[gmans]

Alright you's win, did you know that Ricoh was Pentax's young cousin and they went to school together, Pentax use to look out for Ricoh at school, that is how Ricoh end up with a K mount of his own, because Pentax gave it to him.

Now Ricoh is looking after his older cousin that was getting a bit slow in his older years. So it makes a good family story huh.

[Thingo]

I wasn't going to buy the K-3. Simply stick with my *istD, K-01 & assorted lenses. But now I have a K-3, I'm very pleased. It is a beaut camera, & my one is behaving itself, with none of the reported glitches. (Unlike my non-Pentax camera -- but that's an entirely different story.)

Note that I'm more interested in the photo than pixel peeping.

[normhead]

I wasn't going to buy the K-3. Simply stick with my *istD, K-01 & assorted lenses. But now I have a K-3, I'm very pleased. It is a beaut camera, & my one is behaving itself, with none of the reported glitches. (Unlike my non-Pentax camera -- but that's an entirely different story.)

Note that I'm more interested in the photo than pixel peeping.

It is just a really nice camera.... but lets not forget that bacon and cheese are really nice too. Are we going to be discussing beer on page 247?

[i_trax]

i love cheese, do not like bacon, smoked sausages yes!
nevertheless I love my silver K-3
what about wine, I love red and Calvados , very hard to find in Australia so I indulge while in France or in Europe.
C'mon guys someone should start importing good calvados to Australia...

[Tan68]

" ...a bit depth of 14 (4X the dynamic range discrimination of the K5 in each of the three channels), ...

I thought K5 recorded 14-bit depth
Or is this something new ?

[chicagojohn]

I love cheese. But I don't like spam! However... maybe I would like cheesy-spam. And I love gaffers' tape too: I used to use it all the time when I was taking photography classes from the photography pundits at The Morton Aboretum; all of them quite famous, according to them. But then it was to cover the word "Pentax" on my K5. I'm sure it will work equally well on "Ricoh".


It's coming tomorrow, and I have a few experiments planned; though (and I can't see how they do this) the good folks at B&H told me they place no limit on shutter actuations during the 30 day evaluation period. Nonetheless, I will keep it to a minimum, especially in light of the glowing reports I've read about the K3 here on our wonderful forums. I'll post my results here in a week or so along with some pictures of wine, crackers, and cheeses of Nazereth, perhaps in B&W.

[TedH42]

K-5 does 14-bit recording depth.

[chicagojohn]

K-5 does 14-bit recording depth.

K5 is 12 bit, not 14. 12.3 to be exact.


If you convert a 12.3 bit file into a 14 or 16 bit file, that doesn't mean you have increased the level of information thereby.


What happens is that analog signals are converted into digital files with something called an "A/D converter". That is what determines the bit depth of the information. If you have a 12 bit converter, you don't get 14 bit depth from it. If it is "enhanced" it can approach 12.3 bit depth, but that is an extrapolation.


I am assuming that when Pentax/Ricoh tells me the K3 is 14 bit depth that they are now using a 14 bit A/D converter instead of a 12 bit converter. That is 4X the incremental resolution of the signal.


Maybe they are using a 12 bit A/D and putting it into a 14 bit file. If that's the case, I won't be interested. That would be cheesy.


=============================================


OK, maybe I'm wrong. I always thought it was 12.3. Maybe it was 14 all along. If that is the case, that will be a nail in the potential coffin of the K3 that is arriving tomorrow. Bit depth is more important to me than pixels.

[nomadkng]

I'm going to (have to) buy ANOTHER K3 because my GF has megapixel envy.

I told her end of tax season (2015), we'll see if I can hold her off that long.

She asked why so long a wait? I said "Choose then, golf or K3."

She called me mean!

[Tan68]

K-5 press release (don't the manual right now) at the time lists 14-bit for RAW
Don't know why the K5ii would be different, but it may be 12-bit...?

I recall Gordon B Good doing some tests on the K5 files. Many people felt like 14-bit was a waste and that the files would just be larger for no reason. He determined that the K5 made good use of 14-bit recording but it was only at ISO 80... Perhaps 100, but I am not sure.

