[languishing]

I'm planning on majoring in film, and wondering if the k-3 would be suitable for making videos and if it's worth the $$. I loved a variety of videos created by using the pentax k-x

You Tube

You Tube

and k-5

You Tube

You Tube

but not many people seem to agree with using the pentax as a camera for making movies.. I'm sorta confused whether it's worth buying- yet I love the fact you can use different lenses even for video and it seems much more useful than a camcorder but I can't understand half the things people are saying in these forums when it comes to technical properties :/

[johnmflores]

The K-3 may or may not be good for video. We'll have to wait for some video-oriented tests. But if you choose the K-3, you can be certain of one thing - you will likely be alone among your peers and struggle to find support communities and accessory makers to help you get the most out of the camera. Canon (and Panasonic to a lesser degree) dominate the space at the moment, and others like Blackmagic are introducing interesting alternatives. For someone on a budget I usually recommend the Panasonic GH2, since it open up lots of opportunities for cheap, high quality, manual focus primes.

I'm not saying that the K-3 is a bad choice, it's just that you should be aware of the larger implications of your decision and be ok with them.

[Kona]

The K-3 may or may not be good for video. We'll have to wait for some video-oriented tests. But if you choose the K-3, you can be certain of one thing - you will likely be alone among your peers and struggle to find support communities and accessory makers to help you get the most out of the camera. Canon (and Panasonic to a lesser degree) dominate the space at the moment, and others like Blackmagic are introducing interesting alternatives. For someone on a budget I usually recommend the Panasonic GH2, since it open up lots of opportunities for cheap, high quality, manual focus primes.

I'm not saying that the K-3 is a bad choice, it's just that you should be aware of the larger implications of your decision and be ok with them.

I don't see what you mean. Pretty much all accessories are brand neutral, mounting on the hotshoe or the tripod screw. As long as the actual video formats the K3 can do are a vast improvement over previous generations, the K3 should be perfectly fine for most video purposes. It has mic and headphone ports, so Ricoh seem to be taking it a bit more seriously, at least. With a third party mic and the plethora of lenses available to us, slap it on a rail or shoulder rig or whatever you want to do with it (which just use the tripod screw, thus brand neutral) it all comes down to the formats, and ultimate quality of video the K3 can capture more than anything else.

Of course, things like autofocus, focus peeking in video mode, and features like that may make a difference, but on paper, the K3 should be quite capable for general purpose video.

[Dr_who]

If you can do this with a K7, I image the skies the limit with the K3.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vez7qSrZfpc&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DVez7qSrZfpc

[jimr-pdx]

The K-3 is Pentax' best offering to date for video specs. Still as John says, more people are using other brands and therefore can express video nuances that Pentax cameras may not do as well. If you want autofocus to happen naturally in your videos, for example - I had a Lumix GF2 that did that very well, but Pentax dSLRs require you to act before focus will happen, and in most circumstances focusing manually is the better choice.

If you put the effort into it, nearly any camera can do the work, as seen above. If you enjoy the effort of creating a video then Pentax may be more interesting to you!

[johnmflores]

I don't see what you mean. Pretty much all accessories are brand neutral, mounting on the hotshoe or the tripod screw. As long as the actual video formats the K3 can do are a vast improvement over previous generations, the K3 should be perfectly fine for most video purposes. It has mic and headphone ports, so Ricoh seem to be taking it a bit more seriously, at least. With a third party mic and the plethora of lenses available to us, slap it on a rail or shoulder rig or whatever you want to do with it (which just use the tripod screw, thus brand neutral) it all comes down to the formats, and ultimate quality of video the K3 can capture more than anything else.

Of course, things like autofocus, focus peeking in video mode, and features like that may make a difference, but on paper, the K3 should be quite capable for general purpose video.

Things that aren't available for Pentax video:
- accessory cages
- Magic Lantern hacks
- speedbooster adapters
- wide range of F1.4 and faster lenses
- community support on places like Personal-View, DVXUser, etc
- high power v-mount style battery options

And that's just off the top of my head. The K-3 may well be a good camera for video, but someone treading into these waters should be prepared to be a pioneer.

[pTom]

if Pentax K-3 can shoot a slow motion like the video below , it's definitely a big release for my stress !

You Tube

You Tube

[languishing]

The K-3 is Pentax' best offering to date for video specs. Still as John says, more people are using other brands and therefore can express video nuances that Pentax cameras may not do as well. If you want autofocus to happen naturally in your videos, for example - I had a Lumix GF2 that did that very well, but Pentax dSLRs require you to act before focus will happen, and in most circumstances focusing manually is the better choice.

If you put the effort into it, nearly any camera can do the work, as seen above. If you enjoy the effort of creating a video then Pentax may be more interesting to you!

