[Larrymc]

Yesterday marked 2 years since mine arrived. It is about the 5th or 6th choice of camera when I go out to shoot pictures. For the $2,400.00 price tag I should have just bought more lenses for a camera I use more often.

And yesterday marked two years marked since you should have recognized something was wrong with your K-3 Mk III and returned it for warranty work or replacement. during the warranty time period.

[UncleVanya]

I've got a Nikon Z6 with the 24-70mm F4 kit lens if I need to make sure I get the shot. The eye autofocus and animal eye autofocus are just light years ahead of the K-3iii and the Z6 was released 2 years before the K-3iii and unlike Pentax, Nikon has actually released firmware with autofocus upgrades since the release of the Z6.

That’s strange given that many Nikon heads claim the D500 is still the king of action photography over the z6 and z7 series. Until the z9 no one was satisfied with z series for sports.

Add to that the shootouts between the K3iii and D500 where they are neck and neck with one better at one task but neither one a clear winner and I’m shocked to hear this. I’m not disputing your experience- but I do wonder if some tuning is off somewhere or if indeed the unit is defective.

I've got a Fuji XS10 with the 18mm F1.4 lens I bought since I couldn't get either of my Pentax 15mm HD Limited lens to produce even halfway decent results. I need to have a +10 on my K-3iii to get anywhere close to a usable image. The other one is best at +7 and still looks decentered. I gave an SD card full of images to my nephew to look over on his calibrated monitor and he just laughed and said "sell your Pentax gear". That Fuji 18mm F1.4 is just as sharp if not sharper than my Pentax FA* 50mm F1.4.

Some example raw files would be useful. Also the DA15 does have a curved focal plane - that can cause problems but would not look like decentering unless the focal plane interactions were asymmetrical due to the subject matter.

I'm not wasting money on postage sending the K-3iii in for repairs. It is just crappy Pentax autofocus. If Pentax sold me a brand new flagship camera broken from the factory at initial release that's just as bad as using a defective part for almost 10 years causing aperture block failures in 3 or 4 lines of camera bodies. I'll just keep my K-3iii and if I ever need 33 frames in 3 seconds of a stationary rock or tree I'll know which camera to grab.

With this experience I have to ask why are you not selling it all off. It really doesn’t matter if the gear could work or not - if you aren’t happy using it, why keep it?

[gatorguy]

That’s strange given that many Nikon heads claim the D500 is still the king of action photography over the z6 and z7 series. Until the z9 no one was satisfied with z series for sports.

Add to that the shootouts between the K3iii and D500 where they are neck and neck with one better at one task but neither one a clear winner and I’m shocked to hear this. I’m not disputing your experience- but I do wonder if some tuning is off somewhere or if indeed the unit is defective.

Looking at reviews you are correct. I'm not finding anyone suggesting even the newer Z6II is great for wildlife, much less the older Z6, Most reviewers I see recommend the flagship DSLR's like the D500 or D850 instead as better for those quick-moving or smaller birds. In my personal use of the D500 over a few months its overall performance was edged out by my K3III for wildlife photos, validating what some of the pros are recommending, DSLR's, but with Pentax having such a low profile compared to the bigger rivals I am not surprised there are few video reviews regarding the K3III and birding.

AFAICT it's been only recently that some of the latest mirrorless cameras are said to finally match the wildlife performance from the best DSLR's from years previous.

Since it's been pretty well established the OP's camera is defective, which even he has come around to admit, any comparison he makes to another camera he owns isn't really relevant. He doesn't have a properly working Pentax to compare it with.

I feel for him, I truly do. No electronics are 100% guaranteed to work properly out-of-the-box, and some ship with factory flaws. The K3III is not an inexpensive camera, which TBH makes it even more confusing why the refusal to either fix it or sell it.

[UncleVanya]

My point is really that even if this camera works for everyone else - if it doesn’t work for him and he’s fed up - sell it! If I had the best car in the world and it would not work or only worked for the repairman and not me - I wouldn’t keep it.

[Pentax4me]

That's an interesting advice...Sadly, there is no way that I can hold a Pentax camera here in Lima Peru. The market is full of Sonys and Canons. And I move to Florida in July, so my best chance is getting a Pentax online. Thank you for your insight.

