The release described an agreement with Pentax Europe Imaging Systems to launch an online store on the company's behalf, open to customers from Germany, Hungary, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Specifics weren't provided, but the wording of the press release, which was entitled "Digital River to Manage Online Sale of Cameras for PENTAX", was widely reported in the mainstream media as meaning that Pentax would be selling cameras directly to the public, in competition with its existing retail network.

That is apparently not the case, according to an article published a few days ago by our friends over at the Digital Photography Review. Pentax is quoted as stating that the planned store is only intended for sale of accessories and other products which aren't widely available in those markets currently. The news is likely to be welcomed both by Pentax's dealer network, and by customers who've had difficulty in obtaining accessories. More details including the precise quote can be found at DPReview...