Flash There’s no built-in flash, but a hot shoe allows use of external units such as the AF 540 FGZ II (£449), while a PC sync connector facilitates use with studio strobes.

Battery grip The Pentax D-BG8 (£329) screws onto the base and provides a duplicate set of controls for portrait-format shooting, while accepting an additional battery.

It’s charged internally using the USB-C port Power The D-Li90 battery promises an impressive 800 shots per charge.

The familiar D-Li90 battery is rated for 800 shots per charge when using the optical viewfinder Switch to live view, though, and the camera falls back onto a contrast-detection AF system, which feels distinctly outdated. The camera is also claimed to be capable of autofocusing in light as low as -4 EV, while a new 307,000-pixel metering sensor aids with subject identification for focus tracking purposes. This is a major step forward from the 27-point system used on the firm’s previous APS-C DSLRs. One particularly noteworthy update is the SAFOX 13 autofocus system, which provides no fewer than 101 focus points, of which 25 are cross-type. Equally its 32-frame raw buffer is very respectable. The continuous shooting speed of 12 frames per second is genuinely impressive, though, especially for a DSLR that has to flip its mirror up and down in the process. Its sensitivity range is vast, stretching from ISO 100 to 1,600,000 however such ultra-high settings usually tend to look better on the sales literature than in actual photographs. The K-3 Mark III is built around a 26MP APS-C sensor that employs a backside-illuminated design to reduce noise and improve dynamic range. Let’s take a quick tour of its main features. The K-3 Mark III is built around a 26MP APS-C sensor There is, however, a catch you get an even more impressive spec sheet with the Fujifilm X-T4. On paper it exceeds the hitherto class-leading Nikon D500 in many respects, with a higher-resolution sensor, faster shooting, a larger viewfinder, and in-body image stabilisation. It is, arguably, the most advanced APS-C DSLR ever made. Pentax K-3 III: FeaturesĮxamining the K-3 Mark III’s main specifications gives a clue as to why it’s so highly priced. So the question we have to address is not only whether the K-3 Mark III hits the mark on its own terms, but also whether it makes sense in the overall market. Meanwhile excellent full-frame mirrorless all-rounders such as the Sony Alpha 7 III and Panasonic Lumix S5 can be picked up for £1700. Likewise, the current APS-C class-leaders, Nikon’s D500 DSLR and Fujifilm’s mirrorless X-T4, cost £1499 and £1399 respectively, while the Canon EOS 90D is £1249. To provide some context, there’s a long list of highly accomplished cameras that cost less, not least the 36MP full-frame Pentax K-1 Mark II (£1650).

Pentax dslr body