[Huxley]

What preferred settings do you folks use?
Haven't had much time to play, but to my eyes it seems in the right ballpark, but I'm not exactly a pixel peeper.

[enoeske]

What preferred settings do you folks use?
Haven't had much time to play, but to my eyes it seems in the right ballpark, but I'm not exactly a pixel peeper.

settings for what?

[Huxley]

settings for what?

Focus, af, saturation, iq anything really.

Just wondering what settings are preferred or is it a personal thing?
I find the lens a bit slow, so I do leave it on spot af.

[BigMackCam]

OK, assuming you're shooting JPG files, yes? So, the in-camera JPEG settings of your K3 are independent of your lens and will work for all lenses equally (contrast can be a variable depending on if you're using some older lenses, but we won't get into that just now ).

On my K3, I use "Natural", with all of the sliders (saturation, hue, high / low key and contrast) set to the center point. Based on recent advice, I have sharpness set to the center as well. You may want to up the saturation one notch depending on your preferences, but the rest are good as I've mentioned.

None of the above applies if you're shooting RAW, except for the JPG preview you see on your screen.

Which AF and metering settings you use will depend on the type of shooting you're doing, but a good starting point is AF.S for AF, and matrix metering (the one that evaluates all areas of the frame). You will want to change these in certain situations, but this will get you started.

Hope this helps

[Huxley]

Thank you, yeah I just need a shove in the right direction.
I'm shooting raw and jpg just in case I need the extra wiggle room.
As you have figured the K3 is all a bit new to me, and I haven't had much time to go out and use it.

[BigMackCam]

Thank you, yeah I just need a shove in the right direction.
I'm shooting raw and jpg just in case I need the extra wiggle room.
As you have figured the K3 is all a bit new to me, and I haven't had much time to go out and use it.

You're welcome. Congratulations on the K3 - it's a wonderful camera. Come back and ask when you run into difficulties - most of the people on the forum are very helpful; I've learned a huge amount here

Just a quick note - you may be aware of this already, but to re-state what I alluded to previously.... none of the image settings will have any effect on your RAW files - they're only for the in-camera JPEG engine. Same with all of those filters you see listed - they only affect JPEGs. For RAW, you'll create the look you want afterwards in one of the many free or paid-for post-processing applications.

The 18-250 is a good all-purpose lens (I have the slightly later 18-270) but not really designed for manual focus (though it's possible), so you're probably best sticking to AF of one sort or another, and AF.S is fine for many situations.

[Huxley]

Oh it's one very special camera.
I outgrew my Nx3000 in a matter of weeks, the K3 is something else, finally a camera I can really let loose with.
Never been one to rtfm I throw myself right in the deep end, I always learn best when it's sink or swim.
I just need a faster lens, then I can let rip.

[BigMackCam]

Oh it's one very special camera.
I outgrew my Nx3000 in a matter of weeks, the K3 is something else, finally a camera I can really let loose with.
Never been one to rtfm I throw myself right in the deep end, I always learn best when it's sink or swim.
I just need a faster lens, then I can let rip.

Sorry, just realised it's a Sigma 18-250 - I have the Pentax 18-270 so disregard that I'm sure the Sigma is nice... like my Pentax, a great one to have when you just want to carry one general purpose lens around. However, the K3 - as you're finding - is capable of so much and deserves good glass. None of my auto-focus lenses is particularly fast (much better than my 18-270, though), but there are plenty of people here with some very special lenses that can give you advice. Also, be sure to have a look here: Pentax Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database - you'll find what you're looking for Also, bear in mind that with careful post-processing, the high-ISO capability of the K3 is actually very good, so with slower lenses you can always push the ISO up to 1600 or even higher, depending on the situation. You'll still get good results.

[PT1]

For outdoor 'walk-around' use, I stay in Aperture priority, usually f/8, and try keeping the zoom below about 100 mm to avoid a drop in sharpness (can always crop to zoom later?)

the 18-250 may not be as sharp as a prime lens, but it's flexible, and there's a reduced risk of dust on the sensor by leaving it on?

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/291350-sigm...ml#post3201199