Initial review comments: from K-7 to K-3

hcc · 05-22-2014, 05:54 PM

I have a K-7 since 2009 and I recently bought a K-3. I truly enjoy the K-3 and I would like to share my initial comments, from the perspective of a K-7 owner.

Pros
1-Body ergonomy and build - I love the body ergonomy and build quality of the K-7/K-5/K-5ii/K-3. A key feature of the K-3 body is that it is very much like the K-7 and so easy to use IMHO. Thank you Pentax.

2-WR - I value highly WR because i shoot mostly outdoor. Pentax is the only manufacturer who provides a choice of sub-$1200 dSLRs with WR. Thank you Pentax.

3-IQ - No need to say more... as there have been so many thread on the topic

4-Backward lens compatibility - This is a key asset for all Pentax users: we can re-use our lenses immediately; no need to buy new-ones. I believe that this argument has not been marketed enough.

5-Small body - I value a small body and Pentax has an excellent experience with smaller bodies.

6-Dual SC card slot

7-High ISO performances - I know that some Pentaxians report that the K-5ii is better at high ISO than the K-3. But, compared to the K-7, the K-3 is a great camera at high-ISO.

8-AF - The AF is a massive improvement from the K-7 and I cannot fault it yet.

9- PDCU 5 - Pentax Digital Camera Utility version 5 comes freely with the K-3. It is a agrest improvement from PDCU 4.40 and Pentax/Ricoh must be applauded to include a free (quite powerful) software. Note everyone use PDCU but it is free fro anyone to use and it is a powerful tool: what else can you ask?

Cons
1-Weight - I value the small size and light weight of the Pentax dSLR; I know that the K-3 is not much heavier than the K-7, but still it is. I hope that Pentax/Ricoh will consider to reduce the weight of the next flagship because a light camera is great IMHO

2-LV button location - Maybe it is me, but I was quite used to the LV button on the K-7

Lastly, I have no opinion on two great marketing tricks: AA filter and 24 Mp sensor. For me they are not particularly important and I do not mind. If it helps Pentax/Ricoh to get good review, I am fine.

Hope that the comments may encourage more K-7 users (like myself) to move to the K-3. It is a worthwhile move.

Last edited by hcc; 05-22-2014 at 09:23 PM.

gorillagirl · 05-23-2014, 03:05 AM

What a coincidence, another Brisbane person going from K7 to K3. It's on order and I can't wait to get it

hcc · 05-23-2014, 03:38 AM

Originally posted by gorillagirl

What a coincidence, another Brisbane person going from K7 to K3. It's on order and I can't wait to get it

Good on you, mate. You will love the K-3.

gorillagirl · 05-23-2014, 03:44 AM

Since I do mostly animal shots I am really happy that the AF has improved. I love my K7 but I have outgrown it and finding the ISO performance an issue.

bdery · 05-23-2014, 05:12 AM

Your analysis is spot on, I think.

One thing to remember, if you don't ned 24 MP, is that you can shoot at 16 MP and get much improved high ISO niose control. Better than the K-5 II from my experience. Of course it only applies to JPEGs, but you can downsample RAW files after the fact.

hcc · 05-23-2014, 05:26 PM

Originally posted by bdery

One thing to remember, if you don't ned 24 MP, is that you can shoot at 16 MP and get much improved high ISO niose control. Better than the K-5 II from my experience. Of course it only applies to JPEGs, but you can downsample RAW files after the fact.

True but.... you rely upon the JPEG engine to re-create a 16 Mp picture out of the original 24 Mp shot.

Your comment about the ISO resolution is an interesting one: I did no read much about this at PF and it could worthwhile to start a thread to regroup the experience of many.

gorillagirl · 05-23-2014, 06:16 PM

Well I got my email to say it's come in so picked it up YAYAYAY!

Sandy Hancock · 05-23-2014, 06:31 PM

Originally posted by hcc

Cons
2-LV button location - Maybe it is me, but I was quite used to the LV button on the K-7

I think this will grow on you. With the K-5 (and I presume the K-7) the live view and back AF buttons are too close together. I greatly prefer the new arrangement.

gorillagirl · 05-23-2014, 06:58 PM

I think the AF button being higher will help a lot when using back button focus.

tabl10s · 05-25-2014, 02:30 AM

Originally posted by gorillagirl

Well I got my email to say it's come in so picked it up YAYAYAY!

Do actually say "YaYaYay" in Austrailia?

