For many people, Pentax cameras can be a bit of hit or miss. In the past, Pentax has created some great cameras. Recently though, Pentax unveiled a new camera that will be hitting store shelves in March: the Pentax K-01. This camera takes a decidedly different approach than most other cameras on the market right now. From the start, the K-01 looks like an entirely different animal. Well, really, it looks like a toy camera of some sort. However, that doesn’t mean that the K-01 doesn’t have some interesting things to offer.

K-01 Specs

First and foremost, you should know that the K-01 is a mirrorless camera. This is a fact that Pentax is boasting, since a mirrorless camera is a lighter camera (and the K-01 is quite small). A nice 3-inch LCD decks out the screen portion of the K-01 and Endgadget reports that this camera also comes with a 16.28-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor. Now, these are some very nice features that you might expect to find on a very expensive camera. Well, Pentax hasn’t priced the K-01 at the bottom of the scale, but you can expect this camera to retail for just over $700 once it hits store shelves. What I’m not sure about is whether or not consumers will go for the design that Pentax chose.
A Bad Design Choice or a Good Idea?

At first glance, it looks like the K-01 is covered in plastic. No, not that hard heavy-duty plastic you’ll find on Canon or Nikon cameras. Instead, the K-01 comes wrapped in a thick plastic that sort of resembles rubber. Pentax has also chosen to cover this camera in two tones, so the whole body really does take on a Fisher Price (as Endgadget stated) sort of look. Some people might be turned off right away by this design (after all, if you pay more than $700 for a camera, you want it to look good, right?). But, others might find the K-01 design refreshingly different than all the rest of the cameras on the current market.

The Size!

Aside from the look of the K-01, you’ll quickly notice that this camera is very small. How small? Judging from photos posted by Pentax, it looks like this camera could easily fit into your hand without any issues. If you’re looking for a small camera to take on a trip, this could be it. Then again, this doesn’t look like a professional camera by any stretch of the imagination, so it depends on how picky you are about the way that your camera looks while snapping photos of your beach days.

As far as availability goes, Pentax has told press that the K-01 will be in North American stores in March. The exact date in March that Pentax plans to send this camera out is unknown at this time. When the K-01 does finally hit store shelves, you might want to plan a trip to your local camera store just to check it out. The K-01 is definitely a camera that’s not like all the rest, and that may make this Pentax offering highly popular.