The State of Third Party K-mount Lenses in 2023

From Irix to Zhong Yi Optics, a cornucopia of lenses available new

By wadge22 in Gear Guides on Jul 11, 2023

Pentax offers a wide range of lenses that cover all of the most common photographic needs, particularly for APS-C cameras like the Pentax K-70 and Pentax K-3 III. Some Pentaxians feel slightly under-served, however, in their available choices when compared to other systems with larger user bases. This is especially true for photography niches such as extreme telephoto or tilt-shift, and for particular price points such as consumer-friendly telephoto zooms.  In this article, we will be taking a look at what other options are available, new, as of 2023.

One of the ways camera brands have been able to offer a wide selection of lenses is through third-party support from the likes of Sigma and Tamron. Both of these companies have turned away from Pentax and are not developing new lenses for the K mount; instead they are shifting their resources to follow the majority of camera manufacturers into mirrorless systems.

Sigma and Tamron may have left Pentax, but there is still a rich environment of third-party brands producing lenses for K mount from brands including Samyang, Venus Optics, and Irix. The Pentax Forums database of third-party lenses will always be the most up-to-date resource on which lenses are in production.

Many of the currently available third-party lenses are specialized for niches that Pentax does not cover, such as tilt-shift lenses and extreme macros. All these are manual focus primes, and, for the most part, they offer high-quality modern optical designs. Here's a run-down on the most popular brands and their lenses.

Ricoh GR III v1.61, GR IIIx v1.11 Firmware Update Released

New firmware brings updates from GR IIIx to all GR III models

By wadge22 in Firmware Updates on Aug 12, 2022

Ricoh Imaging has released new firmware updates for the GR III (firmware v1.61) and GR IIIx (v1.11). These updates include SD card stability improvements and bug fixes, and do not appear to introduce any new features.

Like all updates, these are cumulative and include everything added in prior updated firmware versions.

Firmware Release Notes for GR III

21mm Lens Giveaway Contest Winner Announced

"Shoot the Boring/Mundane/Everyday in a Creative Way" contest winner has been selected

By wadge22 in Giveaways and Events on Jul 22, 2022

We are pleased to announce Pentax Forums user avcb has been voted the winner of our special photo contest from May through June 2022, and the recipient of the DA 21mm Limited lens prize! The theme of the contest was "Shoot the Boring/Mundane/Everyday in a Creative Way,"

This imaginative shot, titled "A Break in the Continuum," was chosen as a finalist by the contest judge (and generous prize donor) @ebhale, and voted winner by Pentax Forums members:

U.S. Pentax Deal Roundup: July 20th, 2022

Deals and Savings on Pentax, Ricoh, and Third-Party Cameras and Lenses

By wadge22 in Deals and Savings on Jul 21, 2022

This is the newest roundup of the top U.S. Pentax deals. The ultra wide Irix 11mm F4 Blackstone and Samyang 10mm F2.8 ED AS NCS CS lenses are both roughly %20 off their average cost over the last year. Also don't miss out on the Pentax DA 35mm F2.4 and DA 50mm F1.8 at new low prices. We are also pleased that the K-3 III is still selling for $1,697, as covered in our K-3 III deal article.

At any time, you can check out our U.S. Pentax Camera & Lens Deal Finder to get up to date deals and price alerts, as well as a per-store price breakdown.  Also, by shopping at our partner stores, you can help support the forum and may become eligible for a free forum account upgrade!

2022 Pentax Forums T-shirt Contest Now Live

Submit your design today

By wadge22 in Giveaways and Events on Jul 9, 2022

New Pentax Forums T-shirt designs will soon be chosen for 2022!  We have just kicked off a contest for general Pentax/camera-themed shirt designs, to include the Pentax Forums logo.  The contest will run through July 31st, and shortly afterwards our members vote for the winners, with the winning designs available soon after that.  All winners will receive two free shirts and a Site Supporter forum account upgrade.

Click here to learn more or enter the 2022 PF T-shirt contest

We are looking forward to seeing your creative designs! For inspiration, you may view prior designs on our Teespring store.