All Forum Comments
Comment by Dave-L posted on Great K3 review at 17/12/2014 - 14:40
Well the teleconverter is out of stock at the SRS price I wanted to pay so it was back to the K-3 vs. K-5II drawing board. And having missed a £635 K-3 deal (after cashback claim) last week I wasn't going to miss it again when it popped up at Jessops, much as I'd have preferred to deal with SRS, who couldn't price-match it. Ordered Monday, arrived Tuesday and all seems well... apart from the small matter of the manual being for a K-50!
At only £36 more than a K-5IIs I just couldn't resist. Can't wait to try it out with my DA*300... but the TC will have to wait until next year now. It arrived after dark but initial impressions so far are good, it certainly feels good in the hand and I do like the brighter sharper LCD screen and snappy focus indoors.
At only £36 more than a K-5IIs I just couldn't resist. Can't wait to try it out with my DA*300... but the TC will have to wait until next year now. It arrived after dark but initial impressions so far are good, it certainly feels good in the hand and I do like the brighter sharper LCD screen and snappy focus indoors.
Comment by Dave-L posted on Great K3 review at 16/12/2014 - 23:00
Chiswick CC is plus shipping and handling £8.00; standard delivery; total £707.00. Pentax cashback is also available.
Jessops is 705.00 including free next day delivery; total 705.00. Pentax cashback is also available.
So Jessops is on the face of it the better mail order deal but is not a Pentax Pro Centre and it ends at midnight tonight. Chiswick wins if you call to collect (and from tomorrow if still on offer).
Sadly, Chris at SRS couldn't match that (he had his extra £70 a week or two back + two freebies but I missed it) so I jumped earlier today and mine is already on its way. It seems that Pentax are doing this, spreading the extra £70 discount around the UK dealer by dealer but not all at the same time, so it may become available at other dealers.
Jessops is 705.00 including free next day delivery; total 705.00. Pentax cashback is also available.
So Jessops is on the face of it the better mail order deal but is not a Pentax Pro Centre and it ends at midnight tonight. Chiswick wins if you call to collect (and from tomorrow if still on offer).
Sadly, Chris at SRS couldn't match that (he had his extra £70 a week or two back + two freebies but I missed it) so I jumped earlier today and mine is already on its way. It seems that Pentax are doing this, spreading the extra £70 discount around the UK dealer by dealer but not all at the same time, so it may become available at other dealers.
Comment by Dave-L posted on K3 Sale Price at 15/12/2014 - 21:36
You can pay £705 today at Jessops if you enter the discount code PENTAX70 at checkout (I took it through to the payment page). They are just advertising it shambolically.
Jessops are also a participating retailer in the Pentax £70 cashback promotion, so the net result is £635. Until Monday - collect from store for the body only, says 10 days restocking delay though if you order and pay online. Can't see how they can wriggle out of it really - though not a Pentax Pro dealer so only 12 month guarantee.
Jessops are also a participating retailer in the Pentax £70 cashback promotion, so the net result is £635. Until Monday - collect from store for the body only, says 10 days restocking delay though if you order and pay online. Can't see how they can wriggle out of it really - though not a Pentax Pro dealer so only 12 month guarantee.
Comment by Dave-L posted on K3 Sale Price at 14/12/2014 - 16:10
So are Jessops, with a discount code posted on their own website for this weekend. Well even cheaper, at £705 (before the £70 cashback).
The temporary "extra £70 off" started at SRS a week or two ago seems to be spreading!
The temporary "extra £70 off" started at SRS a week or two ago seems to be spreading!
Comment by Dave-L posted on K3 Sale Price at 14/12/2014 - 14:31
aliengrove wrote:
Thanks, and finally (as mentioned in the SRS thread) I decided not to get the £630 (net) K-3 but it was difficult. I will review it in the new year and yes, a K-5IIs would be for better low light performance than K-5, including autofocus - but a K-5II would also get me that and is available at £499 compared to £599.Dave-L wrote:
So, K5 IIs and K-3 each have different qualities and each is better than the other in certain respects.
It is becoming seriously hard to choose between K-5II, K5-IIs and K-3. Seriously hard!
I think the choice you have is more realistically between the K5IIs and the K3; there's not much point in the K5II, as if you are considering it for it's AA filter, the the K3 is the more obvious choice. Then it's down to low-light; if you want to shoot regularly at ISO 3200 or above, the K5IIs is the main contender.So, K5 IIs and K-3 each have different qualities and each is better than the other in certain respects.
