[MJSfoto1956]

I have only had the new K-3 from B&H for a day now, but the one feature that really floats my boat is one touch bracketing.
Together with the 8.3fps burst speed, a set of 3 bracketed images is done in the blink of an eye -- quiet too. One could get spoiled.

Michael

[Na Horuk]

Yea? Usually TAv mode, hyper-program, green button or overall ergonomics are hailed as little Pentax specialties. But that's also great

[sandpipe]

Just moving from a K20 to K3-- focus peaking in live view is my favorite "new" pentax feature at the moment.

[asp1880]

I like that there is no stripe of buttons to the left of the rear screen.

Regards,
--Anders.

[MJSfoto1956]

..hyper-program...

hmmm, quick search of the PDF manual for "hyper" turns up nothing.
For those of us new to Pentax, what is "hyper-program"?

Cheers,
Michael

[Na Horuk]

I hope these explain. Its something that you might not "notice" if you've always been on Pentax

You Tube

You Tube

http://www.ok1000pentax.com/2009/04/pentax-hyper-program-and-hyper-manual.html

[Dariusz]

Favourite Pentax features? There are few: in body shake reduction. Compatible with all lenses - old and new ones, wide and tele ones. Also helpful with composition micro-adjustments and bringing automatic horizon correction (can be switched off). Cooperation of SR system with GPS device, bringing astrotracking. Finally best lens support for APS-C cameras, with lens being also weather-resistant. "Limited" lens series. Those features, that make Pentax different to others, also make Pentax better from others in the APS-C market

[MJSfoto1956]

so if I understand this correctly, it appears that the "best practice" is to set your camera to P mode, then use the dials to either select Aperture priority (front wheel) or Shutter priority (rear wheel) and switch back and forth as needed. Then if or when you want to go back to Program, you just hit the green button. Correct?

I agree this seems quite intuitive and I can see that going forward this might be my "go to" way of using this camera.
Definitely a change for this old CaNikon user.



Michael

[Canada_Rockies]

so if I understand this correctly, it appears that the "best practice" is to set your camera to P mode, then use the dials to either select Aperture priority (front wheel) or Shutter priority (rear wheel) and switch back and forth as needed. Then if or when you want to go back to Program, you just hit the green button. Correct?

I agree this seems quite intuitive and I can see that going forward this might be my "go to" way of using this camera.

Michael

You nailed it. It is one of my two go to modes. P for auto metering, USER for manual exposure. (I only have one USER mode, and use it for mostly the 400/5.6 and 100/4 M series) I also use it when I disagree with the exposure meter. It's easier for this old fogey to use the scale for metering in manual mode than the +/- exposure compensation. I also set my Program line to MTF. It's very much like the old news photographers' "f/8 and be there". Sharpest aperture selected on all my DA lenses when in program mode.

[Matthew Saville]

I am still wrapping my head around everything the K-3 can do, however off the top of my head the thing I am the most impressed with is the ability to create RAW files that are combinations of other RAW files. Obviously useful for HDRs, but also for star trails and other misc. things of that nature. Do you Pentax users even realize that Canon and Nikon are stuck with JPG-only options for this kind of thing? Just recently I actually wrote a whole article on how HDR mode was utterly useless on both Canon and Nikon because of this. HALLELUJAH!

(Okay I take that back. It looks like HDR mode reverts the PEF file back to a single exposure in Adobe Lightroom, though I suppose Pentax has its own software that can utilize this RAW HDR feature. Still, the RAW image combination function is awesome for star trails and I shall experiment with possibly making it work for HDRs as well using the other blending modes. The additive blending mode is pretty awesome for night photography when you don't want to sacrifice aperture or ISO but your shutter speeds are too under-exposed. :-)

=Matt=

[Adam]

I have only had the new K-3 from B&H for a day now, but the one feature that really floats my boat is one touch bracketing.
Together with the 8.3fps burst speed, a set of 3 bracketed images is done in the blink of an eye -- quiet too. One could get spoiled.

Michael

That feature isn't unique to the K-3, but it's definitely awesome with that high framerate- it's so fast is almost feels like you're just taking a single shot

[john5100]

I am still wrapping my head around everything the K-3 can do, however off the top of my head the thing I am the most impressed with is the ability to create RAW files that are combinations of other RAW files. Obviously useful for HDRs, but also for star trails and other misc. things of that nature. Do you Pentax users even realize that Canon and Nikon are stuck with JPG-only options for this kind of thing? Just recently I actually wrote a whole article on how HDR mode was utterly useless on both Canon and Nikon because of this. HALLELUJAH!

(Okay I take that back. It looks like HDR mode reverts the PEF file back to a single exposure in Adobe Lightroom, though I suppose Pentax has its own software that can utilize this RAW HDR feature. Still, the RAW image combination function is awesome for star trails and I shall experiment with possibly making it work for HDRs as well using the other blending modes. The additive blending mode is pretty awesome for night photography when you don't want to sacrifice aperture or ISO but your shutter speeds are too under-exposed. :-)

=Matt=

I feel this way too. I never used all of the features from my KX or my K200D so it's a little overwhelming. Fun though.

[MJSfoto1956]

it's so fast is almost feels like you're just taking a single shot

indeed! As a side note, back in my film days we almost always shot 1/2 stop brackets out in the field. In studio we never bracketed, preferring to use Polaroid tests instead. So I am thrilled to get nearly instantaneous brackets without having to think about it. In comparison, I just now shot some bracketed images of huge icicles using my D800 -- and while totally reliable, is so much less seamless in comparison.

M

[snostorm]

I've always found Focus Trap (Catch in Focus -- who ever heard of a company changing the name of a feature to one that's longer with more words? ) a Pentax-centric feature that is extremely useful at times. I don't use it that much, but it's very nice to have it in the feature set when it would otherwise take some incredible timing/reaction speed to get a well focused shot of a moving subject.

I don't know if it's Pentax exclusive, but I've also found Multi-Exposure with Ev comp to be a very useful feature.

My most used (by far) Pentax exclusive (other mfgs have made them, but non are as easily used or as universally functional) is the F 1.7x Auto Focusing Adapter. As a long tele user, this has saved me multiple thousands of dollars in lens cost and many pounds of carry weight over the years. The AFA adds focus limiting and increases focus lock speed on any tele lens that's fast enough to utilize it, and for dedicated macros, it increases magnification by almost 2x and limits focus range to only a few mm at MFD, making AF a practical alternative for moving subjects. Of course, the caveat is that it needs to be used with premium glass for the best images and functionality.

This last falls into the same kind of category of Pentax exclusive system "accessories" -- the Q system with an OEM K to Q mount adapter. This stretches both the reach of premium tele lenses and the apparent magnification of macros (my primary pursuits in photography), again without breaking the bank or my back.

Scott

[scotty707]

Keep these coming! I'm learning more about my K-3 with each post.