pentax k3 top lcd panel color factory

Grid Display (4x4 Grid, Golden Section, Scale, Square(L), Square(S), Grid Color: Black/Gray/White ), Histogram, Bright area warning, Composition Adjustment

Digital FilterExtract Color, Replace Color, Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Shading, Invert Color, Unicolor Bold, Tone Expansion, Bold Monochrome, Grainy Monochrome

White BalanceAUTO WB, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent Light (D:Daylight Color, N:Daylight White, W:Cool White, L:Warm White), Tungsten Light, CTE,

Playback ViewSingle frame, Multi-image display (20, 48, 70 segmentation), Display magnification (up to 16, 100% display, quick zoom and Focus Magnification available), Grid display (4x4 Grid, Golden Section, Scale, Square(L), Square(S), Grid Color: Black/Gray/White), Rotating, Histogram (Y histogram, RGB histogram), Bright area warning, Auto Image Rotation, Detailed information, Copyright information (Photographer, Copyright holder), GPS information (latitude, longitude, altitude, Coordinated Universal Time) , Orientation, Folder Display, Calendar Filmstrip Display

Digital FilterBase Parameter Adj, Extract Color, Replace Color, Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Shading, Invert Color, Unicolor Bold, Tone Expansion, Bold Monochrome, Grainy Monochrome, Miniature, Soft, Fish-eye, Slim, Monochrome, Frame Composite

White Balance, Custom Image, Sensitivity, Digital filter, Clarity, Skin Tone, HDR, Pixel Shift Resolution, Distortion Correction, Peripheral Illumin. Corr., Lateral Chromatic Aberration Correction, Diffraction Correction, Color Fringe Correction, High-ISO Noise Reduction, Shadow Correction, File Format (JPEG/TIFF), JPEG Recorded Pixels, JPEG Quality, Aspect Ratio, Color Space

SettingsUSER Mode, Fx Button, AF/AE Lock Settings, Preview Dial, E-Dial Programming, Smart Function, Monitor Touch Operation, Eye Sensor, Viewfinder Display, LCD Panel, Monitor Display, Instant Review, Zoom Review, Warning Display, Control Panel, Memory, EV Steps, ISO Sensitivity Steps, Color Temperature Steps, Input MF Lens Focal Length, Save Rotation Information, Aperture Information Record, AF Fine Adjustment, Copyright Information

What"s the best way to describe the Pentax K-3? Well, it"s an advanced DSLR with a robust feature set that delivers impressive image quality without making any sacrifices in terms of performance or overall speed. All this is packaged in a relatively-compact, well-built body with full weather-sealing, a user-friendly interface, and exceptional ergonomics. What we really like is that the K-3 delivers superior performance and has some top-notch specifications without sacrificing what we enjoyed about the K-5 and K-5 IIs.

This camera is truly a high-performance DSLR. The K-3 addresses the shortcomings of its predecessor while delivering perfection in areas in which the K-5 was already strong. The new Pentax flagship turned out to be just as impressive in real life as it was on paper, something that isn"t often the case due to quirks, limitations, etc. that might normally be discovered throughout the course of a review.

Prior to the arrival to the K-3, an interesting paradox existed in the Pentax DSLR lineup: the flagship K-5 II/IIs had the best build quality and many advanced features, but the entry-level K-30, K-50 and K-500 cameras had a more sophisticated video mode, smoother live view, and faster contrast detect autofocus. The K-3 addresses this disparity and the new flagship is now better than the more basic models in all key areas, as it should be.

We can safely say that the K-3 is the most compelling Pentax DSLR that has been produced to date, and it may also be the most sophisticated APS-C DSLR currently on the market for shooting stills. At $1299 it is very competitively and fairly priced, and it is a great value. Because the K-3 has been improved in so many areas compared to its predecessor, however, it is tough to summarize its performance without taking a closer look at each area individually.

The K-3"s 24-megapixel sensor really packs a punch when combined with the new metering system and white balance module. It allows the camera to capture a high level of detail without making very many sacrifices. The K-3"s white balance is very accurate, and its metering system has been tuned to avoid overexposure whenever possible. Native noise levels may be a bit higher than what we"ve observed from Pentax"s 16-megapixel sensors, but the K-3"s added resolution allows the noise to be controlled just as well after post-processing and/or scaling. At the end of the day, the only real drawback is that the K-3"s files occupy 50-100% more disk space compared to 16-megapixel files, a small price to pay for the increased image quality.

The benefits of the K-3"s filterless sensor are best observed with top-shelf lenses, such as DA limited primes or DA* lenses. For when moire does become an issue, we can"t forget to mention the K-3"s innovative AA filter simulator, which is very effective at reducing the presence of moire on demand. Fashion shooters will love this feature!

We think that any Pentax user upgrading from the original K-5 or any older body will greatly enjoy the improvements made to the K-3"s autofocus. However, we also find that the K-3"s 27-point viewfinder autofocus system isn"t "the next big thing" that Pentaxians have been waiting for, as under the hood, it seems to work very much like the K-5 II"s 11-point SAFOX X. The K-3"s denser 27-point layout might make it better for specialized applications, but the focusing speed has not been improved in practice over that of its predecessor (not counting the faster screwdrive AF that we"ve already mentioned). One can"t overlook that the K-3 can focus in extremely low light (down to -3EV), but for sports and tracking, the competition is still ahead.

With that said, the K-3"s autofocus system is really quite good overall. Stills shooters will likely never be hindered by the K-3"s viewfinder autofocus. Over the years, many online reviews and discussions have been complaining about the Pentax AF system, but with the latest modernizations that Pentax has been rolling out, such complaints are no longer valid for the vast majority of use cases. The next step is for Pentax to modernize its lens lineup with more fast-focusing lenses.

Pentax has made the K-3 its fastest DSLR to date, and it"s the first that can leverage the speed of UHS-I memory cards and USB3 connectivity. Everyday tasks such as reviewing photos, bracketing, and applying lens corrections are carried out noticeably faster than on earlier cameras. The K-3"s 8.3 FPS burst framerate not only makes it faster in continuous mode, but it speeds up bracketing and HDR shots, and makes shooting quieter.

The K-3"s video mode has been enhanced with higher frame rates, a headphone jack, better audio sampling, and full manual controls. But because the video autofocus is still rather poor, the K-3 isn"t the ideal choice for everyday "snapshot" videos. More seasoned videographers might be turned away from the K-3 due to its run-of-the-mill video image quality, or from Pentax in general due to lack of community support and lack of dedicated video accessories or cine lenses. Video has never been a key focus for Pentax, and the K-3 is no exception to this trend. We are happy, however, that the K-3 has been modernized to a reasonable extent.

