[hcc]

Imaging resource has just released the complete review of the Pentax K-3:
Pentax K-3 Review - Overview

The review is full of praises:
"The Pentax K-3 is a true, no-excuses premium DSLR, that stands toe-to-toe with anything on the market, while besting many on features and capability. And its switchable antialiasing filter technology is absolutely unique."

"The most exciting new feature, though, is the Pentax K-3's impressively-clever on-demand optical low-pass filtering system. This innovative use of an existing technology, coupled with so many new features and Pentax's famous full weather sealing combine to make this flagship DSLR an enthusiast shooter's dream."

I personally enjoys the section Shooting with the Pentax K-3 II- Time for some more exciting glass! in which the reviewer made a worthwhile effort to use quality prime lenses (instead of the DA18-135mm).

This adds nicely to the in-depth review at PF:
Pentax K-3 Review - Introduction - Pentax Camera Forums
and the more recent review at DPreview:
Pentax K-3 Review: Digital Photography Review

[rfg]

One interesting thing in the IR review is they only achieved just over 7 fps in continuous drive mode, whereas the Pentax Forum review confirms the claimed 8.3 fps. I wonder what AF settings each used?

[lister6520]

I have actually got more than 8.3fps, that figure probably being some sort of statistical guarantee. There are however various factors that can reduce the frame rate. I know of three:

1. Focus priority AF mode, but that is pretty obvious
2. Slow shutter speeds - the effect of shutter speed necessarily starts to become significant at about 1/125s and at 1/30 it is necessarily a drastic reduction.
3. The lens - I am guessing this could be due to the time it takes for the iris to open and close and different lenses seem to have different response times.

The shutter speed effect is a mathematical necessity - at 1/125 seconds the actual exposure starts to become a significant part of the cycle about 6% of it, meaning that the frame rate cannot theoretically exceed 7.8fps. At 1/30 it accounts for more than a quarter of the time reducing the maximum possible frame rate to 6.5fps. This is of course always on the assumption that the rest of the cycle is unaffected by the shutter speed, and I see no reason why it should.

The lens is interesting and was somewhat surprising - the fact that the lens changes the frame rate must mean that there is some feedback mechanism letting the camera know when the iris has actually reached its intended position. I had always though it would just push the lever and hope the iris is fast enough . This is necessarily so for manual lenses but apparently the ones with contacts either have some means of confirming the iris position or else have some EEPROM information about how quickly it responds.

[gosman]

Equal time must be devoted to the cons: "AE Lock button is poorly located; Below-average battery life for a DSLR; Rather dated-looking menu system; Requires a different battery grip accessory than its predecessors; Less third-party support than some rivals". All of which I have experienced.

[rfg]

Equal time must be devoted to the cons: "AE Lock button is poorly located; Below-average battery life for a DSLR; Rather dated-looking menu system; Requires a different battery grip accessory than its predecessors; Less third-party support than some rivals". All of which I have experienced.

Agree except for "Rather dated-looking menu system" ??? Who really cares? The video mode SR is MUCH more worthy of mention in the cons list IMHO.

---------- Post added 05-05-14 at 03:13 PM ----------

I have actually got more than 8.3fps ...

I just noticed that the DPR review measured over 8.3 as well: 8.9 fps in raw mode in fact!

[bdery]

The look of the menues, I couldn't care less. But I would definitely love a custom menu, where you could store your more often-accessed features. format, file type, sensor cleaning, dust alert and a few others would get together there...

[MJSfoto1956]

+1 on being able to create a custom menu.

M

+1 on the custom menu. What a brilliant idea! Wish I thought of that myself... Making that possible is not many hours of programming.

[karro]

most of the features are accessible under "INFO" menu (when in shooting mode, hit "info"). OK, sensor cleaning/dust alert aren't there, but how often does one do "QUICK! I need to clean the sensor!"
For me, the INFO menu covers just about everything.

[bdery]

most of the features are accessible under "INFO" menu (when in shooting mode, hit "info"). OK, sensor cleaning/dust alert aren't there, but how often does one do "QUICK! I need to clean the sensor!"
For me, the INFO menu covers just about everything.

It's true that INFO is a great tool, one that I still learn to use coming from the K20D. But some things like Format are not there. Having a custom menu would be a bonus in any case.