[souless]

Yes, I do - what matters to me is how quickly I can control the camera again. When writing to both cards, it takes much longer before I can do anything.

These are times from the moment the buffer is full, till I can control the camera (change aperture, ISO etc):

Write to single card: 23 secs
Write to both cards: 45 secs

Both cards were Lexar Pro, 95MB/s

The camera takes maybe up to twice as long to clear the entire buffer. This matters too in the long run, but for now and for me, how quickly I can control the camera matters the most and when I'm shooting, not being able to change settings for just few seconds feels like a very long time.

Thank for your information!
I do need to shoot dual cards for backup on important events, just in case one of my SD card fails unpredictably.
However, the longer idle time while writing to the cards prevents me from using k-3ii in a fast action event...
Too bad to hear that K-3ii didn't improve these, guess I will have to wait for K-4...

[Zafar Iqbal]

I just discovered, that it is in fact possible to change exposure settings right awa. The rear screen will go blank or show previews, but it's possible to change and see what you are doing, using top LCD.

It's not that bad after all

[souless]

I just discovered, that it is in fact possible to change exposure settings right awa. The rear screen will go blank or show previews, but it's possible to change and see what you are doing, using top LCD.

It's not that bad after all

Thanks for your reply!
Based on your feedback, can I say that basically while the body is clearing the buffer or writing to the dual cards, any functionalities that don't required LiveView LCD is available? so the body is not totally frozen/hanged?

[Zafar Iqbal]

Thanks for your reply!
Based on your feedback, can I say that basically while the body is clearing the buffer or writing to the dual cards, any functionalities that don't required LiveView LCD is available? so the body is not totally frozen/hanged?

It is still very functional. To verify, I can change:
Shutterspeed, aperture and ISO
Metering modes
AF modes (AF-S, AF-C, AF-A)
AF point modes (single, multi etc)
Change the AF point. The top LCD never shows this but you can see through the viewfinder which point is being selected.
AE-L
EV +/-

Top LCD shows shooting mode, but I cant change this (single shot, continuous shooting etc)
GPS can't be turned on

I can live with these limitations.

[souless]

It is still very functional. To verify, I can change:
Shutterspeed, aperture and ISO
Metering modes
AF modes (AF-S, AF-C, AF-A)
AF point modes (single, multi etc)
Change the AF point. The top LCD never shows this but you can see through the viewfinder which point is being selected.
AE-L
EV +/-

Top LCD shows shooting mode, but I cant change this (single shot, continuous shooting etc)
GPS can't be turned on

I can live with these limitations.

Really appreciate for your time and efforts!
This is a great news to me, and those who want to upgrade to K-3ii!

[Flasher]

This is not very scientific but when I upgraded from the K5 to the K3 I used the Sandisk 45mb/s cards from my K5 in the K3 and noticed how slow it was. I bought a couple of Sandisk 95mb/s cards and noticed the K3 was now similar to the K5 with RAW images even with an increase in file (sensor) size. I was just judging the time it takes for one shot to display on the LCD.

I thought wow I wonder how fast the K5 would write with the 95mb/s cards and I was surprised that there was no increase in write speed. I concluded that buying faster than 45mb/s for the K5 was a waste of money and that the K3 needed a 95mb/s card to perform at it best. The time it takes to display the image is very acceptable, always displaying the image by the time I take the camera away from my eye so I never have to wait.

Be careful you do buy a genuine card there are plenty of under performing counterfeits on the likes of ebay.

[Zafar Iqbal]

The no-display nature of K-3/II is seriously bugging me out now. Since past few months I've offered my clients pre-wedding sessions and here, I often show photo to build up confidence, while we are shooting - however, with the display going black, I often just look like an idiot while we wait for the photo.. and wait.. and wait.. and wait some more.

Yesterday, I had the scariest thing going on during a wedding. I think I shot for 30 minutes(!) without properly being able to see what I was doing. It started with the bridal dance and then the following stuff that comes with it - all of it very very important and hectic but I never used continious shooting. Besides the lights the DJ had set up, I had set up 2 colored off-camera light sources as well. Being able to judge as the event progress was important.

From the few photos I did get a glimpse of here and there, it looked like I was going to be screwed big time and was almost completely convinced, that I blew it during the bridal dance.

There wasn't anything I could do so I kept shooting (I couldn't just stop and let the camera clear the buffer) and having looked at the photo afterwards, I'm very very pleased to say, that I got some very decent photos - well, not just decent, but good.

Still, I do not like the K-3/II - I never *really* liked it. It *feels* pro but doesn't act like it. I'd rather be shooting with K-30 again. The K-3/II makes me doubt Pentax knows what they are doing.

[Alex645]

The no-display nature of K-3/II is seriously bugging me out now.

Still, I do not like the K-3/II - I never *really* liked it. It *feels* pro but doesn't act like it. I'd rather be shooting with K-30 again. The K-3/II makes me doubt Pentax knows what they are doing.

I can imagine your frustration but considering most weddings and events are shot with DSLRs like the Canon 5D III ($2700) or the Nikon D4s ($4000), I think it is unfair to compare that with an APS-C camera like the K3 or K3II ($700-$850).

The strength of the Pentax system is the weather-resistance, IBIS, pentaprism finders, legacy glass, and many more things which points to a system that is awesome for outdoor rugged use but not especially great with AF and speed for sports, multi-flash set ups, etc. You get what you pay for, but Pentax is an exceptional value for entry level DSLRs as well as their new flagship FF.

