[jacamar]

Soft, misty light yesterday so I decided to do without the teleconverter - just the DA*300mm on the K-3 III

Wood Ducks



Song Sparrow



Eastern Kingbird

[HoutHans]

More shots from my K-3iii in 1.3 crop mode. K-3iii/FA*600mm F4 ED[IF]/RRS BH-55/Kirk window mount.

Nice shots and impressive detail, Garry!, Not so much feather detail on the black bird, though ;-) (plenty of rivet detail, definitely)

[Lowell Goudge]

Soft, misty light yesterday so I decided to do without the teleconverter - just the DA*300mm on the K-3 III

Wood Ducks



Song Sparrow



Eastern Kingbird

I had the same issue last week with my DA560. I was close enough to a great blue heron to fill the entire frame of my K1, which is still pretty close, and it was hard to make out the heron in the fog

I would have been better with my 28-75/2.8 and captured the mood of the scene.

[DonV]

My "test" target, about 1.2 miles away, this time with 645D and 645FA 400mm with 2x 645 converter. Yesterday was a dull, hazy day.

The immature ospreys, only one visible here but I think there are or were two in this nest, are about ready to leave the nest- getting pretty much full size.

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[Chris Mak]

I spent the weekend entertained by a flock of Evening grosbeak
K3iii DA 560
(Male)

(Female)

Very nice, this is how I remember the DA560, and the K3III produces some very nice IQ with it. Did you convert these from raw or is it still jpeg only for the K3III? And how is performance now that you have gotten to know the combo? There is still this little voice in my head wanting to re-purchase the DA560 and add it to the Nikon 500PF, if I can still get one...

[jacamar]

I had the same issue last week with my DA560. I was close enough to a great blue heron to fill the entire frame of my K1, which is still pretty close, and it was hard to make out the heron in the fog

I did a misty heron shot from the same spot last Fall and it worked better because there was just enough sun from behind me to highlight the white parts.

I'm in a bit of a Marsh Wren phase at the moment because they are feisty little things, and they are a good test for the focusing on my K3-III since the cattails are usually in the way when they finally make an appearance. I had a number of non-focussed shots using medium active area before I got this one - think I will try spot focus and compare next time.

[Lowell Goudge]

I did a misty heron shot from the same spot last Fall and it worked better because there was just enough sun from behind me to highlight the white parts.

I'm in a bit of a Marsh Wren phase at the moment because they are feisty little things, and they are a good test for the focusing on my K3-III since the cattails are usually in the way when they finally make an appearance. I had a number of non-focussed shots using medium active area before I got this one - think I will try spot focus and compare next time.

I use spot focus for all stationary bird shots with the K1 and use a central 9 point cluster for BIF, the 9 point cluster is a pain for regular shots because it starts locking onto branches

[riseform]

Very nice, this is how I remember the DA560, and the K3III produces some very nice IQ with it. Did you convert these from raw or is it still jpeg only for the K3III? And how is performance now that you have gotten to know the combo? There is still this little voice in my head wanting to re-purchase the DA560 and add it to the Nikon 500PF, if I can still get one...

Thanks Chris, these are all RAW files that I usually run quickly through Topaz Denoise and Lightroom. These birds were so close I don't think I even cropped the photos.

Once I overcame my initial disappointment and accepted the fact that the K3iii/560 pairing will never match the performance of the D500/500PF combo, I began to appreciate what the K3ii brings to the table.

Comparing apples to apples, the K3iii is a real improvement over the K3 and K3ii. I'm enjoying the joystick (even though the focus area is severely limited on the 560), soft shutter sound (D500 is very noisy) and increased frames per second/buffer. ISO performance hasn't been an issue yet as I've shot in fairly decent light and with Topaz Denoise I hardly worry about ISO anymore. It's great to review an image and with one button push immediately zoom in on the focus point to assess how accurately I hit the eye of my subject. I've gotten a lot smoother working the function button and wheel, but still have to pull my head from the viewfinder to see what I'm doing half the time. Bottom line, I'm still a Pentax fan and find myself looking forward to using the camera and combination more and more as each weekend approaches.

I'm under the impression that the 560 doesn't seem to have as much difficulty achieving focus when aimed at a distant subjects as it does trying to capture subjects closer to the lens. I doubt this is a K3iii related phenomenon and suspect I'd feel that way with any connected camera. It's also possible this is all in my imagination. It's still a lens that like to search when you'd think it should quickly grasp focus and I still miss shots that I would easily nail if I were shooting with the D500/500PF.

The 3 biggest features not available with the K3iii that I really appreciate when using the D500 are:
1) being able to awaken the camera from sleep with a press of the AF button
2) being able to rotate the camera between portrait and landscape orientation and having the focus point remember and jump to where it was in each position as I switch back and forth.
3) being able to switch from single point to group focus with the simultaneous push of a single button while actively shooting.
Perhaps # 1 and #2 could be incorporated with a future update.

I don't post on Nikon forums, but the 500 PF is absolutely treasured. I would have to believe that Pentax is aware of its success. With a desire to remain in the DSLR format and discontinuation of the 560, a light weight and fast 500PF like replacement would be a perfect addition to the Pentax lens line and make it a serious wildlife contender with the K3iii. I suspect it would also retain DSLR shooters who may be tempted to move to mirrorless.

[Jome]

Some big birds
K-3 +DA*300

[WPRESTO]

Some big birds K-3 +DA*300

I must confess the thought that ran through my head when I saw that first image was: "Oh my god, a flasher!"

[Jome]

I must confess the thought that ran through my head when I saw that first image was: "Oh my god, a flasher!"

That's exactly what I thought when I was peeping eer, no, taking the picture...

[K2 to K50]

I must confess the thought that ran through my head when I saw that first image was: "Oh my god, a flasher!"

I am so glad to find I was not the only one with that reaction!!!!

Good photo, nevertheless!

[Weevil]

I must confess the thought that ran through my head when I saw that first image was: "Oh my god, a flasher!"

[Jome]

Good photo, nevertheless!

Thanks.

[brewmaster15]

K3 mk 3 X DFA 150-450

Cedar Waxwing


Cedar waxwing


Cedar waxwing profile


al