[jppp]

I'd be really interested in seeing shots taken with a 70-200 f2.8 wide open and tracking a guy or two running towards the camera. That's been the real challenge for me, trying to get a shallow DOF while shooting a football (ie. soccer if you will) match with a K-5. Using smaller apertures like f8 doesn't really tell the whole story because of the substancially bigger DOF.

[nomadkng]

I noticed that the shutter speed went from 1/2000 down to 1/1000 at the end of the sequence, so the camera was "thinking" as it took the images.
It could have locked on the fence, but did not.

Lauren this is exactly the reason I've been interested in the K3 over my K5iis. Despite claims that the K3 AF is equal to the K5ii series in performance, I can easily replicate AF "failures" with such things as chain link fences, highly side/backlit grass (just the type you find in dawn or dusk shoots!) where PDAF prefers the fence or grass to a muted furry animal. I've even run into issues with white birds such as egrets amongst reeds, the camera likes the reeds better.

I'm using a sigma 100-300 f4 so its pretty easy to tell what the camera locked. I find it interesting that as I've gotten much better at tracking, I've found the critical limitations of my camera. If the K3 has solved these limitations, it'll be tough not to upgrade.

Even in slower tracking situations at a wildlife park that I encountered this weekend, my k5iis still preferred the chain link fence to the animal, In one situation, where the lioness was about 5 feet in front of a black, side lit chain link fence, if anything more than about 1/4 of the viewfinder contained fence, I could not get the camera to lock on the animal, this was using f4.5-5.6, center point focusing and no matter where the fence was in the composition.

Granted there are no chain link fences in Yellowstone, or most national parks, but the fact I can easily replicate a focus miss, and have had focus misses at critical times even without a chain link fence around, it starts to erode your confidence in the camera. Add to the fact I'm not using a Pentax lens and therefore can't use selective point AF, these kind of intelligence tests of the K3 AF are very welcome, except by my wallet.

[nomadkng]

+1. People tend to see what they want to see.

It's getting hard to glean anything from the somewhat over-enthusiastic 'review' shots (not just from the K-3, and not just on this forum) people are posting since the K-3 came out.

There's a lot of:

- 800 px reduced-to-web shots that show nothing
- shots that are sharp, but prove nothing because of the DoF
- shots that are claimed to be sharp but aren't

I put it down to K-3 owners that want to prove to themselves that their new purchase is so much better than what they had, and hence fully justified, and non-K-3 owners seeking to justify their decision to wait. Coupled with Pentax people desperate for evidence that they no longer have to feel inferior to Canon/Nikon people.

It's complicated by the fact that the K-3 owners aren't yet very good with the new camera, so aren't showing it at its best.

It makes it very hard to decide whether to get one!

Chris, that's where one just has to pick and choose, who's posts you really pay attention to. I've been around here for almost 6 years and think I have gleaned a pretty good idea of who is a higher caliber photog and who is "just" an amateur. Between their own website galleries and just the eloquent and informative responses provided over several different topics, it's not tough to pick out the reviews of the K3 that pique my interest. Lauren, with her background and skillset, is one of about 5 or 6 new K3 owners I will be or have been following as they post their impressions because I think there's real value in their reviews because of their acquired skills and expertise.

This forum is like many, there are wanna-bes and there are those that are, or almost there, I don't know if you are off-handedly dismissing all of the K3 "first impression" posts, but if you are, I think that is making way too general a characterization of the quality of these "impressions".

[LaurenOE]

Chris, that's where one just has to pick and choose, who's posts you really pay attention to. I've been around here for almost 6 years and think I have gleaned a pretty good idea of who is a higher caliber photog and who is "just" an amateur. Between their own website galleries and just the eloquent and informative responses provided over several different topics, it's not tough to pick out the reviews of the K3 that pique my interest. Lauren, with her background and skillset, is one of about 5 or 6 new K3 owners I will be or have been following as they post their impressions because I think there's real value in their reviews because of their acquired skills and expertise.

This forum is like many, there are wanna-bes and there are those that are, or almost there, I don't know if you are off-handedly dismissing all of the K3 "first impression" posts, but if you are, I think that is making way too general a characterization of the quality of these "impressions".

Thanks that was very nice!
(Where do I send the check now?)
Just kidding.
In just a single weekend, I am coming to the end of my "Photo" shakedown of the K3.
I think I have shot something like 2000 images with it!!!
My grip arrives today, so I might do some macro and some other shots before I start going into my "video" shakedown.

A shot of the moon yesterday with the K3 and Bigma.

Click image for larger 800px

[Caat]

very nice moon shot

[ChrisA]

This forum is like many, there are wanna-bes and there are those that are, or almost there, I don't know if you are off-handedly dismissing all of the K3 "first impression" posts, but if you are, I think that is making way too general a characterization of the quality of these "impressions".

I'm not dismissing anything, except insofar as pictures posted are claimed to showcase some particular feature of the camera.

Sorry, but a bunch of kids running at constant distance from the camera, where the camera is panned to keep up, cannot possibly prove anything at all about tracking AF.

No disrespect to any individuals - often the pictures I've commented on negatively as not proving what they're claimed to prove are very good indeed, and in fact say a lot more about the photographer than the camera.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very pleased that people are liking the camera, and I'm desperately hoping that it's as good as people are claiming. And I'm glad if the people with the best reputations are the ones making the claims. I just want real evidence, that's all.

