NEW K-3ii owner

Kennygee · 06-20-2018, 10:19 AM

I just ordered a new K-3ii from Adaroma and yes I was on this site when I ordered it. I have never used any kind of digital processing software and would like to know what would be an easy beginners program to start with. I have been using a Canon digital Rebel XT for a # of years, bought new in I can't remember when

Suffer from age related CRS

Now that I am retired I hope to have more time for learning how to get the most out of my equipment. any help would be appreciated Thanks Kenny

**DW58** · 06-20-2018, 10:48 AM

Hello Kennygee. I'll be 60 this year and functionally illiterate when it comes to computers. I shoot RAW and purchased PS Elements 15 a while back. It was easy for me to figure out and so far it's still more than I need. It was on sale and it cost me a one time payment of $49.00. People on this forum have been talking about Adobe going strictly prescription now. Hopefully others with more smarts than me about this stuff will chime in. I know there are a number of free programs available but how difficult they are to master I don't know. I went with Elements because I'd read it was a good first step into post processing digital images. One things for certain. You have more than a few options available. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

**jlstrawman** · 06-20-2018, 11:10 AM

FastStone Image Viewer - Powerful and Intuitive Photo Viewer, Editor and Batch Converter

Free and easy to use. Look around the Faststone website.

ChristianRock · 06-20-2018, 11:18 AM

Welcome Kenny!

Do you intend to shoot RAW or JPEG? And do you want free software, software that you pay for once, or subscription software? So many options...

Free Software I've used and liked: Darktable, RawTherapee (both are RAW converters)
Paid Software I've used: Corel Aftershot Pro. You pay once for the license and I would say it's very easy to use. Works well both for RAW and for JPEGs (the "Perfectly Clear" algorhythm is great for JPEGs too and is basically a one-click-enhances-your-photos kid of thing)
Paid or Subscription Software: Adobe Lightroom. I think you can still buy a one-time license. But a lot of people are on the subscription service because they get the latest updates that way. I haven't used it, but I think it's still the software most people use.

steve_k · 06-20-2018, 12:12 PM

Welcome Kenny,

ChristianRock gave you a lot of good information.

I received the Corel Paint Shop Pro suite for free when I purchased my K-3 II from Adorama. Corel Aftershot is very much like Adobe Lightroom and relatively easy to use. I still have Corel but I have now moved to Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. There were several reasons including being able to receive all of latest updates. I just felt the tutorials for Lightroom were better. There are also many other good programs out there such as Topaz Studio which can be purchased through this web site. There are also Aurora HDR and Luminar from Skylum which are also good. All of these are products you must purchase. Many people swear by the free products. But personally I feel that I get much better support for the products I pay for whether subscription or one time fee.

Just an FYI

You can download a free trial or purchase the Corel Paint Shop Pro Ultimate for $80 The Ultimate Photo Editor ? PaintShop Pro 2018 Ultimate

Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan costs $10 per month. Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan | Professional photo editing software

victormeldrew · 06-20-2018, 03:04 PM

It's worth trying as many demos as you can...different interfaces work for different people, and you might need different features.

However, the first thing to try is the software included with the camera - it does the basics very well, but is a little clunky to use.

rickc118 · 06-20-2018, 03:35 PM

Try PhotoScape. Free (if you want more advanced "pro" features, there is a charge) and easy to use. There are a number of YouTube tutorials on how to use PhotoScape, but a lot of the features are very intuitive. If you don't even want to download photo editing software, you can also try Pixlr for simple editing.

Good luck, and congrats on your new K-3ii!

Kennygee · 06-20-2018, 03:53 PM

Thanks lots of info here! I always shot in RAW just in case I could do something with them later. I think I will start with what comes with the camera and check out You tube for tutorials .
I am also wondering what is the best adapter for M-42 lenses? I do have some old ones and looking around found the Pentax one for about $80.00

and that seems a little high to me.Any one have experience with any of the others, but not so much the $10.00-15.00 ones ,maybe up to $40.00?
I also have two note books full of negatives I have taken over the years. Can these be scanned some how and be converted to files in digital format? Just thinking of things

to do when it gets to hot outside here in Texas.Thanks all Kenny

**twilhelm** · 06-20-2018, 04:00 PM

While the Pentax adapters are the best, I have two Fotodiox ones that have always worked perfectly. I do remove the small lock tab from the adapters, but I also like to leave them on my lens until my Spotmatic gets lonely...