The K-3 feels great in your hands, just like the K-5 before it did. Pentax has improved the K-3"s grip so that the camera is even easier to hold, and it is actually big enough to allow you to single-handedly support the weight of larger lenses such as the DA* 60-250mm without a problem. The K-3 has gotten a little heavier: at 800 grams, the camera is 60 grams heavier than the Pentax K-5. The added weight might be felt with small lenses, but it actually otherwise helps balance larger lenses on the camera.

The new 3.2" rear LCD screen has an aspect ratio of 3:2 rather than 4:3, which means that there will be no black bars in live view or playback mode. This is one of our favorite improvements to the body itself. Pentax has also made the K-3"s viewfinder slightly larger than that of its predecessor, but this change was very small and can"t be appreciated in practice (the K-3 continues to use the same focusing screens as the K-5).

Pentax has changed the button layout a bit on the K-3, and some of the changes are good, while others aren"t as great. The new AF mode button slows down switching between the various AF modes, and its positioning isn"t optimal. On the other hand, this change allows settings to be saved to the K-3"s USER modes or changed via the status screen, which adds a new level of flexibility. An example of a positive button change would be the AF button, which has been moved much closer to the rear e-dial so that it"s easier to press. The AE-L button has been moved off to the side in order to not get in the way.

The K-3"s menu interface continues to be very user-friendly, but it has become much more complex than on earlier bodies due to the addition of many new options. Therefore, it is at times a bit difficult to navigate due to the number of button presses required, or simply because the screen might be too cluttered with icons (i.e. the drive mode screen or the control panel). There are a few interface quirks overall, but many of the issues that we have dicussed earlier in the review could easily be addressed via a firmware update.

The Pentax K-3 is a pleasure to use, and it has exceeded our expectations in many ways. We think that this will be a dream camera for many enthusiast photographers, but it will certainly not be out of reach at its reasonable price of $1299. With the K-3, Pentax has successfully improved on their old flagship and addressed virtually all of the generational issues associated with it. This was undoubtedly no easy task, as the K-5 II was already a top-rated DSLR to begin with.

You can expect the Pentax K-3 to deliver great still image quality no matter where you take it. The new 24-megapixel sensor will give you an unprecedented level of detail in a K-mount DSLR. We are confident that it will stack up well against the competition, and that the gap between it and 24-megapixel full-frame DSLRs is smaller than you might think (stay tuned for a separate post on this topic).

We have very few complaints about the K-3, as most of the issues that we"ve identified were quirks that won"t get in the way of everyday shooting or that could be addressed via firmware. Our main gripe is that the K-3"s video capabilities aren"t quite as "professional" as Pentax has described them in its marketing materials. The basic video autofocus, lack of control over compression/quality, and intermittent freezing while zooming with variable aperture lenses, among other things, makes this camera"s video mode neither consumer- nor pro-friendly. Apart from this, once you get used to the K-3"s complex menu systems and new button layout, all you"ll need to worry about is the location of the live view button while shooting verticals- the K-3"s only real ergonomic defect.

To take full advantage of the K-3"s filterless sensor, you will need to have some sharp lenses in your bag. We stand behind the following lenses as the best of the best from Pentax (or for Pentax):

Ricoh"s influence on the Pentax brand seems to be a positive one so far. The Ricoh logo on the back of the K-3 is well-deserved if Ricoh Imaging plans on taking the technology in Pentax DSLRs to new heights in the future, as they"ve done with the K-3. The bottom line is simple: the K-3 is an absolute winner no matter how you look at it, and we"re in love with it. But despite its impressive specifications and capabilities, this camera isn"t groundbreaking enough help the Pentax brand regain its lost market share- at least not on its own.

As we"ve already shown in great detail, the K-3 is an upgrade in just about every area when compared with any other Pentax DSLR currently on the market. Whether or not you will want to upgrade to this camera will depend on your needs and on your budget. If you want more resolution, better live view autofocus, or faster overall speed, then you should strongly consider the K-3. On the other hand, if you already have a Pentax K-5 II and your primary interest is to get better low-light image quality or faster viewfinder autofocus, the upgrade to the K-3 might not be that big of a leap. We can"t make this choice for you, but we hope that our review has helped you decide which camera is right for you.

What we can say is that if you simply want the best that Pentax currently offers, don"t hesitate to buy a K-3. Just be sure to pair it with a high-speed memory card!

If you aren"t currently a Pentax user, but are coming from a Nikon D7000, D7100, Canon 7D, or any other DSLR, the K-3 might very well be right for you if image quality, compactness, and handing is a priority. Other brands have a more mature lens selection in many ways, however, so you should not base your decision on the camera bodies alone, as they become obsolete much more quickly than the lenses and accessories that you may have already invested in.

Sensor. The Pentax K-3 is now based around a 24.35-megapixel image sensor, up from the 16.3-megapixel chip used in the K-5, K-5 II, and K-5 IIs. With 50% more pixels, the new chip theoretically yields around a 22% increase in linear resolution. Maximum image size is 6016 x 4000 pixels.

As in the Pentax K-5 IIs, the Pentax K-3 doesn"t include an optical low-pass filter. It does, however, add an on-demand mechanical antialiasing function. More on that in a moment. (Or read the "Geek"s Guide to On-Demand Low-Pass Filtering" by IR publisher Dave Etchells, for the full story.)

Processor. Also brand-new for the Pentax K-3 is a next-generation of Pentax"s image processor, now dubbed PRIME III. (That"s a contraction of "Pentax Real IMage Engine", if you"re curious.)

The PRIME III processor replaces the PRIME II chip used in the majority of Pentax K-mount cameras since the K-7 launched way back in 2009, with only the K-30, K-50, and K-500 DSLRs and K-01 mirrorless using the intermediate PRIME M processor. The change, then, is pretty big news.

According to Pentax, the new PRIME III chip allows it to deliver improved noise reduction processing, and cleaner images. It also provides for improved performance, as we"ll see in a moment. Another nice feature is that it can handle H.264 video compression, as did the earlier PRIME M chip. That means that -- unlike PRIME II cameras -- Pentax is no longer limited to inefficient Motion JPEG compression in the K-3.

Sensitivity. Compared to the K-5, K-5 II, and K-5 IIs, the Pentax K-3 has a slightly narrower overall sensitivity range of ISO 100 to 51,200 equivalents, because it drops the ISO 80 position. Step sizes of 1/3, 1/2, or 1EV are available. There"s also an Auto ISO sensitivity function, whose upper limit can be manually set anywhere up to ISO 51,200 equivalent.

The good news is that the entire range is now available without needing to enable ISO expansion. This suggests that Pentax is happier with performance towards the upper end of the range than it was in the earlier cameras. (With those models, everything above ISO 12,800 was disabled by default.) That"s good news if you"re a fan of available light photography.

