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09-15-2015, 08:03 AM   #1
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Upgrade to K-3 II from K-30

Hello ladies and gentlemen .


I am very much tempted right now by a K-3 II bundled with a 18-135mm to replace my 2,5 year old K-30. I am particularly hoping for and aiming for more sharpness and detail thanks to the megapixel bump and the GPS is a very nice bonus as well as I like to do astro stuff from time to time. However, I am unsure how much of an upgrade to expect. Most of the user reviews for the K-3/K-3 II here are from people who previously used a K-5 or K-7. And most commercial/professional reviews don't bother comparing it to a nearly three year old camera that is not meant to be in the same league anyway (any references to good comparisons on other sites are welcome as well).


So I would be very thankful for anyone to share their experience upgrading from a K-30 to a K-3 or K-3 II. Or of course comparisons if you have experience with both the K-30 and K-3/K-3 II.

09-15-2015, 08:23 AM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by Intrance Quote
Hello ladies and gentlemen .


I am very much tempted right now by a K-3 II bundled with a 18-135mm to replace my 2,5 year old K-30. I am particularly hoping for and aiming for more sharpness and detail thanks to the megapixel bump and the GPS is a very nice bonus as well as I like to do astro stuff from time to time. However, I am unsure how much of an upgrade to expect. Most of the user reviews for the K-3/K-3 II here are from people who previously used a K-5 or K-7. And most commercial/professional reviews don't bother comparing it to a nearly three year old camera that is not meant to be in the same league anyway (any references to good comparisons on other sites are welcome as well).


So I would be very thankful for anyone to share their experience upgrading from a K-30 to a K-3 or K-3 II. Or of course comparisons if you have experience with both the K-30 and K-3/K-3 II.
It would be a fairly substantial upgrade. From an image quality perspective you'll quickly notice higher detail in your files and more accurate colors at night. Since the K-30 is only slightly worse in terms of IQ than the K-5, you can safely base your assumptions on K-5 vs K-3 comparisons.

More importantly perhaps the K-3 also offers a much more durable build quality and even better ergonomics. Live view AF is faster and the 3:2 LCD aspect ratio means that there are no black bars in live view/playback.

Adam
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09-15-2015, 11:16 AM   #3
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Ok, all good info, thank you! It is really tempting, but I need to have a good nights sleep on it, hehe .
09-15-2015, 11:44 AM   #4
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A couple things to remember. The K-3II has 14-bit raw where as the K-30 has 12-bit Raw. From my experience, you can pull out a fair amount more shadow detail with the 14-bit raw cameras. I have had the K-5, K-5IIs and the K-3II (14-bit Raw cameras) as well as the K-30 (12-bit raw) So I do have experience with both.

Also, the K-30 files MIGHT look a bit cleaner at first. But if you downsize the K-3II files (or conversely upsize the K-30 files) to the same dimensions, the K-3(II) clearly is better.

Edited to add: Sometimes in my posts about these cameras i go back and forth between K-3 and K-3II or K-3(II). It gets confusing because both are so similar. Take them as all as interchangeable in this case because they all have the same resolution and 14-bit raw.

09-15-2015, 12:15 PM   #5
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I upgraded from the K50 to the K3. Ask me anything. I can tell you that my K50 still makes great shots and if I didn't have the K3 I wouldn't know what I was missing. The K3 is better in just about every way. Weight is the only real downside. I do not have the K3II but you have a good idea of the differences I suspect.

I shoot primarily jpeg - so the raw bit depth is a non-issue for me. However AF accuracy is higher, files crop with more detail left intact, battery life is far superior, ergonomics are better, top LCD is welcome to have again (I had on my K100D Super before moving to the K50).
09-15-2015, 01:15 PM   #6
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I had the same question and also considered lenses.
09-15-2015, 01:22 PM   #7
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Speaking of lenses...
I found focus peaking/magnification much quicker and smoother with the K-3(ii) as compared to the K-30 as well. So if you are a MF lens aficionado, it really is a godsend

09-16-2015, 06:39 AM   #8
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Thanks for the insights everyone. I think I will hold off on the K-3 II for a month or two at least. I do have some decent primes that would probably benefit from the extra megapixels and resolving ability, but I just can't justify spending the money right now. It would be better around Christmas time, hehe .


Edit: Well, this might actually go the other way. After browsing the K-30 forum for a bit I happened upon the "Random underexposure" thread. This sounded familiar to me as I have been having lots of underexposure issues with my Sigma 30mm F1.4 Art mounted... I'm not even looking for excuses to buy the K-3 II, but it seems like one has just been handed to me .

Last edited by Intrance; 09-16-2015 at 01:32 PM.
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