| Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Full model name: | Pentax K-3 |
| Resolution: | 24.35 Megapixels |
| Sensor size: | APS-C |
| Kit Lens: | 7.50x zoom 18-135mm (27-203mm eq.) |
| Viewfinder: | Optical / LCD |
| ISO: | 100-51200 |
| Shutter: | 30-1/8000 |
| Max Aperture: | 3.5 |
| Dimensions: | 5.2 x 3.9 x 3.1 in. (131 x 100 x 77 mm) |
| Weight: | 43.7 oz (1,240 g) includes batteries, kit lens |
| MSRP: | $1,700 |
| Availability: | 11/2013 |
| Manufacturer: | Pentax |
| Full specs: | Pentax K-3 specifications |
| 24.35 Megapixels |
PENTAX KAF2 (KAF2, KAF, KA) | APS-C size sensor |
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Pentax K-3 Review
Overview, Hands-on and Technical Info by Mike Tomkins, with Geek's Guide by Dave Etchells
Posted 10/07/2013
Updates:
11/06/2013: Image Quality Comparison Analysis
12/26/2013: Field Test Blog Part I: Initial thoughts
02/06/2014: Field Test Blog Part 2: Time for some more exciting glass!
04/28/2014: Field Test Blog Part 3: Off to the races!
Pentax K-3 Context & Walkaround
The K-3 comes from a strong line of Pentax SLRs
Since the launch of the Pentax K-7 in 2009, the company's flagship models have been among our favorite enthusiast-grade digital SLRs. Pentax's most recent iterations -- the simultaneously-launched K-5 II and K-5 IIs -- were very much evolutionary models, with only relatively minor changes from their shared predecessor. The Pentax K-3, unlike its recent precessors, is revolutionary -- and not just because it's the first in the series to be made under the watch of Ricoh, the Pentax brand's new owner.
Get the scoop on the Pentax SLR lineage and find out what makes this camera revolutionary!
Take a walk around the Pentax K-3
Pentax K-3 On-demand Anti-aliasing Filtering
The K-3's selective low-pass filter is a fascinating industry-first
Pentax revolutionizes low-pass filtering. In a truly revolutionary move, Pentax has developed a solution for variable, on-demand low-pass (anti-aliasing) filtering in digital cameras, the first implementation being in their new K-3 DSLR. This is such an important development that we're going to devote a little time to explaining how they do it, and why it's so significant.
Low-pass filters, aka anti-aliasing (AA) filters are an important part of digital imaging of which most people have little understanding. Recently, there's been a move afoot in the photo industry to eliminate them, which we at IR consider ill-advised. They're very necessary in some situations, yet in others needlessly reduce resolution and sharpness. Clearly, what's needed is a way to have a low-pass filter when you need it, and do away with it when you don't. That's exactly what Pentax has just made possible for the first time, in their new K-3 SLR.
Take a deep dive into the K-3's selective low-pass filter!
Pentax K-3 Selective Low-pass Filter
Pentax K-3 Tech Info
What else is new?
Sensor. The Pentax K-3 is now based around a 24.35-megapixel image sensor, up from the 16.3-megapixel chip used in the K-5, K-5 II, and K-5 IIs. With 50% more pixels, the new chip theoretically yields around a 22% increase in linear resolution. Maximum image size is 6016 x 4000 pixels.
The new sensor is still a CMOS chip with Bayer RGBG filter array, but it's fractionally smaller than the previous generation. Dimensions are 23.5 x 15.6mm, down from 23.7 x 15.7mm. Total resolution is 24.71 megapixels, well above the 16.9 megapixels of the previous-gen chip.
As in the Pentax K-5 IIs, the Pentax K-3 doesn't include an optical low-pass filter. It does, however, add an on-demand mechanical antialiasing function. More on that in a moment. (Or read the "Geek's Guide to On-Demand Low-Pass Filtering" by IR publisher Dave Etchells, for the full story.)
Click to read detailed Pentax K-3 technical information
Pentax K-3 Tech Info
Pentax K-3 Field Test Part I
Initial impressions
Before I get down to my thoughts on the Pentax K-3, a little background would probably be appropriate. When I'm reviewing cameras, I'm pretty brand-agnostic: What the camera can do for me is far more important than the badge on the front. I can't afford to own everything I get to review, though, or to keep changing allegiance to a new lens mount. For the last few years, I've used Pentax's flagship DSLRs as my daily shooters, after the original Pentax K-7 brought me into the fold back in 2009. A couple of years later, I upgraded to the K-5, but I skipped the subsequent K-5 II, as it was a fairly modest update.
