Dpreview: Pentax Rocks!

stevebrot · 05-26-2021, 05:40 PM

Originally posted by house

It's advertising

Originally posted by Larrymc

Was there anything dishonest about the video?? It was a well made video and it probably imparted a bit of knowledge about the Mk III that non Pentaxians would probably have missed. So what if it was advertising??

FWIW, I seem to remember this fellow reviewing past Pentax product. As mentioned in the video, he uses the brand. It was a paid review, but not contrived.

Steve

**clackers** · 05-26-2021, 06:01 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by house

It's advertising

Sure.

That's what DPR is. It's owned by Amazon. So their whole site is really a sales catalogue.

swanlefitte · 05-26-2021, 08:31 PM - **2 Likes**

Reading the comments on it shows interest on what Pentax wants to showcase which will dictate the focus of the sites upcoming review. Pentax has taken the narrative. It can no longer be about the Nikon d500 narrative comparison. As one commenter said. It is about being more an instrument than a tool.

repaap · 05-26-2021, 11:08 PM - **2 Likes**

I played around that feature now. It is mind blowing to see -only- areas in focus in LV. it does work for video mode too. Things you learn from internet, eh.

UlrichSchiegg · 05-27-2021, 02:41 AM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by clackers

Sure.

That's what DPR is. It's owned by Amazon. So their whole site is really a sales catalogue.

People tend to forget the sales element. Assessment on income per product will surely provide targets for coverage. Companies paying for coverage, what "sponsored" means at the end, present a classical advertising approach.

**UncleVanya** · 05-27-2021, 06:18 AM

Originally posted by ofer4

Thanks, Larry. That indeed looks like a useful function. I was more wondering about "standard" focus peaking. The white edge can sometimes get obscured by the subject color/brightness. I think that Sony allows control over the color.

A workaround is to set highlight warning on - at least on the older k-3 models. This makes the peaking areas red rather than white.

**hjoseph7** · 05-27-2021, 07:43 AM - **1 Like**

Now this is what I call an UPGRADE !. The original K-3 and K-3 II didn't offer much of an upgrade over the K-5 II, so I skipped both models, but this one is different. Pentax always offered more bang-for-the-buck and so far the features offered on this camera are well worth it. I'm not sure if they are worth $2000+ ? I might have to wait until the price goes down. A lot of people swear by customizable cameras, but I had a Canon 7D a few years back which was highly customizable and I absolutely hated it. The manual was more like a dictionary it was so thick. Unless you have a business, or are accustomed to shooting a certain style regularly and repeatedly straying from the default functionality can get very confusing. You forget to revert etc. Not for me IMHO, its hard enough learning the basic functionality. Although 1 or 2 custom functions is not that bad.

repaap · 05-27-2021, 08:38 AM - **1 Like**

You don’t have to customise anything. It works just fine as it is. If you like, you can.

**robbiec** · 05-27-2021, 08:39 AM

Interesting that the comments section for the video seems to be tightly moderated

if this was a normal DPR Pentax article or video, the usual suspects would have appeared by now.

texandrews · 05-27-2021, 09:59 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by robbiec

Interesting that the comments section for the video seems to be tightly moderated

if this was a normal DPR Pentax article or video, the usual suspects would have appeared by now.

I noticed that---thought it very peculiar. This time, I wanted the trolls to come!

**Larrymc** · 05-27-2021, 10:32 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by robbiec

Interesting that the comments section for the video seems to be tightly moderated

if this was a normal DPR Pentax article or video, the usual suspects would have appeared by now.

A paying customer might not take too kindly to a lot of trolling so they probably do moderate it. No sense pissing a paying customer off.

biz-engineer · 05-27-2021, 11:50 AM - **3 Likes**

Originally posted by house

It's advertising

I found the video to be rather informative for someone who wouldn't know what a Pentax camera can do.

Being a user of Pentax cameras, I found that the features explained in the video are described as they really are, not hyped or promoted.

**Belnan** · 05-27-2021, 12:15 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by hjoseph7

The original K-3 and K-3 II didn't offer much of an upgrade over the K-5 II, so I skipped both models, but this one is different.

As someone who really enjoyed the K5 I can attest that the K3 is pretty much better in every way, with a couple exceptions. I think we forget how many improvements pentax actually made with the K3, and at a lower price than the K5. I'm not trying to say that this camera isn't a nice upgrade but the K3 was too, and for those that skipped the K3 original, will like be really impressed.