GlennG · 06-20-2018, 05:41 PM

Originally posted by steve_k

Corel Paint Shop Pro

I'm also a Corel user, have been for years, but I'm using a version about 3 years old and it still does what I need it to. So I can recommend it, but regrettably I don't have much comparison experience.

I tend to be in the "you get what you pay for" camp for most things, so I have to think that the support and updates for paid software would be better. But many people report they like the freebies.

I've been tempted to try Lightroom, though.

Good luck with your decision.

Amoon · 06-20-2018, 08:51 PM

Congratulations. The K-3II is a great camera with lots of features and custom buttons for the important tasks. Enjoy!

ephophex · 08-14-2018, 11:58 AM

Originally posted by ChristianRock

Welcome Kenny!

Do you intend to shoot RAW or JPEG? And do you want free software, software that you pay for once, or subscription software? So many options...

Free Software I've used and liked: Darktable, RawTherapee (both are RAW converters)
Paid Software I've used: Corel Aftershot Pro. You pay once for the license and I would say it's very easy to use. Works well both for RAW and for JPEGs (the "Perfectly Clear" algorhythm is great for JPEGs too and is basically a one-click-enhances-your-photos kid of thing)
Paid or Subscription Software: Adobe Lightroom. I think you can still buy a one-time license. But a lot of people are on the subscription service because they get the latest updates that way. I haven't used it, but I think it's still the software most people use.

I'd second the vote for Aftershot Pro (current version is 3).

During initial setup, I had some issues with it crashing when importing a large number (70k) images; but I was able to work that out (long story short: it would consume all 16GB of RAM during the import process and crash when it ran out of memory. I re-enabled my page file and voila).

I wanted it for two purposes: 1. to ease the process of selecting and culling shots and 2. to be able to make batch adjustments to shots.

For item 1, it's quite good - you can use hotkeys to mark shots as keepers or trash, and use the number pad to assign a star rating. Using said hotkeys and the number keys to advance to the next shot, you can fly through a set. When you actually delete the shots you've marked, it's a little slow; but it's not a dealbreaker. And you can do side-by-side comparisons of shots (it syncs the zoom level and panning between the shots) to select the best one. It works a treat.

For item 2, it does everything I want it to do - the usual exposure, contrast, and color tweaks, as well as great black and white conversions and easy stacking of exposures. I'm not terribly advanced in this realm.

It ain't perfect; but given that it's a one-time cost and quite powerful, I'm pleased overall.

Oh, and I also had to jump on the K-3II deal from Adorama. The price for the silver was NUTS!

Lew Dite · 08-15-2018, 08:33 PM

Good to know that the K-3II is still available from some retailers. I too bought it after it was officially discontinued. I chose it over the current K-70 and KP models and I don't regret my choice in the least.

**Mikesul** · 08-17-2018, 01:10 PM

The discontinuation continues to puzzle since there is clearly a supply available and real demand long after the discontinuance.

Lew Dite · 08-17-2018, 09:13 PM

Re image processing software, I think that Picture Window Pro is pretty good, especially for the money. As in, free. The developer, Digital Light and Color has discontinued further development and is offering the last version, 7.0, for free. How appropriate to use discontinued software on a discontinued camera. Get it while you still can.

