[jcsnyc]

Hey All - I have been a Pentax photographer since I was a kid and just supplemented my K1 II and K3 II with a K3 III.

The K3 III is awesome!

I have a lot of new and old Pentax lenses so while the idea of considering another platform (and mirrorless) for nature photography was tempting, I won some $ from work AND got a great deal on an Open Box K3 III from Adorama and went with it.

I have been using the K3 II with the 300mm for the extra reach, but quality was not as good as the K1 II for early morning low light shooting. So other option was K1 II - but 300mm (even with 1.4x) was not quite what I wanted as far as reach.

I have been out shooting early the last two mornings with the K3 III and a DA* 300 (and today with a 1.4x tele-converter) and am amazed at the image quality at high ISOs - aka 5000 and 6400. Still learning the camera but am excited to see how I progress! I plan to do some comparisons between the three cameras - but so far I am REALLY impressed.

A few shots attached - most are 4000 to 6400 - though a couple are 400 to 1000 ISO.

(You can see the originals here at higher res: Prospect Park Birds )

Jonathan

Attached Images

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

[ryan_bien]

Love it! Try assigning the 1.3 crop mode to the AE-L button for some extra reach on demand

[jcsnyc]

Love it! Try assigning the 1.3 crop mode to the AE-L button for some extra reach on demand

Yup! Planning to try this out (and the 1.7 crop?) over the next few days. Really curious how the quality compares and around the other benefits, e.g. faster Auto Focus?


On the K1 II, there is a crop mode for using APS-C lenses but my understanding was that resolution would be better on a true APS-C camera.... so I just switched over to my K3 II when I wanted to use those lenses.

---------- Post added 03-07-23 at 02:46 PM ----------

Also wondering how my 70-200 2.8 Tamron performs .... I could get to 400mm at 1.3 crop but with 2.8? Somewhat confusing!

[C_Jones]

Looks like you are doing well.

[pschlute]

Lovely shots.

On the K1 II, there is a crop mode for using APS-C lenses but my understanding was that resolution would be better on a true APS-C camera

Resolution will be better on any camera that has a higher pixel density. The K-1/K-1II has a aps-c sized portion of the sensor that equates to 16MP. So for cameras like the K3 III or KP or K70 that have a higher density, you are correct. For cameras that don't have a higher pixel density, like the K5 or before that K-7/K10 etc that is a false assumption.

Also wondering how my 70-200 2.8 Tamron performs .... I could get to 400mm at 1.3 crop but with 2.8? Somewhat confusing!

The image a lens produces "at the sensor" cannot ever change.So your Tamron will always be 200mm max.

[Larrymc]

Hey All - I have been a Pentax photographer since I was a kid and just supplemented my K1 II and K3 II with a K3 III.

The K3 III is awesome!

I have a lot of new and old Pentax lenses so while the idea of considering another platform (and mirrorless) for nature photography was tempting, I won some $ from work AND got a great deal on an Open Box K3 III from Adorama and went with it.

I have been using the K3 II with the 300mm for the extra reach, but quality was not as good as the K1 II for early morning low light shooting. So other option was K1 II - but 300mm (even with 1.4x) was not quite what I wanted as far as reach.

I have been out shooting early the last two mornings with the K3 III and a DA* 300 (and today with a 1.4x tele-converter) and am amazed at the image quality at high ISOs - aka 5000 and 6400. Still learning the camera but am excited to see how I progress! I plan to do some comparisons between the three cameras - but so far I am REALLY impressed.

A few shots attached - most are 4000 to 6400 - though a couple are 400 to 1000 ISO.

(You can see the originals here at higher res: Prospect Park Birds )

Jonathan

Nice images! You might want to check your firmware version, if it is anything other than FW 1.70 down load the latest..

[sbc]

Nice photos! Great job!

[Suhail]

Congratulations! And those are amazing wildlife shots!

Kobie M-C posted his review on youtube on whether buying K-3 iii still makes sense in 2023. I agree with his review that it does, especially if you are heavily invested in Pentax system.

I noticed that you used the same 1.4 x 300 combination that I use only if I am shooting within a close range of my home, car, RV, camp, etc. I am a hiker first and foremost, I do lot of hiking photography but carry KP and K- 5 ii s with 55-300 PLM and 18-135/15 mm on day long hikes to shoot wildlife, landscapes, trees, fellow hikers, geological features, micros, etc. I am still in the decision mode for substituting my aging K-5 iis by K-3 iii.

Thank you for sharing the post and suggesting that K-3 iii makes sense.