Yeah I wanted to take the time into making my films, and capturing every little shot which will be manually focused by me (also who knows if the firmware allows autofocus in video later on) from what I understand the Pentax K-3 seems generally a better investment. Otherwise I've been thinking about buying the GH3, but the heart wants what the heart wants Since this is for film school, and I'm more of an amateur (more so focusing on screenwriting, producing, yet have a vision as a director) I think spending $1800 on this camera for example, and a cheaper pentax lens ex.$200 and various cheaper vintage lenses would be a greater investment for me to achieve what type of cinematic film I want to create. It may take it effort to get the best results but I think this camera would last a long time :$

[7samurai]

Canon has the Magic Lantern firmware hacks, which you should check out. They were created by film makers for film makers.
Does your film school specify any specific camera?
Don't forget you may be able to borrow lens from your film school buddies who shoot Canon. I suspect Pentax will be in the super minority in film class.
I wouldn't count on autofocus being used in film school. Mostly likely you'll need to pull your own focus.
I wouldn't count on autofocus being added to the firmware.
The K-3 currently only has digital stabilization, which may be supplemented with mechanical stabilization in the future, or so I hope.
If you need to shoot underwater, Canon and Nikon housing are more common. Don't know if the K-5 underwater housings will work on the K-3.
Do you need cinema lens? I'm not aware of any cinema lens made by Pentax. SamYang is suppose to release a entire line of manual cinema lenses. I'm personally interested in these since I can pull my own and they should be reasonably priced.

Good luck with your selection process.

[grispie]

difficult question as no real reviews are out, as someone pointed out.
The first question that comes to mind. Do you own any pentax gear already?
If not, pentax might probably be a cheaper option than competitors in regard with lenses e.g.
especially the availability of cheap manual primes. as you will have other expenses going into video :-)

Canon & panasonic are much used by the videocommunity.
If you have no lenses related to a brand yet, these might be an option. Personally, between these 2, i'd go the panasonic route then, take G6 e.g.

There is also sony. I have a A77 next to my pentax K01. they work nice together. Every SLT by sony is great for video (great internal stabilizer and -when needed- AF, focus peaking during recording) name it... You should check them out. The nex range also good, but it is not stabilized (handheld shooting for documentary work e.g..) and small. depends what you like.

All in all. the pentax will likely be a good cam for video. Just await a decent review to see whether video IQ is there.
Remember that handheld shooting will (likely) not be stabilized (as per comments above) & no AF. But it looks like you will be a tripod user anyhow being into storytelling..

Don't worry about most others using a different brand. Although it can be useful, borrowing batteries, lenses,... On paper, the k3 has it, but we just need to await some actual reviews.
In the end, any dslr is good for video. they all have their flaws and plusses. remember that once you go into a brand, it is hard to change.
So make sure to put them side by side.

[grispie]

to be honest,
In your place i wouldn't spend that much on a cam at this moment. You're paying too much for the photographing capabilities of the K3 if you only intend to do video with it.

Why don't you just get yourself a dirt cheap K01, a 28mm and a 50mm vintage prime & you will be able to do & learn a lot!
In due time (when price goes down) you can add a K3 as your main cam & use K01 for multicam or you could still change to another brand and use your primes on one of those cams.
just my 2 cents...

[pTom]

to be honest,
In your place i wouldn't spend that much on a cam at this moment. You're paying too much for the photographing capabilities of the K3 if you only intend to do video with it.

....

...

I think you're right .

Another option is to have a cheaper Lumix FZ200 . The K-01 can't compete FZ200 over video functions. The above slow motion YouTube video from my previous post was shot with FZ200 .

But the best is to save money and get K-3 so you can have 2 better-than-average entertainments
I had some video shots with K-5 and DA 15mm F/4 , and I'm quite pleased ...

[fuent104]

The K-3 may or may not be good for video. We'll have to wait for some video-oriented tests. But if you choose the K-3, you can be certain of one thing - you will likely be alone among your peers and struggle to find support communities and accessory makers to help you get the most out of the camera. Canon (and Panasonic to a lesser degree) dominate the space at the moment, and others like Blackmagic are introducing interesting alternatives. For someone on a budget I usually recommend the Panasonic GH2, since it open up lots of opportunities for cheap, high quality, manual focus primes. I'm not saying that the K-3 is a bad choice, it's just that you should be aware of the larger implications of your decision and be ok with them.

Things that aren't available for Pentax video: - accessory cages - Magic Lantern hacks - speedbooster adapters - wide range of F1.4 and faster lenses - community support on places like Personal-View, DVXUser, etc - high power v-mount style battery options And that's just off the top of my head. The K-3 may well be a good camera for video, but someone treading into these waters should be prepared to be a pioneer.

