The Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome is a professional-caliber APS-C DSLR that produces rich, high-quality black-and-white images. It’s a monochrome iteration of the standard Pentax K-3 III. Key features include:
25.7MP monochrome CMOS sensor; custom image modes
101-point phase-detection autofocus system
Enhanced five-axis image stabilization
Ergonomic layout with customizable controls
Monochrome 25.7MP APS-C CMOS Sensor. The Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome’s image sensor was designed without an anti-aliasing filter to output high-resolution, low-noise images with excellent depth and sharpness. This monochrome-specific sensor translates the brightness data from each pixel into gradation-rich, high-resolution images, and its 200-1,600,000 ISO range is ideal for performing in a wide range of lighting conditions. The combination of this large monochrome sensor and the revised PRIME V image processor gives you fast performance and processing that benefit still shooting and video recording alike. It’s possible to shoot continuous full-resolution stills at up to 12 fps, and you can capture UHD 4K video at 30 fps.
Custom Monochrome Image Modes. This camera offers three discrete image modes, each of which subtly adjusts parameters like tone, key, contrast, and sharpness to make the most of its monochrome design. Hard mode produces sharp, high-contrast images, Soft mode gives you high-key, low-contrast images, and, as you might expect, Standard mode offers a middle ground between the two.
Five-Axis Image Stabilization. Rated for 5.5 stops of correction, the K-3 Mark III Monochrome’s in-body SR-II Shake Reduction system keeps images free from camera shake across five axes, even when you’re shooting handheld at slower shutter speeds, making it easy to work in low light.
SAFOX 13 Phase-Detection Autofocus. The updated SAFOX 13 autofocus module features 101 total autofocus points, 25 of which are cross-type sensors in the middle of the image frame. This setup facilitates fast and accurate focusing in a variety of lighting conditions down to -4EV. A revised tracking algorithm ensures more accurate subject tracking, even when those subjects are moving in unpredictable patterns and at high speeds.
UHD 4K Video. It’s definitely not a flagship feature, but the K-3 III Monochrome shoots UHD 4K video at up to 30p and HD video at up to 60p using H.264 compression. There’s a built-in stereo mic for in-camera audio, as well as external mic and headphone jacks for higher-quality audio.
Professional-Grade Build. It wouldn’t be a Pentax camera if the build quality wasn’t up to snuff. Rest assured there’s no skimping here. The magnesium-alloy body has the usual elaborate weather sealing for peace of mind. There’s more button customization than you can shake a stick at, yet the core manual controls and ergonomics remain the design’s primary focus. The bright 3.2-inch touchscreen LCD was designed to suit your image-review, menu-navigation, and live-view shooting needs, and the large optical viewfinder’s 1.05x magnification gives you 100% coverage and superior clarity.
Other Notable Features. Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth allow wireless image transfer and camera control from a smartphone, there are dual SD memory-card slots for recording images and video, and the included rechargeable D-LI90 battery is rated for 800 shots per charge. The camera’s USB Type-C port lets you charge the battery in body.
