[Rondec]

If I wanted to run around with dongles I would use Apple gear instead of Android/Windows one :P

I'll let it go, but it feels to me like photography is about accessories -- flash/lenses/tripod/remote, etc. The idea that something this small and cheap would screw up your day feels a little trivial, but I understand if that's a deal breaker.

[Belnan]

The buffer depth is a bit concerning with K-3 3. From the specs

M: 7 fps up to approx 60 frames (JPG), 37 frames (RAW)

Yes it also has a faster 12 fps mode. Compare this to the K3 at
8.3 fps up to approx. 60 frames (JPG), up to approx. 23 frames (RAW)

this buffer doesn't seem like a change at all. What am I missing, are looking at similar blackout times and long periods of waiting after you shoot a series of photos? Or will the faster memory cards make all of the difference?

[surfar]

Or will the faster memory cards make all of the difference?

UHS 2 will definitely make some difference,its not the size of the buffer but how fast it can clear.

If Raw is shot to card 1 and jpeg to card 2,then speed will probably be close.

However,if Raw and Jpeg are shot to both cards simultaneously then overall speed is at the Card 2 speed.

The new processor should speed things a bit.

[RobA_Oz]

If I wanted to run around with dongles I would use Apple gear instead of Android/Windows one :P

I'll let it go, but it feels to me like photography is about accessories -- flash/lenses/tripod/remote, etc. The idea that something this small and cheap would screw up your day feels a little trivial, but I understand if that's a deal breaker.

It’s always good policy to let a cheap shot go through to the keeper.

Seriously, the move to a USB-C port in the K-3iii is just anticipating the eventual death of SD card readers in all but the cheapest and least useful laptops, and maybe them too, in time. I guess you can still buy a new Windows laptop with a 3.5” floppy drive or a serial port, but they’d be confined to legacy uses or diehard 1980s enthusiasts.

[rod_grant]

diehard 1980s enthusiasts

Well, some have gone back to vinyl, Rob.

But floppy drives and serial ports???

[RobA_Oz]

Well, some have gone back to vinyl, Rob.

But floppy drives and serial ports???

Yes, I’ve been following the revival of vinyl over the past few years, Rod. You can spend more money on a turntable now than was possible back when it was the only reliable source of high-fidelity audio. I’m looking for a cheap but reasonable quality turntable for my 17-year old grandson!

OK, I was exaggerating to make the point by referring to floppy drives. A quick walk around our local Harvey Norman store reveals SD card readers are mostly in (lower-spec?) Windows laptops, but the number without one seems to be growing. Apple has ditched the SD-reader from their range, just like they did with optical drives (and floppy drives), ahead of the pack.

[kwb]

The buffer depth is a bit concerning with K-3 3. From the specs

M: 7 fps up to approx 60 frames (JPG), 37 frames (RAW)

Yes it also has a faster 12 fps mode. Compare this to the K3 at
8.3 fps up to approx. 60 frames (JPG), up to approx. 23 frames (RAW)

this buffer doesn't seem like a change at all. What am I missing, are looking at similar blackout times and long periods of waiting after you shoot a series of photos? Or will the faster memory cards make all of the difference?

It would take about 2.8 sec to fill K-3 and K-3II buffer at 8.3fps RAW.
It would take about 5.3 sec to fill K-3III buffer at 7fps RAW, or 2.7 sec if 12fps RAW.
So, slightly smaller fps for much longer duration than K-3II, or much faster fps for similar duration. But I understand that your concern is mostly after the buffer is filled, which is NOT dictated by the buffer depth as surfar points out. There, UHS-II vs UHS-I card slot can make a big difference (well, at least in principle).

K-3II can write to the fastest UHS-I cards at about 37MB/s. This is the limit of the camera and not the cards, some cameras can write to the same cards at about 80MB/s..
Pentax K-3 II SD Card Write Speed Comparison of Fastest Memory Cards for the Pentax K3 II Digital Camera

K-3III can handle UHS-II card in one of the two card slots. IF that slot is on par with new-ish higher end cameras from other manufacturers, the speed might be as fast as 160-180 MB/s.
Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II U3 300MB/s 64GB SDXC Card Review
That's about a factor of 4.3-4.8 increase in speed relative to K-3II, a huge boost even after taking into account the increased megapixels. Of course it could be slower or faster, we don't know yet, but let's hope.

When you use two cards the situation is different, the second slot is only UHS-I as surfer pointed out. My guess is that it's still much faster than when you use two good UHS-I cards in K-3II because probably/hopefully K-3III can write to these UHS-I cards at 80Mb/s this time.

[surfar]

I was exaggerating to make the point by referring to floppy drives.

But Aussies thought that floppys were standard in the Southern colony,you still have boat races,dont you?

[vow20]

They talk so much about how looking through an optical viewfinder is the best thing in the universe that I can't wait to see through that 1.05x magnification. Of all the Pentax dslrs I've owned (*ist DS, K10D, K-x and K-5 II) the viewfinder I've liked the most has been the one on the *ist DS.

