Pentax has today issued an English (the previous was only in Japanese) press release about the delay of the *ist D digital SLR. "Due to a delay in the delivery of some components, the product launch has been pushed back to late August of this year. In the sales memorandum of February 27, 2003, the original date was announced to be sometime in June or July. Final specifications will be announced later." For their sake I hope they can hit this new target and not delay any further, having a flagship digital product is important and Pentax really need to prove that they can actually produce a digital SLR.

Press Release:

PENTAX Reschedules Market Launch of the New
*ist D Digital SLR Camera

PENTAX Corporation has announced a revised marketing schedule for the PENTAX *ist D lens-interchangeable digital SLR camera, which is currently in the final stage of product development.

Due to a delay in the delivery of some components, the product launch has been pushed back to late August of this year. In the sales memorandum of February 27, 2003, the original date was announced to be sometime in June or July. Final specifications will be announced later.

Developed with a wide range of digital camera users in mind, the PENTAX *ist D received considerable publicity and popularity after its official announcement earlier this year. This is due to its outstanding features, including 6.1 effective mega pixels, a super-compact, lightweight body and compatibility with a wide range of PENTAX interchangeable lenses.

PENTAX apologizes for any inconvenience this delay may cause for those who have shown interest in the new *ist D, including our customers, business partners, dealers and the press. We will make every effort to bring this high-performance digital SLR camera to the market at the earliest possible date, and prove that its outstanding characteristics will have been worth the wait.