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New camera from Pentax can only do black and white - but why?

14.4.2023

Translation: machine translated

Ricoh has presented the Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome. It is an SLR camera with an APS-C sensor that comes without a colour filter. If you like black and white images, this can be useful.

Two years ago, Ricoh launched a new SLR camera on the market with the Pentax K-3 Mark III. Even then, there was a great deal of scepticism: all the major manufacturers had long since switched to mirrorless systems. The Pentax with APS-C sensor was aimed at enthusiasts who swear by optical viewfinders. It didn't do a bad job of it, as our colleague David found in his test.

Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome (25.73 Mpx, APS-C / DX)

Cameras

CHF2197.–

Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome

25.73 Mpx, APS-C / DX

Now Ricoh is crawling into an even smaller niche. The manufacturer has announced a monochrome version of the Pentax K-3 Mark III. In other words: The camera can only take black and white pictures and videos. At this point, philistines like me ask themselves: What's the point? There is a technical and a philosophical answer to this question.

What the Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome can do

First, a brief overview of the new camera:

CMOS sensor in APS-C format with a resolution of 25.7 megapixels
Rugged, weatherproof housing with an extremely large number of buttons and setting dials
Integrated image stabiliser compensates for up to 5.5 f-stops
Maximum 12 images per second
Videos up to 4K 30p (with 1.33 crop)
Phase autofocus with 101 sensors
3.2-inch display with 1.6 megapixel resolution
Optical viewfinder with 100 per cent coverage and 1.05x magnification
Recommended retail price of 2699 francs / 2499 euros

These specifications are almost identical to the original Pentax K-3 Mark III. The big difference is that the monochrome sensor only records brightness and not colours. Pentax has also adapted and optimised the image processing accordingly.

The body and operation of the new Pentax are identical to the original K-3 Mark III.
Source: Ricoh Imaging

Are the black and white images technically better?

Yes. Pixels on normal sensors consist of a matrix of sub-pixels over which three different filters are applied: red, blue and green. Such sensors therefore always capture a colour image natively. If you want a monochrome photo instead, the electronics have to digitally convert the material. As with any interpolation, the result is never perfect. In addition, the coloured filters in front of the sub-pixels eat up some of the incoming light.

A monochrome sensor does not need such a matrix of coloured filters. Firstly, this means a higher light yield - the same sensor needs around half as much light for the same image at the same ISO. Secondly, the images are sharper because one pixel does not have to be calculated from three sub-pixels. This should also ensure finer gradations of tonal values. The noise behaviour at higher ISO values is also better, as chroma noise is eliminated. The luminance noise that is still present looks more like grain from film times and is usually less distracting.

Theoretically, the new Pentax takes better pictures in greyscale than other cameras.
Source: Ricoh Imaging

Whether these quality advantages are actually noticeable in everyday life is another question. The sensors of normal cameras are so good nowadays that blurring and image noise are hardly a problem anyway. The differences will therefore only be visible with very large and high-quality prints.

Philosophical reasons

Pentax is not the only brand with a black and white camera. Leica unveiled a monochrome version of the M11 on the same day as Pentax - costing just under 10,000 francs or euros. The XF IQ4 150 Achromatic from Phase One is even more expensive. The medium format camera costs around 50,000 francs or euros.

This shows that there is definitely a niche for such cameras. This is probably due less to the technical advantages than to philosophical reasons: If you can only take photos in black and white, you have to look at the world with different eyes. The reduction to grey tones forces you to think exclusively in tonal values - and not in colours. In this sense, it's a more focussed approach to photography. Whether you like it or not is a matter of taste.

Black and white images thrive on the widest possible spectrum of tonal values.
Source: Kerrick James / Ricoh Imaging

A common misconception is that photography is easier without colour. After all, there is one less variable that has to be right for a good image. At the same time, however, it also removes one way of separating different parts of the image. For example, a blue sky in the background can have the same tonal value as a green hill in the foreground. If you photograph in black and white, both objects will have a similar grey scale. This can quickly become boring. Harmonious monochrome images usually encompass a wide range of tonal values. This is not always easy, but can be a nice challenge.

Cover image: Ricoh Imaging

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Samuel Buchmann

Senior Editor

Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.ch

My fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.

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