06-20-2018, 10:19 AM	#1
Kennygee Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: . Posts: 228	NEW K-3ii owner I just ordered a new K-3ii from Adaroma and yes I was on this site when I ordered it. I have never used any kind of digital processing software and would like to know what would be an easy beginners program to start with. I have been using a Canon digital Rebel XT for a # of years, bought new in I can't remember when Suffer from age related CRS Now that I am retired I hope to have more time for learning how to get the most out of my equipment. any help would be appreciated Thanks Kenny

06-20-2018, 03:53 PM	#8
Kennygee Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: . Posts: 228 Original Poster	Wow Thanks lots of info here! I always shot in RAW just in case I could do something with them later. I think I will start with what comes with the camera and check out You tube for tutorials . I am also wondering what is the best adapter for M-42 lenses? I do have some old ones and looking around found the Pentax one for about $80.00 and that seems a little high to me.Any one have experience with any of the others, but not so much the $10.00-15.00 ones ,maybe up to $40.00? I also have two note books full of negatives I have taken over the years. Can these be scanned some how and be converted to files in digital format? Just thinking of things to do when it gets to hot outside here in Texas.Thanks all Kenny

08-14-2018, 11:58 AM	#12
ephophex Forum Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 76	Originally posted by ChristianRock Welcome Kenny! Do you intend to shoot RAW or JPEG? And do you want free software, software that you pay for once, or subscription software? So many options... Free Software I've used and liked: Darktable, RawTherapee (both are RAW converters) Paid Software I've used: Corel Aftershot Pro. You pay once for the license and I would say it's very easy to use. Works well both for RAW and for JPEGs (the "Perfectly Clear" algorhythm is great for JPEGs too and is basically a one-click-enhances-your-photos kid of thing) Paid or Subscription Software: Adobe Lightroom. I think you can still buy a one-time license. But a lot of people are on the subscription service because they get the latest updates that way. I haven't used it, but I think it's still the software most people use. I'd second the vote for Aftershot Pro (current version is 3). During initial setup, I had some issues with it crashing when importing a large number (70k) images; but I was able to work that out (long story short: it would consume all 16GB of RAM during the import process and crash when it ran out of memory. I re-enabled my page file and voila). I wanted it for two purposes: 1. to ease the process of selecting and culling shots and 2. to be able to make batch adjustments to shots. For item 1, it's quite good - you can use hotkeys to mark shots as keepers or trash, and use the number pad to assign a star rating. Using said hotkeys and the number keys to advance to the next shot, you can fly through a set. When you actually delete the shots you've marked, it's a little slow; but it's not a dealbreaker. And you can do side-by-side comparisons of shots (it syncs the zoom level and panning between the shots) to select the best one. It works a treat. For item 2, it does everything I want it to do - the usual exposure, contrast, and color tweaks, as well as great black and white conversions and easy stacking of exposures. I'm not terribly advanced in this realm. It ain't perfect; but given that it's a one-time cost and quite powerful, I'm pleased overall. Oh, and I also had to jump on the K-3II deal from Adorama. The price for the silver was NUTS! Last edited by ephophex; 08-14-2018 at 11:59 AM. Reason: Just more info

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Getting up to speed with a new K-3ii	KenBarley	Pentax K-3 & K-3 II	12	04-28-2018 02:56 PM
New member and new owner of the (not so new) K-5ii	j_c_boing	Welcomes and Introductions	15	12-30-2017 03:17 PM
K-3II broke down, need to buy new camera in Kanazawa or Kyoto	Ishpuini	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	31	11-22-2017 12:40 AM
Help Deciding New Camera (K-3ii, K-1 or Sony!)	nrgcreator	Pentax DSLR Discussion	27	07-25-2016 10:43 PM
K-5 owner looking to upgrade to K-3 or K-3ii	LeDave	Pentax DSLR Discussion	17	08-07-2015 06:31 AM

06-20-2018, 10:48 AM	#2
DW58 Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Rural Oregon Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,062	Hello Kennygee. I'll be 60 this year and functionally illiterate when it comes to computers. I shoot RAW and purchased PS Elements 15 a while back. It was easy for me to figure out and so far it's still more than I need. It was on sale and it cost me a one time payment of $49.00. People on this forum have been talking about Adobe going strictly prescription now. Hopefully others with more smarts than me about this stuff will chime in. I know there are a number of free programs available but how difficult they are to master I don't know. I went with Elements because I'd read it was a good first step into post processing digital images. One things for certain. You have more than a few options available. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

06-20-2018, 11:10 AM	#3
jlstrawman Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Midwest US Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,058	FastStone Image Viewer - Powerful and Intuitive Photo Viewer, Editor and Batch Converter Free and easy to use. Look around the Faststone website.

