[garywakeling]

"Several new Pentax products, including the K-3 Mark III, are already listed at a dealer/online store and will be available for pre-order next week:

• PENTAX K-3 Mark III camera body (black/silver)
• PENTAX K-3 Mark III lens kit (black/silver)
• PENTAX battery grip D-BG8
• PENTAX hot shoe cover O-HC177
• PENTAX eye cup FU (via Nokishita)"

Is "available for pre-order" the same as "released"?

lol only the Japanese would release an eyecup with that model name............

[bobbotron]

Awesome! This is great news, can't wait to see it on shelves.

[Larrymc]

[/COLOR]
Shall not forget that April 1st is just around the corner.

Good point! Exactly one week away.

[Larrymc]

Awesome news from PentaxRumors!

Pentax K-3 Mark III to be released next week (firmware with Eye-AF finalized) - Pentax Rumors

Wonder which dealer/online store has it listed already??

[FozzFoster]

I bought my 40mm when I heard the flagship was getting delayed, thinking that the release would be months and months out. I then stumbled across a deal on my 50-135, but still had to dip into camera funds...
I think I'll be pushing my finances more than I had intended, but I am so ready to place a pre-order!

[mee]

"Several new Pentax products, including the K-3 Mark III, are already listed at a dealer/online store and will be available for pre-order next week:

• PENTAX K-3 Mark III camera body (black/silver)
• PENTAX K-3 Mark III lens kit (black/silver)
• PENTAX battery grip D-BG8
• PENTAX hot shoe cover O-HC177
• PENTAX eye cup FU (via Nokishita)"

Is "available for pre-order" the same as "released"?

Looks more like an announcement/paper launch if you're only able to pre order. Plus the two larger camera retailers in the USA, B&H and Adorama, will be closed next week to April 5th for Passover holiday. So I don't think it will be immediate.

Maybe we'll see some professional reviews though.

[i_trax]

D-BG8 ? what is that?
So my silver D-BG5 will not work with new K-3III?

[bobbotron]

Good point! Exactly one week away.

I feel like this would be incredibly poor taste to queue this up as an April 1st joke. I can't imagine this is the case.

[Serkevan]

D-BG8 ? what is that?
So my silver D-BG5 will not work with new K-3III?

Probably not - the new grip has a joystick for AF operation. They showed it a couple times IIRC.

[Kunzite]

D-BG8 ? what is that?
So my silver D-BG5 will not work with new K-3III?

Of course it doesn't work - the K-3iii's body is different, and then there's the joystick and the Smart Function interface. The new grip has those.

[luftfluss]

Looks more like an announcement/paper launch if you're only able to pre order. Plus the two larger camera retailers in the USA, B&H and Adorama, will be closed next week to April 5th for Passover holiday. So I don't think it will be immediate.

Maybe we'll see some professional reviews though.

To be fair, Pentax isn't saying "release", Pentax Rumors is... you know, to get clicks.

[jersey]

Ha, it will be a money good spent. I hope that it will not be Japan-only preorder and that it will come to Poland. I think next week I will sit on pentax.pl site pressing F5 constantly

[Larrymc]

I feel like this would be incredibly poor taste to queue this up as an April 1st joke. I can't imagine this is the case.

Well based on where the "rumor" originated, who knows?

[mtkeller]

Wonder which dealer/online store has it listed already??

I have this question, too. I've checked the websites of a couple of camera stores I've visited on past trips to Japan, and I'm not finding any of the new items showing up yet. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[c.a.m]

I feel like this would be incredibly poor taste to queue this up as an April 1st joke. I can't imagine this is the case.

You never can tell -- Ricoh Imaging/Pentax seems like a quirky outfit (in an endearing way). But I'd be surprised if they did it as a joke.

- Craig