New K-3 owner - very impressed

longbow · 01-22-2015, 08:13 AM

After working with a K-50 for a year now, decided to upgrade and leave full control of the K-50 to my wife. Been eyeing the K-3 for a while, but the price was a bit out of range and going to get a K-5IIs instead. But last week when BuyDig had them $729, called B&H to see if they would match and they did !! Yesterday UPS delivered

First thing, got the battery charged enough to check the firmware version - 1.00, then put battery back into the charger and downloaded the firmware update. Got up a little bit earlier this morning (3am) with the battery charged, updated the firmware, formatted the SD cards and made the recommended settings Adam suggested in his review. Set it to AV - Ready to Rock !!
Been going though the forum trying to soak up as much info as possible - thanks BTW. Readied myself for the steep learning curve coming from a K-50, but so far I been impressed. The menu layout is very similar, though there are more buttons and in different places it's not intimidating, actually looking forward to learning how to use them.
So a couple questions: What is the consensus of where to set the High ISO NR ? Adam suggests to leave it Auto, have read to leave it off or on high. Same with Slow Shutter NR. Have set the ISO range to 100 - 1600 for now.
We have 4 lenses now: DA 18-135mm WR, D FA 50mm macro, D FA 100mm macro WR & a HD 55-300mm WR, the first 2 will stay with the K-50. I also have a DA55 on order. Most of my photography is outdoors off trail (will mostly on game trails actually) so want to get something wide angle for vista, lake & field shots, what would you suggest for focal length ? would prefer a prime.

Thank you for your help

Opus, my Citron Cockatoo was kind enough to pose this morning before I left for work:
no PP (not enough time)

Last edited by longbow; 09-10-2015 at 07:52 AM.

teoprome · 01-22-2015, 08:42 AM

compliments for your upgrade!
Do you know that for Iso NR you can select "Custom" which allows you to choose the amount of NR per ISO steps? in my K3 I've full customized this control: eg. no NR for ISO 100, 125, and 160, etc, etc
In aperture mode for example I've setted my iso range 100-6400, for having more speed in low light; I think that K3 has a good control of noise until 6400 iso, easily to correct in pp (in my opinion)
have fun with your K3!

redcat · 01-22-2015, 08:46 AM

very nice photo, underexposed a bit but easily fixed in Lightroom ^^

stevebrot · 01-22-2015, 08:46 AM

Originally posted by longbow

What is the consensus of where to set the High ISO NR ? Adam suggests to leave it Auto

Steve (me) also suggests leaving it on auto. There is some discussion regarding the online video by "Ed" suggesting that High ISO NR degrades image quality at moderate (800) ISO settings. I did a series of tests using RAW images and found no significant loss of detail or increase in "smearing". i also found the feature to be minimally effective at those low settings. For in-camera JPEG, there was some loss of detail, but again, not enough to warrant fiddling with the feature.

My general suggestion is to leave High ISO NR at the default and to turn it off completely, deferring all NR treatment to the excellent tools available in post-processing.

Steve

promacjoe · 01-22-2015, 08:48 AM

Every once in a while, High ISO NR Can blow out your image detail. Making the image unusable.
I prefer to leave High ISO NR turned off, Along with any other automatic setting that changes the picture. I can deal with it in postprocessing If needed, And have more control over it.

romay · 01-22-2015, 10:06 AM

As you've probably spent most of your savings on the camera already, I'd recommend the DA 35 2.4 as a normal prime just so you have something to work with for now. My wife has it on her K5-ii and it has great IQ. Probably best bang for the buck.

If you want a new normal zoom for your k-3 I strongly recommend saving up for the 20-40 limited.
I bought it one year ago, was prepared to send it back but it became my favourite lens (and I own all the other limiteds).

See how that 35mm fits you. If you want to stick with primes, the limiteds are the way to go long term. Otherwise invest in DA* and/or the new line of zooms that'll arrive soon.

normhead · 01-22-2015, 10:21 AM

For vistas and wide angle.. and hiking. Stay light, DA 15 ltd.

longbow · 01-22-2015, 10:50 AM

Hey thanks everyone

Alright, set High ISO NR to Auto, reset ISO range 100-3200 - it's a start.

Romay - had the DA 35 2.4, returned it, not the quality I was looking for, though very decent for the money & lightweight. Savings took a bump, but quite intact.

Norm - thanks for the validation, what I was leaning towards, like lightweight, that's why the D FA 100mm is usually on the camera.

One more question: Program Line, what's a good place to start ? have it on Normal, but was wondering about MTF.

