Pentax K-3 - Tactical Photo Camera

Markovo · 02-03-2021, 03:13 PM - **1 Like**

I just wanted to share a bit old, but very interesting review of the K-3: Pentax K-3 ? ?????????? ?????????? - DivinePictures

The review is written in Bulgarian, but you can easily translate it with Chrome.

And just to tease you, these are part of the review:

WileyB · 02-03-2021, 03:54 PM

Originally posted by Markovo

I just wanted to share a bit old, but very interesting review of the K-3: Pentax K-3 ? ?????????? ?????????? - DivinePictures

The review is written in Bulgarian, but you can easily translate it with Chrome.

And just to tease you, these are part of the review:

Wow.

What was the drawer he put it in for the ice coat - like some kind of freezer/dishwasher?

Paul the Sunman · 02-03-2021, 05:56 PM

Abuse!

stevebrot · 02-03-2021, 06:59 PM

Originally posted by Markovo

I just wanted to share a bit old, but very interesting review of the K-3: Pentax K-3 ? ?????????? ?????????? - DivinePictures

The review is written in Bulgarian, but you can easily translate it with Chrome.

And just to tease you, these are part of the review:

I remember that review...very informative. The best part being that after watching, I did not have to do those tests on my camera.

Steve

Markovo · 02-04-2021, 02:30 AM - **11 Likes**

Originally posted by WileyB

Wow.

What was the drawer he put it in for the ice coat - like some kind of freezer/dishwasher?

Yes, it's a freezer. A very old one. From the 90s I think.

I personaly know the man behind that review, infact I bought my first K-1 from him. He assured me that he never did the freezing experiment on the K-1, because he was sure that K-1 will perform great after what he did with the K-3. And yes, the K-3 from the review is still working today.

One year ago (2019 actually) I was climbing one of our highest peaks here in Bulgaria. It was snowy and there was a blizzard (it was around -10°C). Long story short, my two K-1s froze with a thin ice crust over the shutter button and I had to break the ice to be able to use them agan. There was no problem at all. I just break the ice and continued using the cameras. Boy, how proud I was that day. Here are some photos from the hike:

And here is the K-1 in its natural habitat (thats from another hike in 2020):

jeallen01 · 02-04-2021, 07:39 AM

More Abuse

gatorguy · 02-04-2021, 07:50 AM

Originally posted by Markovo

Yes, it's a freezer. A very old one. From the 90s I think.

I personaly know the man behind that review, infact I bought my first K-1 from him. He assured me that he never did the freezing experiment on the K-1, because he was sure that K-1 will perform great after what he did with the K-3. And yes, the K-3 from the review is still working today.

One year ago (2019 actually) I was climbing one of our highest peaks here in Bulgaria. It was snowy and there was a blizzard (it was around -10°C). Long story short, my two K-1s froze with a thin ice crust over the shutter button and I had to break the ice to be able to use them agan. There was no problem at all. I just break the ice and continued using the cameras. Boy, how proud I was that day. Here are some photos from the hike:

And here is the K-1 in its natural habitat (thats from another hike in 2020):

Amazing images! The sheer power of the winter wind is so evident. I'm impressed with your K-1's capabilities in such a challenging environment.

WileyB · 02-04-2021, 08:34 AM

The frosty hut photos are fabulous - nice work!

**MossyRocks** · 02-04-2021, 08:45 AM

I love what these cameras can take. I've never forzen mine in ice but have used them in -20F to -25F some what regularly and apart from batteries not lasting very long without a warm up in the pocket they have performed fantastically. I have had a lot of frost on them as well as dew while doing astro.

Markovo · 02-04-2021, 09:07 AM

Here is a short video I made of my first K-1 body with Irix 15mm:

You Tube

Just the day before New Year - 29.12.2020y. Again around -10°C and even stronger wind at times.

Bcrary3 · 04-16-2021, 02:25 PM

Terrific images! Looks like an other place to add to the ever growing list of places to visit!

swanlefitte · 04-16-2021, 10:30 PM

And to think I have concern when I bring my Pentax out for an hour in -20F.

Markovo · 04-18-2021, 02:09 PM

Originally posted by swanlefitte

And to think I have concern when I bring my Pentax out for an hour in -20F.

It can take a beating (the beating being below zero temps and ice all over the body).

Forget to mention that I used my 3rd party Hähnel batteries in both hikes...

pkboy · 04-18-2021, 07:01 PM

Good to see. I'm starting to come around to the idea of not totally baby-ing my k-3. It rained a tiny bit the other day and I didn't obsessively wipe it down every time a drop of rain touched it

**reduno** · 04-19-2021, 05:47 AM - **1 Like**

If Ricoh are using industrial grade semiconductors, they should be good down to -40C. Hopefully they also selected capacitors with a similar operating temperature range. With temperature extremes, the biggest issue is likely to be differences in thermal expansion coefficients between the board and the surface mount components. I don't know how much thermal cycling Ricoh does (if any) to determine when the solder interface on the Ball Grid Array (BGA) components like the processor will fail.

Having dismantled several of these cameras, the other area of concern would be the multiple wires that are just soldered to the boards. With constant vibration, I could see these failing if the camera spent a lot of time in a vehicle or aircraft (especially if not in a well padded case).

