[madbrain]

As a K1-II user, I won't buy it. I would lose :
1) FF sensor
2) articulated screen
3) ability to use AA eneloop batteries in grip
4) built-in GPS

The main feature that interests me in the K3 III is the 4K video.

Unfortunately, there is a 7.5 minute recording limit in 4K, and that's just too short for my usage. Pentax could fix this in a firmware update.

There is also a bigger crop in 4K mode than HD video.

[mattt]

From all I've seen, the camera body is desirable - I'd have already committed but the sole purpose of making the purchase is on the backburner - Provincial lockdowns have put all sport on hold. Maybe next year Mark III, maybe next year /wistful.....

[VoiceOfReason]

Maybe. I think it might make a great astrophotography camera.

[Mooncatt]

The main feature that interests me in the K3 III is the 4K video.

Unfortunately, there is a 7.5 minute recording limit in 4K, and that's just too short for my usage. Pentax could fix this in a firmware update.

I remember when 4k, and especially 4K60 came out on phones, they were time limited too at first. It had to do with the phone heating up too much, so you were limited to protect the battery. It took another generation or two for processor speed and efficiency to catch up to go beyond that. I don't have any special insight on the K3 III, but I wouldn't holdmy breath on it being extended. If I wanted high quality 4k video, I'd get a dedicated video camera.

[madbrain]

I remember when 4k, and especially 4K60 came out on phones, they were time limited too at first. It had to do with the phone heating up too much, so you were limited to protect the battery. It took another generation or two for processor speed and efficiency to catch up to go beyond that. I don't have any special insight on the K3 III, but I wouldn't holdmy breath on it being extended. If I wanted high quality 4k video, I'd get a dedicated video camera.

Yes, I remember that too. There used to be 5 or 10 minute limits on phones. My Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has this problem. It was introduced in 2014, though. That's 7 years ago. And if you tried to record again immediately afterwards, the phone would be too hot and refuse to do so. My 2020 model Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has no such issue, and records 4K60 into a single file up to the size of the 512GB SD card. Or even 8K30. And both without overheating the phone.

I don't think the 4GB limit has anything to do with overheating. The camera has a separate heat sensor, and will also stop if too hot. It would be interesting for owners of the K-3 III to do this test, restarting the video recording every 7.5 minutes, to see if the camera actually overheats or not. I suspect that's not the case.

FYI, using the same sensor, the Fuji X-T4 manages to do 400 Mbps 10-bit recording up to 20 minutes at 4K60 or 30 minutes at 4K30.

Agree with you one should use a separate video camera for 4K - that's what I do. I use a GX85. Was hoping Pentax would make a better effort for video with the K-3 III, though. For my use case, 7.5 minute recording is completely useless.

[Mooncatt]

I don't think the 4GB limit has anything to do with overheating.

Are you saying the 7.5 min limit corresponds with a 4 GB file size? If so, my guess is this is an SD card formatting issue, likely as Fat32 (which I think is the one with a 4 GB file size limit).

If that's the case, then a firmware update should be able to change the formatting to something like ExFat, or automatically start a new file while still recording.

[madbrain]

Are you saying the 7.5 min limit corresponds with a 4 GB file size?

Yes, in 4K mode, you hit 4GB after 7.5 minutes.

If so, my guess is this is an SD card formatting issue, likely as Fat32 (which I think is the one with a 4 GB file size limit).

Unfortunately, the K-3 III stops recording video at 4 GB even when using an exFAT card, same as all previous Pentax cameras that support exFAT.
I very much agree with you that it shouldn't.

Even before exFAT came around, video-oriented cameras would split video takes into multiple 4GB files, and not miss a frame. I had a camcorder that did that. This is something Pentax could do on FAT-32 cards too, but has chosen not to do in the past.

In HD mode, previous bodies would hit 4GB approximately at 25 minutes, so it wasn't really an issue. In 4K mode, it is an issue.

If that's the case, then a firmware update should be able to change the formatting to something like ExFat, or automatically start a new file while still recording.

I agree. They very much need to change this. Why they didn't prior to release beats me.

---------- Post added 05-14-21 at 06:00 PM ----------

BTW, something like a Pluto trigger can be used to restart the video recording every 7.5 or 25 minutes, but you will lose frames. And if the camera actually overheats and won't restart, you may lose as much as 7.5 minutes.

