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11-13-2013, 03:04 PM - 1 Like   #1
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Pentax K-3 In-Depth Review

The in-depth Pentax K-3 review is now live:

Pentax K-3 Review - Introduction - PentaxForums.com

This is our most comprehensive review to date, as the K-3 is the most advanced Pentax camera to date



Enjoy!


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11-13-2013, 09:02 PM   #2
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Nice review overall...questions I still had:
1) what codec is being used for video and what's the bitrate? And why wasn't the K-5's MJPEG codec left as an option?
2) can Pentax enable mechanical SR in video? i.e., can you ask Pentax?
3) if you use USB 3.0 to download data from the SD card, what's the max read rate?
4) can it do continuous smallest JPEG capture w/ the fastest SD cards?

I thought the tracking AF was pretty bad. The D600 used a 2.8 lens which is harder to track with because of the narrow DOF...and it still won solidly :-P
This means it's not even at the level of a Nikon D90 :-(
11-14-2013, 01:15 AM   #3
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1. H.264 (creates .MOV files, which are more universally-compatible).
2. They probably have good reasons for not doing it, but perhaps it's worth asking them during our next interview
3. I think it will depend on your computer more than anything. I got a 30 Mb/s transfer rate on my i7/7200rpm laptop with a 95Mb/s card in the camera. It might be better on a dekstop with a faster bus, but I actually get the same performance from the D800, which means that the K-3 is definitely up to current standards.
4. Both the 95Mb/s and 45 Mb/s cards were fast enough to allow for "unlimited" shooting at a lower framerate (2-3FPS)

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11-14-2013, 05:44 AM - 3 Likes   #4
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Many thanks for that nice review. It is very helpful.
I come from Nikon D800!
I am so surprised about the handling and menu - possibility from the K-3!!
I never had so good image quality with the Nikon D800, as I have now with K-3 and 35/2.8 macro ltd. lenses! And less wieght!

Pentax have now a very good DSLR for image quality to print out!!!

And I all that very good built lenses! And lot of them are weather sealed! How lucky I am!!

I am looking forward to enjoy and improve every day more and more......

11-14-2013, 01:31 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
1. H.264 (creates .MOV files, which are more universally-compatible).
2. They probably have good reasons for not doing it, but perhaps it's worth asking them during our next interview
3. I think it will depend on your computer more than anything. I got a 30 Mb/s transfer rate on my i7/7200rpm laptop with a 95Mb/s card in the camera. It might be better on a dekstop with a faster bus, but I actually get the same performance from the D800, which means that the K-3 is definitely up to current standards.
4. Both the 95Mb/s and 45 Mb/s cards were fast enough to allow for "unlimited" shooting at a lower framerate (2-3FPS)
For H.264, if you compress w/ a group encoding of IPB, you get better quality: Canon 5D Mark III -IPB contains more detail and has less artifacts than ALL-I [Archive] - DVXuser.com -- The online community for filmmaking
If you could ask them about this in the next interview, it'd help video users...though I realize it's a minority of users :-)

Thanks for confirming the K-3 can transfer at USB 3.0 rates...clears up yet another mistake on their published specs.
For (4), I was actually curious if it can run at the full 8.3 fps unlimited if you choose "smallest JPEG" w/ the 95MB/sec cards. The K20D could only do 3fps IIRC...and you had to turn nearly all options off.
11-14-2013, 02:15 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by kenyee Quote
For (4), I was actually curious if it can run at the full 8.3 fps unlimited if you choose "smallest JPEG" w/ the 95MB/sec cards. The K20D could only do 3fps IIRC...and you had to turn nearly all options off.
It can't, not even if you choose a lower resolution. It will slow down after just over 100 frames based on the tests in our review. But 2-3 FPS should still be plenty at 24 Mp Fine quality, and the buffer clears quickly as soon as to take a small break

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11-14-2013, 03:16 PM - 1 Like   #7
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K-3 RAW Buffer

Your review says, "It is a bit disappointing that the K-3's RAW buffer is no bigger than that of the K-5, but at least it hasn't gotten smaller."

Not so, according to the measurements in the chart you put in the review. The K-5 series holds 24 RAWs and the K-3 holds 24 RAWs. Since the K-3 files are 50% bigger, that shows that the buffer (at least for RAWs) in the K-3 is 50% bigger than in the K-5 series.