I agree with everything John has said. I would recommend getting something like a Canon T2i or 60D, which is my main camera. They are going to have better features with Magic Lantern and Technicolor Cinestyle, are much more cost effective than the K3 will be (by virtue of the K3's higher price tag), and larger sensors than the GH2 / GH3, which is important for narrative filmmaking. However, I would say the most important thing (for someone in your position) is the perception other people have about your equipment. The sad fact is that many people will dismiss your Pentax camera and work with someone who is less skilled if they have a Canon camera. I hate this, but it is true. Name brand recognition can be a very powerful thing.

If you have Pentax lenses with aperture rings, they are very easy to adapt to Canon camera bodies. If you'd like to see some samples of Canon 60D video shot with Pentax / Samyang (K-mount) lenses, my reel has quite a bit. You can check it out at Dain Fuentes Cinematography

[languishing]

I agree with everything John has said. I would recommend getting something like a Canon T2i or 60D, which is my main camera. They are going to have better features with Magic Lantern and Technicolor Cinestyle, are much more cost effective than the K3 will be (by virtue of the K3's higher price tag), and larger sensors than the GH2 / GH3, which is important for narrative filmmaking. However, I would say the most important thing (for someone in your position) is the perception other people have about your equipment. The sad fact is that many people will dismiss your Pentax camera and work with someone who is less skilled if they have a Canon camera. I hate this, but it is true. Name brand recognition can be a very powerful thing.

If you have Pentax lenses with aperture rings, they are very easy to adapt to Canon camera bodies. If you'd like to see some samples of Canon 60D video shot with Pentax / Samyang (K-mount) lenses, my reel has quite a bit. You can check it out at Dain Fuentes Cinematography

difficult question as no real reviews are out, as someone pointed out.
The first question that comes to mind. Do you own any pentax gear already?
If not, pentax might probably be a cheaper option than competitors in regard with lenses e.g.
especially the availability of cheap manual primes. as you will have other expenses going into video :-)

Canon & panasonic are much used by the videocommunity.
If you have no lenses related to a brand yet, these might be an option. Personally, between these 2, i'd go the panasonic route then, take G6 e.g.

There is also sony. I have a A77 next to my pentax K01. they work nice together. Every SLT by sony is great for video (great internal stabilizer and -when needed- AF, focus peaking during recording) name it... You should check them out. The nex range also good, but it is not stabilized (handheld shooting for documentary work e.g..) and small. depends what you like.

All in all. the pentax will likely be a good cam for video. Just await a decent review to see whether video IQ is there.
Remember that handheld shooting will (likely) not be stabilized (as per comments above) & no AF. But it looks like you will be a tripod user anyhow being into storytelling..

Don't worry about most others using a different brand. Although it can be useful, borrowing batteries, lenses,... On paper, the k3 has it, but we just need to await some actual reviews.
In the end, any dslr is good for video. they all have their flaws and plusses. remember that once you go into a brand, it is hard to change.
So make sure to put them side by side.

I truly do value everyone's opinions, and appreciate the help

The thing is, if I were to go with Pentax they'd be a better investment whenever I want to upgrade lenses.. and accessories. Although I took the gh3 into consideration or a canon camera with an adapter to use pentax lenses.. I really am interested in the k-3 I've recently watched a review and it was amazing from what I saw! I know I mentioned I'm majoring in film studies - but I do have a passion for casually taking pictures I just never got around to it because I've never invested in a camera (but I've switched my second period second semester into Photography! ^^) Pretty much, I want a camera with multi-purpose uses, a ton of creative output, and can last a long time in the industry. K-3 fits every aspect!

youtube.com/watch?v=obRn__ZBq2A

[johnmflores]

I truly do value everyone's opinions, and appreciate the help

The thing is, if I were to go with Pentax they'd be a better investment whenever I want to upgrade lenses.. and accessories. Although I took the gh3 into consideration or a canon camera with an adapter to use pentax lenses.. I really am interested in the k-3 I've recently watched a review and it was amazing from what I saw! I know I mentioned I'm majoring in film studies - but I do have a passion for casually taking pictures I just never got around to it because I've never invested in a camera (but I've switched my second period second semester into Photography! ^^) Pretty much, I want a camera with multi-purpose uses, a ton of creative output, and can last a long time in the industry. K-3 fits every aspect!

youtube.com/watch?v=obRn__ZBq2A

Well it sounds like you are smitten with the K-3 and no rational arguments are going to sway you LOL! So go ahead and enjoy the K-3, but remember that the camera is the smallest part of the equation. Best of luck with the rest!