The 645D body is now £6,299.99, while the 645D with a 55mm lens costs £6,999.99.

When it went on sale in the UK in December 2010, the 645D cost £8999.99 body only, and £9999.99 with a 55mm lens.

‘There’s never been a better time to buy,’ said Pentax Ricoh Imaging UK’s product co-ordinator Stephen Sanderson in an email.

Asked to explain the massive price drop, a company spokesperson said: ‘We want to offer customers quality products at competitive market prices.

‘The price reduction for the 645D medium-format camera reflects this ethos. The new price offers tremendous value for money.’

Plans to launch the 645D were first unveiled at Tokyo’s Photo Imaging Expo show in March 2005.

But plans to launch the camera were halted three years later, before being revived in 2009.

Earlier today, we reported a 10% fall in the value of the UK’s digital camera market.