Pentax K-3 Mark III Hands-On Pictures: First Impressions

Will the company eventually build the APSC DSLR? Many say that Canon and Nikon have slowly switched to the MRL line. Now when everyone talks about mirrorless cameras, many people also think about the extinction of DSLRs. But Pentax doesn’t think so. He still believes in DSLR and continues his work. The Pentax K3 III was born following the familiar Pentax line, the mainstay of the APSC DSLR sensor line. What upgrades are there, and how are the prices?

Features

• Mid-size SLR model
• 25.7MP APS-C BSI-CMOS sensor (23 x 15.5 mm)
• Pentax KAF2 lens mount
• AF module SAFOX 13 AF module with 101 AF points (including 25 cross-type)
• 12 fps continuous shooting (11 fps with AFC)
• Capable of up to 1,600,000 ISO
• 5-axis image stabilization fluctuates up to 5.5EV
• Magnesium material design
• The viewfinder is 100% and has a 1.05x magnification
• Three main system adjustment rings
• There is an 8-way joystick with main navigation AF and touchscreen AF
• UHD 4K 30p video

Sensor

At the heart of this upgrade, Pentax uses a new 25.7 MP BSI CMOS APS-C sensor, no anti-aliasing filters, 14 bits, 12 shots per second continuous shooting, ISO up to ISO 1,600,000, PRIME V image processing according to Pentax. Better image detail, best noise reduction in low light.

Viewfinder

Another significant improvement to the Pentax K-3 Mark III is the all-new viewfinder. Pentax uses a large pentagonal prism with 1.05x magnification and a 10% improvement in brightness compared to the K-3 Mark II. Pentax still believes in DSLR and considers the community a legacy to use its line. With Pentax, viewing the scene through a mirror gives the photographer real feelings and creative stimulation. So, they focused on upgrading the quality and convenience of the viewfinder this time on the Pentax K 3 Mark III is a sign of that spirit.

New focus module

Ricoh says this is the new autofocus module they try to make the Pentax K3 III – Safox 13 AF (K3 – II is Safox 11 AF) with 101 focus points including 25 cross-type focus points, 41 manual focus points, and a good 9-point center focus area with f/2.8 in bright conditions – 4EV. Here, you know that because the center receives the best light, people often use f/2.8 to express, if the center area focuses well at f/2.8, the closer to the edge of the aperture, and focusing well on f/2.8 in low-light conditions of -4EV is great.

The Pentax K 3 Mark III’s continuous focusing system has also been upgraded. Pentax uses a 307k-pixel RGB+ IR metering sensor for object recognition and tracking. Predictive AF algorithms that detect faces, human eyes, and birds will work well with AF-C in a wide variety of lighting situations.

Image stabilization

This is not a new ability, but it can be said that this is something that the Pentax K3 III improved to keep up with the opponent. The 5-axis SR 2 system stabilizes the oscillation at 5.5EV, according to the CIPA standard test, which is 1.0EV and 0.5EV better than K3 I compared to K3 II.

Mechanical shutter improvements

Pentax K3 III has improved shutter and mirror with more precise response time, lighter mirror to minimize motion inertia. The mirror redesign this time is said to be more stable, with the continuous shooting speed raised to 12 fps (11 fps with AFC).

4K video

The Pentax K3 Mark III is the first 4K version of Pentax, 4K UHD 30p allows the touch screen to focus and adjust when recording, reducing the noise of hard button operation. It also offers 3-axis stabilization when shooting video instead of digital stabilization as before.

Design

It has a 3.2-inch touch LCD screen, quite large and convenient to use, coordinated with buttons when used quickly. However, the LCD design is fixed, does not flip or rotate like the habit of LCD now is usually rotatable.

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The design is generally no different from Pentax DSLR models, the magnesium construction feels sturdy, compact, weather-resistant, and water-resistant, famous for Pentax. Familiar, comfortable grip and buttons, rotating wheels. Intelligent function buttons, assign quick control to 5 options. The K-3 Mark III has an 8-way joystick for convenient diagonal AF shift, press straight to jump to the center focus point for quick.

Battery

The Pentax K-3 Mark III uses the same battery as the K-1 LI90P, taking about 800 pictures/charge. The camera can also be charged via USB. Unfortunately, there is no removable battery charger in the box, only the adapter to charge USB directly to the camera. That is, do not take the battery out to charge it, or buy it separately.

Are that many upgrades, K-3 Mark III is sufficient for users to choose or upgrade from the older version? We hardly know. As today’s camera war is fierce with more options and diverse requirements, moreover, MLR becomes a huge competitor for Pentax’s determination with DSLR. Anyway, Pentax still believed, still had its own market, and tried everything to improve this version.

Pentax K-3 Mark III price and availability

Just talking about the price, the same price range of about $1,996.95 to $2,296.95, can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com and Bhphotovideo.com online stores. We also have the option in this price range such as K-3 III, Nikon Z6 II, Nikon D500, 7D Mark II or even Pentax K-1 II.

Pentax is confident and trying hard to upgrade to this version of APSC this time. Of course, it is possible to choose the K-1 II with the FF sensor for the same budget, but the old AF system, not 4K video. Basically, it is difficult to say who the Pentax K-3 III is for, just look at it as a pretty good configuration, with new upgrades, and for those who still love to use a camera with glass. We do.