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I've been looking at the K1 mk II for a few years now, but have been waiting for the mkIII. I don't like to buy new bodies too often because of the mounting costs, plus I would be basically a newcomer to Pentax digital cameras, so I've been holding off to make sure I come in with the best they have going. I have a 67, Super Program, loads of Espios, an original Q and a MX-1, that have all sort of led to this fascination with Pentax, which have has me on the fence to jump from Lumix, that I've used for years and years. Hopefully, they release something in the near future.

What are the 3 lenses you use ?

Excellent and thoughtful analysis. As a long-time (50+ years!) Pentax photographer, I dearly love the products. Build quality, as you discuss, second to none. I have pushed 100,000+ frames through Spotmatic F cameras way-back-then and huge numbers through K1's & K3's. I agree 100% with your wish list. As a retired-old-guy my only complaint on the K3 III was NO ADJUSTABLE flip screen! I shoot a lot of macro now, and have had back surgeries. I simply can not bend down to take pictures like I used to. While the K1 II has it, the accuracy & speed of the screen is just not there. No touch function. OK enough whining. I'd include:: MUST have the screen (or better) from the K3 III with full adjustment like the magical-to-use K1 II MUST have the focus speed and accuracy (or better) of the K3 III MUST have the high ISO performance (or better) if the K3 III but WITH option to turn off auto-correction in RAW for certain use cases. I'd prefer to shoot macro in pure-unadulterated-RAW. MUST have the ruggedness of K1 II MUST have the improved firmware and control layout of K3 III MUST have improved penta-prism Strong desires: In-camera HDR improvement. The K3 III almost nails it for tripod-less HDR, but it could be better. In-camera focus stacking. Please. We macro-shooters would benefit enormously from this. Better pixel-shift allowing for shots of flowers, etc. And allowing for HDR + Pixel shift would be a home-run that no one else has. Now, if Pentax wants to make some headlines, how about focus-stacking-HDR-pixel shift? The primary requirement is simply processing power. Seriously. I'd like to see Pentax give the lens lineup some love. The PLM performance of the 55-300 is nothing short of spectacular. I'd like to see that in the 70-200, and better faster high end telephotos, like a PLM 300 and PLM 400 primes. Seriously. I had to give up the 150-450 because it just was too soft at 450. A PLM 400 would be a dream. Thank you!

I don't believe any K1 mark III is coming up. If so, it needs really to improve A Lot. It needs to be eager quick (blaming quick) AF with 20 photos per second and a Massive but really massively quick Buffer. Then we start talking about it. 4fps? What's that joke? 33mb/s write in the buffer like a K5? What's that joke? And yes I come from 2 K3-IIIs that are okay-ish but they need massive improvements like buffer size. So hopefully if there is any new Pentax they'll realize about that. But I don't think so. A switch should be a move.

Great comment! Hope it will finally be released. What is you opinion about the KF that is newer but only APS-C? There is so much controversy...

Matt, thanks for your opinion. I don't have experience with the k-3 mark III monochrome yet. I really like taking B/W pictures of my young daughters with the Pentax 6x7 and the Pentax 67II and I still use my old faithfull CCD Pentax k10D. Yes, I have an effective mirrorless system at my disposal - especially for capturing moments that pass by in the blink of an eye - and it produces amazig results, however I miss "something" while using it. I need an optical viewfinder. It is the right time to meet a new monochrome friend.

Hope too they're goin to make it, still using and loving my K1II, I really want to have the natural upgrade of it (better noise control with high ISO, a better buffer, way better autofocus, better OIS and astrotracer, same amazing quality as ever, same form and compatibility)

What I think is really missing is proper support for tethering into Lightroom or other tether software.

Dude chill, don't smack that k1 screen you might broke it. Hahahaha

I still have a K-3, but Farewell Pentax !😂

Awesome video. I have owned a Sony a6400 for a couple of years. Still don't like using it. Too small (and I owned a bunch of beautiful OM1s & 4s back in the film days), fiddly menu system, poor haptics and ergonomics in general. Oh, ugly as well 😂. So l lashed out and bought a Pentax Kx. $60 Aussie. I LOVE this camera. You hold it with your hands, not your fingers. It just fits so well the menu system is simple brilliant and efficient. The images come out beautifully. It's not a good technically as the Sony, but I believe it's a better camera. I think we are being conned a little bit with Mirrorless cameras under the guise of "smaller and lighter". What they really are is cheaper to make. I don't want to look at another damn screen, I look through the camera at what I am photographing: through that beautiful viewfinder, holding a camera that fits beautifully in my hands.

