[RICHARD L.]

Awesome pics. Did you find any improvement in AF speeds - especially with moving objects?

I rarely shoot birds or moving subject. I tend to use all my current cameras (K3, K3 III, K1 and 645Z) tripod-mounted and I take great care composing and exposing. The K3 III finds correct focus at lightning speed.

[jslifoaw]

The controls and design of the K-3 III (and Pentax in general) are still so good that I'm going to accept their limitations on the tech side, but there's so much potential.

I was watching videos I took in Antarctica using various cameras on a 4K OLED, and the following stuck out:

1) The HDR (Dolby Vision) videos from my iPhone have that oomph in terms of dynamic range and peak brightness that is mostly a feature on higher end mirrorless cameras. However, it is limited by the limited lens options (2 or 3 fixed focal lengths, and none longer than normal-short tele), and "fake" shallow DOF that while quite good, isn't a perfect replacement for a lens made for a larger format

2) The 4k videos from the K-3 III are very good looking colour-wise and, just eyeballing, visibly sharper than what comes out of my iPhone. It really shines with good lenses (e.g. the DFA70-200), but HDR would have taken things a step further

3) Bad technique aside (which is my fault), the rolling shutter is a minor irritant in contrast to the poor autofocusing in movie mode; PLM lenses do the best but there is still lots of hunting

4) Recording videos handheld is very tiring without an EVF to help compose while holding up to my eyes (also because of the weight of the lenses I was shooting with)

I mention all of this because the still photo capabilities are generally well understood and widely accepted as being good. Looking past the AF and lack of HDR, even the K-3 III video is decent for casual use as someone might use a high end smartphone. While this is probably a harder engineering task than I'm giving it credit for, a Pentax DSLR with some form of HDR 4k video with a hybrid OVF projecting a digital image into the prism, and on-sensor PDAF with or without separate phase detect AF in OVF mode (depending on if the OVF experience is tilted towards manual focus like 1970/80ss SLRs or for modern AF) has the potential to be a very complete digital camera offering that no other company can replicate easily.

[Rondec]

Thanks for that gatorguy. But honestly, as long as my K-3 with 150,000 shutter actuations is still working, it's all moot. My issue would be I have very little opportunity for BiFs which is the only place I feel my K-3 is lacking.

The big thing to me is that there is a pretty big bump in high iso performance (and low iso performance) of the K-3 III versus the K-3. It really does make a difference in questionable light.

This is iso 6400 on the K-3 III



Dynamic Range from a single shot at iso 100

[clackers]

We may not have revenue figures from Panasonic, Clackers, but from comments earlier this year by the president of the company, one could surmise sales are not too good.

digicame-info.com

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

IMO this shows, once again, that Pentax's slow trickle of product is the wisest move.

Yes, thanks for the official confirmation of what we already guessed had to happen, Luftfluss!

Slow trickle of premium product will be easier for some companies to orient to.

For some like Canon, Nikon and Sony, it will be difficult - they are stuck with large workforces, large marketing and advertising budgets, large facilities, large distribution networks, teams of sales reps who used to force local shops into quarterly purchases of stock, big consumer expectations and owners who want 8 percent or more returns for the huge annual investment in them, not just keeping head above the water.

[Hayashi]

Rather than how many is sold, I think Ricoh focuses on how much profit is made from K-3III

[clackers]

Rather than how many is sold, I think Ricoh focuses on how much profit is made from K-3III

Exactly.

From past estimates, Olympus may have sold ten times as many cameras in a given year as Ricoh but couldn't turn a profit, and that's the only thing that matters.

Lay people dismiss market departments, because they decide what products will be developed, and that's on the basis of pricing and return on investment.

If technical personnel ran corporations, they'd all go bankrupt.

I say that as a technical person myself who used to diss sales and marketing people as cocaine-swilling, slogan-spouting fantasists. But they know the marketplace, and engineers wouldn't have a job without them.

