My Kingma K-3 grip arrived today from Deal Extreme and as it's probably the first one in the country, I thought I would give my initial impressions. I have not used a genuine grip before, but do have a 3rd party grip on my K-5 to compare it against.

Arrived in a generic grip box, as they make grips for lots of other companies, but reasonably well packaged in bubble wrap inside the box. Instruction sheet was well written and in perfect English. It does state dust and water resistant, but I can see no rubber seals on the battery compartment or elsewhere, so would not put too much faith in this claim.

Fit and finish is very good, with both the rubber grip, and mottled look plastic, matching the K-3 well. All buttons, control wheels and shutter have a good positive action, and only the on/off switch has a less positive feel, which is also the case with my K-5 grip. The on/off wording on the switch is also not quite aligned correctly, but for under £40 I am certainly not complaining. I would say that the build quality is a step up from the K-5 grip, so it looks like the factory machining has improved over time.

I have tested all the features, which all work as they should, with the second battery also being recognised straight away. Overall very impressed, and it will suit my needs just fine. I know it's not a genuine accesory but then it is a quarter of the price.

Hope my thoughts are of some benefit to other members

Looks identical to the one I ordered from DX.com for about half the price(no batteries though)

I know a lot of people have been waiting for a 3rd party K-3 grip, and one is now available at the well known Deal Extreme website. I have ordered one after being let down on an order for the Pentax version by Microglobe.

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They do have some great prices, and many members have had good service from them. After browsing their Pentax selection today, I have ordered a BG-5 grip for my K-3 at the bargain price of £101

I have the carbon version of this one:
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And can highly recommend it. Folds down to only 30cm as well.

Not sure how long it will stay at this price, but this is a bargain for £640!

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Item received today, well packed and in excellent condition. Thanks for a great deal and smooth transaction.

You have PM re item 14

Cracking deal! Also worth noting that there is £50 credit with the DA*300 making it £789

You could always go for a barebones system, and add your own GFX card and hard drives.
Novatech are highly rated.
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