[normhead]

Asking $1900 for APS-C when the Z-5, A7Rii, RP, Z6 etc all cost less and will most likely outperform the K3 iii is probably not going to win new users. OVF is not that strong a "feature". Also Fuji XPro 3 has both OVF and EVF for around that price and it's made with sexy titanium.

Are you here just to pick a fight?

[Pål Jensen]

I'm just making the point that in 2020 it's not an easy market and Pentax needs to compete. .

It seems extremely competitive to me

The best APS DSLR in the world fit the largest APS-DSLR lens line-up in the market and all K-mount lenses. Good enough for me.....

[house]

Frankly, I'm shocked the name is K-3 Mark III, given that there is a new body design.

The sub number convention is the best out there imho. Very legible naming strategy and Pentax ran into a brick wall with their countdown naming. Would be amazing if Pentax just churns out K-1 and K-3 models into the teens. I don't understand what people have against it. The i'st, rebel nonsense naming is annoying.

The Knew is clearly the K-3 but a couple of years later.

[Kunzite]

It is Canon style naming strategy. At least now we know who it is targeted at. However, it makes guessing the name of coming models less entertaining. We will have the K-1 III and maybe the K2 (FF) as well at some point.

Maybe they're expecting a lot of now-Canon shooters to be interested, so they adopted a naming system familiar with them.

[FozzFoster]

Maybe they're expecting a lot of now-Canon shooters to be interested, so they adopted a naming system familiar with them.

Hadn't Canon essentially state they are not going to develop dSLR anymore? Unlike @LeeRunge comments, I think the OVF is an outstanding and necessary feature, and I know a lot of others think the same.
So, yes! I agree - I bet some people tired of the mirrorless mania will come to Pentax for being the only solid OVF camera company - and a more obvious naming system not only stops Pentax from painting themselves into a corner, but also let's people more easily know what model they have in respect to others.

[Breakfastographer]

Thread hijack alert...... extreme bias exhibited.....

Is that a feature now? Thread hijack warning and everybody comes rushing?

[thibs]

Asking $1900 for APS-C when the Z-5, A7Rii, RP, Z6 etc all cost less and will most likely outperform the K3 iii is probably not going to win new users. OVF is not that strong a "feature". Also Fuji XPro 3 has both OVF and EVF for around that price and it's made with sexy titanium.

It is. And as for your previous post, is Fuji advertising really at the place here?

[SSGGeezer]

I must say that I was curious about some of the Fuji cameras like the XT-3 and the pro series. I played with a Pro-2 and it was nice but I was not a fan of the EVF. and from initial looks at the lens lineup, they cost more than the Pentax equivalent. I also have a fair amount of * quality Pentax glass so the only reason to go for a Fuji would have to be for video. If I wanted compact PS I would by a GR or one of the other little Ricoh cameras.

[Breakfastographer]

Maybe they're expecting a lot of now-Canon shooters to be interested, so they adopted a naming system familiar with them.

It was rumoured that Ricoh mainly bought Pentax to get back at Canon, who are direct competitors for certain office products. So when Nikon names its A7 competitor Z7 to challenge Sony, it makes sense for Ricoh to do a "Mark [numeral]".

[Danas_Anis]

Without any doubts, it will be a pretty nice camera. But... right now all major producers are fighting for mirrorless cameras market and offering some really advanced and affordable products. And at the same time Ricoh announced the APS-C DSLR that they have had to release 3 years ago... Besides, it will cost $1,900! Nikon Z5 is just $1,296 worth. It certainly doesn't look like a promising way to develop a company or at least its camera division. The industry is being changed fast and Ricoh really needs to find its place in that new context.

Well, at least Pentax has 645 line of medium format cameras. In time this might be their power horse to survive in the market. The way things are going, Pentax cameras are not exciting in the eyes of new potential users, which should be Ricoh Pentax focus, the current loyal fan base consist of solid age users which is not getting younger, due to Covid-19 it may (hopefully not) be reduced. Pentax as a name isn't Leica. So either they attempt something exciting or find really good niche. Pentax is really good at building solid rugged and ergonomic cameras, maybe they could find inspiration in extreme environmental conditions photography or something.

Just some thoughts.