02-03-2021, 03:13 PM - 1 Like	#1
Markovo Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Bulgaria Posts: 149	Pentax K-3 - Tactical Photo Camera I just wanted to share a bit old, but very interesting review of the K-3: Pentax K-3 ? ?????????? ?????????? - DivinePictures The review is written in Bulgarian, but you can easily translate it with Chrome. And just to tease you, these are part of the review:

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02-03-2021, 03:54 PM	#2
WileyB Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: New Mexico Photos: Albums Posts: 441	Originally posted by Markovo I just wanted to share a bit old, but very interesting review of the K-3: Pentax K-3 ? ?????????? ?????????? - DivinePictures The review is written in Bulgarian, but you can easily translate it with Chrome. And just to tease you, these are part of the review: Wow. What was the drawer he put it in for the ice coat - like some kind of freezer/dishwasher?

02-03-2021, 05:56 PM	#3
Paul the Sunman Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,843	Abuse!

02-03-2021, 06:59 PM	#4
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by Markovo I just wanted to share a bit old, but very interesting review of the K-3: Pentax K-3 ? ?????????? ?????????? - DivinePictures The review is written in Bulgarian, but you can easily translate it with Chrome. And just to tease you, these are part of the review: I remember that review...very informative. The best part being that after watching, I did not have to do those tests on my camera. Steve

02-04-2021, 02:30 AM - 11 Likes	#5
Markovo Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Bulgaria Posts: 149 Original Poster	Originally posted by WileyB Wow. What was the drawer he put it in for the ice coat - like some kind of freezer/dishwasher? Yes, it's a freezer. A very old one. From the 90s I think. I personaly know the man behind that review, infact I bought my first K-1 from him. He assured me that he never did the freezing experiment on the K-1, because he was sure that K-1 will perform great after what he did with the K-3. And yes, the K-3 from the review is still working today. One year ago (2019 actually) I was climbing one of our highest peaks here in Bulgaria. It was snowy and there was a blizzard (it was around -10°C). Long story short, my two K-1s froze with a thin ice crust over the shutter button and I had to break the ice to be able to use them agan. There was no problem at all. I just break the ice and continued using the cameras. Boy, how proud I was that day. Here are some photos from the hike: And here is the K-1 in its natural habitat (thats from another hike in 2020):

02-04-2021, 07:39 AM	#6
jeallen01 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2008 Location: London, UK Posts: 1,697	More Abuse

02-04-2021, 07:50 AM	#7
gatorguy Moderator Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Central Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,092	Originally posted by Markovo Yes, it's a freezer. A very old one. From the 90s I think. I personaly know the man behind that review, infact I bought my first K-1 from him. He assured me that he never did the freezing experiment on the K-1, because he was sure that K-1 will perform great after what he did with the K-3. And yes, the K-3 from the review is still working today. One year ago (2019 actually) I was climbing one of our highest peaks here in Bulgaria. It was snowy and there was a blizzard (it was around -10°C). Long story short, my two K-1s froze with a thin ice crust over the shutter button and I had to break the ice to be able to use them agan. There was no problem at all. I just break the ice and continued using the cameras. Boy, how proud I was that day. Here are some photos from the hike: And here is the K-1 in its natural habitat (thats from another hike in 2020): Amazing images! The sheer power of the winter wind is so evident. I'm impressed with your K-1's capabilities in such a challenging environment.

02-04-2021, 08:34 AM	#8
WileyB Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: New Mexico Photos: Albums Posts: 441	The frosty hut photos are fabulous - nice work!

02-04-2021, 08:45 AM	#9
MossyRocks Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Minnesota Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,982	I love what these cameras can take. I've never forzen mine in ice but have used them in -20F to -25F some what regularly and apart from batteries not lasting very long without a warm up in the pocket they have performed fantastically. I have had a lot of frost on them as well as dew while doing astro.

04-16-2021, 02:25 PM	#11
Bcrary3 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Wisconsin Photos: Gallery Posts: 391	Terrific images! Looks like an other place to add to the ever growing list of places to visit!

04-16-2021, 10:30 PM	#12
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	And to think I have concern when I bring my Pentax out for an hour in -20F.

04-18-2021, 02:09 PM	#13
Markovo Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Bulgaria Posts: 149 Original Poster	Originally posted by swanlefitte And to think I have concern when I bring my Pentax out for an hour in -20F. It can take a beating (the beating being below zero temps and ice all over the body). Forget to mention that I used my 3rd party Hähnel batteries in both hikes...

04-18-2021, 07:01 PM	#14
pkboy Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Lantau Island Posts: 890	Good to see. I'm starting to come around to the idea of not totally baby-ing my k-3. It rained a tiny bit the other day and I didn't obsessively wipe it down every time a drop of rain touched it

04-19-2021, 05:47 AM - 1 Like	#15
reduno Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Central NY, USA Posts: 965	If Ricoh are using industrial grade semiconductors, they should be good down to -40C. Hopefully they also selected capacitors with a similar operating temperature range. With temperature extremes, the biggest issue is likely to be differences in thermal expansion coefficients between the board and the surface mount components. I don't know how much thermal cycling Ricoh does (if any) to determine when the solder interface on the Ball Grid Array (BGA) components like the processor will fail. Having dismantled several of these cameras, the other area of concern would be the multiple wires that are just soldered to the boards. With constant vibration, I could see these failing if the camera spent a lot of time in a vehicle or aircraft (especially if not in a well padded case).