The Pentax K-3 mark III Monochrome for black-and-white photographers

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

There are a few cameras on the market that are specifically intended for black-and-white photography. The Pentax K-3 mark III Monochrome is one of them.

If you are a true black-and-white photographer, this could be interesting. The camera is also cheaper than the other cameras in this field.

Leica recently announced a new camera that is exclusively suitable for black-and-white photography, the Leica M11 Monochrom.

It can hardly be a coincidence that Pentax is also announcing a black-and-white camera at this point. This is the Pentax K-3 mark III Monochrome.

The Pentax K-3 mark III Monochrome is a camera based on the regular K-3 mark III. The camera is built around a 25.7-megapixel APS-C sensor. Unlike the regular camera, the monochrome version has no Bayer filter, so no colour information is recorded.

The absence of a Bayer filter has a number of advantages. There is less light loss and the image detail increases. In addition, colour noise is absent, which significantly increases the quality of the photos.

Pentax has made the camera completely consistent with its style, including the menu, which is entirely in black and white. Buttons and the text on the buttons are also shown in grey.

The colour profiles have been replaced by special black-and-white profiles such as low-key and high-key. The camera also offers the option to record 4K30p video. In black and white, of course.

With the Pentax K-3 mark III Monochrome, you do not have to compromise on the options. The ISO value goes up to an astonishing 1,600,100, with this being more usable due to the absence of the Bayer filter. It has built-in image stabilisation of 5.5 stops. The camera can take up to 12 frames per second.

Perhaps the most attractive feature is the price of this black-and-white digital SLR. You can own one for 2,499 euros.

This is just a quarter of what you have to pay for a Leica M11 Monochrom. The Pentax K-3 mark III Monochrome will be available from the end of April 2023.

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