Unfortunately, every camera has its pros and cons and it is up to the photographer to know their toolʻs capabilities and limitations. If Ricoh tries to compete with Canon or Nikonʻs strengths, I would then agree that they donʻt know what theyʻre doing.

[Zafar Iqbal]

Meh, the browser crashed and I lost what I was writing. I don't really feel like writing it all again.

In short: I compare against nothing else than Pentax's previous cameras - I do not agree - I expect better from a camera like K-3/II and finally, the you get what you pay for thing.

[normhead]

The only time I fill the buffer would be when trying to get an image of a bird taking off or landing. Most of the time I shoot a shorter burst that clear faster. The other day I actually filled the buffer for the first time in an age, and got 23 images of a bird in almost exactly the same position. Waiting for the buffer was painful, but only because I didn't get the image I wanted.

It sounds like some of you want a camera like the Lumix FZ1000 that will shoot 4k video, and allow your to use every frame as a still.

Because of the buffering issues, I've learned to keep my bursts to 5 or 6 images. I still fill the buffer on occasion, but, judicious use of burst made , cuts down on missed opportunities. SO much so that it's been a long time since I thought about this issue.

[TheOneAndOnlyJH]

When I first started I used high speed continuous for everything, but I realized that I basically ended up with many extra 'duplicate' images to delete and the machine gun noise also startled some people. I switched to continuous/medium and now I rarely have to wait for the buffer, even in RAW+jpeg (I mostly keep bursts under 3 seconds though, so this might be different in your case). Take a look at how many of your bursts shots are keepers and you may be happier using a slower continuous speed since it decreases that black screen time. If things start moving fast and you need the high speed to catch the exact moment (like a quick dance or bouquet toss) you can switch back and forth pretty easily.

---------- Post added 07-11-16 at 04:17 PM ----------

...all of it very very important and hectic but I never used continious shooting...

Oops! Just noticed that part on re-reading.

If you weren't doing much continuous shooting and you had issues with the buffer filling you may want to try some faster cards. I rarely have issues with buffer lag when I'm not in burst mode, so you may have either slow cards or a very quick trigger finger.

Based on some advice I was given when I started out I learned was that my pictures get better when I take less pictures and try to anticipate moments. Planning my shots more gives me more keepers, even though I take less shots overall. People took great images in film days when they had to cock the shutter between each exposure, so I know it's possible, and working like this helps me improve my technique and see things better in my mind before I press the shutter. (Also saves on time culling the images after!)

---------- Post added 07-11-16 at 04:22 PM ----------

Heh... I guess I should have read even farther back before posting. I didn't realized you were writing in dual card mode; now it all makes more sense.

[Zafar Iqbal]

Shorter bursts is no help if the gap between them isn't large enough - if not then eventually the buffer will still fill up and delay previewing of the photos, which is my problem with this - I don't care about all but just the most recent photo, and the most recent will be shown after up to 45-50 seconds of delay when using two 95MB/s cards and only if I stop shooting, or shoot super super slow.

These shots are from when the bridal dance started and on wards, and stuff at this particular wedding kept happening so no time to let the camera breathe. My shooting rate was typically 1-2fps as can be seen and the delay quickly builds up which can also be seen under creation time.

Highlighted photos is when I changed camera bodies and with the 32sec gap, first camera is still half a minute behind and the bridal dance haven't even lasted 2 minutes yet.

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---------- Post added 11-07-16 at 23:39 ----------

When I first started I used high speed continuous for everything

Pretty much all of what you are writing are experiences I've been through myself. I skipped continuous shooting because most photos are just extras and timing is key - but there are times when things get harder to predict and time for, such as during rapid dancing with limbs all over the place and people crossing each other. For this I successfully rely on wide angle, smaller aperture and pre-set manual focus so I can just shoot, but occasionally I need to check if the focus distance is and exposures are still within acceptable range.

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[TheOneAndOnlyJH]

Pretty much all of what you are writing are experiences I've been through myself.

Yeah, the farther back in this thread I went, the more I felt like a NASCAR driver offering cornering pointers to a rally car driver. I think it's safe to say you probably know more than I do.

---------- Post added 07-11-16 at 06:20 PM ----------

...there are times when things get harder to predict and time for, such as during rapid dancing with limbs all over the place and people crossing each other...

I agree completely on that one. It's hard to get faces when a couple is spinning so quickly during a fast waltz, so that's one instance when I switch back to high continuous for a few short bursts.

Unfortunately people crossing in the way is a problem not limited to dance floors. Luckily 24MP is usually enough to crop out an elbow or other body part that enters the frame as long as they don't walk right in front of you...

[duncan1]

Is there a difference between K-3 PEF and DNG file size?

[Zafar Iqbal]

4

Yeah, the farther back in this thread I went, the more I felt like a NASCAR driver offering cornering pointers to a rally car driver. I think it's safe to say you probably know more than I do.

ROFLMAO Well, at least thanks for showing confidence in me

Is there a difference between K-3 PEF and DNG file size?

That's a very good and curious question. I had a look and the differences are marginal - something like 33.1MB vs 33.6MB, with the DNG file being the larger one. As for the writing:

Lexar Pro 95MB/s, 2 cards - DNG: 40secs
Lexar Pro 95MB/s, 2 cards - PEF: 41secs

Sandisk Extreme 30MB/s, 2 cards - DNG 45 secs
Sandisk Extreme 30MB/s, 2 cards - PEF: 44 secs

I didn't do many re-runs and then there's timing inaccuracies, but all in all I'm concluding there is nothing to be gained by changing formats.

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