Let’s just forget about all those silly leaks from the last two weeks and imagine that this is the first time we’ve heard of the Pentax K-7. Deal? Most of the specs were a tad off if that helps.

Pentax announced today their seventh generation SLR, the K-7. The latest K-series SLR is chock full of features in a compact magnesium alloy body that’s just as rugged as its predecessors. Under the hood lies a brand new Samsung 14.6-megapixel CMOS sensor with four channel output, a 77-segment metering system, dedicated AF-assist lamp, electronic level, dedicated mirror lock-up, a 100 percent field-of-view viewfinder and HDR image capture mode. Pentax also implemented a HD video capture mode (w/ mic jack) with a default resolution of 1280×720 with a 16:9 aspect ratio at 30fps. Users can adjust quality, resolution and control aperture in movie mode as well.

Other notable specs, include ISO 100-3200(expandable to 6400), 1/8000 to 30 second shutter speed and 5.2fps in drive mode up to 40 frames. Shake Reduction now compensates for rotational sensor movement. The UI has seen an overhaul and is similar to the K-2000’s UI.

Update: An updated gallery of images from all angles of the K-7 have been added to our original post.

Finally, we have the factory specs on the Pentax K-7, and the teasing is over. Keep in mind these are factory specifications, but Pentax has been known to change things slightly before the camera’s actually hit the sales floor, usually for the better. We are seeing that most of the rumors are true however, including the much hoped for 100% viewfinder.

RiceHigh, bless his or her heart, claims to have the scoop on everything, but specs for the upcoming K-7 DSLR. As I mentioned the other RiceHigh, bless his or her heart, claims to have the scoop on everything, but specs for the upcoming K-7 DSLR. As I mentioned the other week, the nomenclature for all Pentax SLRs going forward will be dropping the “D” and simply going with K-x.

The Pentax Forums have been buzzing since the first images of the purported next gen Pentax DSLR surfaced last week. It was widely speculated to be the K30D, but it appears that Pentax has confirmed it to be the K7D according to Austrian site fotografie.

What strikes me as odd is that I know Pentax is veering away from the “D” nomenclature, which is quite evident with the K2000/K-m. It’s quite perplexing and we’ll have to wait and see what happens in the third week of May when all is supposed to be revealed.

What you see on the left-hand side is a very clear shot of the unknown Pentax DSLR next to its current brethren. Other models aside, you can clearly see that the flash module, shutter release and what appears to be a mic hole on top of the flash. Other than that, I don’t notice anything different, but I’d like close up on that dial. Hmm…

There are zero details about this unknown Pentax DSLR, but we know for fact that it’s not one of the current models available. So what is it? The K30? It’s all a mystery, but an announcement can be too far off if it’s already out in the wild.

I guess sales of the white K2000 did well enough that Pentax Japan announced a new limited edition olive Km (It’s K2000 in the US and Km everywhere else). It will be a limited run of 1000 units and ships in late October. No word on price.

Pentax also announced a limited edition K20D with an all titanium color finish on the body and battery grip. This, too, will ship in late October with a 1000 unit run.

Pentax’s recent PMA announcement, the X70 megazoom ‘hybrid’, is now up for pre-order on the Pentax site. $400 gets you a 12-megapixel shooter with a 24x zoom lens. There’s no word one exact ship date, but it will ship later this month.

Amazon.com has a one-day deal on the Pentax K2000 digital SLR. It’s a 10.2-megapixel shooter with an 18-55mm lens and an AF200FG flash.

UPDATE: It’s all sold out. That was quick.

Like every other major camera manufacturer, Pentax had a lackluster PMA showing this year, but an interview between a Swedish mag and Pentax official says otherwise. Whether it’s the successor to the K20D is up for debate, which is exactly what’s going on over at DPreview forums.

No need to tell you what we already found out this morning about the X70 other than it shipping in April (official spec sheet can be found here (PDF)), so we’ll move onto Pentax’s other PMA announcement, the smc DA 15mm F4 ED AL lens.

Update: Updated photos of the 15mm lens on a body after the jump.

Hmm. Well, this is sort of a disappointment. I was expecting the K30 or K300 to be announced, but instead we’ve got a hybrid. Lame. The X70 is a 12-megapixel (1/2.33-inch CCD) shooter with 24x optical zoom that’s capable of shooting HD movies. The EVF got me all excited and I initially thought an SLR with Live View would finally be announced, but no, I was wrong. I just hope Pentax decides to dump their line of point and shoots and move onto bigger and better things. While I’m not a fan of hybrids, I think this is, at the very least, a step in the right direction. It’s available for pre-order from B&H for $400.

If you were vacillating over which entry-level DSLR to get this year, your decision was just made a little more difficult by Pentax. Their K20D, which is by all accounts an excellent camera, has had its price dropped by two bills. Those are some serious savings, kemosabe. $800 recommended means you can get it for a song once the big e-tailers start undercutting each other. They did this already with the K2000, but I think this is a better deal.

I don’t care that I already have an all black K2000, I want the limited edition all white DSLR. As a reminder, the white K2000 comes with a DA-L 18-55mm lens and DA-L 50-200mm lens. All that can be yours for $680. Want. Bad.

For a short period of time this month Pentax is offering an in-store rebate of $100 towards the purchase of various kits. This promotion actually started on the 1st of the month and runs till the 22nd, so you better act quickly. Based on the press release it only looks like this offer applies to the K2000, which happens to be a fine entry-level and backup SLR. I’ve been using one for the last week and it’s performed quite well. Look for a review in the coming weeks.

Last month, Pentax announced that a limited run of white K2000s would be coming and they’re now up for pre-order on Pentax’s online store. It won’t actually ship until mid-February, but I’m told it’s going to be a small batch so I’d jump on this if I were you. Assuming you’re in the market for a new DSLR.

For $679.95 you’ll get the following: