K-70 or used k-3/k-3 II?

gelokrol · 06-09-2016, 04:23 AM - **1 Like**

Hi,
I am thinking about changing the old k-x for some new body.
I have Sigma 17-50 and pentax DA 55-300 lens to use with new body.

I know that any change at this point, will give exeptional results, especially with long lens where I get a lot more crop for birds etc..

As said in title, I am thinking about 2 bodies:

K-3 (probably used - if found under 50k photos and under 500 USD. I also consider K-3 II but I would prefer the biuld in flash for GPS)
New K-70
or K-S2 - should I consider this?

What it will be used for:

Children (son born on may 2016) - probably about 30% (indor not studio - just simple shots in different houses of family and friends and outdor)
Adult Portrait 20%
Landscape - 30%
Macro and other 20% (as soon as I get some good macro lens - might be manual as I plan to use the distance tubes)

What I think I will be using (but I might be wrong)

Fast AF - Children / Nature / Birds / Sports
High ISO - Indor and evening shots
Crop might be required - Children / Nature
Articulated screen - Macro / Children
Image quality - will there be any visible?
Wi-Fi - mostly for child photo in home

Main differences that I take into comparison - You might have some others:

ISO - up to 100k for K-70
AF - 27 vs 11 for K-3
Prime M II vs Prime II - should I count this as difference? will I see any diference while using both bodies?
Articulated screen - for K-70
Dust removal - shake vs ultrasonic for K-3
Size and weight - a little + for K-70

Should I wait for K-70 ar just buy K-3?
Do I even consider K-S2 in this fight?

Any constructive response will be nice

Last edited by gelokrol; 06-09-2016 at 04:47 AM. Reason: updated description

Gray · 06-09-2016, 05:12 AM

K-70, because Ricoh has just obsoleted the K-3 by making it incompatible with any new KAF-4 type lenses, such as the new HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE.

Not a smart move by Ricoh, when adjusting the firmware (such as with the K-3II) would seem to be all it would take to get the K-3 to work with KAF-4 lenses.

The Squirrel Mafia · 06-09-2016, 05:19 AM

I'd take the K-70. If the K-70 is an indication of where Pentax is going, whatever upcoming APS-C flagship that Pentax plans on releasing is going to be full of excellence & win to the point that the current K-3/3II will leave you scratching your head as to why you got it.

Don't get me wrong, the K-3/3II is one heck of a camera, but now that I see all these excellent features on their low-midrange model, I can only imaging what they are going to pack into the upcoming APS-C flagship.

I'm shooting 2 K-50 bodies & have no issues with them. I can wait a few more years before getting a newer body for cheap. That's provided that these don't fail.

Dlanor Sekao · 06-09-2016, 05:45 AM - **1 Like**

The biggest question for me is does the K70 have the same aperture control block/diaphragm as the K30/K50/KS2 that is somewhat problematic and prone to fail ? I lost two perfectly good K30's to this fault and am starting to read about some KS2 users having the same problem ?

Last edited by photolady95; 06-10-2016 at 07:04 AM.

pathdoc · 06-09-2016, 06:25 AM

Those KAF3-only bodies are still good, with plenty of lenses available for them, and if the prices go into fire-sale territory there will be entry level photographers scoring themselves some really nice cameras and lenses which will do everything asked of them until they die (the cameras, I mean).

All that matters then is whether the KAF4-compatible cameras maintain the ability to control legacy glass. If Ricoh are smart, IMO they will maintain this capability for the foreseeable future. Given that they understood how important legacy glass support was to the full-frame crowd, I don't see them walking away from it completely any time soon.

LBA is going to metastasize like WHOA if there is a wholesale switch to KAF-4 and great lenses walk out the door cheap.

Doundounba · 06-09-2016, 06:34 AM - **1 Like**

K-3 and K-3 II ought to be separate options on this poll, as the K-3 II will support KAF4, but the K-3 will not. K-3 II is much more future proof, AFAICT.

Barry Pearson · 06-09-2016, 08:12 AM

Originally posted by Gray

K-70, because Ricoh has just obsoleted the K-3 by making it incompatible with any new KAF-4 type lenses, such as the new HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE.

