[anemone]

• There may be some happy surprises in your lens bag. I was pleased to find that my KMZ MC Zenitar 16/2.8 Fisheye provides results on the K-3 that are far beyond what it delivered on the K10D. That is pretty cool for a relatively inexpensive lens.
• There may also be some disappointments in your lens bag. I found that a couple of my lenses were essentially at their limits with the K10D.
• Attention to focus technique and minimizing camera motion (breath control and such) will pay off

• User expectations. As K-3 has 27 or something focus points, it will always hit with AF, Same goes to resolution, ISO etc.

Nice to hear you too have good Zenitar. I have had three of them and this first one is best. Rest I've recycled. Those were terrible.

[robtcorl]

I imagine that there are lots of readers out there doing research on whether there are problems with the K3 or K3II. I've always done that when considering a camera i know nothing about. Titles like this one catch attention.

I was merely pointing out that the OP said he was leaving the forum, and there are volumes of useful K-3 information already here on PF.
Guess one can't have too much though.

---------- Post added 05-17-15 at 04:28 PM ----------

Titles like this one lead to discussions of cheese. and squirrels.

[Dlanor Sekao]

FYI, Otis passed away 3 years ago.
Rupert had him stuffed and has been posing him since then.

I see. Was he tasty ? Or did he die of natural squirrel causes ?

---------- Post added 05-18-15 at 06:07 AM ----------

Titles like this one lead to discussions of cheese. and squirrels.

Don't You dare turn this into another K3 Satire thread !

[Rupert]

One of Otis's friends paid a visit yesterday. He came down the chimney, knocked the exhaust pipe off the hot water heater, then tore around the patio for a bit. My cousin opened the front door and he went right out.

Otis said that squirrel wants to thank your cousin for opening the door.....he was just about to have to gnaw a hole through the wall to get out.

I Swear he is laughing at me ! Remove that creature...NOW ! I had nightmares about Squirrels last night and now I know its all your fault !

Nah! He's not laughing at you...Otis is the one with that little smirky smile just before your nightmares begin!

Most of us are just following Otis !

Otis appreciates you! He wishes you pleasant dreams!

FYI, Otis passed away 3 years ago.
Rupert had him stuffed and has been posing him since then.

No way! Otis is in perfect health, and squirrels can live for 20 years...or longer if they live the life of luxury like Otis! He does get tired out more easily nowadays, or it could just be all that cold beer he drinks now that hot weather has arrived?

Titles like this one lead to discussions of cheese. and squirrels.

Squirrels never miss an opportunity to mess up a good thread! I've complained and complained, but you know how squirrels are...you get rid of one and two more pop up!

Regards from Otis to all his friends here at PForum, a great place to meet and have fun, learn something, and feed the squirrels!

[derekkite]

Oh well. I regularly have urges to throw various tools and devices off the nearest bridge in frustration. Sometimes I'm right, many times a hint about how to use it is helpful. From time to time it is utter trash.

But usually with a camera I look at what others are doing then try to figure out what I need to do to get equivalent photos.

All worthwhile endeavors humiliate you once in while.

[monochrome]

Well that was a fun read for late on a Sunday afternoon.

[FantasticMrFox]

Alright, now shoo, shoo, all back to the mothership, eh, motherthread.

[stevebrot]

Titles like this one lead to discussions of cheese. and squirrels.

...and bacon, don't forget the BACON!!


Steve

[robtcorl]

...and bacon, don't forget the BACON!!


Steve

[stevebrot]

I did not join the forum to be ridiculed I am dropping out and saying the hell with this forum

8 posts in 3 years? And just like that we're all a-holes?

coughTROLLcough....His first forum post "Hello my name is John I am 61 I just joined Pentax forum I have A disappointing Pentax KX. I live in the US in Lansdale, PA I am looking forward to chatting with other members"

Three years and we still don't agree with him. I can see why the OP is discouraged. He was not sure back then if he would buy another Pentax because he was getting poor results from his K-x. He bought another (much more expensive) Pentax and still can't get good photos and we still we are not sympathetic. What is there to not get frustrated with?


Steve

BTW...I am not writing this tongue-in-cheek. Expectations were probably very high when the box arrived and I don't like to see anyone disappointed with an expensive purchase.

[rburgoss]

For any newcomer to the K3, even if you are a well versed Pentax user, I would suggest taking the following 2 advices seriously:

1: Take time to go through the owners manual, as many times it needs to fully understand specs, features, results with different adjustments and such. Sometimes with and other times without the camera. Take manual when commuting, bathroom, office or workplace and nightstand. Make it a rule for you to read an understanding at least one feature/setting at a time.

2: Optics: Unlike the K20D and prior models, when using cheap, consumer grade or pro grade glass makes little differences, the K3's resolution and IQ really draws a thick line separating good glass from the consumer or cheap stuff. So be emotionally prepared for some disappointment when using vintage third party or consumer grade lenses, or be prepared for very nice surprises and bedazzlement if you own and use some pro grade glass (FA★ series for example).

