[mee]

I dont undertand the bug with OBF . The moment you will put a Zoom lenses on the camera and you decide to use OBF, you will get shadow. A very small % of peoples use prime lense as their main lenses. The kit come with 3 typezoom. Without a OBF , chance of user mistake using flash with zoom is reduce. And imagine if you have a hood???
Ricoh was smart

I agree. Plus the light out of that popup flash is harsh and unflattering.. deer in headlights look. I see no physical way to get pretty light out of a flash head the size of a postage stamp, directed at your subject, centered directly over the lens.

[traderdrew]

I wonder if the new pixel shifting will reduce or eliminate things like chromatic aberration, purple fringing and diffraction caused by stopping down lenses.

[Glorfindelrb]

I wonder if the new pixel shifting will reduce or eliminate things like chromatic aberration, purple fringing and diffraction caused by stopping down lenses.

Of course not.
I can at best help to correct it a litlle using software in PP because you have more initial color data but it will not remove any optical issue.

[D1N0]

Of course not.
I can at best help to correct it a litlle using software in PP because you have more initial color data but it will not remove any optical issue.

Unless it can readjust AF for each colour.

[jatrax]

I suspect the small uproar will die down soon and life will proceed onward..

I thought it would have died about 200 posts ago. Shows what I know..........

---------- Post added 04-28-15 at 08:37 AM ----------

Went to the Joe McNally seminar in Portland yesterday. If you want to see a guy that lives and breathes flash, he is your guy. Anyway, he was using these: Air Remote TTL-N to control individual and groups of various flashes. They have these for both Nikon and Canon and a generic set without TTL. Not sure how different they are from the Cactus or Yongnuo units except the dedicated ones do TTL. I wonder if Pentax can come up with something similar?

Kenspo, in the studio do you find Pentax flash control deficient from the Nikon system? What do you use to fire studio flash?

[astron]

I understand the griping about the "missing" flash but make no mistake—this camera is positioned as the ultimate field rig. Rugged, weathersealed, compact, now with GPS and compass with a great low price for the performance. Imagine hikers and outdoorsy types using it. While it's ostensibly the Pentax flagship, Ricoh is playing to the brand's strengths with those who want great DSLRs for active, outdoor work rather than the hardcore pro studio set. Pixel Shift resolution is great for those folks, who will likely use non-optical flash triggers or other lights for product photography etc. Believe me, they did the market research and this camera is doing everything right from a market perspective.

So, even though it's not a camera for some vocal people here, there's little reason to complain. It's good to see that Ricoh is trying to mix it up these days and obviously sees the value in the Pentax lineup and marque. Compared to last year or the year before, 2015 is going to be a banner year for this system. Ricoh wants to bring new people into the fold, and the K-3 II is just another refinement of the recipe to attract those people. Now how about some revised lenses!

[traderdrew]

Of course not.
I can at best help to correct it a litlle using software in PP because you have more initial color data but it will not remove any optical issue.

I guess you are right. I was very impressed with the image of what I think is a temple from their sample shots. The only thing I saw was what I call "white fringing" along the edges of the structures. It was so minute I almost didn't notice it. I was thinking it would make things like purple fringing less noticeable.

I was disappointed in the tiger image although the sharpness was there. I don't know why some people constantly shoot wildlife and nature with their exposure compensations in the negative. I would have used +0.3 and a slight adjustment to the shadows in Photoshop Elements and it would have made the tiger image come alive.

[jatrax]

this camera is positioned as the ultimate field rig. Rugged, weather sealed, compact, now with GPS and compass with a great low price for the performance

I think perhaps we have become used to a company positioning it's products as "good, better, best", or "entry level, mid level and flagship". But what if a company looked at market segments and designed a camera specifically for that market rather than it just being the 'flagship'?

Not saying Ricoh did that, no one but Ricoh knows, but it makes the K-S1 and the K-3II make more sense to me, designed to be marketed to specific market segments rather than price points.

I have been saying for years Ricoh should be putting their cameras in the case at Cabella's, Field & Stream and Bass Pro Shops. The K-3II is ideal for that market.

[quantumphase]

The K-3 II sounds great to Me.
I have a K-50 and K-01. I've been wanting to get a K-3 and I almost never use built in flashes.
I'll be snagging one of these bad boys at the end of June (good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise -lol).

[astron]

I think perhaps we have become used to a company positioning it's products as "good, better, best", or "entry level, mid level and flagship". But what if a company looked at market segments and designed a camera specifically for that market rather than it just being the 'flagship'?

Not saying Ricoh did that, no one but Ricoh knows, but it makes the K-S1 and the K-3II make more sense to me, designed to be marketed to specific market segments rather than price points.

Ricoh definitely did that, but the muddled messaging along with the insane wails of some around these parts and elsewhere made it very hard to pick out. Ricoh's going along with two Pentax ranges, the core cameras and the S/Innovation line. K-3 II and FF are next year's core cameras, while K-S1 and K-S2 (which were always designed to be sold side-by-side, in spite of what many have said!) are for getting new users into the family. Two distinct lines aimed at different audiences, with entry/flagship models in each.

[Zygonyx]

+1 with astron.




Until we get something like that :





it still will be photography ^^

[IchabodCrane]

Ricoh definitely did that, but the muddled messaging along with the insane wails of some around these parts and elsewhere made it very hard to pick out. Ricoh's going along with two Pentax ranges, the core cameras and the S/Innovation line. K-3 II and FF are next year's core cameras, while K-S1 and K-S2 (which were always designed to be sold side-by-side, in spite of what many have said!) are for getting new users into the family. Two distinct lines aimed at different audiences, with entry/flagship models in each.

That very well could be the case. I guess it all depends on what Ricoh delivers in its next high-end APS-C camera and whether the K-3 will continue in production until that next model arrives. That will tell us whether the K-3 II is a special purpose camera or their vision of the best in their APS-C arsenal.

I keep coming back to this crude question. If removing the OBF is a Good Idea, then what is Nikon doing selling $3000 cameras with an OBF? If market share figures count for anything then you'd conclude they know at least as much about the market as Ricoh.

[kenspo]

Kenspo, in the studio do you find Pentax flash control deficient from the Nikon system? What do you use to fire studio flash?

I dont notice any difference beside the sync time. So its just as good. I use 2x 540 II and 1 540..Phottix triggers and receivers. Bought them for my Nikon, but works just as good on the K-3.

[jatrax]

I dont notice any difference beside the sync time. So its just as good. I use 2x 540 II and 1 540..Phottix triggers and receivers. Bought them for my Nikon, but works just as good on the K-3.

So you are doing all manual, no TTL?

[Nicolas06]

I think perhaps we have become used to a company positioning it's products as "good, better, best", or "entry level, mid level and flagship". But what if a company looked at market segments and designed a camera specifically for that market rather than it just being the 'flagship'?

Not saying Ricoh did that, no one but Ricoh knows, but it makes the K-S1 and the K-3II make more sense to me, designed to be marketed to specific market segments rather than price points.

I have been saying for years Ricoh should be putting their cameras in the case at Cabella's, Field & Stream and Bass Pro Shops. The K-3II is ideal for that market.

There indeed market segmentation between models on brands. Some are small/light (and not less expensive), some are with lot of pixels other are optimized for ultimate action/sport with more FPS, better AF, better high iso... Some are oriented toward video...

Ricoh clearly target outdoor/kikers ... But it include both people going with a tripod or on the opposite people that want to pack light. The K3-II is obviously more oriented for the one with the tripod (astrotracer, pixel shift) rather than the ones packing light.