I am also a K3iii user for 2 years. For me, Pentax offers the perfect combination of ergonomics, quality and features that make the cameras worth the money. Yes, there are cameras that are comparable and/or have better features but none combine all of them in a way that Pentax does. I came to Pentax just over 3 years ago after romances with Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Sony and Olympus/Panasonic. With Pentax it was, and still is love. I don’t care that they say the system is outdated and without a future. It gives me joy of taking pictures and that’s all that counts.

It's good that they showed this video. I remembered that I had not changed the firmware of my camera for a long time. Thanks!

⭐️ I’ve watched a whole slew of your videos over the last week or so as I consider whether to upgrade from my K3ii and this one has clinched it - yes 👍 - your videos are presented very well in an easily relatable manner and you manage to cram a whole lot of useful info in a short space of time - subscribed ⭐️ thanks 👍

Thank you for the great review. Also fantastic intro very nicely done.

..I've been with Pentax since the '70s and will probably stay that way until the end! :) I had adventures with other systems out of pure curiosity, but somehow they didn't win my heart !!! :)

Hello Kobie there’s one other thing about the camera. It’s the haptics. I do just love how this camera feels when I hold it in my hands.

A great summation from the man who’s channel is the go to for anything Pentax related end of story. I recently got the K3iii , and I have the KP you could wax lyrical all day long about the difference between them but it comes down to nothing comes close to a Pentax in the DSLR world if you want to mention the Nikon D500 then like other pundits keep calling it the King , but I say the King is dead long live the King which is of course the Pentax K3 iii.😂

Nice vid as always! Keep up the good work! side note loving my DJI osmo 3. It has a web cam feature that I haven't tried yet...maybe soon. cheers!

Thanks Kobie might have to grab one

In the UK the K3 iii new sells for around £1500-£1600. A Nikon D500 for anything between £1500 to £1800. So here at least it is now competitive for the money.

Ok Kobie a totally awesome Pentax camera the wildlife tracking is fantastic.it completely gets pictures my K3-11 would not be capable of achieving.

I Love it. The K3iii is better than I expected and I was really looking forward to the release. :)

I totally love it and have absolutely no desire to change it for anything else. Okay it lacks the tilt screen but on the rare occasion where I know that one would be beneficial I take my KP which I consider to be underrated. I enjoyed your review, it was well balanced and thought out

I’ve only ever used Pentax ! Just love them and the K3iii best!!!!!

I had a chance to actually have a proper look at a K3 iii about 18 months ago and yes it was very nice indeed. However, for me it fell short of what I want a camera to do for me, so instead of upgrading my K3 mk1 or KP, I kept them and bought a K1 ii instead as it offered more to me as an upgrade for the type of photos I like to take (landscape and still life) than the K3 iii would. The K3 mk1 I keep partly for nostalgia, as it was the first serious digital camera I bought, and partly as it has a very useful built in flash with great functionality which I find particularly handy for fill in and for macro use. The KP I keep because of its nice compact body and good low light performance. Again it has a built in flash, but it's just not as good as the K3s'. The K iii would mean one of these still excellent cameras would have to go and it would not add, indeed it would detract in some areas, to my photo output.

Got mine as soon as it was released. I haven't had the opportunity to use it as much as I would have liked over the last two years. That is my main regret. I really need to get out more!

I just received my used K-3 Mark iii and it has firmware v1.01. I'll update it to the current newest tonight (2.11 as of Dec 6, 2023) when I crawl home from work. I can't wait to go play with my new to me camera (I traded my K-1 mark ii, its battery grip, and my K-3 mark ii for this used K-3 mark iii). While I was waiting on this camera to ship, I used my K100D Super and realized I've gotten weak in my photography skills because of the power of a modern camera. Never loose your roots!

Great video! The price has now come down a tiny bit. People often say, "if you're already invested in Pentax lenses." But I think if you consider the price of the lenses, even if you aren't buying them new, then I think the total system cost is a lot lower than the competition. I could get a Canon or Sony body for a bit cheaper with comparable core features, but anything that would compete with my 300 prime would cost thousands of dollars more.

I like my K3-III, for me it's a fantastic camera. When i go out with a Sigma 17-35mm ART, this mix with my K3-III is Fantastic.

Thank you for this video. I still have a K3. I would like the Mark3 but it's expensive. That said, I can't see myself switching systems.

I've had mine for about two months now. I feel like it would be the perfect camera if it had a tilt screen. Of course a lower price is always welcome. I agree with the other viewer who said it is the "perfect combination of ergonomics, quality and features." (Well, almost perfect...again, tilt screen) It is difficult to articulate why I prefer Pentax. It's one of those "greater than the sum of its parts" things. It is just fun to use. Unfortunately the joy of using it is not something easily marketed, even if Pentax advertised. Specs are what sells cameras. But Pentax is more a feeling and an experience than it is numbers on paper. It's like why do people drive Jeeps with two doors, soft tops, no interior space, loud uncomfortable interior, terrible fuel economy and road manners? They are a terrible everyday vehicle, yet people drive them and love them. Now Pentax cameras unlike Jeeps on the street are actually good at what they do. They are good cameras, full stop. But on paper other cameras have better road manners and fuel economy: better AF, EVFs which some prefer now, lower cost. But the Pentax is just more fun for many of us, and that's what matters. And now with the K-3iii we finally have a camera that can do any genre of photography. It's not just a "portrait and landscape" brand.

