[StephenObermeier]

Don't know if someone posted it here already - If you have any questions regarding the camera, I'll be happy to help if I can
The google drive folder which I link to contains shots taken during the last 10 days and also a 20 seconds 4k Video out of cam
The Images have all EXIF stripped because it is preproduction and not all shot at base iso.

Here is the English version of the review:
Hands-On Review Pentax K3 III - 85mm // photography

Here is the German version of the review:
Hands-On Review Pentax K3 III - 85mm // photography

[mattt]

Thanks for sharing - clear and concise write up. Will check the video later.

[stevebrot]

Nice review...

One point you may wish to considering editing from both video and text is the reference to sharing the same battery with the K10D. The K-3iii has the same D-Li90 battery as has been used in several bodies since the K-7. The K10D and K20D use the D-Li50, which is physically incompatible with the later cameras.


Steve

[repaap]

Don't know if someone posted it here already - If you have any questions regarding the camera, I'll be happy to help if I can
The google drive folder which I link to contains shots taken during the last 10 days and also a 20 seconds 4k Video out of cam
The Images have all EXIF stripped because it is preproduction and not all shot at base iso.

Here is the English version of the review:
Hands-On Review Pentax K3 III - 85mm // photography

Here is the German version of the review:
Hands-On Review Pentax K3 III - 85mm // photography

Thanks for video and pictures, I looked it up already yesterday and it is nice to see pictures too.

that video clip you posted is 1080, not 4K. It is okay, but there are quite a bit of artefacts. Should you think it is as bad in 4K or is it just from processing the 4K movie to 1080?

Thanks!

BTW, AF seems pretty good with samples you posted that skater coming at you and back. I do like photos look too.

[BarneyL]

"Even in the low-light range it works above K1 level, which I find quite impressive."

K-1 is not a bar set high for the AF system, frankly.

[StephenObermeier]

"Even in the low-light range it works above K1 level, which I find quite impressive."

K-1 is not a bar set high for the AF system, frankly.

The K1 AF is super capable in very low light compared to many other cameras, especially mirrorless - i have a lot of sony and nikon options in the agency to compare.

---------- Post added 04-03-21 at 11:47 PM ----------

Thanks for video and pictures, I looked it up already yesterday and it is nice to see pictures too.

that video clip you posted is 1080, not 4K. It is okay, but there are quite a bit of artefacts. Should you think it is as bad in 4K or is it just from processing the 4K movie to 1080?

Thanks!

BTW, AF seems pretty good with samples you posted that skater coming at you and back. I do like photos look too.

That's strange - the video on my hd is 4k maybe some google processing. Later I'll upload a .zip. thank you for the info

---------- Post added 04-03-21 at 11:48 PM ----------

Nice review...

One point you may wish to considering editing from both video and text is the reference to sharing the same battery with the K10D. The K-3iii has the same D-Li90 battery as has been used in several bodies since the K-7. The K10D and K20D use the D-Li50, which is physically incompatible with the later cameras.


Steve

I'll check that later. 😊 Thank

[Madaboutpix]

Great idea to provide links to your illuminating review here on PF. That should give you additional reach in the English-speaking world, Stephen.

[aurele]

The K1 AF is super capable in very low light compared to many other cameras, especially mirrorless - i have a lot of sony and nikon options in the agency to compare.

Agreed, the K1 is not fast in low light, but at least it's freak'n working !

---------- Post added 4th Apr 2021 at 09:03 AM ----------

This is a great review ! You ceoverd the whole thing well. That's greatly appreciated !

[repaap]

The K1 AF is super capable in very low light compared to many other cameras, especially mirrorless - i have a lot of sony and nikon options in the agency to compare.

---------- Post added 04-03-21 at 11:47 PM ----------



That's strange - the video on my hd is 4k maybe some google processing. Later I'll upload a .zip. thank you for the info

---------- Post added 04-03-21 at 11:48 PM ----------



I'll check that later. 😊 Thank

Thanks! Looking forward to that!

[HippyHippo]

Good review, thanks Stephen.

“it is a high-end record player in the streaming age. An anachronism that does well and proves that DSLR technology is far from finished.”

Exactly! I love how Pentax is carving out its niche here, rooted in both 100 years of history and pentaprism cameras. This was never going to be the cheap, mass-market mirrorless beater. Instead, those that appreciate Pentax’s OVF principles continue to have some high quality gear at their disposal.