ISO 80 for that camera actually was useful. It was not part of an extended ISO range in that it was not achieved by only shooting bright (as with artificial ISO 80) at ISO 100 and then reducing brightness in camera to equal an ISO 80 exposure.. That only reduces DR.

I mention that tangent because that is the only setting where the K5 benefited from 14-bit, if I remember correctly. I also mention it because some people say the new low ISO on the D810 is really a useable setting and some say it is artificial and not useful... I wonder if the Nikon really has a true low ISO.. I would miss it not available in K3. I thought it was nice and different and wish Pentax had been able to implement a lower ISO still.

[jatrax]

I am assuming that when Pentax/Ricoh tells me the K3 is 14 bit depth that they are now using a 14 bit A/D converter instead of a 12 bit converter.

Odd, I always read it was a 14 bit a/d converter in the k-5. Just checked and their website clearly says 14 bit a/d converter. K-5 : Digital SLR Cameras | RICOH IMAGING

Maybe that is just some sort of marketing speak. Oh well, learn something new everyday I guess.

[Tan68]

You added some as I was typing.
I do believe the K5 was 14 bit
Not on reading material, but Gordon :^)
I figure he posts here but I don't know

K5 only benefited from 14-bit at ISO 80
Perhaps K3 benefits at ISO higher than K5... If the K3 shows greater DR at ISO 100 or so, maybe. I wasn't 'tuned in' when the K3 was released so I don't know if Gordon popped in... I haven't seen him around DPR much but he often showed up when sensor tech was discussed.

To satisfy a curiosity, I might search either here or there for GordonBGood and K3 and 14-bit and etc... He always sounded knowledgeable to me and I am sure many people here would agree. He may have posted some tests for K3 last year.

---------- Post added 09-04-14 at 05:15 PM ----------

I still can't edit so I have to re-post

My comment about 'not based on reading material' simply meant not based on my press release or the owner's manual I don't have handy but based on Gordon's determination. That the pipeline could not be all 14-bit regardless of reading material but Gordon found the files held 14-bit useable infos in some situations (iso80)...

[chicagojohn]

OK. I stand corrected. the K5 is 14 bit. So there will be no gain there in the K3 as I had thought.

---------- Post added 09-04-14 at 03:20 PM ----------

OK. I stand corrected. the K5 is 14 bit. So there will be no gain there in the K3 as I had thought.

I think I may just forego this whole K3 thing and return the camera to B&H unopened, and get a K5 IIs instead.

[Tan68]

4 yrs or so has passed.
Some people may have forgotten some things about K5
I may misremember as well.

K5 diminishes and passes into the west... :^|

---------- Post added 09-04-14 at 05:27 PM ----------

May as well search and see if Gordon found any additional benefit past ISO 80...

The K3 benefits to me smaller focus points...
I am not sure what else would really attract me.
I think resolution but I have K5 and not -iis
Rest of focus system.. not so much. What I hunt rarely moves

So, hate for you to be turned off... Check what Gordon had to say, first

If you do not keep it and know your decision in advance, I applaud and thank you for returning it unopened.

---------- Post added 09-04-14 at 05:34 PM ----------

So, I re-read what you posted above...

Pentax does now say the camera is 14-bit and they may have presented that as a new slice of bread.. but maybe a little marketing speak.

Not marketing speak in that I disbelieve it is beneficial at low or base ISO but in that they had at least one camera before that also used 14-bit to advantage. So good to advertise and play up not not really new..

---------- Post added 09-04-14 at 05:41 PM ----------

Here are a couple threads with Gordon
As I thought, he appeared when sensor tech was in the air :^)
He very well may post here but I searched DPR Pentax forum for: 'gordonbgood k3 14-bit'

Re: DxO review of K-3 now available: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review
Re: k3: Too sharp?: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

He says the D7100 does so well because it is 14-bit
I didn't read enough to find if the Nikon really is a Toshiba sensor
I stepped out about the time that was in the air

[normhead]

The advantages to the K-3 are, smaller more accurate focus points, 27 selective points instead of 11, and if you use selective focus as much as I do, that's a very big deal, faster AF on screw drive.. more resolution, especially important for cropping images, there's a little less DR .... overall, I prefer the K-3, Oh, and burst mode is very nice.