Another small word of advice. REMOVE all your UV, skylight or whatever protection filters. The K3 is the most sensitive camera I've seen for image degradation ( quality loss) from using protection filters. Keep only your polarizers and use with known caveat.

[Dlanor Sekao]

Good Lord.....what have we become ! Im suddenly hungry for a Bacon Cheese Burger , Beer , and some Rotel / Velveeta Cheese Dip ! And when I was at the Gas Station , kept looking at PayDay Candy Bars.......This has become the "Can You Say Cheese" thread.
Parallax.....we need you to shut this down before it Morphs into yet another nightmare for You !
We all know what happens when a Guy kicks a Bee Hive.........RUN !

[mulveyr]

While I have no idea if the OP falls into this category, I've met a whole bunch of people who think that purchasing a DSLR will magically get them photos like https://500px.com/photo/108954013/cerro-crystal-by-yannq-photographies?from=popular ( to pick one of the top rated shots at the moment. )

They have no idea how much technical skill and artistic skill, followed by massive postprocessing goes into something like that--they think that's just what the camera will give you automatically.

[magkelly]

Over the years I've made some really crappy photos with stellar equipment and some really great photos with less than stellar equipment, and of course the opposite as well. If there is one thing I've learned photographically speaking it's usually NOT the equipment when something is really going wrong, it's me. Any new camera I get I do my homework, I read the manual several times, and I expect a learning curve. I expect some crappy shots while I am learning to use my new camera. It's par for the course, and I say that as someone who uses a camera to make her living. A lot of people think they can pick up an expensive DSLR and it will magically make perfect pictures for them all the time. It might, sometimes, in easy shooting conditions on auto, but there are going to be plenty of situations where YOU have to help it do that and if you don't have the know how, haven't taken the time to really learn the skills necessary for great photography then you're in a word, screwed.

A DSLR is a great tool, but it can be a very complicated tool, one that takes some time to learn to use properly, and that will be true of almost ANY one you can buy brand notwithstanding. Too complicated? Too much work? Then you're probably better with a good point and shoot and not going any further with your photography than low key snap shots. I can't tell you how many times I've met people at my local photo clubs who sound exactly like the OP. They buy the most expensive equipment and expect that equipment to make them look like a pro. They don't read the manuals, they don't study photography at all, they just assume the camera will do it all for them, make them look very good, sans any real work on their part. My usual and admittedly rude answer to that kind of person is to tell them to read and reread their manual and read a few books on the basics of photography and get back to me when they at least know the basics. Most of them they just smile and shrug and I just know it's not going to happen. A year or two later they're usually still popping in and complaining about their gear and what it can't do and they have no real idea of what it CAN do or how to make it do it.

FYI, it took me about 13 years to learn enough and to progress enough that I felt skilled enough to go pro and I still don't know everything and I don't pretend to. There are certain jobs like weddings that I don't touch because I know I am not skilled enough for. I don't really think I am up to doing them physically and I'm not quite sure I am up to it technically sometimes either, so I don't take those jobs. Even now I am always learning something new. I read almost every new book out there, watch a ton of videos, keep up with new training all that I can because I feel it can only benefit me and my photography. I'm getting better and better every day, but I don't expect perfection of myself or my photos. Even the best photographers do screw up sometimes. I've never met anyone with a 100% keeper rate and I don't expect I ever will. I don't even aspire to that because I think it's just unrealistic.

In the end a camera can only be as good a tool as the person behind it. If you don't know how to use it, and by that I mean more than casually scanning the guide once, then you can't expect it to take truly amazing photographs. If you do, well, that's not being very realistic, and it's not really fair to your camera because ultimately it needs YOU to bring out it's best. It simply can't do that perform at it's best unless you are informed and up to the task. Not even the most expensive FF camera out there can do that, period.

[Tanzer]

I recently purchased a K-3 and I am really disappointed in it. While it feels well built I am not happy with the results I get it take no better pictures than my with my KX. In low light it is better than the KX. Most of my lenses are Pentax with the exception of 3 Sigma 24mm 2.8 40-80mm 3.5 400mm5.6. I have shot with some of same lenses Sigma and Pentax on both cameras. The K-3 does not perform any better. I have contacted Pentax support and they were very helpful . I have been a Pentax owner for many years My MX was old reliable and still works . I have to live with this so It just makes me very skeptical about buying Pentax again

Let me offer this. I work in the Horsham, PA area, which is not too far from you. If you want to meet up sometime during my lunch hour at a local park (e.g. Nikesite Park or Lower Nike Park) to compare your K3 settings to mine, or try out some of my lenses (some of which are razor sharp Limiteds), just send me a PM. That will help us to figure out what the problems are.

Don't be discouraged. You have one of the best cameras, at any price.