It is becoming seriously hard to choose between K-5II, K5-IIs and K-3. Seriously hard!
If everything in the K-3 was equal to or better than K-5II/s I would not have hesitated, but that isn't the case at all. So I will temporarily satisfy my craving with a 1.4x teleconverter, I think - at less then half the K-3 price.
Comment by Dave-L posted on Great K3 review at 08/12/2014 - 17:01
Wrestled with this problem all weekend and only backed out finally just after midnight this morning when the extra £70 deal ended. Already have enough 32GB cards, the free camera bag isn't big enough to take my [K-5 + new 300mm DA*] and the net benefit over K-5 just wasn't high enough to warrant spending even £630. Not yet anyway!
Comment by Dave-L posted on SRS Watford at 08/12/2014 - 16:39
So, K5 IIs and K-3 each have different qualities and each is better than the other in certain respects. The question is, for a K-5 owner with a new 300mm DA* looking to upgrade (as a 2nd body), a new 1.4x TC on the way, and this weekend the body prices being very similar at SRS (K-3 £635 after cashback, K-5IIs £599, also K-5II £499 at Park Cameras), which one to get.
It is becoming seriously hard to choose between K-5II, K5-IIs and K-3. Seriously hard!
It is becoming seriously hard to choose between K-5II, K5-IIs and K-3. Seriously hard!
Comment by Dave-L posted on Great K3 review at 07/12/2014 - 02:30
OK chaps, thanks to you both for the information, all is clear. I clearly have nothing to worry about and I can get on with taking some actual photos!
Comment by Dave-L posted on DA* 300 noisy focus at 01/12/2014 - 23:00
JohnX wrote:
OK thanks again, looks like that's by design as well! It won't be a problem unless it gets worse, which now seems unlilkely. I hope it doesn't start to bug you now that you've noticed it! Dave-L wrote:
Is there any play in your focus ring though, however slight (enough to make a little click when trying to rock it at the rear from side to side, without turning it)? I can also slide the corner of a sheet of writing/typing paper between the focus ring and lens barrel, though only by about 1/4 of an inch. Both these may be normal too, thought it better to check because my 30 year old Mitsuki 400mm is slightly better in this respect (though much worse in general build quality and image quality).
Yes, there is a little play, and click, but can't say I noticed either until you asked!Is there any play in your focus ring though, however slight (enough to make a little click when trying to rock it at the rear from side to side, without turning it)? I can also slide the corner of a sheet of writing/typing paper between the focus ring and lens barrel, though only by about 1/4 of an inch. Both these may be normal too, thought it better to check because my 30 year old Mitsuki 400mm is slightly better in this respect (though much worse in general build quality and image quality).
Odd about your DFA 100 WR though, as mine has a firm stop at both extremeties of the focus ring.
Great image quality on the 300 incidentally, and it's made outdoor long-lens photography on dull afternoons like this one much more of a practical proposition.
Comment by Dave-L posted on DA* 300 noisy focus at 01/12/2014 - 15:37
Just a small observation from a new poster, but long time reader of the forum.
I own a K3. As a hobby photographer, I agonised long and hard over the various reviews and videos on the internet before buying, and I moved up from a K7. For me, there had to be clear water between models in terms of improvements and refinements. If I had any of the K5 models, all fine cameras, I'm certain I wouldn't have upgraded to a K3 as there is some clear feature overlap.
I used Pentax film cameras for decades, and swapped to an ist D sometime after it was launched. I traded that in for my K7, and that was a giant leap and an easy decision, both for features and the feel it brought, and it was only at that point that I felt I was getting back to what I had lost with my film LX. The K3 is an upgrade, but not a leap from a K7. In recent years, the introduction of a new model has never made me reach for my cheque book, and this time round, I've retained the K7, as it is still a very usable camera. I will admit to liking the K3 grip more and that alone has been worth the purchase!
I have no idea if a later model of the K3 is planned or, assuming they use the same name pattern, a K1 - but it will have to offer a significant difference and improvement to the K3 for me to sign up. As I tend to use the cameras manually mostly, that's quite an ask.
Two horses, two courses and maximum flexibility plus of course backup. Glad I got it... but apart from the 1.4x T/C, that's IT, no more LBA or CBA - for a few years anyway!