If you"re mourning the missing ISO 80 setting, you can recapture its effect by deliberately overexposing a third stop, and then dialing back the exposure post-capture. That"s essentially what the camera was doing before, if it was configured to shoot below its native ISO. You"ll lose a little highlight detail -- or latitude for pulling the exposure further -- in the process, but that was already the case with the expanded ISO 80 position on earlier models anyway.

Performance. Pentax has increased burst performance of the K-3 beyond the already swift K-5 II and IIs. Those cameras were manufacturer-rated for seven frames per second, and in our lab testing came quite close, with a measurement of 6.7 fps. By contrast, the Pentax K-3 is manufacturer-rated for 8.3 fps, 18% faster than its predecessors. Sadly, our lab testing didn"t bear this out, recording around 7.1 fps, just 0.4 fps faster than the previous camera. We should note that Pentax measures at ISO 100, however, while our standard is to measure at ISO 200.

The improved speed isn"t achieved solely thanks to the PRIME III image processor, incidentally. The processor is said to have five times greater performance, but it"s just part of the puzzle, Pentax has gifted the K-3 with a new control mechanism that regulates mirror, shutter and diaphragm motors independently, with greater speed and accuracy. It"s also designed a new mirror damping mechanism to better control mirror shock.

The Pentax K-3 shoots faster than ever before, thanks to a new processor, uprated mirror / shutter / diaphragm control, and a new mirror damping mechanism.

It"s not just burst rate that has improved, either. Pentax rates burst depth at around 60 JPEG frames, and we actually measured 75 frames with our hard-to-compress target. That"s more than 2.5 times the 28 frames we measured for the K-5 II and IIs. And while raw burst depth hasn"t shown a similar increase -- we measured 24 frames, versus the 22 frames we measured with the earlier cameras -- that in itself is actually in improvement. After all, each shot now contains 50% more pixel data thanks to the increase in resolution, and there"s the increase in burst speed to take into account, as well. In fact, Pentax says that the DDR3 SDRAM buffer memory capacity in the K-3 is double that of the K-5 II, although it doesn"t state the precise amount used.

As you"d expect, the lower-speed burst modes have even greater burst depths. At 4.5 frames per second, Pentax claims a depth of 100 JPEG or 32 raw images. Drop the speed to 3.0 fps, and the company predicts a depth of 200 JPEG or 52 raw images. We didn"t test these modes, but given that our measurements for burst depth at full resolution actually bettered Pentax"s in-house figures, we"d expect these to hold true.

Shake reduction. Also updated for the Pentax K-3 is the company"s three-axis Shake Reduction stabilization system, which can correct for vertical and horizontal motion, as well as for rotation around the central axis of the lens.

The system in the K-5 II and IIs could provide a four stop correction to Pentax"s own in-house standards. That is to say that shooting at 1/4 second would yield a result similar to that you"d expect when shooting at 1/60th second, in terms of blur from camera shake.

The K-3"s system, now has a servo controller dedicated just to shake reduction, and Pentax has also increased the magnetic strength of the sensor shift mechanism. This, it promises, will yield "more stable, effective camera-shake compensation than ever before." While the system is now rated as good for a 3.5 stop correction, that figure is to a new CIPA standard -- and we"re told that the K-5 was capable of around a 3-stop correction when measured in the same manner.

On-demand low-pass filtering. As explained in detail by IR publisher Dave Etchells in our "Geek"s Guide to On-Demand Low-Pass Filtering" above, the Pentax K-3 is unique among all DSLRs in providing for the subtle blurring required to fight moiré, false color, and jaggies when you want it, and the maximum sharpness and detail when you don"t. With every other camera on the market, that decision was either made for you when the camera was still on the drawing board, or it was made when an assembly-line worker at the factory installed -- or didn"t install -- an optical low-pass filter in your particular model.

The Shake Reduction systemin the Pentax K-3 is also used to provide a mechanical form of low-pass filtering. The system works as shown in the video above, provided by Pentax.

One thing in particular strikes us as interesting about the system: Pentax has achieved this with a Shake Reduction mechanism that was already in the camera. Yes, the SR assembly would appear to have been uprated somewhat, and that"s likely in part due to the requirements of the AA Filter Simulator function, but it"s not used solely for the function. That means it will likely have added little to the bill of materials cost, and to the final retail price of the camera.

And in the process, it means that Pentax now only needs stock one camera on store shelves, to counter two rival models -- one with, and one without the low-pass filter. Half as many SKU codes means significantly less hassle in getting product on the shelf in the first place, and keeping stores stocked.

(Nor is this the only unique feature Pentax is providing with its sensor shift mechanism, as we"ll see when we come to features such as horizon correction, composition adjustment, and astral tracking. But let"s not get ahead of ourselves.)

Lens mount. It"s taken a while, but we"ve reached the first feature which hasn"t changed in the Pentax K-3 -- and that"s good news. (Don"t worry, there are plenty more new features to come!)

The Pentax K-3"s KAF2 lens mount is a variant of the K-mount that has been used in all Pentax digital SLRs to date, as well as the K-01 mirrorless camera. According to Pentax, the K-mount now has the "largest offering of APS-C optimized lenses in the imaging industry".

In all, there are 32 Pentax K-mount lens models currently on the market, ignoring variants of existing lenses such as the DA-L vs. DA (plastic vs. metal mount) and WR vs. non-WR (weather sealed vs. non-weather sealed) optics. Of these 32, all but four are DA, DA*, or DA Limited-lenses, designed for digital. Three more are D FA models, which are intended for digital SLRs, but with a 35mm full-frame image circle. That leaves 25 APS-C, digital-specific lenses.

And of course, as well as these 32 current optics, you can use older Pentax K-mount glass (some with restrictions), as well as the company"s historic 35mm screwmount and 645/67 medium format lenses with an adapter (and again, with restrictions.) You can also mount a wide selection of third-party K-mount lenses from the likes of Sigma, Tamron, and more, and optics from a healthy variety of other mounts with adapters (and limitations).

Pentax has retained the same DR II dust removal system used in other recent flagship models for the new K-3. It uses a piezoelectric element that vibrates at higher frequencies than a sensor shift system can, and in our experience systems like these typically do a better job of shaking free dust that"s stuck to the sensor"s protective cover glass.

To help you decide when a more detailed cleaning is needed, the Pentax K-3 also retains its predecessors" dust alert function, which helps you to locate stubborn dust particles on the sensor for manual cleaning.

Lens correction. Also unchanged is the Pentax K-3"s lens correction functionality. This can correct for both lens distortion and lateral chromatic aberration in-camera when using DA and DFA lenses, as well as with some FA Limited lenses.

Metering. And now, for something completely different: The Pentax K-3 sports a brand-new metering sensor. Gone is the 77-segment metering sensor introduced with the K-7 back in 2009. In its place is a much finer-grained 86,000 pixel RGB CCD metering sensor.