**Larrymc** · 05-27-2021, 04:23 PM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by Belnan

As someone who really enjoyed the K5 I can attest that the K3 is pretty much better in every way, with a couple exceptions. I think we forget how many improvements pentax actually made with the K3, and at a lower price than the K5. I'm not trying to say that this camera isn't a nice upgrade but the K3 was too, and for those that skipped the K3 original, will like be really impressed.

I've moved up from the K-3 Mk I and I'm really impressed by the Mk III it has improved in so many ways. I'm still learning the system which is different enough from the Mk I that it will take quite a bit more to get comfortable shooting the Mk III competently and confidently. But heck at 75 I am enjoying the challenge.

mtkeller · 05-27-2021, 04:56 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by hjoseph7

A lot of people swear by customizable cameras, but I had a Canon 7D a few years back which was highly customizable and I absolutely hated it. The manual was more like a dictionary it was so thick. Unless you have a business, or are accustomed to shooting a certain style regularly and repeatedly straying from the default functionality can get very confusing. You forget to revert etc. Not for me IMHO, its hard enough learning the basic functionality. Although 1 or 2 custom functions is not that bad.

It’s going to take me a while to settle into my customizations, but I think Pentax has done this right (with one minor caveat). You can set up a user mode for each of your most common shooting scenarios, including configuring the smart function for those scenarios. (This, to me, is critical. When I’m in sports/action mode, I want drive mode as a smart function but I just want it to be single, high, medium, and low. When I’m in a mode more intended for tripod shooting, I want more things about timer, remote, mirror up, etc.) I suspect I will wind up with the same five features for the smart function in most of my user modes, but they will be configured to allow different selections. I’m giving myself some time right now to figure out what I want my user modes to be before setting them all up.

(The minor caveat is that your name for the user mode doesn’t show up as you turn the mode dial, even though you have a name stored. Hopefully a firmware upgrade will at least get the user mode names to show up when rotating the mode dial. I’d love for it to stay in the upper left corner instead of just U2 or whatever, but I would settle for it showing up as I turn the mode dial.)

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05-26-2021, 05:40 PM	#46
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by house It's advertising Originally posted by Larrymc Was there anything dishonest about the video?? It was a well made video and it probably imparted a bit of knowledge about the Mk III that non Pentaxians would probably have missed. So what if it was advertising?? FWIW, I seem to remember this fellow reviewing past Pentax product. As mentioned in the video, he uses the brand. It was a paid review, but not contrived. Steve

05-26-2021, 06:01 PM - 1 Like	#47
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by house It's advertising Sure. That's what DPR is. It's owned by Amazon. So their whole site is really a sales catalogue.

05-26-2021, 08:31 PM - 2 Likes	#48
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	Reading the comments on it shows interest on what Pentax wants to showcase which will dictate the focus of the sites upcoming review. Pentax has taken the narrative. It can no longer be about the Nikon d500 narrative comparison. As one commenter said. It is about being more an instrument than a tool.

05-26-2021, 11:08 PM - 2 Likes	#49
repaap Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2010 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,242	I played around that feature now. It is mind blowing to see -only- areas in focus in LV. it does work for video mode too. Things you learn from internet, eh.

05-27-2021, 02:41 AM - 2 Likes	#50
UlrichSchiegg Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 298	Originally posted by clackers Sure. That's what DPR is. It's owned by Amazon. So their whole site is really a sales catalogue. People tend to forget the sales element. Assessment on income per product will surely provide targets for coverage. Companies paying for coverage, what "sponsored" means at the end, present a classical advertising approach.

05-27-2021, 06:18 AM	#51
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,404	Originally posted by ofer4 Thanks, Larry. That indeed looks like a useful function. I was more wondering about "standard" focus peaking. The white edge can sometimes get obscured by the subject color/brightness. I think that Sony allows control over the color. A workaround is to set highlight warning on - at least on the older k-3 models. This makes the peaking areas red rather than white.

05-27-2021, 07:43 AM - 1 Like	#52
hjoseph7 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2014 Location: Minnesota Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,047	Now this is what I call an UPGRADE !. The original K-3 and K-3 II didn't offer much of an upgrade over the K-5 II, so I skipped both models, but this one is different. Pentax always offered more bang-for-the-buck and so far the features offered on this camera are well worth it. I'm not sure if they are worth $2000+ ? I might have to wait until the price goes down. A lot of people swear by customizable cameras, but I had a Canon 7D a few years back which was highly customizable and I absolutely hated it. The manual was more like a dictionary it was so thick. Unless you have a business, or are accustomed to shooting a certain style regularly and repeatedly straying from the default functionality can get very confusing. You forget to revert etc. Not for me IMHO, its hard enough learning the basic functionality. Although 1 or 2 custom functions is not that bad.