I won a Sony A7R3 and hated it. Traded the Sony for Canon R5. At least it's a camera meant for a photographer but it still doesn't have the ease of use and a ton of features that are in the K1ii. If a K1iii comes around this year, I'll definitely with be trading in the Canon R5. Slightly different idea but with the success of the K3iii and K3iii monochrome, I'm hoping for a factory made K3 infrared. Having to send a new camera for a third party mod really bothers me. Think about what a great lineup. K1iii, K3iii colour, K3iii mono, K3iii infrared and to top it off, the 17 and its film successors. Serving these niche markets with great products is what will keep Pentax vibrant and relevant while the big 3 play a bizarre upmansship game of dividing up a shrinking market.

Take the compute and AF functionality of the K-3iii, maybe a stronger af motor and implant into the K-1 body. Job done! But I think they are waiting either for a specific Sensor from Sony or else they are figuring out how to put a 645 ovf into the K-1 sized body 😂

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My first Pentax camera was the K10D, I loved it, and then over the years it became slower, maybe cause of my humid surroundings. But in 2018 I bought my KP, I know it is small, but it had all the things that were slow, like faster shutter speed, more quiet, a faster processor, and a swap able mount. I love it to my heart, but I think that I might swich to K1 mark iii, cause I want to try something new. But it hasn't come out yet. Hope it comes out in the next year or so.

But but but we have the Pentax 17 .... !!

I would buy a K1 that performed as good in all areas as my K3III. I have a K1II presently but the K3III is awesome.

IF the K 1 MIII DOES become a reality...I hope they put some of the Monochrome tech in it ...That would be awesome...

In 2007 I bought a K10D. My first digital camera. In 2014 I was convinced I wanted a full frame camera. Every rumor of a Pentax full frame was evaporating faster than I could blink. I bought a Sony A7. Never looked back. K10D sits on a shelf with the Kodak folders and film rangefinders.

I'd like to see 64 ISO

dont think so. Its like believing dragons are real....You want to believe...but you know it doesn't exist

Excellent video 😮!

I checked on your channel and you are still using Pentax in 2024.. nice one.. When I decide my system, I actually want to go with Pentax, as I admire the technology, and its approach to digital cameras... But in my country, pentax isn't widely available (the new and updated lineup, not the old film and manual lens). And with limited availability, comes the price tag..

Ha , nice review Matt. That’s about a casual but honest as reviews come . I’am considering some Gitzo products to replace my Manfrotto ( the other Italian ) now. Still waiting on your Gitzo three way thou, hopefully that’s coming soon! All the best pal.

I have a monochrome and k1. As far as I'm concerned they can also release it in 2030 :) but I understand that many have different needs. I was hoping to have some signs by now and at the moment everything is focused on the films. In my opinion, if it is released in 2025 they should still release news on a slow side to avoid the usual speculation. I think a couple of releases would be very welcome .It would be like saying, have patience, the k1III is coming. In the meantime, look here! :)

Glad you didn't say pop-up flash, it's a snap-shooter's feature. Also reducing weight & size shouldn't be a priority with a serious FF camera - if that's important to anyone they should get a APS-C or better still a phone camera. Pentax should aim to make this the best specified FF DSLR available which means they should beat the Nikon D850 as a yardstick, like sensor 46 Mpx at least, a K-3iii grade pentaprism, & keep the K-1 ergonomics and flippy screen.

I've been using the K-1 over the last two years and having great success with it. In the company I'm contracted out to, I have the reputation of producing the images with the best color, and that's entirely due to the K-1 and the Pentax lenses I shoot with, since everyone's images are given the same PP treatment. One thing I'm not sure is fully appreciated is how good all the current gear from all makers is, especially in terms of detail acquisition. The fact is the digital cameras and lenses from at least 2008 and on capture far more detail than most photographers ever are going to use or need. So detail acquisition (i.e., sharpness) is not quite the summon bonum that everyone seems to think it is, because the camera industry has mostly solved that problem. So what's the most important differentiator for image quality. It's not sharpness, it's color. And in my experience it's precisely in color that Pentax has an edge over other brands.

I'm still very happy with the original K-1 for my color work. I might be interested in buying a hypothetical K-1 Monochrome if they ever release one.

Actually a Pentax Japan guy said recently that the K1 Mark III is in the works. So a few years out, but at least they are thinking about it.