Sandy Hancock · 05-25-2014, 02:44 AM

Originally posted by tabl10s

Do actually say "YaYaYay" in Austrailia?

Many Queenslanders consider themselves to be separate from mainstream Australia. Many of the rest of us agree.
<very big wink>

gorillagirl · 05-25-2014, 03:05 AM

Having lived in SA (the wilderness) I think I can safely say it's the Adelaidians that are the odd ones out

So far I've only updated the firmware and changed as many settings that I can find and will take the beast for a test run tomorrow or Tuesday. I think I've found where they are hidden in menu items.

sam-joseph · 05-25-2014, 03:28 AM

Well done Gorillagirl. New toy! It's only one Yay, by the way.
Anyway, I went from the K7 to the K5 II, and I was blown away by the immediate improvement in dynamic range. I'll probably upgrade to the K3 II in a year or so.

Regards

gorillagirl · 05-25-2014, 03:43 AM

It's more than one yay when you are Kermit flailing and very excited

I've put off trying it until I make sure my lenses are spotless as I can't seem to keep the dust bunnies out of my K7, as soon as I clean them off and have a clean sensor they return! I'll report back when I have a test run.

bdery · 05-26-2014, 05:27 AM

Originally posted by hcc

True but.... you rely upon the JPEG engine to re-create a 16 Mp picture out of the original 24 Mp shot.

Of course you do, whether in-camera or with a PC. It works very well. After all, every bayer sensor recreates an "effective" resolution from the source sensor output.

Originally posted by hcc

Your comment about the ISO resolution is an interesting one: I did no read much about this at PF and it could worthwhile to start a thread to regroup the experience of many.

I can confirm that I get better per pixel noise handling that way. And it makes perfect sense, optically and physically.

One thing to remember also is that even though at 24 MP you might get worse per pixel noise than at 16 MP (with, say, the K-5) your noise per "image area" will still be better. Print a high ISO image from the K-5 and the same from the K-3, both with the sme print size, and you'll see what I mean.

05-22-2014, 05:54 PM	#1
hcc Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,004	Initial review comments: from K-7 to K-3 I have a K-7 since 2009 and I recently bought a K-3. I truly enjoy the K-3 and I would like to share my initial comments, from the perspective of a K-7 owner. Pros 1-Body ergonomy and build - I love the body ergonomy and build quality of the K-7/K-5/K-5ii/K-3. A key feature of the K-3 body is that it is very much like the K-7 and so easy to use IMHO. Thank you Pentax. 2-WR - I value highly WR because i shoot mostly outdoor. Pentax is the only manufacturer who provides a choice of sub-$1200 dSLRs with WR. Thank you Pentax. 3-IQ - No need to say more... as there have been so many thread on the topic 4-Backward lens compatibility - This is a key asset for all Pentax users: we can re-use our lenses immediately; no need to buy new-ones. I believe that this argument has not been marketed enough. 5-Small body - I value a small body and Pentax has an excellent experience with smaller bodies. 6-Dual SC card slot 7-High ISO performances - I know that some Pentaxians report that the K-5ii is better at high ISO than the K-3. But, compared to the K-7, the K-3 is a great camera at high-ISO. 8-AF - The AF is a massive improvement from the K-7 and I cannot fault it yet. 9- PDCU 5 - Pentax Digital Camera Utility version 5 comes freely with the K-3. It is a agrest improvement from PDCU 4.40 and Pentax/Ricoh must be applauded to include a free (quite powerful) software. Note everyone use PDCU but it is free fro anyone to use and it is a powerful tool: what else can you ask? Cons 1-Weight - I value the small size and light weight of the Pentax dSLR; I know that the K-3 is not much heavier than the K-7, but still it is. I hope that Pentax/Ricoh will consider to reduce the weight of the next flagship because a light camera is great IMHO 2-LV button location - Maybe it is me, but I was quite used to the LV button on the K-7 Lastly, I have no opinion on two great marketing tricks: AA filter and 24 Mp sensor. For me they are not particularly important and I do not mind. If it helps Pentax/Ricoh to get good review, I am fine. Hope that the comments may encourage more K-7 users (like myself) to move to the K-3. It is a worthwhile move. Last edited by hcc; 05-22-2014 at 09:23 PM.