I have the k-70 and really want to upgrade to this. It’s in the cart 😅

Coming from the K3 to the K3iii, it's so much of an upgrade that it feels odd to call it a K3 one thing you didn't mention is the viewfinder, which is a huge improvement over earlier Pentax cameras. One day I'll hire a mirrorless camera to get a comparison. I tried a bunch of mirrorless cameras in Tokyo but I really didn't like the electronic viewfinders. I hate the electronic viewfinder on my camcorder, but it's better than not having one. The problem is that I can see distant objects with my eyes through a DSLR, but with an electronic viewfinder, they become invisible.

10:59 just before you make this point there was a Sony Alpha ad 😂 I love Pentax but the K3 III at those prices is a hard sell even though Ricoh should be applauded for their improvements via firmware. Here in the Philippines you can get a Canon 5D III in mint secondhand for around 600USD, Olympus OMD EM1 III can be had new for around 1000USD. So understand the caveats that would come with any recommendation. Even though it makes no financial sense though the K3 III is still something I’d love to own

It’s a great camera but very expensive especially when you compare the other cameras on the market and the other lens offerings. However I do like the Pentax colors

I just wish Ricoh would release some of those firmware updates for the K1MII. They’ve been very thin on the ground.

I appreciate your info packed videos on the K3 III. Thinking about finally upgrading from my K3, after having used it for over 9 years. I also have some great lenses and flashes for Pentax. Mostly actual Pentax gear so it makes the most sense. The improvements will help with my wildlife and astrophotography so I’m excited to place my order. It’s currently $1700 at B&H. Can you suggest which SD cards will be sufficient for both slots? Thanks again.

Like yourself I invested in Pentax many years ago, looking back would I do it again probably not. At this time it would be too expensive to start all over again.

11 firmware updates if we include the recent 1.80. That's 1 update more than the next "most updated", the K-5 (10 updates, in about 4 years if I'm not mistaken); and they didn't stop updating the K-3iii.

Thank you for the review, but there is one thing that concerns me and I can't find an answer: off-camera flash. My K-5 had a pop-up that I used as a control to fire my 540FGZ remotely. Can the K-3 use a shoe mounted flash for the same purpose and do I need another 540 or can I use the cheeper 201FG as the control? If you have any ideas or suggestions I would be greatful.

Here's a random question: What are your (and anyone elses)thoughts and experiences on using the preset scene modes on dslr cameras. I do use some of them occasionally, as they are quick to change to and are more or less worked out by the boffins and pro pentax photograpers. They can take away the headache of trying to work things out. Maybe you could do a video testing them out.

Hi Kobie Been out today with K3iii with my Sigma 50-500mm os version to a falconry centre, it was overcast day which don't help I've been getting some nice images but still struggling a bit with birds in flight out of focus trying different af zones and points high shutter speeds in continuous and still not getting high keeper rate, unless you having same issues in whats your settings for birds in flight

Is it easy to manual focus with the viewfinder? I am interested by the monochrome version for my m42 lenses. Thanks

Just use what suits and go and enjoy taking good images. There are shot load of camera bodies out there that atre more than capable for little money with good glass of course.

Question: one of things I like about my KP for landscape is the tilt screen because of physical problems of getting low. How well is the K3iii screen visiable when viewing from a angle?

Is it worth it? No. For non Pentaxian it is not. For Pentaxian depends. If you have only or mostly DA lenses, sure. Otherwise wait for K-1 Mk III. If you are not Pentaxian and want DSLR, wait for K-1 Mk III. Unless you want, for whatever reason, APS-C camera. This is very specialised camera, action camera (it does other things good, sure), but it is very specialised camera that has no specialised lenses for it to work with on a level you would expect from it. It makes it really bad choice. Yes, it does work with current len lineup, even with Old lenses that still use screwdrive or SDM if you know what you are doing. But experience is substandard. At best. Test it against Nikon or Canon with equivalent pro-level long zooms and it is eye opening experience. Still, they do not have OVF. Do I regret getting K-3 Mk III. No, it works for my needs (plane spotting) relatively well. Notice - relatively. Would I buy it 2 years ago if I knew about it what I know now? Probably. Not becasue it is great camera, but becasue it has OVF and Pentax is only system currently that at least promises that there will be future cameras with OVF. Which I find more important then better AF, faster lenses etc. But if OVF is not a must, get Canon. Fuji. Whatever. You Will be happier.

I've held off so far but like you I am surprised that the price is still so high.

Just a thought, do you think all the version updates is kinda like using customers to do testing?

