[jpzk]

The difference is in how the camera reports its status - the K3 says it is MF when the lens motor is turned off even though the camera settings are still AF. Otherwise, it works just the same as before (with the addition that it can be AF.A as well as AF.S).

Thanks for the info!

Great pics BTW.

JP

[AdrianM]

So, I am assuming that your Minister for War & Finance is similar to my Chancellor of the Exchequer or "She Who can't be Ignored" (Rumpole of the Bailey - my wife is a fan of British humor)?

Enjoy the new camera!!!!

Very similar but with expanded authority!

[AdrianM]

A shot from this morning at ISO 2000 with in-camera noise reduction turned off and no noise reduction in post-processing. Gotta be happy with that! Extent of post processing was crop, some curves adjustments, resize and sharpen.

White-browed Scrubwren

[AdrianM]

The focus system in the K3 - just love it. The subject of the shot below isn't anything special. What was special was that it was taken this evening in my family room with no special lighting using a Sigma 120-400 f5.6 DG APO HSM OS and a Tamron Pz-AF 1.4x TC, and it was done using autofocus - no hunting or halting - just hit the shutter button and got focus. I tried the same shot with my K5IIS and although it got close, it didn't lock focus.

Av mode, centre spot focus, ISO 4000, f5.6, 1/15th, on tripod

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[Canada_Rockies]

The focus system in the K3 - just love it. The subject of the shot below isn't anything special. What was special was that it was taken this evening in my family room with no special lighting using a Sigma 120-400 f5.6 DG APO HSM OS and a Tamron Pz-AF 1.4x TC, and it was done using autofocus - no hunting or halting - just hit the shutter button and got focus. I tried the same shot with my K5IIS and although it got close, it didn't lock focus.

Av mode, centre spot focus, ISO 4000, f5.6, 1/15th, on tripod

That's a sales pitch for K-3 if I ever saw one!!!

[AdrianM]

Another shot for viewing pleasure - a pair of Rainbow Lorikeets in my back yard. K3 and Sigma 120-400 f5.6 APO DG HSM OS; Av mode, ISO 1000, f6.3, 1/250th, 120mm. I am still trying this lens out on the K3 and am not sure of my focus adjustment at the long end. Processing was background noise reduction, resize and sharpen in Photoshop CS5. Nil noise reduction in-camera.

[AdrianM]

I spent the morning adjusting focus for a number of long lenses. This shot with the Sigma 500 f4.5 APO DG EX. Av mode, ISO 800, f6.3, 1/400th.

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[Canada_Rockies]

Nothing wrong with focus on that shot. I envy you your beautiful birds.

[Eyewanders]

I flippin love this new body.

[gosman]

Camera even better with the grip. Feels more substantial with the larger lenses! Also allows my pinky finger to find footing on the grip. Without the grip, the pinky dangles! Just be careful though. If the grip is turned on, the pinky will engage the focus with the grip shutter button. The grip manual even warns of this. Just keep it turned off until you start shooting verticals (which I do only about 5% of the time).

[Canada_Rockies]

I second the motion for leaving the grip off when not shooting portrait orientation. I've had "OMG - my K10D is dying!" moments when it was just that I had left the grip turned on.

[gosman]

Yes when I first put the grip on, I asked the salesman why is the auto focusing working without me pressing the shutter! He looked at it and said your pinky is hitting the shutter on the grip! Smaller hands probably will not have this problem.

[AdrianM]

Took the K3 down to Sydney for the weekend. Unfortunately, there were overcast skies and rain for the whole weekend but I think the K3 stood up pretty well. Even got the camera wet to prove that it could. I have posted an album of a number of shots. My favourite is the Saturday afternoon bride getting her photo taken in a sandstone archway near the Harbour bridge with bridesmaids waiting patiently (and no doubt a future husband also out there somewhere). All shots taken in DNG raw with either the Sigma 18-250 f3.5-6.3 HSM Macro or Pentax 10-17 Fisheye. When using Lightroom, accessing the Embedded colour space is the thing to do - the colours are much more accurate (particularly red and orange) than Adobe RGB.

AdrianM's Album: A wet weekend in Sydney with the K3 - PentaxForums.com