When I first heard news of the Pentax K-3, I was thrilled. There's a lot I love about my K-5, but there are areas in which I wanted to see the company make some improvements -- especially autofocus -- and with the K-3, it seems to have done so. As well as the new AF system, I also found the prospect of better metering, dual flash card slots, a better and wider-aspect LCD monitor, and a brighter viewfinder to be particularly appealing. And the promise of greater all-around performance doesn't hurt, either.
Check out my initial impressions of the K-3
Field Test Part I
Pentax K-3 Field Test Part II
Time for some more exciting glass!
In the first part of my Pentax K-3 Field Test, I shot exclusively with the 18-135mm kit lens that can be purchased in a bundle with the camera body. In part, I did so because that's the one lens K-3 shooters are most likely to own, and we always try to ensure we cover kit lenses for that reason -- even if they're not the most exciting optics available. It also didn't hurt that I happened to own a copy of the same lens myself, meaning I could shoot side-by-side with my K-5, with no fussing and changing lenses back and forth.
With a consumer camera, the kit lens might very well be the only lens you'll shoot with, but that's almost certainly not the case with an enthusiast SLR like the Pentax K-3, though. For that reason, I was keen to get out and shoot with some of my nicer lenses. Sadly, I didn't have duplicates of these, so shooting side by side with these meant an exceptional amount of switching lenses between bodies.
Check out how the K-3 handled some classic Pentax lenses!
Field Test Part II
Pentax K-3 Field Test Part III
Off to the races!
And finally, we come to the last section of my Field Test -- and my decision whether to buy the Pentax K-3 for myself. This section has been a while coming, for which I apologize -- every time I've gone to return to shooting and writing, something else has come up. Just one example: The subject I'd chosen for my planned autofocus and burst performance testing didn't cooperate. I'd been intending to shoot with the K-3 and K-5 side by side at a local drag racing strip to get a good sense for how the two cameras' performance compared. Come the day, heavy rains had flooded the pit lane and the track day was canceled.
Check out how the K-3 AF performed at the go-cart track!
Field Test Part III
Pentax K-3 Image Quality Comparison
What will 8 more megapixels do for the K-series flagship?
The K-3 sports 8 more megapixels than the K-5, so we were eager to see how image quality would improve and how it would handle noise at higher ISOs. We compare the K-3 to the Nikon D7100, Olympus E-M1 and Sony A77 (among others).
Pixel peep to your heart's content!
Image Quality Comparison
Pentax K-3 Print Quality
Image quality on the screen and printed output don't always mesh. Our print quality analysis gives you a definitive answer to the question: "How large can I print my photos as I push ISO?"
Check out how the K-3 print quality holds up at higher ISOs
Print Quality
Pentax K-3 Conclusion
The K-3 is a fine camera... but what's our final conclusion?
Inside and out, new is the name of the game for Ricoh's flagship APS-C DSLR, the Pentax K-3. The weather-sealed, magnesium alloy body is brand-new, and so is the high-res 24.3-megapixel image sensor, paired to a speedy new PRIME III image processor that's capable of 8.3 frames-per-second burst shooting. There's also a much finer-grained metering sensor, and the K-3 brings the first major overhaul of Pentax's phase-detect autofocus system in a decade. Pentax has also gifted the K-3 with dual high-speed SD card slots, swift USB 3.0 transfer, an overhauled movie mode complete with levels monitoring, and even -- via an optional accessory -- support for wireless live view shooting.
The most exciting new feature, though, is the Pentax K-3's impressively-clever on-demand optical low-pass filtering system. In the quest for ultimate resolution, Pentax's rivals have simply removed the low-pass filter altogether, unleashing finer details at the risk of moiré and aliasing artifacts. The Pentax K-3 gives you the best of both worlds, instead. It forgoes the low-pass filter for maximum detail when shooting subjects like portraits or landscapes, but cleverly uses the camera's Shake Reduction system to emulate a low-pass filter for moiré-prone subjects like fabric, bricks or mesh.
Read the conclusion for our final verdict!
Read our Pentax K-3 Conclusion
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Note: For details, test results, and analysis of the many tests done with this camera, please click on the tabs at the beginning of the review or below.
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