Sales of Pentax cameras exceeded expectations in the last three months of 2010, boosted by new DSLRs, according to the brand?s owner, Hoya.

Hiroshi Hamada, Hoya?s chief operating officer, said: ?The profit of the camera business exceeded our expectations this quarter due to increased channel consolidation and focused promotion of new SLR cameras; K-5 and K-r.?

Demand for cameras boosted sales in Hoya?s Information Technology business by 1.4% – raising operating income by 1.1%.

The newly-released financial statements add: ?The number of single lens reflex cameras sold rose from a year ago, reflecting continued robust demand for entry-level cameras, which in turn resulted in higher sales of interchangeable lenses.?

Hoya said its lens factories were running at ?full production capacity?, as a result of ?robust? digital camera sales compared to a year earlier ?particularly in emerging countries?.

Hoya Corporation?s overall net profits rose 12% to 13,210 million yen for the three months to 31 December 2010.

Higher production and shipments reflected the ?economic recovery,? added the Japan-based company.

Pentax accounts for 25% of Hoya’s net sales.