We've been anticipating the release of the Pentax K-3 Mark III for a while – but when will it actually appear?
(Image credit: DC Watch)
UPDATE: After first being announced in October 2020, the Pentax K-3 Mark III still hasn't officially appeared. Ricoh has released a developmental update stating that the K-3 Mark III has been delayed due to difficulties in sourcing product parts. While the Pentax K-3 Mark III was originally meant to be released at the CP+ show, scheduled to be held from 25 to 28 February, it has now been delayed indefinitely.
Ricoh says (via Pentax Rumors), "RICOH COMPANY, LTD. and RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD. sincerely appreciates your support and patronage of PENTAX products.
We would like to present a progress report on the development of the PENTAX K-3 Mark III, the PENTAX’s new APS-C-format digital SLR flagship camera, whose development was first announced to the public on October 27, 2020.
Although it was initially announced that this camera would be launched on the market around the world premiere show “CP + 2021” of cameras and photographic images, scheduled to be held from February 25 to 28, 2021.
As some of the product parts are delayed, and we have determined that development will require a greater amount of time for us to achieve the exceptional performance and finest quality that is the hallmark of next APS-C flagship model.
We apologize for any inconvenience this delay may cause, and ask for your kind understanding of our development efforts."
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ORIGINAL STORY: Detailed images of the Pentax K-3 Mark III - the new Ricoh brand's top-tier APS-C format camera - have surfaced, giving us an in-depth view of what we can expect from the exciting new model.
Announced back in October, the Pentax K-3 Mark III made headlines for its sky high maximum ISO sensitivity of 1.6 million, alongside its new 25.73MP sensor, which have solidified it as a professional option.
The new images and video of the camera body in operation, courtesy of DC Watch, confirm that the control layout is reassuringly conservative, meaning that existing Pentax users should find it familiar and require minimal adjustment.
It also confirms that the Mark III is equipped with a dedicated joystick, for selecting AF points and similar shooting functions, which is a tactile improvement over the Pentax K-3 Mark II. This design also appears to have been integrated into the associated battery grip.
The body looks compact, but with a deep hand grip, as is common with Pentax DSLRs. It has also retained the dual card slots and top plate LCD of the Mark II, while a new shooting mode dial has been added beside the latter. From this it seems like the user will be able to switch between stills, video and Live View shooting – a handy addition for quick changes.
The mode dial also looks fairly similar, although it appears two new user defined positions have been added (now running from U1 through U5) up from three on the K-3 Mark II.
The new camera brings with it a host of improvements that we will look forward to putting to the test when it becomes available in February 2021.
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