[DamienW]

When you use two cards the situation is different, the second slot is only UHS-I as surfer pointed out. My guess is that it's still much faster than when you use two good UHS-I cards in K-3II because probably/hopefully K-3III can write to these UHS-I cards at 80Mb/s this time.

What would be very cool would be a trailing sync setting between the cards. IE...if you were a pro wanting to shoot RAW to both cards (redundancy, just in case), then the camera would clear the buffer to the UHSII slot first, and then sync to the slower slot when idle. If you shoot, the sync process pauses. In the event of disaster at the UHSII slot, you might lose a burst or two of shots that have not synchronised yet, but you'd still have most of your day's shooting on the slower card.

Also the ability to use cards as an array might be a good way of speeding things up. If you only want one copy of each shot, but you want burst to last as long as possible, then writing alternatively to each card might speed things up a bit (ie...the OS plucks two shots at a time from the buffer and writes one to one card and the other to the second card). This might require different hardware to manage things, though maybe it could be done in software.

Just thoughts. There may be good reasons these things cannot be done.

[Wheatridger]

To sate my GAS while I wait for the new Pentax, I bought a Fuji X-T3. I thought I would love it, with its "traditional" dials and stuff. But I don't.

Am I weird, because everyone seems to love Fuji.

I get that, Serkevan. I have a Fuji X-E2 for my mirrorless needs, which aren't extensive. Mostly I use it with my Sigma 12-24 FF lens on a shift adaptor, for perspective control for architecture. It's sleek, black and metallic- a Leica wouldn't look any better. It fits my right hand perfectly, and a leather half case turns that into a warm, friendly handshake. Remember those?

All right, let's go make some X-pix! That's where the disappointment begins. The XE-2, like the X-Pro 1 I had before it, lacks a front dial, and I miss that. Then there's the EVF: harsh, grainy and unpleasant. It's a target acquisition device, a means to an end, not a pleasure like the picture window of a K-camera. You can get upgraded EVFs in later models, but not in the XE's rangefinder-style format. Like the K-1, it's multi-format; you can easily select square or 2:3 aspect ratios... but not 4:3, which I most prefer. That's the name of a competing camera family, so Fuji can't be including that in their cameras, can they?

Once we get to the actual photos, all's well. Fuji's JPGs are justly famous, the RAWs are fine and sharpness abounds. Nothing to complain about there. Fuji's lenses are excellent, but they also tend to be heavy, "pro" builds. Once you put two or three premium X-lenses in your pack, it's not much smaller and lighter a K-3 and a slower zoom, or the DA Limited set. So every time I think about building my Fuji collection, it just makes more sense to use my Pentaxes instead.

Micro Four Thirds offers lighter cameras and much lighter and smaller lenses. I'm test-driving a GX8 now, to see if it gives up any IQ to the X-E2.

[BryantCP]

I have something like this for easy SD card reading: amazon.com: UGREEN SD Card Reader Portable USB 3.0 Dual Slot Flash Memory Card Adapter Hub for TF, SD, Micro SD, SDXC, SDHC, MMC, RS-MMC, Micro SDXC, Micro SDHC, UHS-I for Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome, PC, Laptop: Home Audio & Theater?tag=pentaxforums-20& It seems to work well, is usable in any USB slot and is really portable.

I also find using a card reader to be preferable to downloading directly from a camera. I don't think I've done that more than once or twice from a Pentax DSLR. Anyway if your using a laptop almost all laptop have sd card readers. Now with my Nikon D700 I do download directly from the camera out of necessity after I damaged a pin in the Compact Flash slot trying to reinstall a Compact Flash card.

[surfar]

I'm test-driving a GX8 now, to see if it gives up any IQ to the X-E2.

A big jump is to Xt30 or better still Xt3 thats just been Kaizened up to the XT4 level AF.

Xt3 is 999,XT30 is 799 but with the excellent 15/45 899.Both these will provide a big jump over Pana and Gen2 Fuji.

[slartibartfast01]

It’s always good policy to let a cheap shot go through to the keeper.



Seriously, the move to a USB-C port in the K-3iii is just anticipating the eventual death of SD card readers in all but the cheapest and least useful laptops, and maybe them too, in time. I guess you can still buy a new Windows laptop with a 3.5” floppy drive or a serial port, but they’d be confined to legacy uses or diehard 1980s enthusiasts.

Apple remove the SD card reader so they can sell you an external one.
https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MUFG2ZM/A/usb-c-to-sd-card-reader

[RobA_Oz]

Apple remove the SD card reader so they can sell you an external one.
USB-C to SD Card Reader - Apple (UK)

If you don't shop around, that is. You can buy one with an SD card reader, a couple of USB3 ports, another USB-C port and an HDMI port for around the same price. Most of those protocols are likely to be legacy ones in a couple of years.