Ricoh Unveils Pentax 1.4x Rear Converter that Maintains AF and Weather Sealing

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In addition to the rugged cameras announced earlier, Ricoh also unveiled the long-awaited 1.4x rear teleconverter first mentioned at Photokina in 2008 (H/T to PopPhoto for that little tidbit). Fortunately, they seem to have done a bang up job with it, so we’ll excuse the delay.

The new teleconverter uses four elements in three groups to offer, as the name suggests, an additional 40% magnification for any K-Mount lenses you might own. But the good news only begins there.

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In addition to the extra reach, Ricoh has designed the two centimeter thick “HD PENTAX DA AF 1.4X AW rear converter” in such a way as to maintain both lens and body-drive autofocus, as well as weather sealing. So run your K-3 under a faucet all you want, with or without the converter, and the camera should be just fine.

The converter is set to hit stores in March for $ 600 (pre-order here). For more details — including the full list of AF compatible lenses — head over to the Ricoh press room by clicking here.

[via PetaPixel]