In March last year, Pentax unveiled the X70, a 12MP “hybrid” digital camera with 24x optical zoom that currently sells on Amazon for $380. And today Pentax in Tokyo announced [press release in English] the successor, the X90. As to be expected, the new model has been upgraded in some areas.

The X90 has a 26x optical zoom lens with focal lengths from 26mm wide angle to 676mm super telephoto (in the 35mm format). There’s also an “Intelligent Zoom” function that extends the zoom coverage to about 162.5 times (for a focal length of 4225mm in the 35mm format). Pentax says they also boosted battery life by 50%, making it possible to shoot about 255 pictures on a full charge.

The camera still features a 12.1MP sensor, a 2.7-inch LCD, an HDMI interface, a USB 2.0 port, HD recording, Eye-Fi connectivity, face detection, “Triple Shake Reduction technology”, anti-shake mode, and an electronic viewfinder.

There is no word on price or release date in the English press release (which is to be found on Pentax’ Japanese homepage), but Amazon.com is already listing the X90 for $399.95 (as a pre-order). While there’s no information on availability in the US, Japan will get the camera sometime at the end of next month.