Pentax K-3 II is ready to hit the road

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Though it's not the long-awaited full-frame model everyone expects by the end of this year, Pentax's update to its top-end prosumer dSLR, the K-3, likely falls within the reach of far more people. The enhancements in the K-3 II are relatively minor, but the 1.5-year-old camera's specs still stand up surprisingly well against its major competitors, the somewhat old Canon EOS 70D and the brand-new Nikon D7200 .

It's slated to ship in May for $1,100; I don't yet have pricing for other regions yet, but the price directly converts to £737 and AU$1,427.

What's new

• Pixel-Shift Resolution System. With this feature, Pentax uses the camera's sensor-shift mechanism to shoot four photos simultaneously, each offset by one pixel, which it then combines into a single photo with color information for each pixel. (A typical sensor has a red, green, or blue filter atop each photosite, then algorithmically fills in the color blanks.) Unlike Olympus' implementation in the E-M5 Mark II , it's not intended to increase the resolution of the photos, only the quality (which is a better choice), but like that camera it really needs to be used with a tripod and for stationary subjects.
• Improved shake reduction. Tweaked algorithms have increased the number of stops of compensation to 4.5 from 3.5. The new model also incorporates panning detection into its SR system so that it doesn't fight as hard when you're photographing subjects moving horizontally through your frame.
• Enhanced continuous-autofocus performance. While it uses the same autofocus system as the K-3, Pentax claims that the continuous autofocus has improved subject tracking and generally faster lock-on.
• Built-in geotagging. The main change to the body: Pentax replaced the on-camera flash with a GPS unit for both geotagging and geologging; it records coordinates and direction. The camera also has an electronic compass so that you can find your way home. The GPS also makes the new Astrotracer feature, which combines with other in-camera sensors and the sensor-shift mechanism to capture stars without trails during long exposures.

My take

These are all nice features to have, though jettisoning the flash makes me cringe a little; on-camera flash is something that's really nice to have in a low-light emergency. Longer battery life would have been a nice enhancement, as would the addition of an articulating display and built-in Wi-Fi. Otherwise, it still looks pretty competitive. However, with the older K-3 now running about $800 (£750, AU$1,200), it looks like quite a good buy in comparison if you don't care about the new features.

Comparative specs