11-14-2013, 04:16 PM   #8
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In your AF Tracking page review, PF compares apples and oranges and is proud about it. K5II, K3 and … full frame D610? All using different lenses — and you conclude definite statements from such a mess and cacophony of equipment?

Anyone versed in photography and using a DoF calculator knows that FF has an advantage if using the same lens, as it has a benefit of 50% larger DoF. Plus it has a larger VF to allow user better view, better control of hand and eye coordination when tracking subject through the VF.

So if we compensate for the sloppiness of the reviewer, imagine all cameras used same lenses, and add 50% more keepers to the K-3 to compensate the DoF disadvantage, it would result that an FF camera from Pentax using same Safox XI system will match the rate of D610 keepers at least.
11-14-2013, 04:31 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by Uluru Quote
Anyone versed in photography and using a DoF calculator knows that FF has an advantage if using the same lens, as it has a benefit of 50% larger DoF.
??
I think you have this backwards. APS-C has 1.5 larger DOF at the same f/stop. If anything, the K-3 should have had an easier time. m4/3 bodies have 2x larger DOF so they should have it easy but their AFC tracking is terrible.

I actually thought the D610 had a disadvantage because it was using a 70-200/2.8 lens. There's no mention in the review of what f/stop the D610 was run at, so I assumed the lens would be used wide open (and it's *very* sharp wide open).

p.s., the D610 has the crappier Nikon AF system too...it's the old one that's based on the D90/D7000 system. The D7100 has the D700's much better tracking AF system which would probably trounce the K-3 even more...
11-14-2013, 04:33 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Uluru Quote
In your AF Tracking page review, PF compares apples and oranges and is proud about it. K5II, K3 and … full frame D610? All using different lenses — and you conclude definite statements from such a mess and cacophony of equipment?

Anyone versed in photography and using a DoF calculator knows that FF has an advantage if using the same lens, as it has a benefit of 50% larger DoF. Plus it has a larger VF to allow user better view, better control of hand and eye coordination when tracking subject through the VF.

So if we compensate for the sloppiness of the reviewer, imagine all cameras used same lenses, and add 50% more keepers to the K-3 to compensate the DoF disadvantage, it would result that an FF camera from Pentax using same Safox XI system will match the rate of D610 keepers at least.
What's even more ridiculous is the way the minuscule differences between FF and APS-c are magnified to make them sound important. But let's look at your statement..

QuoteQuote:
Anyone versed in photography and using a DoF calculator knows that FF has an advantage if using the same lens,
When you use an 85mm lens on an FF, you use a 50 or 55 on APS-c, so what the heck are you talking about? Nobody versed in "photography and using a DoF calculator " expects someone to use the same lens on an FF camera they do for the same image on APS-c. SO just who is getting sloppy here?
11-14-2013, 05:05 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
What's even more ridiculous is the way the minuscule differences between FF and APS-c are magnified to make them sound important. But let's look at your statement..
The K-3 will almost match the D610's image quality at low ISO's based on some studio tests that I did. The smaller sensors really have come very far lately! The only annoyance with APS-C is the smaller VF that you get

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11-15-2013, 01:15 PM   #12
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BTW, Adam, I'm hoping you have the 610 for a review in nikonforums...
11-15-2013, 11:44 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by Nesster Quote
BTW, Adam, I'm hoping you have the 610 for a review in nikonforums...
Not something I was planning on doing- NF won't be getting into in-depth reviews quite yet. We will be doing a quick review of the new 58mm lens, though.

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11-19-2013, 01:59 PM - 1 Like   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
The in-depth Pentax K-3 review is now live:

Pentax K-3 Review - Introduction - PentaxForums.com

This is our most comprehensive review to date, as the K-3 is the most advanced Pentax camera to date



Enjoy!
I just want to take time to thank you for running this forum. While I have been critical recently about the in depth review auto focus section, this forum has been a tremendous asset to me. I know running this must take time.

I cannot compare this forum to others but to me this one is superb.
12-03-2013, 07:46 PM   #15
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Probably should amend the review to cover the pTTL preflash shutter delay that is longer than other Pentax cameras...see thread below...
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