The Pentax K-3 Mark III DSLR camera is rumored to be officially announced next week and shipping should start on April 23 according to Nokishita. There will be also a “Pentax K-3 Mark III Premium Kit” in black and silver that will be limited to 1,000 units worldwide.
Ricoh released their 10th and final article on the K-3 Mark III covering the back-illuminated CMOS image sensor, the newly developed PRIME V imaging engine with new generation accelerator unit, and more:
In developing image quality at PENTAX, one of our most important tasks is in maintaining consistency in image rendition across the camera’s entire ISO sensitivity range. This means that, regardless of how the ISO sensitivity fluctuates, the camera must produce similar rendition of the image at all sensitivity levels. To achieve this, we had to fine-tune the camera by optimizing the consistency in noise and sharpness. Working to minimize the generation of chromatic noise in the high-sensitivity range sometimes results in unfaithful color reproduction. We were able to develop an original image processing technology that assured distinctive PENTAX rendition even at super-high sensitivities. In the PENTAX K-3 Mark III, we moved a step closer to achieving the ideal PENTAX image quality by incorporating the PRIME V imaging engine and the new-generation accelerator. While delivering beautiful images with smooth outlines and true-to-life colors, the camera also prevents incorrect adjustment of black levels. It even provides a super-high top sensitivity of ISO 1,600,000. Because it also provides a selection of Custom Image modes and a wide range of adjustable parameters, the number of combinations with ISO sensitivity settings is almost limitless. By conducting a series of sensibility evaluations to analyze a great number of images captured by our image quality designers, and by using the evaluation results for further upgrading, we were able to successfully fine-tune the camera and produce consistent image rendition at all ISO sensitivity levels.