Leaving it on JPEG for now until I learn more about post processing.

Also, loving that quiet shutter, maybe now the wildlife won't running for cover when I take a picture !!

Driline · 01-22-2015, 11:08 AM

Originally posted by longbow

Alright, set High ISO NR to Auto

Set to OFF not AUTO if shooting Jpeg.

longbow · 01-22-2015, 12:10 PM

Originally posted by Driline

Set to OFF not AUTO if shooting Jpeg.

Got it, thanks

**UncleVanya** · 01-22-2015, 12:42 PM

Why not set it to CUSTOM and then set 100-1250 as OFF and set minimal for 1600-5000 and moderate from 6400-52000 or even have max on the highest ISO's?

**savoche** · 01-22-2015, 12:57 PM

As for program line... I suppose MFT is good for kit lens type lenses. For the D FA 100 doesn't really matter - it's sharp (almost) whatever you do.

That said, I prefer to have full control over the aperture. Av (or TAv or M) will give you that. Then you can decide yourself what's important for each shot, be it sharpness, wide/narrow depth of field, etc.

Paul the Sunman · 01-22-2015, 03:23 PM

Originally posted by savoche

That said, I prefer to have full control over the aperture. Av (or TAv or M) will give you that. Then you can decide yourself what's important for each shot, be it sharpness, wide/narrow depth of field, etc.

I find P mode the best choice in most cases on the K-3. You can optionally control the aperture with the rear dial or the shutter speed with the front dial, and can leave ISO on auto or set it to your choice. For those occasions when you don't have time to make any of those settings, the Program Line generally makes a sensible choice.

The DA15 is my go-to WA lens; very happy with it.

CNunez · 01-22-2015, 03:26 PM

I think I have slow shutter nr off, and custom iso pretty much no nr up to 3200 and minimum from 6400.

A feature I like is using the raw flex button to activate sr when needed.

longbow · 01-22-2015, 06:32 PM

Thanks for all the suggestions, now it's time to start taking pictures, make mistakes, learn and have fun.

The DA 15 will be my next lens.

01-22-2015, 08:13 AM	#1
longbow Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: NW Oregon Posts: 905	New K-3 owner - very impressed After working with a K-50 for a year now, decided to upgrade and leave full control of the K-50 to my wife. Been eyeing the K-3 for a while, but the price was a bit out of range and going to get a K-5IIs instead. But last week when BuyDig had them $729, called B&H to see if they would match and they did !! Yesterday UPS delivered First thing, got the battery charged enough to check the firmware version - 1.00, then put battery back into the charger and downloaded the firmware update. Got up a little bit earlier this morning (3am) with the battery charged, updated the firmware, formatted the SD cards and made the recommended settings Adam suggested in his review. Set it to AV - Ready to Rock !! Been going though the forum trying to soak up as much info as possible - thanks BTW. Readied myself for the steep learning curve coming from a K-50, but so far I been impressed. The menu layout is very similar, though there are more buttons and in different places it's not intimidating, actually looking forward to learning how to use them. So a couple questions: What is the consensus of where to set the High ISO NR ? Adam suggests to leave it Auto, have read to leave it off or on high. Same with Slow Shutter NR. Have set the ISO range to 100 - 1600 for now. We have 4 lenses now: DA 18-135mm WR, D FA 50mm macro, D FA 100mm macro WR & a HD 55-300mm WR, the first 2 will stay with the K-50. I also have a DA55 on order. Most of my photography is outdoors off trail (will mostly on game trails actually) so want to get something wide angle for vista, lake & field shots, what would you suggest for focal length ? would prefer a prime. Thank you for your help Opus, my Citron Cockatoo was kind enough to pose this morning before I left for work: no PP (not enough time) Last edited by longbow; 09-10-2015 at 07:52 AM.

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01-22-2015, 08:42 AM	#2
teoprome Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 41	compliments for your upgrade! Do you know that for Iso NR you can select "Custom" which allows you to choose the amount of NR per ISO steps? in my K3 I've full customized this control: eg. no NR for ISO 100, 125, and 160, etc, etc In aperture mode for example I've setted my iso range 100-6400, for having more speed in low light; I think that K3 has a good control of noise until 6400 iso, easily to correct in pp (in my opinion) have fun with your K3!