[btnapa]

independant K3 III First impressions

Hi Stephen,
Thank you for the review. I checked out the images and as expected they look great. I have no doubt that Pentax has delivered another winner. I own a K1 and K5IIs and owned two K3s which I sold in favor of the K1. The big question for me is the focusing and video quality. I tried K1 for a few weddings. One of them was a paid gig and the others were family and Friend's weddings. Even with my Three Amigos limited lenses, the K1 hunted and missed focus and just drove me crazy so much so that I gave up. Of course these were indoor shots at church and other indoor areas. Outside my K1 did great. I know you are a K1 shooter and have seen pro-class images from you, The coffee maker campaign was simply brilliant. My question is about the focusing of the K3III compared to K1 for indoor situations. Does the camera nail the shot or does it miss or hunt!

The other question is about the video. The short clip you posted looked great. Did you use the stabilization for the video clip?

Thanks,
Boris

[StephenObermeier]

Hi Stephen,
Thank you for the review. I checked out the images and as expected they look great. I have no doubt that Pentax has delivered another winner. I own a K1 and K5IIs and owned two K3s which I sold in favor of the K1. The big question for me is the focusing and video quality. I tried K1 for a few weddings. One of them was a paid gig and the others were family and Friend's weddings. Even with my Three Amigos limited lenses, the K1 hunted and missed focus and just drove me crazy so much so that I gave up. Of course these were indoor shots at church and other indoor areas. Outside my K1 did great. I know you are a K1 shooter and have seen pro-class images from you, The coffee maker campaign was simply brilliant. My question is about the focusing of the K3III compared to K1 for indoor situations. Does the camera nail the shot or does it miss or hunt!

The other question is about the video. The short clip you posted looked great. Did you use the stabilization for the video clip?

Thanks,
Boris

Hi Boris,
honestly I can't tell - I did not have the Situation or a fair side by side comparision situation to give here an answer that is reliable. I just tell you what I experienced. Video - the firmware on the camera did not let me use video with AF-C - I also don't know if it was stabilized - the icon showed up in the screen, but I did not have had the feeling it was stabilized - I pressed my ear on the body and tried to hear the IBIS working, but it was dead silent. I know the hunting of the K1 with the screw drive limiteds in dim light - I shot the K3-3 also with the limiteds, and I had the feeling it was more stable in that way. But frankly - Maybe a "modern" SDM lens is the better choice forthat kind of shots and the ltd for the situations where you are in control of the light, timing etc. Sorry I can't tell you more which helps you - but I'm not a story teller.

---------- Post added 04-04-21 at 12:21 PM ----------

Thanks for video and pictures, I looked it up already yesterday and it is nice to see pictures too.

that video clip you posted is 1080, not 4K. It is okay, but there are quite a bit of artefacts. Should you think it is as bad in 4K or is it just from processing the 4K movie to 1080?

Thanks!

BTW, AF seems pretty good with samples you posted that skater coming at you and back. I do like photos look too.

I upped the Video again in a zip container - it is 4k - so this should be better to judge - it is filmed with a SMC 50 1.2

[repaap]

Thank you!

[bwDraco]

My main concern is how well this camera performs with sports and action. This is basically the primary use case for a high-end APS-C camera and I'm wondering how well the new AF system handles stuff like birds in flight.

Also, Pentax's buffer depth numbers are rather low and I'm not too sure how much the camera will benefit from a fast memory card. With a good UHS-II card (200+ MB/s write), what should I expect when shooting RAW+JPEG at 12 fps?

Draco

[StephenObermeier]

My main concern is how well this camera performs with sports and action. This is basically the primary use case for a high-end APS-C camera and I'm wondering how well the new AF system handles stuff like birds in flight.

Also, Pentax's buffer depth numbers are rather low and I'm not too sure how much the camera will benefit from a fast memory card. With a good UHS-II card (200+ MB/s write), what should I expect when shooting RAW+JPEG at 12 fps?

Draco

The Camera shoots 12 FPS only without AF-C enabled - With AF-C you'll get around 7 FPS - The Buffer is good for 36 RAW shots on paper - From my experience you'll never run out of puffer as long as you do not constantly shoot to the limit of the buffer and have short breaks in you bursts - the buffer clears quite fast. The Birds in flight stuff you should talk to Mike Muizebelt or Rene Rachelle Maguire (Both Pentax Ambassadors) - Both are available in the Pentaxians Facebookgroup and always willing to talk about Wildlife topics.