PentaxK-3 Mark III Flagship APS-C Black Camera - 12fps, Touch Screen LCD, Weather Resistant Magnesium Alloy Body with In-Body 5-Axis Shake Reduction. 1.05x Optical Viewfinder with 100% FOV

I recently bought the K-3 Mark III, as an upgrade to my K5 IIS. Basic functionality is similar, so I was immediately able to take test pics. Picture quality is outstanding, and tack sharp, if of course you have a good lens. As I'm still getting my feet wet with this camera, my review is limited.

I was using the DA*300mm f4 for the test shots I did here.I love this camera. It seems very well thought out. Pentax took their time to make sure what they're releasing is a quality product, and I think perhaps some of the things that could use a little improvement are exactly the kinds of things that firmware updates can address. When trying out a camera the grip isn't something I usually think about because I assume it will feel "quirky" in some way or other, and that I'll just "get use to it," as if it was made for some other hands. Not so with this camera. I found it immediately comfortable. I wasn't sure if I would like the touch screen, but I now see how useful they've made it. I love it. Also with the few tests I've done they've really hugely improved upon immediate transfer of images (even RAW) to a smartphone. The auto-focus is excellent. As expected, it's a super solid build. It's not silent like a mirrorless, but I think this is the first DSLR where the sound of the shutter was soft enough where birds aren't startled right at go. The menu takes a little getting use to as it's changed quite a bit, but there's nothing I haven't searched for that I didn't find with occasional use of the provided manual.Is it worth the price tag? For me it was. I have a bunch of Pentax lenses already and I wasn't going to wait six months for the price to maybe come down to try this out. Now that I have it I won't be returning it. :)

This was a huge upgrade over my Pentax K3. All the features of the K3 were on the new camera, but worked much better. The new features were fantastic. The auto-focus was quick and precise. The only thing that I will miss will be the pop-up flash, which I rarely used, anyway.

I have a Sony full-frame for my portrait and event photography, but want an APS-C body for wildlife. That's an activity that does best with an optical viewfinder, and in my opinion no camera has a better one than this Pentax. This makes the ideal pick for birds-in-flight and wildlife. I'm glad at least one company remains committed to comfortable camera bodies for larger telephoto lenses and optical viewfinders free of lag and blackout. It's so much easier to track fast moving birds when you can see them thru glass rather than waiting for an electronic screen to redraw them.

After my K-1 took a fall and needed to be shipped off for repair, I thought I'd try the k-3iii, as was considering it for a second body. I did love the shooting experience when I put it through its paces. The body is light and responsive, the full pentaprism viewfinder is beautiful, and the shutter is quiet yet precise/snappy feeling. It was only when I went to process in post(RAW) that I noticed I wasn't getting the detail I was used to, and it seemed like many more photos were OOF than usual. I did update to the latest firmware and setup back button focusing as well. I will say the higher ISO shots looked better than ever. I did my best to give it a shot, tried on 31mm, 77mm, and the 40mm. Also, I am spoiled from shooting full frame and having lots of crop freedom. Great camera, and were I to use it regularly I would definitely improve my photography, but I think if i'm going that route for a crop sensor, I will instead look at the GR IIIx in the future for a compact street and travel shooter, and the Fujifilm GX100 series for the bigger sensor. In the meantime the K-1 still holds it down and doesn't feel limiting. Considering the price, I would recommend getting the K-1 mk2 over the k3-iii, but that doesn't take away from the fact that the k3 is still an amazing body, just not for me. Skill issue for sure.