I got tired of waiting and finally bought the K-1 II last month for my birthday.

The only word from Ricoh/Pentax has been in December of 2023 when they commented about the state of K-1 mk3; that they were having trouble getting raw materials. But thats all thats been mentioned about it. At the very least it confirms its in active development. I'm 50/50 confident of it coming out in 2025 though. The top 5 things i want to see: - Better AF. This is a must. The K-3 mk3 has OVF subject tracking even, so im pretty confident we'll see similar performance with the K-1 mk3. - A good bump in mechanical FPS and buffer size would be hugely welcome. - USB-C charging in-camera. They have the D-BC177 so they know how to do it right, and the K-3 mk3 has it too so this is probably going to 100% happen. - I'm actually not a fan of the K-1 mk2 top-mounted LCD, doesn't show a whole lot. Hope they go back to something like what the K-3 mk3 has. - Please for the love of all that is good, keep the metal-legged moon-lander articulating screen for the mk3. Honestly if the new K-1 mk3 can't exceed or even match something like a 2017-era Nikon D850 (FPS and buffer size, 3-D OVF subject tracking, AF performance) then Pentax is going to have some serious issues staying in the market.

damn was hoping for news and i hear maybe 2026 wtf

I've been shooting the K-1 for about 4 years now and I own quite a bit of their full frame lenses. I would push back on the noise reduction aspect of what you're saying. The sentiment from the community (which I agree with) is that noise reduction is something that needs to be optional. There are at least a few software options for controlling noise. Things that weren't as accessible when the K1ii rolled out. It's understandable to implement this in something like the K3iii. That was geared towards handheld fast shooting where it's going to be common to push ISO. They need to prioritize clean beautiful files for a K1iii though. The K1 was heralded for for its RAW files and the K1ii lost some of that admiration with the built in noise reduction. A K1iii needs to get back to clean beautiful files that allow the photographer to decide how much noise they're willing to accept and how to deal with it. A BSI sensor in the 45-60MP range would be a necessity. Obviously the improved AF system from the K3iii. An OVF update would be nice but not necessary in my opinion. A focusing screen that is a little more manual focusing friendly would be great, or at least an alternative screen for the system would be cool for the vintage lens shooters. As far as frame rates go, faster would be necessary in an update, but it doesnt need to be amazingly fast. 6-10 fps in full frame RAW and maybe 8-12 in the apsc crop mode would be good. Keep the GPS. Keep the body relatively the same. Improve the live view and focus peaking modes. They need to keep at it with the lenses. I have the DFA 21mm ltd. It is an absolutely beautiful lens. I started shooting with the DFA zooms but have slowly migrated towards the limited lenses. They need to continue more modern limited lenses. A zoom could be fun, something similar to the DA 20-40. A 28-55mm F1.8-2.8 (something like that) could get people excited. Then maybe something in the 120-135mm range down the road would be awesome. They should obviously continue to put out modern DFA glass as well. I really like my K-1, and I'm hoping a K1iii would hit on most of these points. I don't think most people need anything too incredible. I feel like the biggest reason people leave the system (why I would consider it) is because they just aren't transparent enough to even assure us that the ship isn't sinking. The 645z essentially being discontued is kind of scary. That's a lot of people that bought into a system that died out relatively quickly. People don't want to end up being the ones stuck on the ship when they find out it's sinking. Slow development cycles are not the end of the world, but not knowing if development is happening is problematic. This gear is expensive, and an investment. Ricoh needs to understand the bind they're asking consumers to put themselves in when they're less than forthcoming about their goals for their systems. I've been following you for years now, and always enjoy seeing where your photography is going. Love the images you put out. Happy shooting.

There aren't any "rumors" persay about the K-1 Mk.iii but it was confirmed by Pentax last December that the K-1 Mk.iii was under development but it was being slowed due to supply chain issues. So yeah, its coming though unfortunately not soon.

I can't 100% share the admiration of Pentax cameras. In the K-1, K-1 ii, KP, K-3 iii models, there is a problem with the noise reduction mechanism, as well as about the amount of information in the RAW files. These models lose details and color information when shooting in poor lighting conditions, even with noise reduction turned off. There is no such problem in Nikon SLR cameras, which were produced in parallel. When shooting on the D850 and K-1 ii at night using the astrotracer, the D850 camera wins because it retains details and colors where there is a terrible confusion of pixels on the K-1 ii. Also, RAW files from full-frame Pentax cameras weigh less, and accordingly less information is available for processing. I can send a lot of research about this problem from one of the Pentax brand ambassadors. I would like Pentax to release a software update for the camera models listed above so that you can save RAW files without aggressive noise reduction and with a lot of information. p.s. The images from the K-5 II S and K-3 II have more detail due to the lack of a separate noise reduction coprocessor, which cannot be explicitly turned off in the latest Pentax cameras.

