Ricoh Will Turn Your Pentax K-1 Into a K-1 Mark II for $550

The new Pentax K-1 Mark II is identical in many of its core features and specs to its predecessor, the original K-1. The two cameras are so similar that Ricoh can actually upgrade your K-1 into a K-1 Mark II for a fee.

Ricoh has just announced that existing Pentax K-1 owners can use a new upgrade service for a limited time to receive the advanced functions of the K-1 Mark II.

Pay $550, and Ricoh will replace the main circuit board in your K-1 to the board used by the K-1 Mark II, which features a new accelerator unit, ISO 819200, and the ability to shoot Pixel Shift ultra-high-res photos while handholding your camera.

Your camera will be upgraded cosmetically as well, with the existing “SR” logo on your camera replaced with the K-1 Mark II logo.

The K-1 currently costs $1,900, and the new K-1 Mark II will be priced at $2,000 when it hits store shelves in April 2018.

The program will only be offered from May 21st, 2018 through September 30th, 2018, and photographers in the United States will be able to use the upgrade service by shipping their camera to Precision Camera.

Ricoh says more details about the upgrade program will be released in the coming days, and that interested customers can find out more by keeping an eye on the Ricoh website.