[Jon]

Just unboxed my K-3 last night, so I thought i'd introduce myself to the section. I'm coming from a K-30 (will now be my back-up body), and a host of 35mm Pentax cameras. Sprung for the K-3 in order to start doing some contract portraiture part-time (engagement, maternity, newborn). I used FF Canons for work before, and was toying with picking up a couple 5d MKii's. Truth is once I broke free from the clutches of the Big Two camera companies I don't think I'll ever go back. I just love hearing "Pentax? They still make cameras?" Anyways... Pentax impressed me again. The K-3 is, in typical Pentax fashion, remarkably well built yet unintuitive. The shutter sound is quieter than some mirrorless cameras. I am disappointed that the wifi solution is a pentax brand wifi SD card. Anyone have luck with that? The SR is noticeably improved, and seems now on par with L-glass IS. The flash X-sync mode is very exciting as well, since I do a lot of off camera flash. Mated with the new Sigma 17-70 Contemporary, the AF seems very accurate, and the resolution is pretty sharp as well. And even though I'm more into stills, it is nice to see that Pentax has paid a little more attention to video capabilities (that of which I have not yet tested on the K-3, but I hear good things). I will be heading out to LA to shoot this weekend, so I'll have much more experience with it come Monday. Overall though, things are looking up!
Anyways, it's nice to meet you guys.
And here she is...

---

Last edited by Tom S.; 12-14-2013 at 08:34 AM.

[eaglem]

Welcome to the Pentax Family, we know you'll enjoy your stay.

[Barbarosa]

Is interesting that ppl who come from other systems have words of praise for pentax gear but ppl who are longer with pentax just complain much.
welcome to pentax community Jon

[Jon]

Guess I should have myself a little more clear. While I have used Canon and m4/3 a lot... I'm not that new to Pentax. But thanks for the kind welcome guys.
And if Pentaxians want to complain, I can assure you there are a lot of good used FF Canons out there on ebay. Now while the 5D (mk Anything) is a great tool, it is just that, a tool. I opted for Pentax because photography for me is not just about the finished product, but how you felt along the way.
Here is the rest of my Pentax stable, excluding some lenses.

[Apapukas]

That red button looks really evil!

[Mikesul]

Welcome to the Forum, Jon. I like and very much agree with your comment that it not just the picture but the experience along the way that attracts you to Pentax. The K3 just feels good in the hand. Please share your experiences with the camera in LA when you get back.

[LeRolls]

Welcome and I look forward to checking out your pics!

[Na Horuk]

Welcome! Glad you joined the forums. Great photos, hope you share some more

[unkipunki]

Yes, Welcome to the K3 world. That 50mm 1.7 looks great on the K3. Personally I haven't held anything as functionally tactile in my hands before the K3 ( at least in terms of photography) and have always felt other cameras owe me output. This time round I feel I owe the camera input.

[pentax user]

What makes you change system?
how about auto continuous autofocus?
It's always nice to hear what they have to say about pentax from people shooting pro from other system
Other than the wifi thing, are there anythings pentax is lagging behind?

[tabl10s]

Guess I should have myself a little more clear. While I have used Canon and m4/3 a lot... I'm not that new to Pentax. But thanks for the kind welcome guys.
And if Pentaxians want to complain, I can assure you there are a lot of good used FF Canons out there on ebay. Now while the 5D (mk Anything) is a great tool, it is just that, a tool. I opted for Pentax because photography for me is not just about the finished product, but how you felt along the way.
Here is the rest of my Pentax stable, excluding some lenses.

Whaaa?!,

No LX?

[Jon]

^I wish!
So after a full day of shooting around the beach in LA, I'm pretty impressed. I find the AF to be very accurate, although It did struggle on a couple occasions to find focus, which was disappointing. I'm old school and if I use AF, it's 'center point and recompose' the majority of the time. Also, there were some under exposures, but I can not fault Pentax too much for this one, As I will take an under exposure and the hidden detail, over a destroyed over exposure any day. I suspect this was just the programming erring on the side of caution. Being a Pentax, I knew the viewfinder would be good, and it is. I do prefer this to the Canons I've worked with, but come on Pentax. Where is the eye sensor already?The camera wrote files fast and kept up well with bursts of 10 or more, (80 mbs SD). The button layout will take some time to memorize, but actions like the ISO adjust button are intuitive, I do wish the green button was still topside like on the k30. Also, why is the AE-L button impossible to use with out sacrificing good grip? I will have to try out setting the exposure to lock along with focus. The screen is very clear, and I like that the size now corresponds with the image dimensions. I like the feel, but am wanting for a battery grip to fill out the camera and balance the weight. I believe the AWB and color rendering are very much on par with the competition (or better) (the camera had no problem with the manual flash and modifiers I threw at it) and while I have not yet put the files through lightroom, the previews seem very sharp and the lowlight samples, ISO 3200-6400, appear "useable". As a portrait shooter I am happy so far. I can see where this would not be the first choice for sports shooters, despite its impressive burst rate, as I did miss shots when it refused to focus. The battery life seems solid about 300-400 shots without any battery indication change (we'll see come morning). Overall, myself and the gentleman I was shooting with (nikon guy) were impressed in how it handled the day. He especially liked the subdued mirror/shutter sounds, and the customizability. Once I get some files into lightroom and silver efex I'll see how they stand up, and report more (with pictures). Super short term conclusion, get a battery grip, spend a day messing with the presets, test video, try more old glass, and rent/buy a fast portrait prime (70-85ish) and see what it can really do for me.

[klkitchens]

What is an eye sensor? I'll google too but might be too common a phrase

[Mikesul]

It detects when you are using the viewfinder and turns off the lcd and, usually, vice versa.

[Jon]

I set AE to lock with AF. And set the EV steps to 1/2 in order to reach 1/180th for max flash sync. Anybody have a preferred color preset other than natural? I convert most my work to Mono, but the K-3s color reproduction is promising so far.