Thank you for posting a video about Pentax camera. Keep shooting Pentax!!!!

I enjoy the OVF over the EVF for shooting photography. Especially after spending my whole workday behind a computer screen. The Pentax 50mm and 43mm and 77 lenses are smaller than my Lumix full frame lenses.

LOL, the mythical K-1iii? Hey Matt, you forgot the most fabulous feature of the K-1 which are the LED lights. 😎 I still use my K-1 and K-1ii cameras to shoot events and portraits. And my clients are very happy with their images. But, I sure would like better autofocusing, better high ISO performance - and I would be thrilled to pieces if this mythical K-1iii had some sort of hybrid OVF/EVF so that I could shoot video looking through the viewfinder. LOL, I almost always get someone asking me what kind of camera I am shooting. "Pentax? Do they still make cameras?", or from younger folks, "Pentax? I have never heard of that brand." I kinda wish Godox would buy Pentax from Ricoh. Then we would have a new camera around every two years that worked with all of the Godox lighting gear.

K1III makes no sense. Either it will be at least somewhat modern camera with new sensor and modern AF, but then it will be prohibitively expensive and completely incompetitive with $5000+ price range. Or it will reuse most modules from K1II and then it will be expensive obsolete camera with zero customers, because current K1/K1II users won't spend $3000 for camera with barely better stats. If you think these prices are exxagerated, just take a look at K3III price now. 2015 tech camera released in 2021 now cost about the same as completely new FUJI X-H2. Disgusting. Other serious problem is, that FF K mount portfolio is missing many important lenses and now there is not even single 3rd party lens manufacturer supporting it with AF lenses. Development and NPI of such camera cost several millions of $ and you need sales to cover such cost + make some profit. But FF DSLR market barely exist now and Ricoh share on that tiny market is completely laughable. We are talking about at least 40k bodies you need to sell per year for several consecutive years. Which is NOT going to happen. Even current K1/K1II had serious issues on market after initial rush that was mainly caused by slow production ramp-up. After 1/2 year since introduction sales went down. Then Ricoh tried to improve situation by K1II modification, but with little success. Compare that to Fuji who release camera and already have 500k preorders. That is the functional bussiness. K1III will be financial suicide even worse than K1 was. K1 sucked a lot of R&D resources, but in fact as a result removed large amount of K mount customers who were waiting for K5/K3 replacement. Instead we got gutted KP which had MUCH lower sales than K5/K3. And FF K1 which in 2016 had 2012 technology but AF even significantly worse than D800. It sucked so much resources, that they abandoned Q mount and even mighty 645 system because of this. Those customers who left during 2014-2021 are not going back too. K1 was interesting camera for some landscape guys and owners of old K mount film lenses, but thats about it. There are no ultrawide lenses, no fast wide lenses, in general no modern hi-res lenses comparable to competitors. Current portfolio is supported by three severely overpriced OEM Tamron DSLR lenses that are no longer produced 15-30/2.8, 24-70/2.8 and 70-210/4. Once stock is depleted, they are gone like PenTamron 18-270. Then we have large heavy slow focusing DFA*70-200/2.8, barely interesting 150-450/4.5-5.6 variable aperture 3x zoom and two somewhat modern F1.4 lenses at 50+85mm. Done. 28-105 is uninteresting kit lens. DFA21/2.4 cannot compete with 20/1.4 or 24/1.4 lenses all competitors have. Ricoh does not have resources to fix large gaps in lens portfolio and release any modern camera. We saw evidence for that during last 10+ years. Worse than Hoya. Compare that with Sony, Nikon, Canon and L mount. These systems started recently, they now all have IBIS, weather sealed bodies and LENSES. Tons of lenses. Own, 3rd party and adapted. Or if you include APS-C, then Fuji is the new king here as they completely surpased Pentax that used to be APS-C leader 10 years ago. In fact Fuji enjoys the old Pentax strategy of APS-C for general users and medium format for hi-end pro/enthusiasts which works well. But somebody in Ricoh said no, lets commit suicide and lets join overcrowded FF DSLR market right in time before it collapses. Who could expect the result... now you have to search for camera store that sells Pentax cameras and barely any store have them on display. Compare that with all other brands including OM Digital (dead Olympus). They all have much wider support. K3-IV with articulating screen, improved live-view, phase detect on sensor and much larger buffer will make sense. And also K70/KF replacement is important if they still want to continue with K-mount. But in general it will be better to ditch obsolete K mount, create nice functional adaptor for new mirrorless system and focus on modern cameras which will be able to use legacy lenses with such adaptor including AF if somebody needs that.