[Erictator]

Asking $1900 for APS-C when the Z-5, A7Rii, RP, Z6 etc all cost less and will most likely outperform the K3 iii is probably not going to win new users. OVF is not that strong a "feature". Also Fuji XPro 3 has both OVF and EVF for around that price and it's made with sexy titanium.

My emphasis added to quote, because that is what I'm going to address ...

A good OVF experience is YUUUUUUUGE to those who want one. It's like road feel in cars today. At first, cars with manual steering had road feel alight, with no power steering they had so much road feel that most people couldn't turn the steering wheel without the car moving... then came power steering, which was considered a luxury, but then people complained they lost road feel... so power steering was reduced to power assist, and some road feel returned. Then comes fly-by wire steering, it's electric, no road feel again... people complain about lack of road feel again, and auto makers scramble to make it feel better. See any parallels here with OVF? Some things are of intrinsic value and always will be because of the nature of the product and its mission.

Any way you slice it, the VIEW in an OPTICAL device is pretty important, and a top camera maker should be concerned about such things when making a flagship camera and in my opinion is well worth bragging about, since it is no easy feat. If it was easy, or inexpensive, everyone would be doing it because it IS better to have a large accurate easy to evaluate view. I want to be inspired to press the shutter when I look through the viewfinder. And don't forget the most important feature in the K3-III... it's K-Mount!

That's my .02 anywho,
Eric

[normhead]

Hadn't Canon essentially state they are not going to develop dSLR anymore? Unlike @LeeRunge comments, I think the OVF is an outstanding and necessary feature, and I know a lot of others think the same.
So, yes! I agree - I bet some people tired of the mirrorless mania will come to Pentax for being the only solid OVF camera company - and a more obvious naming system not only stops Pentax from painting themselves into a corner, but also let's people more easily know what model they have in respect to others.

Every now and then we get a commenter who has seen some "light", starts championing other brands, and comes here to save us from our ignorance. You just have to realize, he doesn't share our values and move on.

[mee]

If you think Pentax prices are premium (or Canon, Nikon, Sony for that matter) go price some Leica L mount lenses. Just saying...

That's moving the goalposts a bit. Whataboutism as some of the kids say these days.

Pentax was known as a value leader for a time. Now that they are competing more fully on specs, the price has risen in line to those of their competition. As such, they open themselves to comparison more fully also. Leica was never in the picture.

I don't see this lone body taking off in terms of collecting many newcomers, simply because there isn't a whole plan of doing the same for the system as a whole. But time will tell, I'd love to be wrong and for Ricoh to launch more redesigned DA prime lenses to go with it.

It's an exciting inclusion for Pentax users at least.

[FozzFoster]

Every now and then we get a commenter who has seen some "light"

well, actually, they are using EVF, so they are not really seein' the actual light. It's just a little delay-ridden video monitor inside where the OVF should be

[someasiancameraguy]

What do they do really well that stands out from the crowd in 2020?

Fuji is tactile in so many good ways. Pentax doesn't offer that. It's just a standard DSLR body, well built but it's not Fuji with great dials and a "get the tech out the way" design philosophy. Fuji Primes are way sexier IMO then Pentax, FAST and many are weather sealed unlike the limited lenses.

If I were brand new today I would be buying into Fuji not Pentax. They have hybrid viewfinders so you can have your OVF and your EVF.

No full frame? They have better medium format. And at this point the APS-C sensors are basically as good as full frame. KP for example looks basically the same as my D750 at high iso, it's extremely close. I guess if you want tons of megapixels, but then, medium format or A7R IV with 61 megapixels.

I'd argue that almost everyone that shoots Pentax will swear that the bodies use a "get the tech out the way" ethos. Pentax ergonomics have always been amazing. As to IQ between APS-C and FF I'd agree the gap has closed, but FF has some advantages that are hard to replicate: such as DOF, high ISO, and typically lower CA/distortion ultrawides to name a few.

I do think that the Fuji ecosystem is currently very competitive, but it's too far to say that Pentax doesn't have its own advantages. Even if EVFs reached a retina level of pixel density with indistinguishable delay, not everyone likes to feel a digital layer between what they capture. I know that sounds like a statement lifted off some copy-ad, but its true.

If we did an apples to apples comparison of feature set, Leica wouldn't be the company it is today, nor will film photography be experiencing the resurgence it has for the past decade.