Experience Report about PENTAX K-3 Mark III Monochrome by Bill Ward

PENTAX photographers had the opportunity to test the K-3 Mark III monochrome in their everyday photography before its market launch. We share their assessment here.

Bill Ward is a multi-award winning photographer and actor, born and raised in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. His pictures have received many awards and are exhibited in galleries across the UK. In addition, he is known far beyond the borders of England as a workshop leader, speaker at events and member of various professional juries. His main photographic focus is on landscape photography and water photography: his creative approach makes his photographs very different from the usual images of these genres. As a long-time Pentax Ambassador, he was one of the first photographers to try out the PENTAX K-3 Mark III Monochrome. He shares his insights in this article.

PENTAX K-3 III Monochrome  //  Pentax DFA* 70-200mm F2.8  //  Focal length: 150 mm (approx. 225mm  35 mm equiv.)  //  ISO200  // Exposure time: 1/400sec.  //  Aperture: F4  //  3 frame in camera multiple exposure,  bright blend

In March 2023, I was invited by Pentax to put the K3iii Monochrome through its paces for a fortnight. 

I loved it. As a creative landscape photographer, the possibilities offered by a monochrome camera are endless. 

As well as being a photographer, I'm also an actor, and in theatre we often talk about the creative possibilities of clearly defined parameters.
Many of the finest theatre productions I've ever seen were created within deliberately defined boundaries, where ingenuity and imagination became key ingredients. 

The main feature of this camera is, of course, the monochrome function. As a landscape photographer, I am used to shooting in black and white, and have often done so for specific projects. But ONLY being able to shoot in black and white really stimulates the mind. It invites the photographer to focus on lines, shapes and forms. It highlights the essential structure of a subject, its bare bones, and encourages the photographer to make a deeper connection with it, a journey beyond the superficial colour on the surface, and explore what really makes it tick. 

I tested the camera in a number of real world situations to see how it would respond: landscapes, seascapes, urban, snow and heavy rain, multiple exposures, Intentional Camera Movement… it coped brilliantly with everything I threw at it. 

As a creative photographer, I was particularly interested in the multiple exposure feature of the K3III Monochrome. It’s a delight to use.  Not only does it allow you to combine an unlimited number of single images in camera into one final blended image, you can also choose to use or discard each individual image as you blend them together. 

PENTAX K-3 III Monochrome  //  Pentax DFA* 70-200mm F2.8  //  Focal length: 150 mm (approx. 225mm  35 mm equiv.)  //  ISO200  // Exposure time: 1/400sec.  //  Aperture: F4 

PENTAX K-3 III Monochrome  //  HD PENTAX-DA 16-85 mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR  //  Focal length: 60mm (approx. 90mm  35 mm equiv.)  //  ISO800  // Exposure time: 1/500sec.  //  Aperture: F11  //  2 frame in camera multiple exposure, average blend

PENTAX K-3 III Monochrome  //  HD PENTAX-DA 16-85 mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR  //  Focal length: 85mm (approx. 128mm  35 mm equiv.)  //  ISO800  // Exposure time: 1/320sec.  //  Aperture: F18  

And as a specialist water shooter, I was also interested in how it would cope with a visit to the coast in some pretty extreme weather: at high tide, with stormy seas and in heavy rain, the subtlety of the wave forms and water trails that the camera captured was really impressive. 

 PENTAX K-3 III Monochrome  //  HD PENTAX-DA 55-300MMF4.5-6.3ED PLM WR RE //  Focal length: 120mm (approx. 180mm  35 mm equiv.)  //  ISO400  // Exposure time: 0,8sec.  //  Aperture: F9 

PENTAX K-3 III Monochrome  //  HD PENTAX-DA 55-300MMF4.5-6.3ED PLM WR RE //  Focal length: 120mm (approx. 180mm  35 mm equiv.)  //  ISO400  // Exposure time: 0,5sec.  //  Aperture: F9  

PENTAX K-3 III Monochrome  //  HD PENTAX-DA 55-300MMF4.5-6.3ED PLM WR RE //  Focal length: 120mm (approx. 180mm  35 mm equiv.)  //  ISO400  // Exposure time: 0,3sec.  //  Aperture: F16  

I finished off with some architectural shots to show the power and detail of the camera in this genre as well. I really enjoyed my time with the K3iii Monochrome: it’s a brilliant camera, and I very much look forward to picking it up again once it is released.

PENTAX K-3 III Monochrome  //  HD PENTAX-DA 16-85 mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR  //  Focal length: 16mm (approx. 24mm  35 mm equiv.)  //  ISO800  // Exposure time: 1/400sec.  //  Aperture: F16  // 6 frame, handheld panorama stitch

Bill's creative approach is very interesting. We will ask him to share more about his imaging techniques in another article. Subscribe to our newsletter and you will be informed as soon as it is online.