Why not wait until you move to Florida and buy your new camera once you get there? You may find a friendly shop that will be able to give you excellent recommendations, since they live there and know the local conditions really well. Also, if you buy in the US, you're have proper warranty coverage if anything turns out to need attention. This is another good reason to buy from a shop. First, by buying from a local shop, you'd be helping to ensure that the shop is still there when you need them, or want to check out how something feels to use before you buy it. For one example, when I bought a K-5 back in 2011, right out of the box neither control wheel worked. You could turn them, but nothing happened. I have no idea why I didn't notice that when I picked up the camera, but I blame it on the excitement of getting my first DSLR. Replacing the camera was just a matter of going back to the shop and getting another camera off the shelf and I was good to go the same day, with no postal delays or hassles to deal with.

Second, you'll have a warranty that's valid in the US, and warranty coverage can be a big help if anything goes wrong, as in the example above. Modern DSLRS, and even "simpler" cameras like mirrorless and P&S (Point &Shoot) models are very complex devices, so it's no surprise when one of the hundred or so features doesn't work as it should. I've had my K-3 III for a few months, but I still haven't checked out its connectivity features yet. I've had my K-3 since 2014, but the intervalometer function is yet to be used or even tested, for just one example.

Finally, July is not far away, but it still leaves time to add to your savings if you're putting away some money every month. This will make your purchasing decisions easier when the time comes.

So, which camera and which lens? I agree with a number of members that the K-3 III and 18-135 is the best kit to start out with. Since you shoot RAW, I assume that you have quite a bit of experience and don't want a camera that you'll outgrow. The K-3 III is one camera you will not outgrow. As for the DA 18-135 lens, it has a very wide zoom range, is very light and compact, and is quite affordable. While it does not have a wide aperture, this is less important when it's matched with the K-3 III, because that camera can give you clean images even at fairly high ISO settings. I won't give upper limits, because your acceptable image quality and mine may not be the same. With the K-3 III, though, 3200-6400 ISO seem like "medium" speeds, with much more to explore at the higher settings.

Oddly enough, I recommend not buying any DA* lenses, at least not for a while. They make such sharp pictures possible that you'll soon be spoiled and want to shoot with nothing else, regardless of their greater size, weight, and cost relative to everyday lenses.

Good luck and happy shooting!

[Kobie]

I've got a Nikon Z6 with the 24-70mm F4 kit lens if I need to make sure I get the shot. The eye autofocus and animal eye autofocus are just light years ahead of the K-3iii and the Z6 was released 2 years before the K-3iii and unlike Pentax, Nikon has actually released firmware with autofocus upgrades since the release of the Z6.

Then I suppose it's safe to assume that you haven't done any of the firmware updates on the K-3 Mark III.
There have been numerous updates which have in fact included AF upgrades. The latest being 1.70.

[idontstairs]

Then I suppose it's safe to assume that you haven't done any of the firmware updates on the K-3 Mark III.
There have been numerous updates which have in fact included AF upgrades. The latest being 1.70.

I'm on firmware v1.80. All I've gotten so far are color profiles and an additional astrotracer type 3 setting.

[gatorguy]

I'm on firmware v1.80. All I've gotten so far are color profiles and an additional astrotracer type 3 setting.

You also got multiple improvements to the focus system like the rest of us. We noticed ours. You're not seeing them because your camera appears to be defective.

[Larrymc]

I'm on firmware v1.80. All I've gotten so far are color profiles and an additional astrotracer type 3 setting.

As of Ver 1.70 you should also have a new Select setting added to the AF Area selections, called XS, which is very accurate.

Astrotracer type 3 came with firmware Ver 1.41.

[c.a.m]

I'm not wasting money on postage sending the K-3iii in for repairs. It is just crappy Pentax autofocus.

In fairness to the OP @pedroin, please note that @idontstairs has posted numerous times about their deep dissatisfaction with their K-3 Mark III, over a two-year period. The problems seem to suggest that their unit is defective. Either that, or they are missing some fundamental settings or techniques with the camera. A number of other members here feel that the camera should have been sent in for warranty repair a long time ago.

The member also is disappointed with several specific aspects of the camera, including the lack of a moveable rear monitor screen and the depth of the image buffer. For some potential users, the fixed screen is seen as a major 'show stopper', but most users seem comfortable with the camera's rugged, compact design.

Many owners of the K-3 Mark III (myself included) are very happy with the camera and would recommend it highly.

- Craig