Pentax aims to spruce up seasonal images with a new firmware update

This is one firmware update from Pentax that nobody saw coming; it sounds interesting for those who own specific Pentax cameras and lenses, though.

Pentaxians, especially those who shot with a Pentax K-1, K1-II or K-3 III (read our review here), rejoice! Your cameras are about to receive a firmware update which will add some cool seasonal-based image profiles to your camera.

We know it’s probably not the firmware update you were wanting, but the new image profiles that Pentax has created do sound pretty cool. However, there is a catch that’ll you’ll need to know about before you can get filter happy.

Pentax image profiles

The first image profile to be released by Pentax is Katen or ‘Summer Sky.’ According to the press release, the image profile was created to emphasize the rich blues of summer skies and depict the fine details of dazzling white clouds.

You can flip back and forth between standard shots and images with the Katen profile applied in our sliders above. As you can see, the colors are a lot more vibrant and heavily saturated in the second image. It’s almost like a digital polarizer has been applied. Of course, these will not appeal to everyone’s tastes, but those who enjoy shooting JPEGs will surely appreciate them.

More profiles are on the way, but there’s a catch.

Katen is just the first in the series of seasonal image profiles from Pentax. Next up will be Autumn and then, of course, Winter and Spring. Now, here’s the catch. The seasonal image profiles will only be pushed out to certain cameras and will only work with specific Pentax Limited lenses.

The way this works is simple. When you have the right camera (K-1, K-1 II or the K-3 III) and a lens that supports the image profile, you’ll be able to select the filters.

Lens requirements

So, for Katen, the only lenses that will enable you to access the image profile are the HD Pentax-DF A 21mm f/2.4 ED Limited DC WR, and for the APS-C K-3 III, you’ll need to use the HD DA 15mm f/4 ED AL Limited. Pentax does give a reason for this. They claim that each chosen lens has the characteristics required to make the most of the image profiles.

Different lenses will support the Autumn image profile. The HD FA 43 mm f/1.9 Limited and the HD Pentax DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited will work on the K-1 and K-1 II, and the HD Pentax DA 40mm f/2.8 Limited and HD Pentax DA 70mm f2.4 Limited will work on the K-3 III. For the winter profile, you’ll need to own either the HD Pentax FA 31mm f/1.8 Limited for the K-1 and K-1 II, or the HD Pentax DA 35mm f/2.8 Macro Limited for the K-3 III.

Last but not least, the Spring update will work with the HD Pentax-FA 77mm f1/.8 Limited (one of my favorite lenses of all time) on the K-1 and K-1 II, while the HD Pentax DA 20-40mm f/2.8-4 ED Limited DC WR will work with the image profile on the K-3 III. On a side note, at the very bottom of the press release, Pentax mentions that the lenses that work with each image profile might change later and that image profiles for Autumn (Fall), Winter, and Spring will be named when they’re released.

HD Pentax-DF A 21mm f/2.4 ED review on the way

One last thing before you go. We will receive a loan copy of the Pentax HD DF A 21mm f/2.4 ED Limited and a K-1 II imminently. We will put this lens through our usual barrage of tests and try the new Kraten image profile. So, if this latest firmware update from Pentax interests you, stay tuned. We will take and share a lot of sample images with you.

Do you own any of the Pentax cameras and lenses that are required for the new image profiles? Are you excited about them? Let us know in the comment section below.