05-27-2021, 08:38 AM - 1 Like	#53
repaap Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2010 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,242	You don’t have to customise anything. It works just fine as it is. If you like, you can.

05-27-2021, 08:39 AM	#54
robbiec Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Cork Photos: Albums Posts: 1,882	Interesting that the comments section for the video seems to be tightly moderated if this was a normal DPR Pentax article or video, the usual suspects would have appeared by now.

05-27-2021, 09:59 AM - 1 Like	#55
texandrews Moderator Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Baltimore Photos: Albums Posts: 3,392	Originally posted by robbiec Interesting that the comments section for the video seems to be tightly moderated if this was a normal DPR Pentax article or video, the usual suspects would have appeared by now. I noticed that---thought it very peculiar. This time, I wanted the trolls to come!

05-27-2021, 10:32 AM - 1 Like	#56
Larrymc Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Mississippi, USA Posts: 5,251	Originally posted by robbiec Interesting that the comments section for the video seems to be tightly moderated if this was a normal DPR Pentax article or video, the usual suspects would have appeared by now. A paying customer might not take too kindly to a lot of trolling so they probably do moderate it. No sense pissing a paying customer off.

05-27-2021, 11:50 AM - 3 Likes	#57
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,232	Originally posted by house It's advertising I found the video to be rather informative for someone who wouldn't know what a Pentax camera can do. Being a user of Pentax cameras, I found that the features explained in the video are described as they really are, not hyped or promoted.

05-27-2021, 12:15 PM - 1 Like	#58
Belnan Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Nova Scotia Photos: Albums Posts: 1,090	Originally posted by hjoseph7 The original K-3 and K-3 II didn't offer much of an upgrade over the K-5 II, so I skipped both models, but this one is different. As someone who really enjoyed the K5 I can attest that the K3 is pretty much better in every way, with a couple exceptions. I think we forget how many improvements pentax actually made with the K3, and at a lower price than the K5. I'm not trying to say that this camera isn't a nice upgrade but the K3 was too, and for those that skipped the K3 original, will like be really impressed.

05-27-2021, 04:23 PM - 2 Likes	#59
Larrymc Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Mississippi, USA Posts: 5,251	Originally posted by Belnan As someone who really enjoyed the K5 I can attest that the K3 is pretty much better in every way, with a couple exceptions. I think we forget how many improvements pentax actually made with the K3, and at a lower price than the K5. I'm not trying to say that this camera isn't a nice upgrade but the K3 was too, and for those that skipped the K3 original, will like be really impressed. I've moved up from the K-3 Mk I and I'm really impressed by the Mk III it has improved in so many ways. I'm still learning the system which is different enough from the Mk I that it will take quite a bit more to get comfortable shooting the Mk III competently and confidently. But heck at 75 I am enjoying the challenge.

05-27-2021, 04:56 PM - 1 Like	#60
mtkeller Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: Sioux City, IA Photos: Gallery Posts: 938	Originally posted by hjoseph7 A lot of people swear by customizable cameras, but I had a Canon 7D a few years back which was highly customizable and I absolutely hated it. The manual was more like a dictionary it was so thick. Unless you have a business, or are accustomed to shooting a certain style regularly and repeatedly straying from the default functionality can get very confusing. You forget to revert etc. Not for me IMHO, its hard enough learning the basic functionality. Although 1 or 2 custom functions is not that bad. It’s going to take me a while to settle into my customizations, but I think Pentax has done this right (with one minor caveat). You can set up a user mode for each of your most common shooting scenarios, including configuring the smart function for those scenarios. (This, to me, is critical. When I’m in sports/action mode, I want drive mode as a smart function but I just want it to be single, high, medium, and low. When I’m in a mode more intended for tripod shooting, I want more things about timer, remote, mirror up, etc.) I suspect I will wind up with the same five features for the smart function in most of my user modes, but they will be configured to allow different selections. I’m giving myself some time right now to figure out what I want my user modes to be before setting them all up. (The minor caveat is that your name for the user mode doesn’t show up as you turn the mode dial, even though you have a name stored. Hopefully a firmware upgrade will at least get the user mode names to show up when rotating the mode dial. I’d love for it to stay in the upper left corner instead of just U2 or whatever, but I would settle for it showing up as I turn the mode dial.)