I’d almost forgotten about Pentax’s new DSLR, the *ist D, which back in May was officially delayed until the end of August due to “a delay in the procurement of material required”.

It now seems that Pentax have procured whatever it was that they needed, as this morning they have officially announced that the *ist D will begin shipping in September. So all you Pentax owners out there can now breathe a big sigh of relief!

Here’s an excerpt from the US press release:

“PENTAX U.S.A., Inc. announced that the long anticipated digital SLR *ist D camera (pronounced ist-dee) will begin shipping in September 2003* to the United States.

Housed in one of the world?s smallest, lightest SLR camera bodies, the *ist D comes equipped with an array of advanced functions and user-friendly features, including an APS-sized CCD with impressive 6.1 effective megapixels, a responsive SAFOX VIII autofocus system with 11-point AF sensor, a sophisticated 16-segment multi-pattern metering system, a bright viewfinder with a newly developed compact glass pentaprism, an innovative ?Hyper? operating system and 22 user-adjustable custom functions. The *ist D is compatible with existing PENTAX 35mm-format interchangeable lenses and accessories.*
* Some restrictions and conditions may apply to certain lenses and accessories.”

Pentax are also releasing 2 new lenses at the same time as the *ist D:

- smc PENTAX-FA J Zoom 18mm-35mm F4-F5.6 AL
- smc PENTAX-DA Zoom 16mm-45mm F4 ED AL

The DA part of the 16mm-45mm is very important. Pentax have also announced that they are developing a new DA Series of interchangeable lenses for the *ist D, with the smc PENTAX-DA Zoom 16mm-45mm F4 ED AL being the first ever lens in the DA series. The image circle in the DA-series lenses is designed to perfectly match the size of the CCD (23.5mm x 15.7mm) incorporated in Pentax’s digital SLRs, optimizing the performance of these cameras. The new design also contributes to a drastic reduction in size, weight and production cost, compared to 35mm-format counterparts with similar specifications.

No prices have yet been announced for either the *ist D body or the new lenses.
UPDATE: Luminous Landscape is reporting that the *ist D body will cost $1699 in the USA, or $1899 with the 18-35mm zoom lens (which seems like an excellent deal to me).

Website: Luminous Landscape

Several websites already have the news and the usual first looks and previews:

Website: BytePhoto

Website: DCResource

Website: DP-Now

Website: DPReview - Pentax *ist Preview

Website: Imaging Resource

Website: Steve’s Digicams