Not a smart move by Ricoh, when adjusting the firmware (such as with the K-3II) would seem to be all it would take to get the K-3 to work with KAF-4 lenses.

Are you sure?

I suspect that the new KAF-4 lens design was settled in the nearly 2 years between the K-3 and the K-3II. And it may need suitable hardware.

(But that is a guess).

Amoon · 06-09-2016, 04:26 PM

Originally posted by Gray

K-70, because Ricoh has just obsoleted the K-3 by making it incompatible with any new KAF-4 type lenses, such as the new HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE.

Not a smart move by Ricoh, when adjusting the firmware (such as with the K-3II) would seem to be all it would take to get the K-3 to work with KAF-4 lenses.

I shoot sports and 8fps have worked great for me. K-70 is 6ps as my old D200 with which I struggle a little in the past.
K-3II will have a firmware update to make it compatible with the new mount... I'll wait for it and also wait for third party manufacturers to enter the Pentax world again.

---------- Post added 06-09-16 at 06:32 PM ----------

Originally posted by Doundounba

K-3 and K-3 II ought to be separate options on this poll, as the K-3 II will support KAF4, but the K-3 will not. K-3 II is much more future proof, AFAICT.

Agree

virusn3t · 06-09-2016, 05:26 PM

Originally posted by pathdoc

Those KAF3-only bodies are still good, with plenty of lenses available for them....

The problem is not the already KAF3 capable lenses in the wild, the problem is if Sigma/Tamron/Tokina/Zeiss/Laowa/Samyang/Voigtlander/Irix introduce new lenses is very likely they come in KAF4 Mount, as is going to be cheaper to produce than the mechanical aperture and can be more easy to service warranty and possible more convienent as they only will have change the mount beetween camera brands

Architecture · 06-09-2016, 05:48 PM

Is the K-70 just the K-3 sensor with the electronics of the K-50 & K-S2? The increased resolution with stagnant AF makes me feel like I'd still rather the K-3 II. But it also makes me wonder what Kenspo's been dancing around the past week...

mee · 06-09-2016, 05:53 PM

Originally posted by Doundounba

K-3 and K-3 II ought to be separate options on this poll, as the K-3 II will support KAF4, but the K-3 will not. K-3 II is much more future proof, AFAICT.

Agreed. I'd go for a K-3II unless the K-70's sensor ends up being superior.

Barry Pearson · 06-09-2016, 10:29 PM

Originally posted by Architecture

Is the K-70 just the K-3 sensor with the electronics of the K-50 & K-S2? The increased resolution with stagnant AF makes me feel like I'd still rather the K-3 II. But it also makes me wonder what Kenspo's been dancing around the past week...

The K-70 has hybrid AF. I'm pretty sure that either needs a new sensor or an interesting modification to an existing one.

"The PENTAX K-70 features PENTAX’s first Hybrid AF system during Live View autofocus operation. By coupling a contrast-detection AF sensor with superior focusing accuracy with an image-plane phase-matching AF sensor positioned on the image sensor’s surface, this innovative hybrid system optimizes the benefits of both AF systems to assure high-speed, pinpoint autofocusing on the subject."

gelokrol · 06-09-2016, 10:38 PM

That is a good question. I would like to see some samples already and compare to other Pentax cameras

Architecture · 06-10-2016, 06:24 AM

Originally posted by Barry Pearson

The K-70 has hybrid AF. I'm pretty sure that either needs a new sensor or an interesting modification to an existing one.

This is for live view and video only. I don't utilize either of those features--if I did, I would have moved on from Pentax long ago.

My point is more about the fact that the number of AF points isn't any higher than it is on my K-50. I want more resolution and latitude, but I'd sacrifice video performance for nailing focus when it actually matters to me.

anu l · 06-10-2016, 07:29 AM

Originally posted by gelokrol

Hi,
I am thinking about changing the old k-x for some new body.
I have Sigma 17-50 and pentax DA 55-300 lens to use with new body.

I know that any change at this point, will give exeptional results, especially with long lens where I get a lot more crop for birds etc..

