[Krusty Surfer]

Here is My concern is i just purchased a K3 and the lack of support by good 3rd party glass difficult transition from Nikon- based on camera controls sub menus and tech sites revealing(Dxomark) flaws in K3 sensor(and lens matching to that sensor) make me want to return My New K3 for a K5IIs instead.....i will sacrifice speed for accuracy any day(to a point) because in the end IMAGE QUALITY is #1 priority
so...
My take is: the camera sensor pixel size of the K5IIs being 23 vs 15 for the K3 (hence the dynamic range of the K5IIs being 14.1 vs 13.4-K3) contribute to a more pleasing picture by the K5iis in Theory

Snapsort say K5IIs sensor has better specs (ISO 80-51200 14.1EVDR) than the K-3 (firmware upgrades Pentax???)...K-3 is a Racier Car and the K5iis is slower but more refined (Hemi Cuda vs BMW) i dont know if those extra Pixels stuffed on that little sensor(k3) give more resolution or just more noise and blurry around the edges...............

the K5IIs is on sale with Grip right now and i am under my 30 day window with Adorama so i can safely return the K3 if i choose to and have a little extra for another lens........................on the fence

CAN SOMEONE WITH TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE OF HOW DIGITAL CAMERAS WEIGH IN PLEASE?????????????
Aloha Timothy

[boriscleto]

Downgrading a camera based on what DXO says is just kind of daft.

The answers to you questions are all here in the forums. You just have to wade through all the FF and mirrorless crap to find them.

[Adam]

While the K-5 IIs does have a slight edge in low light, I would consider the K-3 superior overall, not only due to the added resolution, but also thanks to the new and more accurate auto white balance as well as the AA filter simulator.

You should check out our in-depth review for a comparison of the two cameras:
Review: Pentax K-3 - General Image Quality | PentaxForums.com Reviews

[IchabodCrane]

Keep the K-3.

[gaweidert]

I do own a K5-IIs and a K5. The image quality is definitely better but with a little more noise at higher ISO. As Adam has said there are a lot of improvements over the K5 line too.

The KS-1 really intrigues me too. No doubt a killersystem with prime lenses attached. The images that people are posting in the KS-1 section are looking really good.

With Adorama running a special today with a further $100 off the K3, it is getting hard to resist.

[aleonx3]

Given that both k-5Iis and k-3 are both great and equally good cameras, unless you are really tight on your budget, the extra pixels in the k-3 will make you more happy down the road when you need to crop your photos..... just saying...

[Krusty Surfer]

Given that both k-5Iis and k-3 are both great and equally good cameras, unless you are really tight on your budget, the extra pixels in the k-3 will make you more happy down the road when you need to crop your photos..... just saying...

i dont want to have to Crop
i will be making poster sized prints.....i need clean and accurate...........
Aloha

[aleonx3]

i dont want to have to Crop
i will be making poster sized prints.....i need clean and accurate...........
Aloha

I think you just got the answer to your own question; don't you want to have more mega-pixels for better poster-size prints?

[Mike.P®]

I went from a K-5II to a K-3 and after a couple of weeks sold the K-3 and bought a new K-5IIs.

K-3 is a great camera and the extra features were all very nice but I just felt that it lacked the dynamic range and ISO performance of my old K-5II so it had to go and back came a new K-5II(s). I'm a lot happier now;

[frogoutofwater]

I like the K-3 so much I just bought a second one using the EARLYPEEK promo

[Krusty Surfer]

I went from a K-5II to a K-3 and after a couple of weeks sold the K-3 and bought a new K-5IIs.

K-3 is a great camera and the extra features were all very nice but I just felt that it lacked the dynamic range and ISO performance of my old K-5II so it had to go and back came a new K-5II(s). I'm a lot happier now;

Thanks Mike for your quick opinion response...i am truly on the fence
i was up late last night checking out lens camera body combos-(Nikon&god forbid Canon) what i saw astounded me as far as flagship models and their Prime zooms and the Picture Qualities...im not commenting! until i see comparisons against other mfg's and K-3/K5IIs side by side and not a site that gets paid to do reviews(hard to bite the hand that feeds you) and play silly games with moving things around ever so slightly..........lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ flowing around the world of imaging! so i do not trust many to give me the skinny from their own heart...Heart+Critical Thinking= wisdom to use and share with all.
7fps vs * 8fps
%%% of Keepers (my nikon system) was probably 10%- if that!..........i am very very picky
which ever body will give me the best images for posters or larger (extrapolation) is the one i am going to go with shutter lag is also a consideration (nikon midgrade sux) and why i chose pentax to begin with...seems like a conspiracy to keep Pentax on the bottom by other parties in the business...my 2 cents
Aloha T

[beachgardener]

Is dxomark/snapsort lab results impacting on your real world use of the K-3, are you not able to produce images that you are happy with because of this?

[jatrax]

Keep the k-3 I use both k-5IIs and k-3. Both provide excellent images though often k-3 needs a little more work in post but end result is better on k-3. I always reach for k-3 first.

[maxxxx]

I have had a K-5iis and then upgraded to K-3. The differences I have noticed are:
- K3 metering is better
- More noise but not much
- Handling is much better.
- Live view is better.
- Faster

In terms of IQ there is not much difference but I really enjoy using the K3 compared to K-5iis. Everything is just a little better

[robthebloke]

K-3. It's a fantastic camera. A k-5ii s is very good, but the k-3 is a big improvement imo.