Ricoh announces the Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome

[Canon Rumors Guy]

PARSIPPANY, NJ, April 12, 2023 — Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation today announced the PENTAX K-3 Mark III Monochrome camera, exclusively designed to capture black-and-white images. The only monochrome-specific digital SLR camera currently on the market, it captures high-resolution images rich in gradation, enabling users to express a distinct view of the color-rich world in high-quality black-and-white

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[neuroanatomist]

 

[Sporgon]

I find it interesting that even a successful black and white specialist like Sebastiao Salgado shoots digital B&W with a normal camera (Canon), rather than one with a monochrome only sensor. Before digital he’d used Leica 35mm and Pentax 645 with TriX film. You have to decide for yourself whether his older film produced images were better, or if there’s no difference…
If you look at an unprocessed scan of a good B&W negative it records very differently in the shadows and highlights to a digital camera (much flatter), and from this starting point allows great and gentle latitude in controlling the contrast of the image. I think a monochrome digital sensor will still record with digital characteristics, and therefor apart from the extra sharpness I’m not convinced there will be much advantage, apart from being able to play with colour filters on a digital camera.

 

[entoman]

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The reviews say that the Leica Monocrom has an extra stop of DR and noticeably better tonality than a mono-converted image, so presumably the same applies to the Pentax?

When I shoot mono, I just convert from colour in LR, but if I was a pure mono shooter, I'd consider a pure mono camera. Partly because of the apparently better tonality and DR, but also because psychologically it probably makes you "think in mono", in a way that you tend not to, when using a normal colour camera.

I actually admire Pentax in a way for sticking with DSLRs, just as I admire Leica for their rangefinder cameras, or Fujifilm for their retro-styled cameras (I also love old motorcycles, as much as modern superbikes). I think it's great that these old "formats" are kept alive, with their image quality and usability improved to modern standards.

So I say good luck to Pentax, and I think they have a good future, but they need to learn that if they are going to be a niche product, they also need to move more upmarket in terms of cosmetic finish (they look a bit to plasticky to me).