That"s more than 1,100 pixels for every segment that was on the earlier sensor, and it allows for much more precise metering measurements. And since it"s an RGB chip, it can also recognize color information, allowing it to help out with subject identification. (More on that in a moment.)

The Pentax K-3"s metering controls are totally different to those of earlier cameras. Gone is the physical metering switch introduced with the K-7, which was fiddly to adjust, but had the advantage that you could confirm your setup without powering the camera on (and, with familiarity, by touch). In its place is a new Metering button which shares double-duty with the Delete button, at top left of the rear panel. If you hold this in and turn either dial, the metering mode is changed, and the new mode shown in the viewfinder, info LCD, and main LCD (if enabled.) And since there"s no longer a physical control for metering mode, it"s indicated at all times in the info LCD.

Although the new sensor is much finer-grained, the choice of metering modes is unchanged from earlier cameras: Multi-segment, Center-weighted, or Spot. An exposure lock function is available, accessed with the AE-L button that has been relocated to the top right corner of the camera body, above the thumb grip. You can also specify up to +/-5EV of exposure compensation, or bracket 2, 3, or 5 exposures with up to 2EV between exposures. For either compensation or bracketing, you can specify your adjustment in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps.

Autofocus. Also brand-new is the Pentax K-3"s autofocus sensor, which is now a SAFOX 11 chip. This is the first major step forwards since the SAFOX VIII chip that was introduced a decade ago, with Pentax"s very first digital SLR, the *ist D.

Every subsequent APS-C SLR from Pentax -- right up to last year"s SAFOX X -- has used a variation on the SAFOX VIII layout, albeit with some important improvements in the AF sensor design, optics and algorithms. (And in a few cases on entry-level DSLRs, with the number of points having been reduced.) Never until now have we seen an overhaul like this in Pentax DSLR autofocus, though.

Just as with the metering controls, Pentax has also completely changed the controls relating to autofocus. This has most likely been done because of the added complexity of the new 27-point AF system, and while the new controls will take a little getting used to for K-7, K-5, K-5 II or K-5 IIs shooters, they"ll quickly become second nature. (And as with the metering control, the only real downside is that you can"t confirm setup without the camera being powered on.)

One further control is brand new, located at bottom right of the camera body. The Change AF Point / Card Slot Switch button selects whether the Four-way Controller should be used to adjust the AF point location, or should abide by the markings on its buttons. Each press of this new control emits an audible beep, so you notice that you"ve changed the controller mode. And since there"s no longer a physical control for point selection, it"s now indicated in the top deck info LCD.

You might wonder why, exactly, do you need all these new autofocus points? If you"re not shooting on a tripod, you can just reframe and focus with one of the existing points, after all. It"s with tracking that the extra points are going to pay dividends, though. The more points you have, the easier it is for the camera to accurately track distance as your subject moves across the image frame. And that"s where the tie-in with the RGB metering sensor comes in, as well. Since it can now provide color information -- and a whole lot finer detail -- to the camera, it can be used to help track the subject"s location, and determine whether or not a given autofocus point is over the subject. In other words, we can expect quite a step forwards in tracking autofocus performance.

Hand-in-hand with this improvement, Pentax has also added a new autofocus hold setting for use in tracking, which will let you control how quickly the camera will react to a radical change in detected subject distance, such as you might get when shooting through a fence, or if somebody walked between camera and subject. You have four options, as shown in the video above: either the change will be near-instant with Hold AF Status set to off, or you can choose one of three durations (Low, Medium or High) after which the change in focus will be made.

As in the earlier cameras, you can also define whether a focus lock or a full shutter button press should be of greater importance to the Pentax K-3. In single-servo mode, you can choose focus priority to have the camera wait to trip the shutter until a focus lock is achieved, or shutter priority to take it as soon as you full press the shutter button. In continuous or AF-A modes, you can opt for focus priority, or frame rate priority (which takes another photo as soon as the shutter has recycled and there is available buffer space to do so).

Pop-up flash. Although its physical design has changed subtly, with a slightly smaller surface area and a linear Fresnel lens in place of the previous circular Fresnel, the specification of the Pentax K-3"s built-in, pop-up flash is unchanged. It still has a mechanical release, and so will not scare the daylights out of you by releasing seemingly at random, as happens on some consumer cameras. It will also release with the camera powered off, though, so you"ll want to be careful that nothing could bump the button in your camera bag.

In Wireless mode, the built-in flash can be used as a controller to multiple wireless slave flashes. The built-in flash can be set to contribute to the exposure, or to act only as a controller. The Pentax wireless flash system offers four control channels, so up to four camera/flash setups can be used in the same area without interfering with each other.

External flash. As you"d expect, there"s also a standard hot shoe on the top deck, complete with intelligent connections to support Pentax"s P-TTL flash metering system. A locking pin is also provided, to ensure your flash doesn"t detach from the camera during use.

As well as the hot shoe, the Pentax K-3 also includes a PC sync socket. It"s protected by a small, screw-in cap which isn"t attached to the camera body, so you"ll want to ensure it"s snug so as not to lose it.

Viewfinder. Pentax has also redesigned the viewfinder used for the Pentax K-3. Like that of earlier models dating back to the K-7, it"s pentaprism-based, and has 100% coverage.

New optics mean that it now has slightly higher 0.95x magnification, though, where the earlier design had 0.92x magnification. That might be a very small increase indeed, but it"s enough to put Pentax back to the top of the top of the APS-C viewfinder magnification charts, in a two-way tie with the Nikon D7100.

Like those which preceded it, the Pentax K-3"s new viewfinder accepts interchangeable focusing screens. The bundled screen is still an MF-60 Frame Matte type.

Although the dioptric adjustment range of -2.5 to +1.5m-1is unchanged, the Pentax K-3"s adjustment control is new. The earlier cameras had a linear slider control with no detents, directly above the viewfinder eyepiece. The K-3 has a rotary dial tucked in behind the right side of the viewfinder eyecup, and it has around 20 detents. While the fixed detents mean you won"t be able to adjust it quite as accurately, the new control is easier to adjust, and no more or less likely to be bumped.

The new design does mean that there"s a new viewfinder eyecup, as there"s no longer any need for the cutout in its top surface to provide access to the diopter adjustment slider of earlier cameras. It"s still removable, and your existing eyecups will still fit,so long as you don"t mind the vacant slot at their top.

The Pentax K-3"s LCD display is gapless, anti-glare coated, and a little larger than that of its predecessors. It also has more pixels, and a wider 3:2 aspect ratio. And yes, it has a Ricoh logo beneath it. Doubtless this will cause a little gnashing of teeth in the forums, but the Pentax badge still gets pride of place on the front of the pentaprism -- and frankly, Ricoh deserves a little credit for its role in ensuring Pentax remained a viable brand.