You are speculating about wet dreams. The Poles will have melted before Pentax comes out with another superseded camera. Pentax is not as exciting as it once was. Still have the K3 Mark1 and the K5 IIs though and use them for giggles every now and then.

I also loved my K1 but I gave up on it in the end for various reasons but mostly because I didn't like the huge filter system I needed to use for the 15-30 lens and because I was also using the 645z at the same time. Both systems together was too heavy. I now have a dual system of Lumix S1r with Lumix G9 as backup. Smaller ligher MANY more lens options. L-mount is where its at I think for a future proof camera/lens system. However I would like to buy the k3 monochrome at some point in the future and I still own and regularly use my 645z / 28-45 kit as a stand alone single camera landscape kit. In the end I doubt Pentax will bring out another full frame camera because it is hampered by lens selection. Better off sticking the APS-C system, GR's and film cameras.

We can only hope. The current K1 has a market. The marketing of cameras has been towards the advantages of mirrorless operation. The trick that Pentax may need to achieve is to be a valid alternative. The form factor of DSLR without too many drawbacks. Image quality and focus acuity with viewfinder aids. The DSLR is niche now so that niche design needs to be a selling point that’s advantageous. Great Video, pithy and thoughtful!

One more thing: Pentax has introduced a lot of F series lenses. A camera to rejuvenate their sales would make sense.

Essential: processing speed of K3 Mk iii or better The same tilt swivel screen on K1 ii More internal memory for longer high speed burst Faster (10fps or better) high speed burst Faster and more accurate auto focus than K3 iii Prism of K3 iii In camera focus stacking More pixels (40 meg) Brighter / sharper LCD panel Much faster, more accurate live focus Now, pair the above with new PLM macro lens and new PLM f2.8 super zoom and that will definitely rejuvenate Pentax. The 55-300 is great but for wildlife / nature a 60-300 or 50-300 f2.8 PLM would be welcome. Nice to have: better video. I don’t use that but many people do.

Sorry Pentax but I got tired of waiting on you after being a Pentax user since 1985 when I had a Super Program Plus. Finally sold my K1 mkii and K5 and moved over to a Lumix S5 which I absolutely love. If you ever step into the modern world I may come back because you still hold a place in my heart.

We will be waiting till doomsday, Pentax is gone. If (and that`s a big if) they somehow would pull it off, it definitely won`t be a DSLR anymore. If they would do that anyway, it would really be the final nail in the coffin.

I'm another K-1 Mk 1 user. I still love the camera and agree with you that the size is pretty good, it feels great in the hands and I wouldn't want them to shrink it too much. In fact I have never bothered getting a grip for my K-1 (just an L bracket). The K-1 mk ii didn't offer anything compelling for me personally, but the K-1 mk 1 is getting a bit long in the tooth! I shoot a lot hand held (except for night shooting / low light of course) and I'm generally comfortable shooting the K-1 with RAW at up to ISO 3200, when needed, but sometimes it needs to be much lower (and rely on stabilisation + multiple shots) for adequate dynamic range in post. One thing that would be greatly appreciated would be a reduction in shutter shock when using lighter lenses (and the DFA 28-105). While generally the results are still acceptable, I know I'm missing out on some IQ and it often leads me to avoiding 1/30s to 1/200s or changing to LV (with electronic shutter turned on). Its not a marketing feature but would likely lead to even better reviews (due to more consistent sharpness).

And where is my Penax 102mp 645?

In two years even more Pentax users will have died off. They need to do something to bring new users in.

The K one mk III may be under development but is it needed?....Both K 1 models do product and landscape and portrait reasonably well, while the K33 does the rest at a good level(talking about STILLS forget moving pictures.)...A faster K1 for WHAT?...it wont compete with any of the mirrorless cameras, their capability is beyond what Ricoh can achieve.....Development $$$ should be spent on lenses.