01-22-2015, 08:46 AM	#3
redcat Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Paris Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,939	very nice photo, underexposed a bit but easily fixed in Lightroom ^^

01-22-2015, 08:46 AM	#4
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by longbow What is the consensus of where to set the High ISO NR ? Adam suggests to leave it Auto Steve (me) also suggests leaving it on auto. There is some discussion regarding the online video by "Ed" suggesting that High ISO NR degrades image quality at moderate (800) ISO settings. I did a series of tests using RAW images and found no significant loss of detail or increase in "smearing". i also found the feature to be minimally effective at those low settings. For in-camera JPEG, there was some loss of detail, but again, not enough to warrant fiddling with the feature. My general suggestion is to leave High ISO NR at the default and to turn it off completely, deferring all NR treatment to the excellent tools available in post-processing. Steve

01-22-2015, 08:48 AM	#5
promacjoe Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 340	Every once in a while, High ISO NR Can blow out your image detail. Making the image unusable. I prefer to leave High ISO NR turned off, Along with any other automatic setting that changes the picture. I can deal with it in postprocessing If needed, And have more control over it.

01-22-2015, 10:06 AM	#6
romay Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 113	As you've probably spent most of your savings on the camera already, I'd recommend the DA 35 2.4 as a normal prime just so you have something to work with for now. My wife has it on her K5-ii and it has great IQ. Probably best bang for the buck. If you want a new normal zoom for your k-3 I strongly recommend saving up for the 20-40 limited. I bought it one year ago, was prepared to send it back but it became my favourite lens (and I own all the other limiteds). See how that 35mm fits you. If you want to stick with primes, the limiteds are the way to go long term. Otherwise invest in DA* and/or the new line of zooms that'll arrive soon.

01-22-2015, 10:21 AM	#7
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,450	For vistas and wide angle.. and hiking. Stay light, DA 15 ltd.

01-22-2015, 10:50 AM	#8
longbow Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: NW Oregon Posts: 905 Original Poster	Hey thanks everyone Alright, set High ISO NR to Auto, reset ISO range 100-3200 - it's a start. Romay - had the DA 35 2.4, returned it, not the quality I was looking for, though very decent for the money & lightweight. Savings took a bump, but quite intact. Norm - thanks for the validation, what I was leaning towards, like lightweight, that's why the D FA 100mm is usually on the camera. One more question: Program Line, what's a good place to start ? have it on Normal, but was wondering about MTF. Leaving it on JPEG for now until I learn more about post processing. Also, loving that quiet shutter, maybe now the wildlife won't running for cover when I take a picture !!

01-22-2015, 11:08 AM	#9
Driline Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: IOWA Where the Tall Corn Grows Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,692	Originally posted by longbow Alright, set High ISO NR to Auto Set to OFF not AUTO if shooting Jpeg.

01-22-2015, 12:10 PM	#10
longbow Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: NW Oregon Posts: 905 Original Poster	Originally posted by Driline Set to OFF not AUTO if shooting Jpeg. Got it, thanks

01-22-2015, 12:42 PM	#11
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,385	Why not set it to CUSTOM and then set 100-1250 as OFF and set minimal for 1600-5000 and moderate from 6400-52000 or even have max on the highest ISO's?

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01-22-2015, 12:57 PM	#12
savoche Master of the obvious Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Lowlands of Norway Posts: 18,311	As for program line... I suppose MFT is good for kit lens type lenses. For the D FA 100 doesn't really matter - it's sharp (almost) whatever you do. That said, I prefer to have full control over the aperture. Av (or TAv or M) will give you that. Then you can decide yourself what's important for each shot, be it sharpness, wide/narrow depth of field, etc.

01-22-2015, 03:23 PM	#13
Paul the Sunman Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,842	Originally posted by savoche That said, I prefer to have full control over the aperture. Av (or TAv or M) will give you that. Then you can decide yourself what's important for each shot, be it sharpness, wide/narrow depth of field, etc. I find P mode the best choice in most cases on the K-3. You can optionally control the aperture with the rear dial or the shutter speed with the front dial, and can leave ISO on auto or set it to your choice. For those occasions when you don't have time to make any of those settings, the Program Line generally makes a sensible choice. The DA15 is my go-to WA lens; very happy with it.

01-22-2015, 03:26 PM	#14
CNunez Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Photos: Gallery Posts: 168	I think I have slow shutter nr off, and custom iso pretty much no nr up to 3200 and minimum from 6400. A feature I like is using the raw flex button to activate sr when needed.

01-22-2015, 06:32 PM	#15
longbow Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: NW Oregon Posts: 905 Original Poster	Thanks for all the suggestions, now it's time to start taking pictures, make mistakes, learn and have fun. The DA 15 will be my next lens.