As said in title, I am thinking about 2 bodies:

K-3 (probably used - if found under 50k photos and under 500 USD. I also consider K-3 II but I would prefer the biuld in flash for GPS)
New K-70
or K-S2 - should I consider this?

What it will be used for:

Children (son born on may 2016) - probably about 30% (indor not studio - just simple shots in different houses of family and friends and outdor)
Adult Portrait 20%
Landscape - 30%
Macro and other 20% (as soon as I get some good macro lens - might be manual as I plan to use the distance tubes)

What I think I will be using (but I might be wrong)

Fast AF - Children / Nature / Birds / Sports
High ISO - Indor and evening shots
Crop might be required - Children / Nature
Articulated screen - Macro / Children
Image quality - will there be any visible?
Wi-Fi - mostly for child photo in home

Main differences that I take into comparison - You might have some others:

ISO - up to 100k for K-70
AF - 27 vs 11 for K-3
Prime M II vs Prime II - should I count this as difference? will I see any diference while using both bodies?
Articulated screen - for K-70
Dust removal - shake vs ultrasonic for K-3
Size and weight - a little + for K-70

Should I wait for K-70 ar just buy K-3?
Do I even consider K-S2 in this fight?

Any constructive response will be nice

from what I can see the main uses dont Include fast paced action like sports wildlife & bird photography.

A body like the K-3 will differentiate with K-70 or K-s2 by having more phase detect AF points, better continuous AF, higher frames in burst mode, and a larger raw+jpeg buffer to keep it going. This really helps in situations where the subject moves very fast & in erratic fashion which is the case with cases mentioned above.

plus the K-3 doesnt have inbuilt wifi which helps in remotely accessing the camera & easily sharing images to social sites.
nor does it have articulating screen which is helpful in macros & getting shots from different angle like high above or very low (not possible with K-3/K-3 II)

the K-70 or even K-S2 is much suitable for you IMO.
but since you already have lenses get the K-70 body only, should be available cheaper soon after release.

View Poll Results: Which body whould You choose?
K-70	87	55.41%
K-3	70	44.59%
Voters: 157. You may not vote on this poll

06-09-2016, 04:23 AM - 1 Like	#1
gelokrol Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Poland, Świdnik Photos: Gallery Posts: 464	K-70 or used k-3/k-3 II? Hi, I am thinking about changing the old k-x for some new body. I have Sigma 17-50 and pentax DA 55-300 lens to use with new body. I know that any change at this point, will give exeptional results, especially with long lens where I get a lot more crop for birds etc.. As said in title, I am thinking about 2 bodies: K-3 (probably used - if found under 50k photos and under 500 USD. I also consider K-3 II but I would prefer the biuld in flash for GPS) New K-70 or K-S2 - should I consider this? What it will be used for: Children (son born on may 2016) - probably about 30% (indor not studio - just simple shots in different houses of family and friends and outdor) Adult Portrait 20% Landscape - 30% Macro and other 20% (as soon as I get some good macro lens - might be manual as I plan to use the distance tubes) What I think I will be using (but I might be wrong) Fast AF - Children / Nature / Birds / Sports High ISO - Indor and evening shots Crop might be required - Children / Nature Articulated screen - Macro / Children Image quality - will there be any visible? Wi-Fi - mostly for child photo in home Main differences that I take into comparison - You might have some others: ISO - up to 100k for K-70 AF - 27 vs 11 for K-3 Prime M II vs Prime II - should I count this as difference? will I see any diference while using both bodies? Articulated screen - for K-70 Dust removal - shake vs ultrasonic for K-3 Size and weight - a little + for K-70 Should I wait for K-70 ar just buy K-3? Do I even consider K-S2 in this fight? Any constructive response will be nice Last edited by gelokrol; 06-09-2016 at 04:47 AM. Reason: updated description