05-23-2014, 05:26 PM	#6
hcc Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,004 Original Poster	Originally posted by bdery One thing to remember, if you don't ned 24 MP, is that you can shoot at 16 MP and get much improved high ISO niose control. Better than the K-5 II from my experience. Of course it only applies to JPEGs, but you can downsample RAW files after the fact. True but.... you rely upon the JPEG engine to re-create a 16 Mp picture out of the original 24 Mp shot. Your comment about the ISO resolution is an interesting one: I did no read much about this at PF and it could worthwhile to start a thread to regroup the experience of many. Last edited by hcc; 05-23-2014 at 09:38 PM.

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05-23-2014, 03:05 AM	#2
gorillagirl Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Brisbane Posts: 67	What a coincidence, another Brisbane person going from K7 to K3. It's on order and I can't wait to get it

05-23-2014, 03:38 AM	#3
hcc Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,004 Original Poster	Originally posted by gorillagirl What a coincidence, another Brisbane person going from K7 to K3. It's on order and I can't wait to get it Good on you, mate. You will love the K-3.

05-23-2014, 03:44 AM	#4
gorillagirl Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Brisbane Posts: 67	Since I do mostly animal shots I am really happy that the AF has improved. I love my K7 but I have outgrown it and finding the ISO performance an issue.

05-23-2014, 05:12 AM	#5
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,362	Your analysis is spot on, I think. One thing to remember, if you don't ned 24 MP, is that you can shoot at 16 MP and get much improved high ISO niose control. Better than the K-5 II from my experience. Of course it only applies to JPEGs, but you can downsample RAW files after the fact.

05-23-2014, 06:16 PM	#7
gorillagirl Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Brisbane Posts: 67	Well I got my email to say it's come in so picked it up YAYAYAY!

05-23-2014, 06:31 PM	#8
Sandy Hancock Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Adelaide Hills, South Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,275	Originally posted by hcc Cons 2-LV button location - Maybe it is me, but I was quite used to the LV button on the K-7 I think this will grow on you. With the K-5 (and I presume the K-7) the live view and back AF buttons are too close together. I greatly prefer the new arrangement.

05-23-2014, 06:58 PM	#9
gorillagirl Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Brisbane Posts: 67	I think the AF button being higher will help a lot when using back button focus.

05-25-2014, 02:30 AM	#10
tabl10s Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Sacramento(formerly from B'Ham, England). Posts: 1,424	Originally posted by gorillagirl Well I got my email to say it's come in so picked it up YAYAYAY! Do actually say "YaYaYay" in Austrailia?

05-25-2014, 02:44 AM	#11
Sandy Hancock Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Adelaide Hills, South Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,275	Originally posted by tabl10s Do actually say "YaYaYay" in Austrailia? Many Queenslanders consider themselves to be separate from mainstream Australia. Many of the rest of us agree. <very big wink>

05-25-2014, 03:05 AM	#12
gorillagirl Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Brisbane Posts: 67	Having lived in SA (the wilderness) I think I can safely say it's the Adelaidians that are the odd ones out So far I've only updated the firmware and changed as many settings that I can find and will take the beast for a test run tomorrow or Tuesday. I think I've found where they are hidden in menu items.

05-25-2014, 03:28 AM	#13
sam-joseph Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Newcastle, NSW, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,086	Well done Gorillagirl. New toy! It's only one Yay, by the way. Anyway, I went from the K7 to the K5 II, and I was blown away by the immediate improvement in dynamic range. I'll probably upgrade to the K3 II in a year or so. Regards

05-25-2014, 03:43 AM	#14
gorillagirl Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Brisbane Posts: 67	It's more than one yay when you are Kermit flailing and very excited I've put off trying it until I make sure my lenses are spotless as I can't seem to keep the dust bunnies out of my K7, as soon as I clean them off and have a clean sensor they return! I'll report back when I have a test run.

05-26-2014, 05:27 AM	#15
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,362	Originally posted by hcc True but.... you rely upon the JPEG engine to re-create a 16 Mp picture out of the original 24 Mp shot. Of course you do, whether in-camera or with a PC. It works very well. After all, every bayer sensor recreates an "effective" resolution from the source sensor output. Originally posted by hcc Your comment about the ISO resolution is an interesting one: I did no read much about this at PF and it could worthwhile to start a thread to regroup the experience of many. I can confirm that I get better per pixel noise handling that way. And it makes perfect sense, optically and physically. One thing to remember also is that even though at 24 MP you might get worse per pixel noise than at 16 MP (with, say, the K-5) your noise per "image area" will still be better. Print a high ISO image from the K-5 and the same from the K-3, both with the sme print size, and you'll see what I mean.