[Rush2112]

It's always hard to say on sales numbers. I think the price and untested nature of the claims of the K3 Mark III stalled more orders initially, however... as reviews have started to come out and word has started to spread about it living up to its hype/specifications, along with more indicators that the other makers are ceasing production of DSLR's...the K3 Mark III has steadily been selling more. Add in a drop in price, a new firmware update, and the Jet Black version making its way into the U.S. into the mix, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that numbers are increasing on its sales. People are finding it to be a very competent action camera- and Pentax has never been known for that reputation. Now that they are gaining that reputation with this camera, slowly but surely, there seems to be more interest out there in it as a result. In other words, I see it as a slowly building and increasingly popular camera over time.

The market we are in today isn't what it was 10 years ago where sales were bonkers on release. Much more competition with much fewer customers these days. Also Ricoh are not good at marketing, the worst of all, so it will be a word of mouth spread slowly kind of ordeal here.

[Hayashi]

Exactly.

From past estimates, Olympus may have sold ten times as many cameras in a given year as Ricoh but couldn't turn a profit, and that's the only thing that matters.

Lay people dismiss market departments, because they decide what products will be developed, and that's on the basis of pricing and return on investment.

If technical personnel ran corporations, they'd all go bankrupt.

I say that as a technical person myself who used to diss sales and marketing people as cocaine-swilling, slogan-spouting fantasists. But they know the marketplace, and engineers wouldn't have a job without them.

Yeah that's the thing.

Ricoh got profit, Pentax would survive.

I agree Ricoh is doing very conservative strategy, 645 system is like dead, KF is stupid, FF lens is growing but no new FF body.

I know, everyone got frustrated.

But dun forget the world market is changing rapidly, especially after the COVID, it is already miracle that RICOH is still alive and kicking.

[normhead]

I just take pictures. I'm not frustrated. Still using my K-3 and K-1 and mostly older glass. And I'm happy with my K-5 as a backup. I don't find KF stupid. It would be appreciated if people wouldn't conflate their now opinions with "everyone."

I just take pictures. I'm not frustrated. Still using my K-3 and K-1 and mostly older glass. And I'm happy with my K-5 as a backup. I don't find KF stupid. It would be appreciated if people wouldn't conflate their now opinions with "everyone."

I'm not "frustrated" either - I am more than happy with my KP and K1 and mix of new and vintage lenses.

I think time spent looking at the incredible photographs taken in the last 100+ years with far less than we already have, would help relieve some of this "frustration".

Anyway, back the original discussion (about which I also have no idea).

[Wasp]

I was fine with not having a K-3 III but after seeing the pictures in this thread I have changed my position. All of a sudden, I want one...

[idontstairs]

8123203 is the highest black serial number in the database and 8085304 was the first black registered. That's a 37,899 spread. 3,361 increase between August and September 2022.


2609447 was the last silver registered and 2607857 was the first so that's 1,590 units. Hmmm?

I find it hard to believe that there is a 25 to 1 ratio of Black to Silver K-3iii cameras.

Are we going to round up and say 40,000 units or are the black serial numbers wonky?

[Paul the Sunman]

8123203 is the highest black serial number in the database and 8085304 was the first black registered. That's a 37,899 spread. 3,361 increase between August and September 2022.


2609447 was the last silver registered and 2607857 was the first so that's 1,590 units. Hmmm?

I find it hard to believe that there is a 25 to 1 ratio of Black to Silver K-3iii cameras.

Are we going to round up and say 40,000 units or are the black serial numbers wonky?

Sounds plausible, unless a large slab of the serial number sequence is reserved for certain markets not well represented on PF (e.g., Japan), and also assuming that most manufactured cameras have been sold and are not sitting as stock at Ricoh.

A 25:1 black:silver ratio wouldn't surprise me.

[gatorguy]

A 25:1 black:silver ratio wouldn't surprise me.

The silver doesn't age well. I preordered thinking it was metal finish and not paint. No biggie, but I would have bought black if I had a do-over.

[cxdoo]

My silver K3iii serial is 2609959 and I bought it in spring 2021 so that upper boundary on silver should be higher.