentax and then their product will improve. Not that they're bad.

[Jim Keenan]

I always wanted a Nikon F3T since they left the parts of the camera not covered with black pebbly material to afford a better grip in the original titanium metal finish, and you had this sort of silver-grey and black body that I always thought looked cool.

White body/white lenses? No thanks.

[Andy Stanton]

A DCR review is coming soon, I hope.

[Jerry Jackson]

A DCR review is coming soon, I hope.

We didn't get our hands on the Limited Edition K2000 ... but you can expect to see our in-depth coverage of the K2000 very soon. (Hint, hint.)

[David Rasnake]

A DCR review is coming soon, I hope.

As Jerry said, we have a K2000 in, but it's not the LE. Maybe Pentax will have some of these "leisure suit edition" models on display at CES in a few weeks? We'll keep you guys posted...

dr