Putting to shame larger camera manufacturers, Pentax announced that existing Pentax K-1 photographers (this is a two year old camera, announced February 2016 [see New Cameras of 2016]) won’t be left behind! They are offering an optional $550 hardware upgrade to the K-1 that will give it the K-1 II internals. The service will be provided by the trusty Precision Camera of Austin::Texas between May 21 and September 30 in 2018. The service won’t be available before or after this date range. Details at the press release which describes the changes as follows (with more details as we get closer to upgrade time):
“The PENTAX K-1’s main circuit board will be replaced to add new functions featured in the new PENTAX K-1 MKII. Additionally the current SR logo on the PENTAX K-1 MKII will be replaced with the new PENTAX K-1 MKII logo.”
Speaking of the upcoming K-1 II, Amazon itself is now accepting pre-orders for $2000 but unlike Adorama and B&H Photo, Amazon does not currently include the Pentax D-BG6 for FREE with pre-orders. Eventually the Amazon AI Bots may wake up and add it but for now, it’s not included.
It will be interesting to see what this upgrade option will do to the used prices of the Pentax K-1, since the Upgrade optional increases the value potential of the camera. However, the four month upgrade window further complicates things since there is a cut-off point. The lowest used price as of the time of writing is $1600 in “Used – Condition 10” at B&H Photo and “Like New Minus” at KEH Camera. Amazon’s own Warehouse Deals (not 3rd-party sellers there) offers it for $1428 but no warranty (KEH offers 180 days, B&H 90 days). Warehouse Deals offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee only. Mayhaps some Options Trading technology may be needed to figure this one out 🙂
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