No, this isn`t an April Fool`s joke - Pentax really have just announced a new flagship DSLR camera with an APS-C sensor that will cost a whopping £1,899.99 in the UK and $1,999.99 in the US.
In a world where everyone is scrambling to conquer the growing mirrorless market, new DSLR cameras are rarer than hen`s teeth, so it`s either great or surprising to see Pentax sticking to their DSLR guns, depending on whether you are a fan of either the brand or the technology.
You certainly can`t deny that Pentax have pulled out all the stops to at least make the range-topping K-3 Mark III an interesting camera. For starters, it has a mightily impressive optical viewfinder with an almost 100% field of view and massive 1.05x magnification.
It also uses a new 25 megapixel BSI sensor and PRIME V image processor that are capable of pushing the ISO range all the way up to ISO 1,600,000, along with a new SAFOX 13 autofocus system with 101 AF points, in-body Shake Reduction (IBIS) worth 5.5 f-stops and burst shooting of up to 12 frames per second. There`s even 4K video recording...
We can`t help feel that Pentax have ignored the memo about the near-future of DSLR cameras - the one clearly marked `Extinct` - and have ploughed on with the development of the K3 III regardless of whether anyone will actually buy it. After all, nearly £$2000 will buy you a lot of mirrorless camera - almost the excellent Canon EOS R6 with its full-frame sensor, for example, or you could save a lot of cash and go for the outstanding Fujifilm X-T4 APS-C camera.
|