[Grokh]

Well, I'm sold.

K3
Bigma at 450mm
f/6.3 ISO400 - 1/2000 to 1/1000 sec.

Dear colleague, could I ask you to test K-3 AF together with Bigma on FL 400-500 when you select 9 or 27 points of AF?
I have tested one of early examples of K-3 and I have found that K-3 AF is working normally with Bigma only in Spot (single point). In 9 or 27 points this lens is hunted very-very long.
Could you confirm or not this issue?

[LaurenOE]

Dear colleague, could I ask you to test K-3 AF together with Bigma on FL 400-500 when you select 9 or 27 points of AF?
I have tested one of early examples of K-3 and I have found that K-3 AF is working normally with Bigma only in Spot (single point). In 9 or 27 points this lens is hunted very-very long.
Could you confirm or not this issue?

I will test it out, but it may take a few days or so.

[derekkite]

I'm not dismissing anything, except insofar as pictures posted are claimed to showcase some particular feature of the camera.

Sorry, but a bunch of kids running at constant distance from the camera, where the camera is panned to keep up, cannot possibly prove anything at all about tracking AF.

No disrespect to any individuals - often the pictures I've commented on negatively as not proving what they're claimed to prove are very good indeed, and in fact say a lot more about the photographer than the camera.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very pleased that people are liking the camera, and I'm desperately hoping that it's as good as people are claiming. And I'm glad if the people with the best reputations are the ones making the claims. I just want real evidence, that's all.

All I can say is that with some lenses these shots of kids running by with the k5 on afc would have a third or more of them out of focus. If the k3 manages to have them all in focus the improvement is real.

I'm finding the performance lens dependent. My DA*300 is like a new lens, fast positive focus. With some of my screw drive lenses the difference isn't as dramatic, other than the low light capability. I haven't tried my 150-500mm sigma yet.

The size of the focus point is a big improvement. The extended area af I understand was implemented on the k5ii. That is half the tracking function. The hold function is another part.

It comes down to what you shoot, and what lenses you use. For what I do the improvements are dramatic.

[Grokh]

I will test it out, but it may take a few days or so.

Thank you, I will waiting for your test!

[nomadkng]

If someone wants to loan me a K3 - i'll be happy to photograph hummingbirds at the botanical gardens or BIF at the Gilbert Bird preserve.

I'll also be happy to photograph anything in motion anywhere near a chain link fence oriented east west near dusk and report back to you.

I know what my keeper rate for my K5iis is after about a year of trials. (ie I still look for perched or floating birds mainly!)

I wish I had a K3 for this last weekend's NASCAR Race at PIR. Maybe a series of photos of cars through the apex of a turn at 100+ mph would be a good test?...lol

[Poit]

Well, I'm sold.

K3
Bigma at 450mm
f/6.3 ISO400 - 1/2000 to 1/1000 sec.
Katana Gimbal
RAW.

I could never have attempted a sequence like this with my K5.

Click on image to open larger version of image.



Oh, and with burst mode? 678 images for a girl's soccer game happens pretty quick!!!

Hey LaurenOE, I remember a few months ago you were complaining that Pentax did not have a camera adequate enough for your photography work, and that you wanted/needed a FF. I believe you were threatening a move to the D800.

I'm curious what your opinion is now, with the K3 in hand.

This isn't a tongue-in-cheek query, by the way. As a wedding shooter, I was also getting frustrated with the options in the Pentax stable. I'm giving the K3 it's first run at a wedding this weekend, so it will be interesting to see how it performs.

[LaurenOE]

Hey LaurenOE, I remember a few months ago you were complaining that Pentax did not have a camera adequate enough for your photography work, and that you wanted/needed a FF. I believe you were threatening a move to the D800.

I'm curious what your opinion is now, with the K3 in hand.

This isn't a tongue-in-cheek query, by the way. As a wedding shooter, I was also getting frustrated with the options in the Pentax stable. I'm giving the K3 it's first run at a wedding this weekend, so it will be interesting to see how it performs.

LOL. I never make threats. I call them "Notification of Intent".



There is a song called "Rock Around the Clock", and with the K3, I sing a similar tune called "Crop, crop, crop tonight".



I'm into the second week testing out the K3, and it's doing superb.
I did some long exposures last night and it blew me away how fast the K3 can process the images.

Click on the image for a larger version



With the K5, the processing of images at long exposures tended to be the same amount of time as it took to take the image. The K3 is almost instant.

Because I shoot so many genres, I am working through the photography side of the K3 first.

I'm guessing by Black Friday I will be buying another K3 at the rate my evaluation is going.

[LaurenOE]

Also remember that a camera to me is a tool.
It won't be perfect in everything.
As long as it's shortcomings can be worked around, and there are no "deal breakers", then I adapt to the tool.

Coming from the K5 Classic, the K3 is shaping up to be an amazing tool and will serve me well until the K1 arrives.

The K3 is NOT a K1 stop-gap, but a tool that may end up being the best of the breed in APS-C or in ANY genre.

[Poit]

LOL...well I'll assume the D800 has been shuffled down your list of future purchases then!

Nice to know the opinion of another working Pentaxian.