LCD. The Pentax K-3"s rear-panel LCD monitor is also a new design. It has a slightly greater 3.2-inch diagonal, and a 3:2 aspect ratio. Together, those changes translate to around a 9% increase in surface area, and resolution has simultaneously been increased by around 13%. The total dot count is now around 1037k, up from 921k in the earlier flagships. The increase in resolution more than offsets the larger surface area, so perceived resolution is much the same as it was.

The K-3"s LCD monitor has a gapless design, as introduced on the K-5 II and IIs, and retains the anti-reflective coating of earlier models. Compared to the air-gapped design used in the K-7 and K-5, it has lower glare and better contrast. It"s also slightly brighter, richer, and saturated when compared side-by-side with the K-5. (Unfortunately, we don"t have a K-5 II or IIs on hand to compare it to.)

There is certainly one upgrade versus the K-5 II and IIs, though. The Pentax K-3"s brightness and color adjustments have been supplemented with a new saturation adjustment, letting you tweak yet another variable to your own tastes.

Info LCD. The monochrome info display on the top deck is similar to that of the earlier cameras, but adds some new information, accounting for a couple of physical control changes to the camera body. There are now indications of both metering mode and autofocus point selection, as well as of the dual flash card slots and the file types used for each.

The info LCD still has a green backlight, which illuminates when you adjust any control. If you don"t want to disturb your night vision, the backlight can be disabled.

Exposure modes. In most respects, the Pentax K-3 offers the same selection of exposure modes as did the K-5 II and IIs, as well as their predecessors. As well as Green (fully automatic), Program (with program shift), Shutter priority (Tv), Aperture priority (Av), Manual, and Bulb, there are a couple of Pentax exclusives: Sensitivity priority (Sv), and Shutter-and-Aperture priority (TAv). In these latter two modes, you can either dial in a sensitivity and let the camera select aperture and shutter speed, or dial in the aperture and shutter speed, then let the camera select the sensitivity. There"s also a Flash X-Sync mode, which locks the shutter speed at 1/180 second.

The only changes to the selection of exposure modes are that movie capture no longer merits its own position on the Mode dial, and the previous User mode has been replaced with three separate User modes (U1, U2 and U3). That"s something of a mixed blessing: It means you can now quickly access those User modes from the Mode dial, but it also means you"ve lost two user modes, since the K-5, K-5 II and K-5 IIs had five apiece. (If you"re coming from the Pentax K-7, though, you"ll actually have gained two User modes, since that model only had one.)

Drive modes. Drive mode options in the Pentax K-3 include continuous (high, medium, or low), self-timer (two or 12 second), remote control (instant, three second, or continuous), bracketing, mirror lockup, HDR, and multiple exposure. (More on these last two in the creative section below.)

Shutter. The Pentax K-3"s shutter speed range is unchanged from that of the K-5 II and IIs, but the shutter mechanism itself is updated. It now has a rated lifetime of 200,000 cycles, double the 100,000 cycles of earlier models. (And you can hear that the mechanism is new, too, if you put your ear to the camera -- the noise when the shutter cycles is noticeably different, although it"s just as quiet.)

White balance. In most respects, white balance with the Pentax K-3 is similar to preceding models, but one feature is new. There"s now a Multi Auto WB mode, which aims to neutralize color casts from multiple different light sources in the same scene. It"s an adoption from new parent Ricoh, whose cameras have had the feature for a while now under another name: Multi-P Auto.

As well as Automatic and Manual modes, the Pentax K-3 provides ten white balance presets (Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Daylight Color Fluorescent, Daylight White Fluorescent, Cool White Fluorescent, Warm White Fluorescent, Tungsten, Flash, and Color Temperature Enhancement). This last option is used to retain and enhance the lighting tone - for example, to enhance a sunset.

White balance can also be measured from a neutral target, or a specific color temperature can be dialed in manually, using either Kelvin or Mired values. Three custom white balance values of each type can be stored in-camera. And finally, you can adjust white balance within a +/- 7-step range on both amber-blue and green-magenta axes.

Creative. To say that the Pentax K-3 has a healthy selection of creative options would be an understatement. We"ve already briefly mentioned a couple: HDR mode and multiple-exposure shooting.

HDR mode captures multiple images, then microaligns them in camera and blends them to create a single image with greater dynamic range. You have a choice of automatic blending, or one of three effect strengths. These range from fairly natural to a bolder, crunchier feel. (And since the images are microaligned, the mode can be used handheld.) And uniquely, the mode now allows you to output a raw image, although only Pentax"s own software recognizes these -- every other app we tried saw them only as a single non-HDR raw. (But you can split the HDR raw into three non-HDR raws using Pentax"s software, allowing you to tweak the results in your own HDR app.)

There"s also a time-lapse function, which allows shots at 2-second to 24-hour intervals. You can now capture a lot more shots in an interval series, however. Instead of the 999 shot limit of the K-5, K-5 II, and K-5 IIs, the Pentax K-3 will shoot as many as 2,000 shots in a series.

There is now one more custom image effect in the Pentax K-3, and four new pre-capture digital filter effects have replaced existing ones which have been retired. The new custom image effect is called Radiant, and the new pre-capture digital filters are Shading, Invert Color, Unicolor Bold, and Bold Monochrome. These were all seen previously in the Pentax Q and Q7 mirrorless cameras, and they replace the earlier Soft, Starburst, Fish-eye, and Custom filters from earlier K-series flagships.

Copyright tagging. Like the flagship models which precede it, the Pentax K-3 can optionally embed copyright data into its raw and JPEG image files. You can enter both a photographer and copyright holder name from the camera body, and the headers of images will be tagged with both. It"s not a permanent tag, and so you can"t rely on it to protect your images from copyright theft, but it does make it so that you can easily identify who shot a particular image in your library.

Dual-axis level gauge. Also unchanged is the Pentax K-3"s dual-axis level gauge function. This detects both side-to-side roll, and front-to-back pitch. Roll is displayed in the viewfinder, and on both top / rear LCDs. Pitch can be displayed only on the rear LCD. There"s still no way to calibrate the level gauge yourself -- a retun to the service depot is needed if the tilt sensor loses its calibration.

Horizon correction. Pentax"s recent flagships go a lot further than most DSLRs, which simply show pitch, though. Like its other flagships, the Pentax K-3 can automatically correct for up to two degrees of roll in either direction if Shake Reduction is disabled, or one degree if it"s enabled. If you"re driven to distraction by tilted horizons, it"s a great feature to have.

Composition correction. Horizon correction takes advantage of Pentax"s sensor-shift system, and so to does composition correction. This is handy when you"re shooting on a tripod, and want to make very slight adjustments to composition. You can move the sensor left, right, up, or down, and rotate it by up to a couple of degrees, fine-tuning your composition to perfection.

