Pentax releasing limited edition K-7 Silver DSLR with minor upgrades

Pentax is unleashing a thousand copies of their new special edition of the K-7 digital SLR camera. With its new silvery exterior and a few noticeable tweaks here and there, perhaps they should consider releasing a few more of these sleeker versions.

Pentax is really taking hold of the retro look on their cameras these days. Less than a month ago, the Japanese camera manufacturer announced the debut of their newest point-and-shoot, the Optio I-10, with old-fashioned look but cutting-edge technology.

It might not be as blunt with these limited-edition K-7 DSLRs, but I think there hints of old-school camera design influence here, with its silvery exterior and dark grey/black grip strip around the body. Not to mention that ribbed dial at the top. It also slightly reminds me of the Canon Rebel XS in silver, but there's more character to the K-7's look.

Some of those aforementioned enhancements that come with these K-7s include firmware and photo processing software upgrades and a "shock- and scratch-resistant" glass plate overlaying the LCD screen. There's also the addition of the "golden section ratio" focusing screen, which is intended to allow photographers to better compose photos on the screen thanks to some curved guiding lines.

Being that the regular, boring looking Pentax K-7 starts around $1,200, expect this special one to be priced around there, if not more. And they might only be available in Japan, so figure in some airfare to Tokyo starting at $1,000 from the West Coast.