Shooters Report - K-3, Imaging Resource

An additional set of thoughts to IR's K-3 review from a K-5 user.

LINK

Bit of post Christmas reading for your pleasure

---

My Gallery
[url=http://pentaxphotogallery.com/Robbie Corrigan]ppg[/url]

"And I left my flash strobes at home, to ensure I relied on available light. "







.

---

[i]Bodies: 1x K-5IIs, 2x K-5, Sony TX-5, Nokia 808
Lenses: Pentax DA 10-17mm ED(IF) Fish Eye, Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8, Pentax-A 28mm f/2.8, Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.2, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7, Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8, Sigma 135-400mm APO DG, and more ..
Flash: AF-540FGZ, Vivitar 283

"So: Round One is over, and I think the ISO debate is something of a non-story. The Pentax K-3 is plenty good enough for me at high ISO, especially with modern raw processing software."

Pretty much my thoughts !

I couldn't care less about the high ISO performance, though I'm sure there are those that do.

I've just bought a K5 for £350. When the K3 becomes nearer that price, I'll consider one. Us pensioners can't always be choosers!

---

This space deliberately left blank.

More accurate would be: "us pensioners can't ever be choosers!"

Luckily every Pentax DSLR from ist* to K3 is capable of producing brilliant images, if used with thought and care. So we all have every opportunity to improve and take better shots in 2014, regardless of our hardware.

I'm glad this forum is called Pentax User not Pentax Buyer...

---

Best wishes,

Andrew

"These places mean something and it's the job of a photographer to figure-out what the hell it is."
Robert Adams
"The camera doesn't make a bit of difference.  All of them can record what you are seeing.  But, you have to SEE."
Ernst Hass
My website: http://www.ephotozine.com/user/bwlchmawr-199050 http://s927.photobucket.com/home/ADC3440/index
https://www.flickr.com/photos/78898196@N05

I cant take a review seriously from someone who hasn't even used any of the mkii k-5 bodies...

---

PPG Wedding photography Flickr
Concert photography

Currently on a Pentax hiatus until an FF Pentax is released

He's used the mkii k5, he did the review of them, he just did not buy them.

Very true!!

---

This space deliberately left blank.

Just sat down with my new What Digital Camera mag and they only gave the K3 88% and a bit of a mixed bag assessment but give the new nikon D5300 91% ???

On the cons section they state poor AF, no wifi? And performance quirks???

And on the section for noise they state on the last paragraph , "Overall sticking to the ISO 100-800 sensitivity range and shooting raw files produces highly detailed images with little noise particularly if images are well exsposed" Doesn't sound that great to me,

But it will not put me off as such but the price has to fall a bit yet for me to buy what I see as I a camera with one hand tied behind its back...........

If we all believed everything we read in reviews we would not be able to decide what to buy as there is so much rubbish and contradiction in them. In almost every review you only get the opinion of a single person who has had limited experience / use of the product he or she is reviewing and may also be biased or may be receiving payment for expressing certain views / opinions.


Herein lies the other problem. Interpretation of the written word with no ability to identify the context behind it. No visual cues. If I read that I would take it as a positive statement, whereas others interpret it differently.

There are other methods of making decisions about the merits or otherwise of a particular product, Smeggy reminds us constantly about downloading comparison images and that is certainly a valid method of comparison providing you can be sure that the images were shot under identical conditions (which invariably you can't).

So, in conclusion I usually maintain that the only reliable method of deciding if something is right for you is to actually use it and be able to compare it in everyday use with something you are familiar with. The problem with this is that unless you have a friend or acquaintance who is prepared to lend you theirs for an extended period, the only way of being able to do this is to buy one! That's the route I took, based on the camera specifications and since then I've been able to compare it with my K-5iis for the past month and a half. Conclusion? The K-3 is a great camera and suits me down to the ground.

Regards
David

---

Flickr

Nicola's Apartments, Kassiopi, Corfu

Some cameras, some lenses, some bits 'n' bobs

Cheers David and quite agree with everything you stated, but like you said unless you lend me yours for the next month, etc etc etc

But what I can read into this is what I have read and that's quite a bit and the very limited time I have used one is the K3 is a game changer for Pentax and Pentax only, but unfortunately the rest of the market has moved on to the next level and beyond, hence what the reviewers of any magazine or website are comparing the K3 against.

I agree with what you're saying Matty, but you can only compare like for like and some of the other products you are probably thinking of are not APS-C DSLR's. I would think that the K-3 is probably the best APS-C DSLR out there and if what you want to buy is a APS-C DSLR, then the K-3 is probably a good bet for you.

I don't know whether you are in this mindset, or whether you want something different, I suspect full frame may be at the top of your list. For me, APS-C works just fine for now, so I'm very happy!

Cheers
David

---

Flickr

Nicola's Apartments, Kassiopi, Corfu

Some cameras, some lenses, some bits 'n' bobs

FWIW The Camera Store (those guys off Youtube) said the K3 was 'hands down' the best APSC DSLR out there.

---

[link=https://500px.com/will_brealey/[/link]

They weren't 100% identical conditions, but they didn't need to be.

My mission wasn't to write up a paper with objective test results on the ISO performance on the K03 versus the K-5, it was to decide for myself whether it was worth investing in a K-3, or as I use two bodies on shoots, TWO K-3s.

Even if the K-3 high ISO noise was slightly better than the K-5, it still wouldn't have been enough to warrant the investment for me. I have no real need for huge amounts of detail, I rarely crop that much, neither do I print of view that large.

The ONLY feature the K-3 has which is attractive to me is the alleged faster AFand more accurate/consistent in lower light. Something that *should* have been in the original K-5 ( but that's another debate ). It's still not enough to warrant the investment, especially as I can, I believe get close if not the same AF performance in a K-5II.

In fact my probably next upgrade path will be a K-5II for this very reason.


There's a couple of silly issues with the K-3 that also doesn't help


1] Only 3 user memory slots. the K-5 has 5 and I use them all

2] No addition of GPS. Absolute nonsense considering that every mobile phone release in the last few years ( billions of them ) has it and ergo the chipsets for GPS must cost less than 10 pence each



Until the K-1, and then the Pentax FF. I'll wager you'll buy both.



.

---

[i]Bodies: 1x K-5IIs, 2x K-5, Sony TX-5, Nokia 808
Lenses: Pentax DA 10-17mm ED(IF) Fish Eye, Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8, Pentax-A 28mm f/2.8, Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.2, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7, Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8, Sigma 135-400mm APO DG, and more ..
Flash: AF-540FGZ, Vivitar 283

I have owned the Sony A7 for a few weeks now and it's great for what I want it to do and the job it was bought for, but for everything else it's APS-C all the way with a small dose of MFT thrown in for good measure.