There have been rumours that Pentax is about to join the compact system camera race floating around for a few weeks now, but we've now seen evidence for ourselves that this is true. Pictures of the new mirrorless snapper, the Pentax K-01, have appeared online - on a Chinese Pentax forum - alongside a new K-mount lens, the Pentax DA 40mm f/2.8 XS.

It still remains that little is known about the K-01's specifications, although earlier rumours suggested that it would feature the same 16-megapixel sensor as the K-5. And that it would sport the same 3-inch, 920k-dot LCD display on the rear.

Previous claims also state that its dimensions will be 121 x 79 x 59mm and will weigh 560g with the battery, while the shutter speed will be up to 1/4000 and it'll be able to record Full HD video.

Now, it seems, we have pictures to go along with the specification murmurings. So it shouldn't be too long before the final product is revealed to us. Watch this space.

The forum at Xitex.com also leaked a number of details about the DA 40mm f/2.8 XS lens. It's focal length is, obviously, 40mm (Equivalent to 61mm in 35mm format) and the aperture is f/2.8 - 22.

What do you think? Is Pentax about to enter the CSC market? Let us know in the comments below...