Are folks here confident K1 iii will be evtually coming out? I have a KR and bunch of lenses haven't used in years and thinking to jump back into Pentax... tough call between used versus new, K1 vs K3 versus wait for new K1!

Let's stop saying, that Pentax cameras are only for existing Pentaxians. Pentax is for enthusiasts. It's pleasure to use and gives solid image quality. Stop talking about stuff like "investment in lenses" - we do it for fun and not to compensate the expenses or so... - we're hobbyists after all 😀

So if you have not updated in a while, if you download the latest update version, you are also going to download all the ones in between automatically, and don’t have to do each one incrementally, right?

What is the status with the K3 III when it comes to tethering to a laptop?

New firmware out!! 1.8

I'm a Pentax fan from way back (starting with the K1000 in the film era in the 70s) I have a number of Pentax dslrs including the K1m2 and K3m3- have never done any firmware updates as I'm not much of a tech kind of guy and don't want to risk fixing something that is not broken. Since everything works, I'll keep on until there is a reason that makes me deal with it.

I am wonder if there is a Price difference for the camera over in Canada. I just looked and it's at 15% off so selling for $1696.95 on Amazon in their Pentax store here in the US. When I bought it back in Oct. of 2021 I paid $1996.90 and it included the D-BG8 battery grip. So with the taxes it was $2123.76.

No other camera has what this camera has

I still really enjoy my Pentax K-1 . Though I could not depart with it, Nikons are still more reliable.

non falling price and lack of feature wont break my dedication to be a hipster withing a hipster hobby

Damn! Two years shooting with the Pentax K3 Mark III? Do you shoot a mirror less camera and if not, did you ever give mirror less cameras a shot? Peace my friend.

Watching it with 33 minutes delay on my TV.

GPS. Show stopper for outdoors photography and field work. Using a fragile, antique flash-shoe-mount external GPS is idiotic (especially when it requires its own AAA battery instead of obtaining power from the camera), or draining my cell phone battery to run the app non-stop to provide GPS info, while the camera is going crazy trying to force-feed every photo I take into the phone, thus exponentially accelerating battery depletion in both the phone and the camera. I find myself both loving the camera for the new features, and hating it for the lack of a simple, $15.00 GPS patch. In the end, I want to trade it in for an old K3 Mark ii... or a new Sony or Nikon and dump Pentax completely. FIRE whoever the rocket scientist was who decided to remove the GPS from the K3 Mark iii! They destroyed the utility of the camera (which is targeted at outdoor photography) by REMOVING an important built-in feature that even the cheapest cell phone has, and which is an absolute necessity for on-the-move outdoor photographers who don't have the luxury of an assistant to take field notes of the location for each image. The removal of GPS from the K3 Mark iii is the SINGLE MOST IDIOTIC DECISION that I have ever suffered from in my 70 years of photography. Shove the embarrassingly out-of-date, cave-man-tech, coal-fired, steam-driven, antiquated O-GPS2 where the sun don't shine (Careful... It's quite fragile and might... make that WILL... break), and put a GPS IN the camera. Idiots! THIS should be built in to the K3 iii. Price per unit: $10-$12 each. www.alibaba.com/product-detail/SKG09BL-MT3337-NMEA-or-Custom-Protocol_60638507413.html

Even K3 mark ii woth it in 2023, 2024, 2025 and even later!

Amazon shows it at $1697. not sure how you missed that. B&H and Andorma as well. Might change your opinion....

K1 I think has had 19 firmware over longer period...

Pentax next act? Hybrid of some sort. Upgrade to the K-1?

You're overthinking the price / value capability of the K-3iii. Pick it up, indulge in its uber tactile quality and the cost falls away, use it, enjoy its effortless performance and its price / cost is a distant memory. Use it and enjoy it 😉

I think this camera will always be controversial/decisive and bizarrely it has nothing to do with the camera per se but the price tag it has assigned to it. On the one hand you have people like me, who look at the price (including optic prices and options available), weight it all up and then have a look around the entire market and compare, then based on features vs price/value come to some kind of conclusion. Then on the other hand you have a demography of people who are dead set against the competition options (totally not interested in anything other than Pentax), those that are not interested in video, EVF's and all that 'modern stuff' and are willing to pay the price for a faster Pentax camera. So I don't think the answer has changed much in the 2yrs, its still the same. The only way the answer changes is if the camera were selling for half of what it is now, but what an insult that would be to those that bought into it initially. So you can understand why the pricing has not changed that much. Pentax don't want to do that to their fanbase.

It’s just too darn expensive for what it is. With the Nikon Z5 new at 999$….. it’s just hard to justify this camera.

I wish you would stop making videos about this camera. I have been on the fence to buy one you are pushing me over the edge. I have two KP's, what do I need another camera for? That's what I tell myself. Seriousley, I do enjoy your video's, and yes, a K3iii is probably in my future.

NO...

Hi! I know k1 ii is the best for landscapes, but the k3 iii has so many new features and menu and nice design, would it be good enough for landscapes too? i can live with fixed screen.