Playback. The Pentax K-3"s new LCD monitor has a wider aspect ratio and a slightly higher resolution, and that has translated to some subtle changes in playback mode. For one thing, the number of thumbnail images shown on-screen at any given time has been changed, and now varies from a minimum of six to a maximum of 80. The display magnification is now 16x max., instead of 32x max., and there"s a new 100% quick magnification function which helps you check focus at 1:1 resolution without needing to fiddle with the playback zoom controls.

Just as in record mode, the selection of playback image filters has been changed, with four modes dropped, and four added. The new filters are the same as those in record mode: Shading, Invert Color, Unicolor Bold, and Bold Monochrome. The filters they replace, though, differ. You lose the Custom filter as in record mode, but you also lose the monochrome, color, and HDR filters from earlier cameras.

Movie capture. There are some huge changes in Movie mode, and among them all, the key change for our money comes thanks to the new image processor. There"s no more dated, inefficient Motion JPEG compression, with the Pentax K-3 using MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 compression in a .MOV container. (OK, that"s not entirely true -- interval movies, which we"ll come to in a second, are still shot with Motion JPEG compression. All real-time movies are shot with H.264 compression, though.)

The Pentax K-3 also brings a much better selection of frame rates. As you may remember, the K-5 and K-5 II / IIs were limited to 25 frames per second at Full HD (1080p) resolution, and 30p / 25p at lower resolutions. The Pentax K-3 blows this out of the water, providing either interlaced 60i / 50i or progressive-scan 30p / 25p / 24p at Full HD resolution. At the lower 720p resolution, you"ll find the same selection, except that the interlaced frame rates are replaced with progressive scan 60p / 50p rates.

And with the new, more efficient compression, Pentax no longer sees the need to provide for standard-def capture, so it"s dropped the VGA resolution of earlier cameras entirely.

The Pentax K-3 also offers more intuitive movie controls. There"s no longer a separate Movie mode on the Mode dial, and you don"t use the same shutter button for stills and movies. Instead, a quick flick of the rear panel"s Still / Movie switch puts the camera in Movie mode, and the new Movie button adjacent to the LCD display starts capture.

There"s also a better selection of capture modes for movies. As well as the existing Program and Aperture-priority exposure modes, the Pentax K-3 now supports shooting with Shutter-priority or fully Manual exposure. That"s big news if you want the maximum creative control over your movies.

The K-3"s built-in microphone is still monaural, but it"s been moved to the front panel, which should provide for better audio quality since it faces your subjects. If you want to avoid picking up noise from the camera"s autofocus drive (or just want greater control over audio), the Pentax K-3 still provides for an off-camera microphone courtesy of a standard 3.5mm stereo mic port. There"s also a new 3.5mm stereo headphone port, which means that you can monitor audio levels before and during capture. The K-3 also provides levels display before and during capture, completely with a peak hold function, and separate display of left / right channels.

Alongside the existing 3.5mm stereo microphone port, the Pentax K-3 sports a brand-new 3.5mm stereo headset port, so you can monitor audio levels during capture.

There"s still a 25-minute clip length limit in the Pentax K-3, and so if you need to have longer continuous shooting, you"ll need to look for another solution. Another new feature, though, is the interval movie mode which was first introduced with the Pentax Q, and made its K-mount debut on the Pentax K-30. This has been reworked in the Pentax K-3, and now shoots at up to 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160 pixels). If your clips are lengthy, you can expect some seriously colossal file sizes -- around 3GB per minute -- at this resolution, thanks to the Motion JPEG / AVI compression but the ability to shoot ultra high-def time-lapse video is nevertheless pretty cool.

Weather-sealing / cold-proofing. The Pentax K-3"s body is still comprehensively dustproof and weatherproof, thanks to seals at all controls and body seams. The number of seals has been increased from 77 to 92, but we wouldn"t necessarily take this to indicate a greater degree of sealing -- there are simply more controls that need sealing on the newer version. Pentax"s flagship DSLRs have a reputation as among the best-sealed in the business, regardless. And the K-3 is also still freezeproof to 14°F / -10°C, and works reliably in temperatures up to 104°F / 40°C.

And now, a just announced, weather-sealed variant of the 55-300mm lens takes consumer-grade weather-sealed coverage out to everything from 18-300mm, with just two affordable weather-sealed zooms. Add in Pentax"s recently-announced weather-resistant strobes, its weather-sealed GPS receiver, and even a weather-sealed infrared remote, and there isn"t a link in the chain that can"t be used in dust and rain.

Connectivity. Another important change in the Pentax K-3 is to be found in the connectivity department: a USB 3.0 Micro B connector, in place of the previous combined USB 2.0 PC / AV connector.

Alongside the debut of USB 3.0 connectivity, support for standard-definition video output has been dropped. Instead, the Pentax K-3 now offers only a high-definition Type-D Micro HDMI output. We"re not yet sure if it supports uncompressed live video over its HDMI port.

We"ve already mentioned much of the K-3"s remaining connectivity, which includes 3.5mm stereo mic and headset jacks, an intelligent hot shoe, PC sync terminal, front and rear infrared receivers, and a connector for an optionally-available portrait / battery grip. There"s also an 8.3V DC input, which is unchanged from that in the Pentax K-5 and K-5 II / IIs, using the same K-AC132 AC adapter kit.

Power. The Pentax K-3 retains the same D-LI90 battery as its predecessors, but unfortunately, there"s been a significant 24% reduction in battery life. The K-3 is now capable of 560 shots on a charge to CIPA standards, down from 740 shots on a charge with the K-7, K-5, or K5 II / IIs. With no flash usage, you"ll get 720 shots on a charge, down from 980 shots in the earlier cameras. Playback time falls from 440 minutes to 370, a 16% reduction.

Unfortunately, you"ll need a new grip: the Pentax D-BG5, replacing the D-BG4 grip which dates back to the K-7. Much like that grip, you can add second D-LI90 for double the battery life (1120 shots on a charge to CIPA standards), or alternatively you can supplement the in-body battery with six standard AA cells. (Battery life here would depend on the AA battery type.)

Storage. Speaking of storage, the Pentax K-3 still writes its images in JPEG or 14-bit PEF/DNG raw formats. (The resurrection of the .PEF raw format is good news for anybody who bemoaned the inclusion only of DNG raw on the Pentax K-30, K-50, and K-500.)

A very significant change from the K-3"s predecessors is the presence of dual card slots. That catches Pentax back up with rival Nikon, which has offered dual card slots in both the D7000 and D7100. At Canon, you"ll have to step up to the full-frame EOS 5D Mark III if you want dual card slots.

The Pentax K-3 allows you to write to its dual card slots in several different ways. You can either write to the cards sequentially, first filling one and then the other, or write to both slots simultaneously for a backup, or write raw images to one slot, and JPEG images to the other slot.

The Pentax K-3 is the company"s second camera to include dual flash card slots, after the medium-format 645D. It"s also the first Pentax model to support high-speed UHS-I cards.