06-10-2016, 07:29 AM	#15
anu l Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 216	Originally posted by gelokrol Hi, I am thinking about changing the old k-x for some new body. I have Sigma 17-50 and pentax DA 55-300 lens to use with new body. I know that any change at this point, will give exeptional results, especially with long lens where I get a lot more crop for birds etc.. As said in title, I am thinking about 2 bodies: K-3 (probably used - if found under 50k photos and under 500 USD. I also consider K-3 II but I would prefer the biuld in flash for GPS) New K-70 or K-S2 - should I consider this? What it will be used for: Children (son born on may 2016) - probably about 30% (indor not studio - just simple shots in different houses of family and friends and outdor) Adult Portrait 20% Landscape - 30% Macro and other 20% (as soon as I get some good macro lens - might be manual as I plan to use the distance tubes) What I think I will be using (but I might be wrong) Fast AF - Children / Nature / Birds / Sports High ISO - Indor and evening shots Crop might be required - Children / Nature Articulated screen - Macro / Children Image quality - will there be any visible? Wi-Fi - mostly for child photo in home Main differences that I take into comparison - You might have some others: ISO - up to 100k for K-70 AF - 27 vs 11 for K-3 Prime M II vs Prime II - should I count this as difference? will I see any diference while using both bodies? Articulated screen - for K-70 Dust removal - shake vs ultrasonic for K-3 Size and weight - a little + for K-70 Should I wait for K-70 ar just buy K-3? Do I even consider K-S2 in this fight? Any constructive response will be nice from what I can see the main uses dont Include fast paced action like sports wildlife & bird photography. A body like the K-3 will differentiate with K-70 or K-s2 by having more phase detect AF points, better continuous AF, higher frames in burst mode, and a larger raw+jpeg buffer to keep it going. This really helps in situations where the subject moves very fast & in erratic fashion which is the case with cases mentioned above. plus the K-3 doesnt have inbuilt wifi which helps in remotely accessing the camera & easily sharing images to social sites. nor does it have articulating screen which is helpful in macros & getting shots from different angle like high above or very low (not possible with K-3/K-3 II) the K-70 or even K-S2 is much suitable for you IMO. but since you already have lenses get the K-70 body only, should be available cheaper soon after release.

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06-09-2016, 05:12 AM	#2
Gray Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Cape Town Photos: Gallery Posts: 536	K-70, because Ricoh has just obsoleted the K-3 by making it incompatible with any new KAF-4 type lenses, such as the new HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE. Not a smart move by Ricoh, when adjusting the firmware (such as with the K-3II) would seem to be all it would take to get the K-3 to work with KAF-4 lenses.

06-09-2016, 05:19 AM	#3
The Squirrel Mafia Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 3,054	I'd take the K-70. If the K-70 is an indication of where Pentax is going, whatever upcoming APS-C flagship that Pentax plans on releasing is going to be full of excellence & win to the point that the current K-3/3II will leave you scratching your head as to why you got it. Don't get me wrong, the K-3/3II is one heck of a camera, but now that I see all these excellent features on their low-midrange model, I can only imaging what they are going to pack into the upcoming APS-C flagship. I'm shooting 2 K-50 bodies & have no issues with them. I can wait a few more years before getting a newer body for cheap. That's provided that these don't fail.

06-09-2016, 05:45 AM - 1 Like	#4
Dlanor Sekao Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 1,457	The biggest question for me is does the K70 have the same aperture control block/diaphragm as the K30/K50/KS2 that is somewhat problematic and prone to fail ? I lost two perfectly good K30's to this fault and am starting to read about some KS2 users having the same problem ? Last edited by photolady95; 06-10-2016 at 07:04 AM.

06-09-2016, 06:25 AM	#5
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381	Those KAF3-only bodies are still good, with plenty of lenses available for them, and if the prices go into fire-sale territory there will be entry level photographers scoring themselves some really nice cameras and lenses which will do everything asked of them until they die (the cameras, I mean). All that matters then is whether the KAF4-compatible cameras maintain the ability to control legacy glass. If Ricoh are smart, IMO they will maintain this capability for the foreseeable future. Given that they understood how important legacy glass support was to the full-frame crowd, I don't see them walking away from it completely any time soon. LBA is going to metastasize like WHOA if there is a wholesale switch to KAF-4 and great lenses walk out the door cheap.

06-09-2016, 06:34 AM - 1 Like	#6
Doundounba Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Montréal QC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,351	K-3 and K-3 II ought to be separate options on this poll, as the K-3 II will support KAF4, but the K-3 will not. K-3 II is much more future proof, AFAICT.

