PENTAX K-3 Mark III Monochrome / SHOOTING REPORT

This DSLR camera is dedicated to monochrome photography. It's based on the renowned K-3 Mark III, but doesn't the color filter on the sensor. Because of the uniqueness, nitty-gritty comparisons of specs are useless. For those who chose photography as a mean of expression, this is a keeper. Obviously, it can't shoot colors. It can neither capture the beautiful orange sunset nor the backlit fresh green of leaves. Even though the real image on the viewfinder is in color, every image captured by this camera is in black and white. But when you don't think about colors, you focus on the shape, light, and shadow. Then you will search for subjects that you can express only with these simple elements. Is this an advantage or disadvantage?

( Photography & Text : TAK )

This scene has nothing more than ripples and water drops. Because the colors of the water surface and stone are irrelevant, you will only focus on the phenomenon. Omitting details and focusing on the essence is similar to the process of making Haiku because you are interested in the universality rather than differences. Achieving this mental state just by pressing the shutter button is a great advantage of this camera and you can apply it to color photography as well. The reflective journey with this camera is a privilege of the owner.

Expressing with tonal range is the secret of monochrome photography. The JPEG output looks slightly softer in my standard (I will discuss it later) and this is something I welcome. In this shot, I know I will pay attention to the shadow on the right when processing the RAW data. So, I'm happy that I can get to this tonal range straight from the camera's JPEG output. The tonal reproduction of the tatami mats as well as the soft light from the outside is sweeter than I expected.

Traditional Japanese houses don't take direct light from the top. Instead, they take indirect light from the sides. In this situation, the lacquered fusuma door frames and wood floor shine dully because of the soft lighting and I fell in love with the reproduction, which is not faithful because it's not even in color but simply beautiful and something that triggers me to reconstruct the scene in my mind. From the depiction of the brushing in the images on the fusuma, I can even feel the soul of the painter. This camera is great for shooting something Japanese, too.

Fascinating reproduction of the wet wall behind the densely growing moss. Maybe monochrome photography is the best media to fully express the subtlety. FULLY EXPRESS something subtle? Never mind.

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The incredible separation of the pine needles not only attributes to the optical performance of the lens, but also the camera's high resolution. Japanese shrines and temples are designed in harmony with nature, but I never thought about it unless I shot this camera. The lowest sensitivity of this camera, by the way, is ISO 200 (ISO 100 for the K-3 Mark III). As mentioned in the manufacturer's website, the increase is due to the increased amount of light reaching the sensor by the omission of the color filter. Color photography is impossible without the color filter because sensors can only sense the amount of light. In other words, all sensors are monochrome. Here is a rough explanation of how color photography is made. Because color sensor can only obtain monochrome information, a color filter is added in front of the sensor so that the camera can presume colors by complementing the data.

More specifically, one photographic pixel unit consists of 2x2=4 pixels where each pixel is assigned to red (1 pixel), green (2 pixels), and blue (1 pixel). The image processing engine complements the presumed color data to colorize the image. In this way, however, one pixel can get information for only one color, meaning the camera can use only 1/4 of all pixels for red and blue, 1/2 for green. With the monochrome sensor, on the other hand, all pixels are dedicated to light and shadow. This is the key advantage of a monochrome sensor. While the K-3 Mark III is famous for "real resolution," it's literally the default setting for the K-3 Mark III Monochrome because it doesn't have to slide the sensor by one pixel unlike the color version does. This is why the resolution and tonal reproduction of this camera are in the different league and something that monochrome images converted from color ones cannot even match. It produces true monochrome images using all the effective 25.73 megapixels. Isn't it gorgeous.

What a transparency. Can you see the minerals? I do feel calcium. Something color photography cannot fully express, again.

I kept watching the beautiful foam made by slow water current. Black and white, stillness and motion, past and future. Simple things yield unlimited interpretations uncovering essence.

Click the image to view in the original size. No explanation needed.

Extraordinary noise tolerance. In this dark indoor situation with minimal lighting, noise and lattice pattern were unnoticeable until ISO 12800.

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• JPEG straight from K-3 Mark III Monochrome
• JPEG straight from LEICA M Monochrom

This camera may appeal to Leica M Monochrom shooters. Here is a comparison of JPEG images straight from this camera and the first generation Leica M Monochrom. Each image was shot at F5.6, 1/125s, ISO 320, and 50mm equivalent. Pentax seems to be softer than Leica. This is not about superiority or inferiority. Sensitivity to light and imaging may be influenced by environment, country, and culture. As for culture, cultural difference between making contrast and making harmony might be related to the difference. Interesting, indeed.

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Monochrome photography is about making "prints." I edited the RAW data on the PC to simulate printing. You can always develop RAW data internally with the camera, but you can also enjoy more freedom of editing with software, taking advantage of the camera's wide tonal range. Tourists from overseas are coming back to Kyoto. I truly hope they enjoy Japan.

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For all who are fascinated by photography as an expression.

This camera removes self-possession. It calls insanity, in a good way of course, and it's the common trait of all attractive products. I was literally possessed by this camera for the entire shooting period. It's been a while since I drowned myself in shooting without even worrying about the results. To be honest, I wasn't surprised by the image quality as I expected because I was already exposed to Leica M Monochrom as well as Sigma's Foveon sensor. I was so shocked at that time simply because it was the very first experience. However, as I kept shooting the K-3 Mark III Monochrome, I realized how stunning this camera is and people with prior experience with true digital monochrome photography should feel the same way. This is a perfect tool to master photographic expression.

I'm not repeating myself on the impressive image quality. There're many other things I really like this camera. First, the grip feels just right. It sticks to my hand and prevents camera shake effectively. Yes, the in-body image stabilization is fantastic, but this grip also helps me stabilize the camera with confidence (though you can always use higher shutter speed taking advantage of the high sensitivity performance). Second, the shutter feels great. The sound and gentle shock prove that the entire mechanism works at the highest precision. The compact metal body reacts to operations almost instantly. In other words, the camera is perfected. You can check focus and bokeh through the beautiful optical viewfinder with a pentaprism. You can use super-telephoto lenses and shoot continuously up to 12fps. And, the tough body is weather-sealed. There's no such monochrome digital camera elsewhere. Taking photography with the K-3 Mark III Monochrome is one of the best hobby. I thank Ricoh made this DSLR in the industry dominated by mirrorless cameras. Now, it is our etiquette to respond to their spirit.

( 27.04.2023 )