Remote control. The latter provide not only for file transfer, but also for remote control. (At least, if you"re using a Pentax-branded Flucard.) That means another hole in Pentax"s offering has been plugged. Ever since the Pentax K-7, we"ve bemoaned the lack of an official remote capture solution, and now it"s available.

First-party remote capture functionality finally returns to a Pentax APS-C flagship camera, courtesy of optionally-available, Wi-Fi capable Flucards and an Android / iOS app.

We"d still like to see an official tethered shooting solution -- if for no other reason than that we want to see apps like Adobe"s Lightroom and Phase One"s Capture One supporting tethered shooting with the Pentax K-3 -- but the presence of a wireless solution is still excellent news.

Software. The K-3 digital SLR ships with an upgraded version of Pentax"s Digital Camera Utility 5 software. It"s still Silkypix-based, just like the previous version.

Accessories. Available accessories include the Pentax D-BG5 portrait / battery grip, which is dust / weather sealed, accepts a second D-LI90 battery pack or six AA cells, and provides duplicate shutter-release, AE-lock, AF, ISO, exposure-compensation and green buttons, as well as a preview lever and dual electronic dials. Pentax also offers an own-branded O-FC1 16GB Flucard Wi-Fi SD card, and a 50cm long, 4cm wide O-ST1401 camera strap in red or black.

The Pentax K-3 II is the new flagship of the Pentax SLR system. The camera offers 24MP resolution, an APS-C-sized image sensor, a well-sealed and robust body, and numerous professional features.

Ricoh Imaging introduced the 24-megapixel Pentax K-3 II DSLR earlier this year. The Pentax K-3 II is the successor to the K-3 from 2013 and while it shares some features with that model, it adds a few new tricks, including an improved shake reduction system, a new high-speed AF algorithm, and built-in GPS.

The camera has a very large status LCD on the top. The mode dial on the left-hand side offers standard modes and direct access to bulb and flash sync modes.

The LCD on the back is very large (3.2 inches) and has a high resolution of 1,040,000 RGB dots. Changing image parameters and menu navigation is very comfortable. The camera offers a four-way control field and two setup dials (one above the cursor field, another near the shutter release button).

The Pentax K-3 II is a relatively large and robust camera (nearly 28 ounces) that is extensively sealed to withstand the elements. Its body is based on a stainless steel chassis and covered by a rubberized material that affords an excellent grip. The camera uses a 24MP APS-C-sized image sensor without a low-pass filter for maximum image sharpness.

As a professional camera, the K-3 II offers a large and illuminated status display on the top that shows important parameter settings like image size, file format, exposure settings, battery status, and which one of the two (or both) card slots are active. The camera offers two SD card slots and worked well with all of our test cards, Sony’s SDHC and Toshiba’s newest “Exceria Pro UHS-II” cards. The card slots can be used in different ways: for example, the photographer can use slot 1 for Raw images and slot 2 for JPEGs or one card system for recording stills and the second for recording videos.

The Pentax K-3 II has a large mode dial on its top. In addition to full automatic and standard modes with aperture or shutter speed priority, it offers additional modes like “Shutter & Aperture Priority (TAv),” three user-defined settings, X-Speed mode for taking images with a flash system, and bulb mode for time exposure shots.

Two setup dials, one near the shutter release button and the second on the back, allow the user to set up all parameters quickly and easily. A standard four-way button control field allows access to the many menu items, which reads out on a large 3.2-inch LCD screen that offers a resolution of 1,040,000 RGB dots. The LCD can be used as an electronic viewfinder by pressing the LV button on the back. The camera offers two live preview settings for photo and video recording. In video mode the LCD shows a 16:9 crop of the image. The optical viewfinder is very large and bright and offers 100 percent field of view, which is very helpful for image composition.

The camera has a built-in image stabilizer based on sensor shift technology. This allows for use of the stabilizer system with every lens mounted on the K-3 II. The moveable sensor offers a special “Pixel Shift Resolution” mode. In this mode, it takes four images in which every image is shifted by the size of a pixel to both sides, up and down. These four images are combined to a final 24MP image that uses all the pixels for RGB color information and creates images without color interpolation or moiré effects.

Startup time of the Pentax K-3 II is a bit slow, but all other functions are quite fast. The AF system uses 27 AF sensors, including 25 cross-type sensors. The user can activate multi-AF mode using nine AF sensors or spot AF metering; in all, it allows for a very versatile setup of the AF system.

The camera offers a GPS system, but a Wi-Fi module is missing. The camera can use Pentax FluCards for wireless image transfer and for use of a smartphone as a wireless remote trigger.

The camera showed detailed and rich reproductions of the test scene. Colors look very natural, with only the very high saturation of blue nuances visible in the blue spool in the upper right.

Color: Just like all Pentax SLRs, the K-3 II reproduced the color test chart with very high saturation (118.2 percent). Blue nuances are considerably boosted, although red colors have a surprisingly low saturation. These effects are caused by the factory set color mode: when we changed this mode to “Natural” the saturation was tamed to 105-110 percent. The white balance system did a good job. Only the brightest nuances are shifted in a more yellow and green direction. All colors have a natural look (apart from the highly saturated blue nuances) and skin tones are very good.

Sharpness: All test images were taken with the HD PENTAX DA 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 ED DC WR lens. In combination with this lens the camera showed an excellent performance in our resolution test and reproduced the test chart with 3,903 lines per picture height (sensor resolution: 4,000 lpph). The detail reproduction is partly the result of the missing low-pass filter and partly from an intense image sharpness filtering by the image processor. This was noticeable in our test images, which have a slight “artificial” look. Nevertheless, the fine details of the standard test box shot are clearly visible, aided by the very high and clearly defined differentiation of colors.

Reproduction of skin tones is very good. The red fabric of the T-shirt shows high color differentiation and sharp reproduction of fine details. The hair structure has a very natural look.

Noise: The camera showed a high luminance noise result at ISO 100. This noise result declines in images taken with ISO 200 to 1600 because the anti-noise filtering becomes more intense. Color noise is very low in images taken with ISO 100 to 3200. The combination of noise artifacts and anti-noise filtering becomes visible in images at ISO 3200 and higher and becomes quite annoying in the ISO 25,600 and ISO 51,200 range. Details are reduced severely in the ISO 25,600 and ISO 51,200 range, although up to ISO 12,800 images look good.

The dynamic noise results are excellent. The camera gained a maximum of 12 f/stops in ISO 200 mode and keeps a high level of more than 10 f/stops up to ISO 3200. At the highest ISO settings dynamic range decreases drastically down to 6.64 f/stops at ISO 51,200.

Just like all Pentax SLRs, the K-3 II reproduced the color test chart with very high saturation (118.2 percent). Blue nuances are considerably boosted, although red colors have a surprisingly low saturation. These effects are caused by the factory set color mode, which can be reset by the user to attain a less saturated look.