06-09-2016, 08:12 AM	#7
Barry Pearson Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Stockport Posts: 964	Originally posted by Gray K-70, because Ricoh has just obsoleted the K-3 by making it incompatible with any new KAF-4 type lenses, such as the new HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE. Not a smart move by Ricoh, when adjusting the firmware (such as with the K-3II) would seem to be all it would take to get the K-3 to work with KAF-4 lenses. Are you sure? I suspect that the new KAF-4 lens design was settled in the nearly 2 years between the K-3 and the K-3II. And it may need suitable hardware. (But that is a guess).

06-09-2016, 04:26 PM	#8
Amoon Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 155	Originally posted by Gray K-70, because Ricoh has just obsoleted the K-3 by making it incompatible with any new KAF-4 type lenses, such as the new HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE. Not a smart move by Ricoh, when adjusting the firmware (such as with the K-3II) would seem to be all it would take to get the K-3 to work with KAF-4 lenses. I shoot sports and 8fps have worked great for me. K-70 is 6ps as my old D200 with which I struggle a little in the past. K-3II will have a firmware update to make it compatible with the new mount... I'll wait for it and also wait for third party manufacturers to enter the Pentax world again. ---------- Post added 06-09-16 at 06:32 PM ---------- Originally posted by Doundounba K-3 and K-3 II ought to be separate options on this poll, as the K-3 II will support KAF4, but the K-3 will not. K-3 II is much more future proof, AFAICT. Agree

06-09-2016, 05:26 PM	#9
virusn3t Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 676	Originally posted by pathdoc Those KAF3-only bodies are still good, with plenty of lenses available for them.... The problem is not the already KAF3 capable lenses in the wild, the problem is if Sigma/Tamron/Tokina/Zeiss/Laowa/Samyang/Voigtlander/Irix introduce new lenses is very likely they come in KAF4 Mount, as is going to be cheaper to produce than the mechanical aperture and can be more easy to service warranty and possible more convienent as they only will have change the mount beetween camera brands

06-09-2016, 05:48 PM	#10
Architecture Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Texas Posts: 147	Is the K-70 just the K-3 sensor with the electronics of the K-50 & K-S2? The increased resolution with stagnant AF makes me feel like I'd still rather the K-3 II. But it also makes me wonder what Kenspo's been dancing around the past week...

06-09-2016, 05:53 PM	#11
mee Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 7,403	Originally posted by Doundounba K-3 and K-3 II ought to be separate options on this poll, as the K-3 II will support KAF4, but the K-3 will not. K-3 II is much more future proof, AFAICT. Agreed. I'd go for a K-3II unless the K-70's sensor ends up being superior.

06-09-2016, 10:29 PM	#12
Barry Pearson Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Stockport Posts: 964	Originally posted by Architecture Is the K-70 just the K-3 sensor with the electronics of the K-50 & K-S2? The increased resolution with stagnant AF makes me feel like I'd still rather the K-3 II. But it also makes me wonder what Kenspo's been dancing around the past week... The K-70 has hybrid AF. I'm pretty sure that either needs a new sensor or an interesting modification to an existing one. "The PENTAX K-70 features PENTAX’s first Hybrid AF system during Live View autofocus operation. By coupling a contrast-detection AF sensor with superior focusing accuracy with an image-plane phase-matching AF sensor positioned on the image sensor’s surface, this innovative hybrid system optimizes the benefits of both AF systems to assure high-speed, pinpoint autofocusing on the subject."

06-09-2016, 10:38 PM	#13
gelokrol Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Poland, Świdnik Photos: Gallery Posts: 464 Original Poster	That is a good question. I would like to see some samples already and compare to other Pentax cameras

06-10-2016, 06:24 AM	#14
Architecture Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Texas Posts: 147	Originally posted by Barry Pearson The K-70 has hybrid AF. I'm pretty sure that either needs a new sensor or an interesting modification to an existing one. This is for live view and video only. I don't utilize either of those features--if I did, I would have moved on from Pentax long ago. My point is more about the fact that the number of AF points isn't any higher than it is on my K-50. I want more resolution and latitude, but I'd sacrifice video performance for nailing focus when it actually matters to me.