Pentax K-3 Mark III Review

Movie Mode

Video capture has never been a main feature of Pentax cameras. While a movie mode is offered, generally it was half-baked: not many options, high compression, few file formats, etc.

While it does not completely turn the tables around, the K-3 III is an important step forward for Pentax regarding movie capture, namely thanks to the addition of 4K video recording for the first time in a Pentax DSLR. This section dives into the details and features.

Hardware

The movie mode is accessed via the rotating dial also controlling the switch between viewfinder and Live View shooting.

The camera has a built-in stereo microphones, but can also use an external microphone via a standard port.

A monitor port is also offered.

Also different from most previous Pentax DSLRs, Shake Reduction (SR) is offered during recording. This is a significant improvement from the "electronic SR" which had been the only option since the Pentax K-5.

Basic video specifications

The camera supports the standard MPEG4 AVC/H.264 format.

For the first time, 4K video capture is offered, with resolutions of 3840 x 2160 at 30p/24p. Notably, 25p is missing from that list.

Full HD at 1920 x 1080 is also offered, with frame rates of 60p/30p/24p. This list is rather limited, but covers the basics.

There are no lower resolution options offered (such as 720p for instance), nor is there an option for high-speed video capture above 60 FPS.

Clips are limited to either 4 GB or 25 minutes in length.

The maximum video bitrate has increased significantly, from the K-3's approximately 20 Mbps to a whopping 90 Mbps using 4K recording.

There is no option to output RAW video files.

Autofocus and touchscreen operation

Another significant upgrade is that AF can now be used continuously (with compatible PLM lenses). This is a major improvement, and really brings the camera closer to the competition. This option was offered on the K-70, but results were dismal at the time. With the K-3 III, continuous AF generally works well.

The camera takes advantage of the touchscreen in a beautiful way. As expected, touching anywhere on the screen will use that point for focus. With lenses such as the new DA* 16-50mm PLM, AF feels accurate and responsive.

Focus peaking is also available during movie recording.

The image below highlights the general look of the movie screen capture (forgive the rather poor quality, as using the HDMI output hides the touch controls. This image was captured by photographing the LCD).

The movies overlay includes a lot of information and several controls.

At the top are the imaging and operation parameters. Both sides show the current microphone levels. At the bottom is the remaining available time, as when as the elapsed time (when running). The center shows the current AF point, which can be moved around via the touch function.

To the right are the quick access controls.

At the top is the LV shortcut. This button turns off the display (useful when shooting for long periods with a static scene, to preserve battery life).

The second button quickly toggles between AF-C and AF-S.

The third button switches between various Touch AF operating modes. Specifically, the four options are:

• Select AF point
• Select AF point and activate continuous AF (probably the default mode for many)
• Select AF point and perform AF-S at start
• Disable touch AF

The fourth button displays the current exposure compensation.

All sorts of digital filters can be applied to movies, such as Extract Color, Replace Color, Retro, High Contrast, Invert Color, Unicolor Bold, Bold Monochrome.

Custom Image settings (Natural, Bright, etc) can also be selected for movies.

The INFO button is also accessible within the movie mode, with movie-specific options, such as microphone level, wind noise reduction and the like.

Exposure control

The camera can operate in Auto, P, Av, Tv, TAv, M.

In the manual mode, the user can control ISO, up to 25600. In all other modes, the camera keeps control over ISO, but gives access to either aperture or shutter speed.

Exposure can be controlled both prior to and during video recording.

The camera applies a crop factor to movies, illustrated via the image below.

Samples

The video below is an unaltered, straight out of camera at 4K and 30p. It was shot with the DA* 16-50mm F2.8 PLM, used in Av mode. The video starts at F3.5, with the focus on the foreground. It then transitions down to F22, gets back to F2.8, and finally the AF point is directed towards the background via touch controls.

This second video shows how the camera refocuses on-demand during video recording. It is straight out of camera at 4K and 30p. It was shot with the DA* 16-50mm F2.8 PLM, used in Pv mode. AF was set to AF-S, and the AF button was pressed at three different times to refocus after moving the camera.

The video highlights two things. First, that when using a lens such as the 16-50mm PLM, focus is very fast, and perfectly silent. Second, that the camera overshoots a bit when focusing, and needs to return to the correct focus point.

Verdict

The K-3 III is an important step forward for Pentax. 4K, continuous AF, mechanical SR II all improve the usefulness of the movie mode. The touchscreen also makes it easy and straightforward to adjust parameters on the fly.

Video quality is an important step forward for Pentax. Generally speaking, it lives up to expectations. We have not observed occurences of rolling shutter when panning, compression is well-tuned and at last, video appears to be more than an afterthought.

Lenses play an important part in video AF effectiveness, and that's one area where Pentax's lineup is lacking. Still, the K-3 III is a huge step in the right direction, and if lenses like the DA* 16-50mm PLM continue to appear in the K-mount lineup, it will be possible to take Pentax seriously at last regarding movies.