Pentax K-3 Mark III set to be released next week (finally!)

UPDATE (26 Mar 2021): A new rumor has suggested that we'll finally be seeing the release of the Pentax K-3 Mark III next week. Apparently, this newly-announced APS-C flagship has already been listed at an unnamed online store and will be available for pre-order online next week. 

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As reported by Pentax Rumors, the Pentax K-3 Mark III will come body-only or as part of a lens kit. There will also be a new battery grip, hot shoe cover and eye cup FU available for purchase as well. 

Pentax Rumors also reports that the Pentax K-3 Mark III firmware with Eye-AF has also been finalized, according to multiple posts on the Chinese forum Xitek. 

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UPDATE (19 Mar 2021): Ricoh Imaging has given users a guided tour of the Pentax K-3 Mark III, its long-gestating APS-C flagship camera. 

Despite confirming in February that the body has been delayed, Ricoh is keeping the Pentax K-3 Mark III flame alive with this 20-minute deep dive into the new camera's capabilities – including its top sensitivity of 1.6 million ISO.

Ricoh product planner Shigeru Wakashiro gives a top-to-bottom overview of the Mark III, taking in everything from the new image sensor to the improved optical viewfinder. If you ever wanted reassurance that the DSLR isn't dead despite the mirrorless revolution, Wakashiro might make a believer out of you. 

Check out the full video below – and don't forget to hit the subtitles / closed caption (unless you understand Japanese!). 

ORIGINAL STORY (27 Oct 2020): The Pentax K-3 Mark III has finally been announced by Ricoh, after a year of teasing. The new camera will possess a staggering top sensitivity of ISO1,600,000, and will be available in late February. 

Teased for months in low key videos, where it was referred to only as "APS-C flagship model", the rumored model name was officially confirmed as the Pentax K-3 Mark III in an announcement video by Shinobu Takahashi, president of Ricoh Imaging.

The new camera will feature a brand new image sensor – along with a new imaging engine and accelerator unit – with a resolution of 25.73MP, a slight increase from the usual 24MP resolution that's familiar to Pentax' APS-C line. 

In addition to the headline ISO100 to 1.6 million performance, the Pentax K-3 Mark III specs also include the improved Shake Reduction II (SRII) seen in cameras like the full-frame Pentax K-1 Mark II, the five-axis system that's CIPA-rated for five stops of movement correction.

It features a top shooting speed of 12fps and can record 4K video up to 30p and FullHD video up to 60p, supported by an external microphone port and dual SD card slots (only one of which is UHS-II). It also possesses a phase detect autofocus system, with 101 AF points (25 of which are cross-type), capable of focusing down to -4EV.

As the manufacturer has been keen to stress, the pentaprism is the heart and soul of its cameras – and the viewfinder here offers a huge 1.05x magnification, a notable increase from the 0.95x magnification seen in the preceding K-3 Mark II. 

As previously confirmed, the rear LCD will not feature tilting, articulation or even Pentax' signature 'scissor-action' – instead it will be a fixed 3.2 type screen, and possibly not a touch affair, with 1.62 million dots. It also has the much loved Night Vision red screen for low light shooting.

Both 2.4 GHz WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2 are supported, and the camera's official dimensions are 134.5 x 103.5 x 73.5mm (excluding protrusions) with a body only weight of 735g (820g including battery and SD card.

The only thing we don't know about the Pentax K-3 Mark III is the price, though this should be confirmed before the projected release of the camera at the CP+ 2021 trade show in Japan on 25 February. For full specs, visit the Ricoh website.

Read more: 

The best Pentax cameras: from APS-C to full frame and medium format
The best Pentax lenses: our top lens suggestions for your Pentax DSLR
Pentax K-1 Mark III review