Pentax K-3 Mark III now available to pre-order!

I've just received a couple of emails about the release of the K-3 Mark III, available for pre-order now. Stock is due on the 23rd of April so we're nearly there.

SRS Microsystems Link to the Pentax K-3 Mark III

Wex's link to the body only listing

The price for the body itself is £1899 (whew) for both Black and Silver colour schemes but is also available as part of a premium kit coming in at £2199. This includes the battery grip, extra battery and strap.

Interesting pricing for sure, but I'm keen to see how the camera fares with the usual critics and review sites.

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All the gear with no idea

We'd been primed and new it wouldn't be a cheap bit of kit.
Now we can sit back and wait for the heated debates over the reviews and the performance.

The price is more or less what we expected. I've had a read through DPR's initial write-up and it looks like a beautiful machine in every way, it's just a shame it's so expensive. DPR so far almost managing to hold back on their usual "only really a viable option for existing Pentax users" disclaimer.

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Pentax hybrid user - Digital K3, film 645 and 35mm SLR and Pentax (&other) lenses adapted to Fuji X and Panasonic L digital
Fan of DA limited and old manual lenses

Pentax have a chance to fill the void as others concentrate on mirrorless. They could be a beacon for continued DSLR development.

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Best regards, John

They’re about to create a void in my wallet.....

At this point I think becoming the Leica of dSLRs but without the full red dot tax might make some sense and the new camera does look exceptional.

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Jon

Some occasional random stuff at The Photographers Block: link

£2K um!

I will enquire as to my D850 trade-in value, but it will have to be a very good deal for me to spend £2K on a APS-C camera, even with all the new tech.

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Cheers
Brian.
LBA is good for you, a Lens a day helps you work, rest and play.

especially when a D850 with grip is ~£2500 when on offer..

I'm just going to have to Wait for K1 M3.

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Z-1p, K-1, P50
F50 1.7. FAs 24, 35, 50 1.4, 85, 135. DFA15-30, DFA24-70, D-FA*70-200. D-FA 100 (gone now!). The SMC-FA Limited Trinity.
Metz 45 CL-4, AF500FTZ. AF540FGZ.
Some Mamiya and some Nikon

If you are a Nikon or Canon user you are going to be under pressure to switch to their mirrorless systems as their DSLR ranges get quietly dropped and the future secondhand values of their lenses look bleak. Given that adapters are only a stopgap this will require buying into a whole new system so having an alternative DSLR system available could appeal to some. If that is to gain traction then an upgraded FF body with the latest focus capabilities has to follow quickly, and not with the same long drawn-out process we have just seen.

I wonder if an update to the K-1 may be faster if they’ve done a lot of the heavy lifting with the K3iii? Would be good news if that’s the case although frankly APSC is the sweet spot for me as modern FF lenses are just so huge!

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Jon

Some occasional random stuff at The Photographers Block: link

Oh well...we knew it was going to be pricey but it'll be be down to £1650 in time for Christmas!

This will be my next but one camera. I've got to get a low mileage K-3II in vgc in about 2 years first having only just upgraded to a K-5IIs!

Interesting point people are making about a new K-1 III using tech from this new camera...could arrive by the end of the year i would have thought, then Pentax would have two truly exceptional cameras with appeal beyond existing Pentax users.

Must say the autofocus and tracking look very good from the limited viewing I have seen on Youtube, pity they didn't do it years ago when it would have stopped a lot of people leaving the system.

I am in the process of selling all my Pentax gear but I am thinking of keeping my DA*16-50mm, DA*50-135mm, D-FA 150-450mm and 1.4x for when this comes down to a more affordable price.

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. My Flickr

I was hoping it wouldn't be far north of £1500 but knew that would be unlikely. I'm likely still going to pre-order.

Anyone for a K-5?
She served me well.

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Regards,
Dan

https://www.flickr.com/photos/honourabletyr/

Am I missing something, or have Pentax discarded both the in-body flash and the GPS/AstroTracer module?

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Peter

Pentax K5
Pentax DA 18-55 Mk1, 50-200 (Samsung), 16-45, 55-300 Mk1, 35 f/2.4
Pentax MZ6 + FA28-90, FA50 f/1.4, M 50 f/1.7
Tamron 80-210mm & 28mm

K3 II didnt have the flash either, nor the K1.

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Peter



My Flickr page

I am quite excited about this. It may be my last new camera alongside and K1 Mk3. I will wait a while for the price to come down and any bugs to be ironed out.