I have had my K3 for 20 days & can't find anything negative to say about it at all, it is superb in every way. Very pleased.

Regarding editing of RAW files, I use Photoshop CS6, but whatever version of PS you use, you must get the latest Camera Raw plugin to be able to access the latest camera's files. I also set the camera to RAW+ & the raw to DNG. DNG files are more versatile than PEF. When shooting with RAW files, you are working with the maximum DR of your sensor(the raw file is a copy of what the sensor sees, nothing less). Any adjustments you have set in camera ie. sharpness/contrast etc. will only be on the jpeg file not on the RAW, but by shooting RAW+ you get both versions side by side, which makes it easier to identify what your RAW's are of and what PP you need to apply.

I really don't think Ricoh have any chance of taking buyers from Nikon/Canon/Sony bearing in mind the new Nikon D3300 announced today - Body only for £500. Canon have similar models for an equally competitive price. Unless Ricoh are willing to compete with these models, they will just be left behind & that would be a real shame. Can't they see this?.

There is nothing wrong with trying to make a brand more luxurious than it is, although I don't think the K3 needs this, but if someone can buy what they perceive to be an equivalent model to the K3 for £200 less, Pentax will lose a sale & instead of making a smaller profit they will make diddly squat & Canon/Nikon/Sony will get the sale, and all that expensive R&D investment is wasted. Don't get me wrong, I think Pentax make some fantastic kit, I am a Pentax fan through & through, but not everyone will see it that way. If you see my earlier post you will read that I am in the market for a K3 body but because of the high prices, I will stick with my beloved K5 & wait until someone can see some sense. I have to say when I bought my K5 I waited quite a long time until prices fell to an acceptable level before I committed. If Ricoh really want to make a dent in the other 3 brands sales, they are not going about it in the right way in my opinion. I have been loyal to Pentax for 40 years & don't intend to jump ship, but there are plenty of others who will go over to the 'dark side' without a second thought, & it would be a shame to lose all those potential sales so early in the K3's life. I hope someone can see the impact of this. Rant over!!. For now!!.

I am in the market for a new K3 body soon, & being a Pentax user for 40 years with KX, istds, K10, K5 & K-01 + 10 lenses. Ricoh recently announced that they were going to take a market share from the top 3 (Nikon, Canon & Sony). All 3 of these equivalents are quite close to the K3 on spec although I personally think the K3 has the edge on all 3, except for price!!. If Ricoh is intending to break into the top 3, they are going about it the wrong way with their pricing policy. I will stick with my K5 as my main camera because I am not prepared to pay these stupid prices. A lot of newcomers would change to one of the other 3 if they were starting up, but as I have a considerable investment in Pentax kit I will not change systems, but won't be buying the K3 at these prices. I hope that Ricoh are intelligent enough to realise that the market share they currently have will erode unless they come to their senses on price. They are currently around £200 higher than Nikon & Canon equivalents.

I have the Pentax 55-300 and the Tamron 70-300 plus a K5. I wouldn't dream of selling my Pentax 55-300, but wouldn't miss the Tamron at all. True the Tamron is a macro lens, and is very capable in this mode, but suffers badly from chromatic abberation at anything above 150mm.


K5, K10, KX(film), Pentax 28mm f2.8, Pentax 135mm f3.5, Pentax 18-5(x2), Pentax 55-300, Tamron 70-300

I have just obtained a Sigma 70mm f2.8 EX DG Macro. At £369, I wanted a fast prime lens for portraiture, 105 mm equivalent, and the DG bit means it is full frame capable. I have everything I need plus the Macro facility as a bonus. I can't recommend it enough.