The Pentax K-3 II offers Full HD video recording with frame rates up to 30 progressive frames per second or videos in interlaced modes (50i/60i). In HD video mode with 1280x720 pixels the camera is able to record with 50 and 60 progressive frames per second. It doesn’t offer a cinema or Blu-ray mode with 24 frames per second. All videos are recorded in QuickTime format as MOV files with H.264 compression. Video files can be recorded on SD cards in card slot 1 or card slot 2; the LCD menu allows the user to set up the desired slot.

The camera allows for use of manual exposure settings for video recordings. Exposure modes are changed in the video menu on the LCD screen, not by setting of the mode dial on the top. When choosing manual exposure modes the aperture size and shutter speed are changed with the help of the two setup dials on the front and the back of the camera. The camera also allows for manual ISO speed settings, although the limit in video is ISO 3200. The Pentax also offers manual sound level control in 20 steps and shows sound level bars on the LCD for better sound control. It also has a 3.5mm jack for recording videos with an external microphone that can be mounted on the accessory shoe on the top.

The color reproduction in video mode is fine. Just like in photo mode, the saturation is very high, but the photographer can choose "Natural" for more realistic color reproduction.

Compared to the results in photo mode, the results in video mode are really disappointing. The resolution result is very poor: the camera reproduced the test chart with only 574 lines per picture height in Full HD mode (1,080 lpph) and created very soft-looking images. The results of the dynamic range tests are also very poor. The camera gained a maximum of only 6.26 f/stops. The noise results are on a good level and can be compared to the noise results in photo mode between ISO 100 and ISO 3200.

The color reproduction in video mode is fine. Just like in photo mode, the saturation is very high, but the photographer can choose “Natural” for more realistic color reproduction. There is very good performance of the white balance system, which shows only a minor shift of the white and brightest gray color pattern into the yellow/green direction. This is comparable to the result of the K-3 II in photo mode.

(Lab Review is where we publish web-exclusive lab reports on cameras. To read more Lab Reviews, click on the Reviews tab on the top navigation bar of this page. New photo gear reports are published frequently, so check Reviews for more equipment evaluations from Shutterbug writers.)

Pentax has a long history of being a little different from the "big two" SLR makers, introducing features that would normally be found on cameras costing quite a bit more, such as weatherproofing and larger, pentaprism optical viewfinders. It"s also created some products that seemingly came out of left field, such as the Q7 and K-01 mirrorless cameras.

The Pentax name is now owned by Ricoh (not a company scared to try new ideas itself), which has continued the tradition of innovation, no better illustrated than with the concept of a digital SLR that has an anti-aliasing effect that can be turned on at the push of a button (Nikon recently patented a concept that accomplishes the same thing, but in a different manner). However, it hasn"t accomplished this by having the filter just drop into place. No, Pentax is using its sensor-shift image stabilizer to deliberately move the sensor during the exposure, slightly blurring the image to mimic the effects of an optical low-pass filter. Not only can this be turned on and off, Pentax is also offering two "intensities" to choose from.

The name of the camera with this breakthrough feature: the Pentax K-3. This camera takes the rugged design of the K-5 II / K-5 IIs that came before it and bumps up the resolution, improves the AF system, speeds up the processor, and enlarges the LCD and viewfinder.

At first glance, the K-3 may look like the K-5 II with a higher resolution sensor, but that"s far from the whole story. Ricoh has improved upon the K-5 II in every way, with special attention given to video recording. On the photo side, there"s the new sensor (probably from Sony), improved autofocus and metering systems, larger optical viewfinder and LCD, and of course, the selectable AA filter. Performance-wise, the K-3 shoots at 8.3 fps, up from 7.0 fps on the K-5 II.

Two features that photo and video enthusiasts will like are dual SD card slots and support for USB 3.0 (the K-3 is only the second camera to support this). Build quality remains top-notch, with the K-3 having a rugged, weatherproof body.

The biggest change to the K-3 isn"t a feature at all, but it will probably garner the most discussion. There is now a prominent "Ricoh" logo on the back of the camera, just below the LCD. Ricoh has stated that Pentax is a "brand" now, similar to "Lumix" on Panasonic cameras. We"re curious to see how the very loyal Pentax audience will react to this change. With this in mind, it"s interesting also to note that the K-3 gains the multi-area white balance feature (which aims to correct for different light sources in the same image) that we"ve seen on previous Ricohs.

One of the most interesting new features on the K-3 is its "anti-aliasing simulator". Like the K-5 IIs the camera has no anti-aliasing filter; this improves resolution, but with the trade-off of an increased risk of moiré. Pentax is using the K-3"s sensor-shift IS system to simulate the effect of having the filter.

The AA simulator works by applying "microscopic vibrations to the image sensor unit at the sub-pixel level during exposure", according to Pentax. Simply put, these tiny vibrations cause just enough blur to give the same effect as having an optical anti-aliasing filter. There are two options to choose from - Pentax calls them Mode 1 and Mode 2 - which we assume increases the "strength" of the virtual filter. Pentax says that the AA simulator is most effective when the shutter speed is under 1/1000 sec.

The K-3 represents a series of steps forward for the Pentax line - not just with the addition of features such as anti-aliasing simulation, but also in the inclusion of a more advanced autofocus and metering systems. The autofocus system shows real promise but we weren"t able to get the full benefit from it, as many of the system"s lenses aren"t particularly fast at focusing. It still doesn"t feel as polished at the systems used in cameras such as the Canon EOS 7D. The Nikon D7100 is a safer bet in this respect, too, though it is somewhat hobbled by its small Raw buffer - 7 images, rather than the K-3"s 23-or-so.

The Info menu provides access to all the features you"re likely to regularly change and the button to toggle between AF point selection and using the four-way controller for dedicated functions is a nice idea - giving you direct access to AF points but making the four dedicated functions accessible (or vice versa). It would be nice to see those four functions represented in the Info menu, so that you don"t ever have to stop to think "actually, is this on the four-way or in the Info panel?" but, since the functions are marked on the buttons, this is something you learn pretty quickly.

The camera also offers a simple, but effective range of tools for managing dynamic range and balancing image tonality. Sadly the K-3 holds true to Pentax"s JPEG color rendition, which we"ve never particularly enjoyed. We found we were able to coax nicer results out of the camera on an image-by-image basis but weren"t able to find any single set of Custom Image settings that gave results to the standard we"ve come to expect from the likes of Olympus and Fujifilm.

The K-3 offers the strongest video specs yet for a Pentax, including a headphone socket for monitoring the recorded audio. We"re not convinced the video quality is sufficiently high that many people will be paying that level of attention to the audio quality of their recordings, especially given the lack of focus aids while recording video. Overall, then, th