06-20-2018, 11:18 AM	#4
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910	Welcome Kenny! Do you intend to shoot RAW or JPEG? And do you want free software, software that you pay for once, or subscription software? So many options... Free Software I've used and liked: Darktable, RawTherapee (both are RAW converters) Paid Software I've used: Corel Aftershot Pro. You pay once for the license and I would say it's very easy to use. Works well both for RAW and for JPEGs (the "Perfectly Clear" algorhythm is great for JPEGs too and is basically a one-click-enhances-your-photos kid of thing) Paid or Subscription Software: Adobe Lightroom. I think you can still buy a one-time license. But a lot of people are on the subscription service because they get the latest updates that way. I haven't used it, but I think it's still the software most people use.

06-20-2018, 12:12 PM	#5
steve_k Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Shelton, CT Photos: Albums Posts: 708	Welcome Kenny, ChristianRock gave you a lot of good information. I received the Corel Paint Shop Pro suite for free when I purchased my K-3 II from Adorama. Corel Aftershot is very much like Adobe Lightroom and relatively easy to use. I still have Corel but I have now moved to Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. There were several reasons including being able to receive all of latest updates. I just felt the tutorials for Lightroom were better. There are also many other good programs out there such as Topaz Studio which can be purchased through this web site. There are also Aurora HDR and Luminar from Skylum which are also good. All of these are products you must purchase. Many people swear by the free products. But personally I feel that I get much better support for the products I pay for whether subscription or one time fee. Just an FYI You can download a free trial or purchase the Corel Paint Shop Pro Ultimate for $80 The Ultimate Photo Editor ? PaintShop Pro 2018 Ultimate Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan costs $10 per month. Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan \| Professional photo editing software

06-20-2018, 03:04 PM	#6
victormeldrew Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: South West UK Photos: Albums Posts: 1,493	It's worth trying as many demos as you can...different interfaces work for different people, and you might need different features. However, the first thing to try is the software included with the camera - it does the basics very well, but is a little clunky to use.

06-20-2018, 03:35 PM	#7
rickc118 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Posts: 28	Try PhotoScape. Free (if you want more advanced "pro" features, there is a charge) and easy to use. There are a number of YouTube tutorials on how to use PhotoScape, but a lot of the features are very intuitive. If you don't even want to download photo editing software, you can also try Pixlr for simple editing. Good luck, and congrats on your new K-3ii!

06-20-2018, 04:00 PM	#9
twilhelm Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Florida Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,369	While the Pentax adapters are the best, I have two Fotodiox ones that have always worked perfectly. I do remove the small lock tab from the adapters, but I also like to leave them on my lens until my Spotmatic gets lonely...

06-20-2018, 05:41 PM	#10
GlennG Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 824	Originally posted by steve_k Corel Paint Shop Pro I'm also a Corel user, have been for years, but I'm using a version about 3 years old and it still does what I need it to. So I can recommend it, but regrettably I don't have much comparison experience. I tend to be in the "you get what you pay for" camp for most things, so I have to think that the support and updates for paid software would be better. But many people report they like the freebies. I've been tempted to try Lightroom, though. Good luck with your decision.

06-20-2018, 08:51 PM	#11
Amoon Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 155	Congratulations. The K-3II is a great camera with lots of features and custom buttons for the important tasks. Enjoy!

08-15-2018, 08:33 PM	#13
Lew Dite Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2017 Photos: Albums Posts: 42	Good to know that the K-3II is still available from some retailers. I too bought it after it was officially discontinued. I chose it over the current K-70 and KP models and I don't regret my choice in the least.

08-17-2018, 01:10 PM	#14
Mikesul Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 7,594	The discontinuation continues to puzzle since there is clearly a supply available and real demand long after the discontinuance.

08-17-2018, 09:13 PM	#15
Lew Dite Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2017 Photos: Albums Posts: 42	Re image processing software, I think that Picture Window Pro is pretty good, especially for the money. As in, free. The developer, Digital Light and Color has discontinued further development and is offering the last version, 7.0, for free. How appropriate to use discontinued software on a discontinued camera. Get it while you still can.