I usually only record with a single camera and that wouldn't work for me. But it may work for others if using multiple cameras, where the K-3 III as a secondary camera and the main camera can run continuously without dropping a frame.

[Rondec]

As a K1-II user, I won't buy it. I would lose :
1) FF sensor
2) articulated screen
3) ability to use AA eneloop batteries in grip
4) built-in GPS

The main feature that interests me in the K3 III is the 4K video.

Unfortunately, there is a 7.5 minute recording limit in 4K, and that's just too short for my usage. Pentax could fix this in a firmware update.

There is also a bigger crop in 4K mode than HD video.

I imagine about a year from now there will be a K-1 III that will meet most of your needs except for longer video record time. I'm guessing that'll be about the same.

[madbrain]

I imagine about a year from now there will be a K-1 III that will meet most of your needs except for longer video record time. I'm guessing that'll be about the same.

I hope you are wrong. Anyway, a K-1 III is unlikely to be competitive in the video area, if history is any indication.

The 7.5 minute limit is only one complaint with the K-3 IIII - a pretty huge one for me, though. There is apparently a significant crop of the image in 4K mode vs HD, too. If the K-1 III has 4K but still crops a lot too, it's not really ahead of cameras with smaller sensors that don't crop video as much.

Many other cameras around $2K also shoot 4K at 60 fps rather than 30 also. The CODECs tend to be more modern (H.265). Bit rates higher - many up to 400 Mbps. Some also support 10-bit video. etc. I'm not saying I require all of these. My current preferred video camera (GX85) doesn't have them. It was also only a $500 camera (with 2 lenses included). But it does have unlimited recording time which suits me well. A Panasonic GH5 or GH5S at $1300 - $1800 would probably perform best for my video needs (more like wants that needs), much more than a K-3 III or K-1 III likely ever could.

K-3 III also lost AA battery support, and the built-in GPS, which were both in the K-3 II . That is concerning to me. I hope they retain them in the K-1 III. I love the GPS in my K-1 II. I also use flash sometimes. With the K-3 Mark III, you have to choose either the O-GPS1 or flash. Painful.

In terms of photography, there really are not many things I wish the K-1 II did that it lacks. AF improvement would be welcome, but never been a real issue for my typical subjects. Except in Liveview - AF really sucks there, but I seldom use it. Faster buffer clearing and UHS-II support would be nice when shooting Pixelshift or bracketing. 36MP is plenty for the mostly old and low-end lenses I shoot with.

There are small tweaks that Pentax could make in firmware updates without a new body. Things like aperture bracketing with flash, or supporting flash with Pixelshift on tripod. I have run into a few other limitations over the years, but not too many serious ones.

[mtkeller]

With the K-3 Mark III, you have to choose either the O-GPS1 or flash. Painful.

Not really, since on-camera flash and astrotracer aren’t exactly a good match. You only need O-GPS1 for astrotracer. For simple geotagging, you can pair your phone and get it via Bluetooth. It works really well.

[madbrain]

Not really, since on-camera flash and astrotracer aren’t exactly a good match. You only need O-GPS1 for astrotracer. For simple geotagging, you can pair your phone and get it via Bluetooth. It works really well.

I see. I guess that's an option. But not as precise as the built-in GPS, IMO. You lose things like the orientation of the camera.

[sewebster]

Not really, since on-camera flash and astrotracer aren’t exactly a good match. You only need O-GPS1 for astrotracer. For simple geotagging, you can pair your phone and get it via Bluetooth. It works really well.

Oh, I didn't realize that! I was sad about no GPS but this should do what I want!

[i_trax]

My black Premium K-3.3 arrived last FRI.
A marvellous device.
Now learning learning and learning........

[mariuszk]

If you check the prices of crop cameras the pentax k-3 vs nikon and canon is way most expensive. I think it will come cheaper in next several months

[mtkeller]

Oh, I didn't realize that! I was sad about no GPS but this should do what I want!

I like how (with iOS at least) you can set the amount of time you want to enable the background geotagging for. You’ll get a notification on the phone when that time is up, in case you want to extend it. Seems a convenient way to prevent killing your phone battery.