We’ve known about Pentax’s K-01 Marc Newson-designed K-01 since February, but the mirrorless camera got its official Australian launch at Sydney Fashion Week on Friday. Unlike Gizmodo UK, we quite like the look of it. Also: apparently it’s easier to design a camera than an airline.
From a distance, most high-end cameras look the same: black, lots of dials and buttons, and a prominent vendor logo. The yellow casing on the K-0 1 certainly makes it much more distinctive. I wasn’t the only person in the room who drew comparisons to a Tonka truck (or perhaps minimalist Lego), but that’s not meant as an insult. Even the launch press release describes the design themes as “timeless, trusty and touchable”, and I’d rather connect that with a Tonka truck than with the potential sleazier implications.
Designer Marc Newson didn’t actually show up at the Fashion Week do, so we had to settle for a pre-recorded video. In this, he revealed that he inspiration behind the design was “simply the desire to want to create something that as a consumer I would like to own”. Um, OK. He also noted that working within technical constraints when building a gadget wasn’t too challenging, especially compared to other areas. “50% of my business is aviation. It’s infinitely more complex.”
Pricing starts from $799 for the body (which isn’t much different to the US release cost). If you’re already a Pentax junkie, it works with all existing Pentax lenses. [Pentax]
