Pentax K-3 Mark III
At a glance
£1,899 body-only
● 25.7MP APS-C sensor
● ISO 100-1,600,000
● 12fps continuous shooting
● 0.7x pentaprism viewfinder
● 3.2in, 1.62m-dot touchscreen
● In-body image stabilisation
This might just be the longest-awaited sequel in the history of digital cameras. The Pentax K-3 Mark III is an APS-C format DSLR aimed squarely at enthusiast photographers, and notionally a follow-up to the K-3 Mark II from 2015. But whereas that camera was a relatively minor update over the original K-3, the Mark III is a very different kettle of fish. It inherits much of the K-3 line’s DNA, with a similar body size and design, but what’s inside is almost entirely new.
Indeed, almost all the key components have been upgraded, including the image sensor and processor, the autofocus and metering modules, the viewfinder and rear screen, and the in-body stabilisation system. But this comes at a significant cost; where the K-3 II was a bargain at £770 body-only, the Mark III will set you back £1,900 at launch. This makes it the most expensive APS-C DSLR by some margin.
To provide some context, there’s a long list of highly accomplished cameras that cost less, not least the 36MP full-frame Pentax K-1 Mark II (£1,650). Likewise, the current APS-C class-leaders, Nikon’s D500 DSLR and Fujifilm’s mirrorless X-T4, cost £1,499 and £1,399 respectively, while the Canon EOS 90D is £1,249. Meanwhile excellent full-frame mirrorless all-rounders such as the Sony Alpha
