[ROW]

I've given up struggling with my K20D which has been having problems and I've sent it off several times for repairs to no avail.
Been saving my dollars and am looking at the K3. Also thinking of getting a Sigma 18-200mm DC macro as an all rounded travel lens.
Has any on used that lens on the K3? Going for the K3 rather than K3 ii as I occasionally use a flash.
Any thoughts? Any problems?

[pepperberry farm]

I had the 18-200 DC and sold it - I did not like how it rendered colors.. I much prefer the Pentax DA 18-135mm, plus the WR is a plus...

[pathdoc]

What lens or lenses do you have right now?

Do you find yourself wishing for more on the wide or telephoto end?

Where are you planning to travel, and what do you most like to photograph? What is the usual climate there? (Think need for WR).

These are just starting considerations.

What is your budget once the camera is in hand?

[Adam]

The 18-135mm plus the additional "cropability" from the K-3 should work out nicely

Adam
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[Unregistered User 8]

Hi ROW. Welcome to the Pentax forums.

[pathdoc]

Further:

I have the Pentax DA 18-250 f/3.5-6.3, which was one of the first two lenses I bought for my Pentax body (then an *istDL; the other was the DA 40 Limited). For flexibility in a one-does-all kit it then had no peer, but the image quality is not stellar (certainly good enough for social media and 6x4 family casual snaps; forget about professional work), and the more you zoomed it out, the more it loved and needed bright sunlight.

I now have two children who do outdoor activities, not all of which are in bright sunlight or good weather. This meant I needed an all-weather zoom, and I considered the 16-85 vs the 18-135 for my K-5. I chose the 18-135 because it had the biggest zoom range and I did not need the wide end of its competitor as much as I needed the long end of this one. A two lens solution (see below) was something I considered, but when you are trying to photograph a bunch of kids running around doing all sorts of stuff, changing lenses is a pain - trying to do it in the wet and possibly the dark on top of all that is perilous. So I had to go for a one-lens solution. I feel the images are better than the 18-250, but that lens is an older design and it's not surprising that this one does better.

Had my intention for a WR kit been for a TWO lens solution, and had the intended use been suitable (see above for why not) I might have gone with an 18-55/50-200 combo (it was going cheap at the time), or considered the 55-300 WR variant (then new) for the long end.

It all depends on your circumstances. I offer you the decision tree I climbed to reach the lens I bought, and you may take what you wish from it.

(Remember that the brand-spanking-new 55-300 PLM electronic aperture control all-singing, all-dancing wonder, unlike previous zooms in that focal length range, is NOT compatible with the K3 and probably never will be. It does work on the K-3ii, but your decision to favour the one over the other for flash is noted and entirely understood.)

[ROW]

Thanks all for your replies,
pathdog, I have a Pentax16-45mm, a Sigma DG 70-300mm and a Sigma 105mm DGMacro. Live in South Australia. Climate here can be hot in summer and I go bush a bit, where it can be dusty. Head to NZ from time to time, family in South Island, and that can be cold and snow. I do like zooming in on things, not to excited by shooting broad landscapes.

I'm looking for a zoom lense that I can pull out quickly when I don't have the time to change lenses etc. I really test the patience of my husband when we go anywhere together and I want to shoot something. I also love doing macro while out and about, so I thought the Sigma 18-200 macro might be helpful on such ocassions as mentioned, although I know it wouldn't be the same as my dedicated macro lense. I read some reviews in Camera Shopper comparing superzoom lenses, including Canon, Nikon, Tamron, Olympus, Panasonic, and the Sigma came out best. It's light weight also.
I was concerned that the Pentax 18-135mm WR wouldn't really be long enough for some shots but I don't really want anything longer than the 200mm. Have to drag out the tripod then anyway.

Any other thoughts?

Are people happy with the Pentax K3? I've read about a few issues but hope they are sorted by now.

Thanks again. Any input welcome.

[TER-OR]

I like the 18-135, it has no problem keeping up with the dogs at our "husky huddle" days at the dog parks. It's a huge group of up to 50 siberian huskies and related dogs tearing around in the dead of winter, when they just never wear out. The lens never balks during those cold sessions, though I do need to swap batteries for one from a pocket every so often. The cold seeps in and saps the juice. Warm it up, and it's fine again. That's just the coldest of the sessions, though.

[savoche]

Are people happy with the Pentax K3? I've read about a few issues but hope they are sorted by now.

I would say yes. At least I am. I have a K-5 as well, and find the K-3 better in almost every way - the exceptions being that it's a bit heavier and it lasts a bit shorter per battery charge, but neither is a big issue. It will be a big step up from the K20.

Some people had an issue with the camera freezing from time to time early on, but it was not pandemic. The "fix" was to pull and re-insert the battery. I believe they sorted that out later in the production run (as well as implementing a firmware workaround for the affected ones).

[ROW]

I like the 18-135, it has no problem keeping up with the dogs at our "husky huddle" days at the dog parks. It's a huge group of up to 50 siberian huskies and related dogs tearing around in the dead of winter, when they just never wear out. The lens never balks during those cold sessions, though I do need to swap batteries for one from a pocket every so often. The cold seeps in and saps the juice. Warm it up, and it's fine again. That's just the coldest of the sessions, though.

Thanks for your feedback. The husky huddles sound like fun!

---------- Post added 08-16-16 at 12:32 PM ----------

I would say yes. At least I am. I have a K-5 as well, and find the K-3 better in almost every way - the exceptions being that it's a bit heavier and it lasts a bit shorter per battery charge, but neither is a big issue. It will be a big step up from the K20.

Some people had an issue with the camera freezing from time to time early on, but it was not pandemic. The "fix" was to pull and re-insert the battery. I believe they sorted that out later in the production run (as well as implementing a firmware workaround for the affected ones).

Thanks for your reply. I'll compare weights of K20 with K3. Shouldn't be to much of an issue though.

[Ash]

K-3 won't disappoint. Shouldn't be a problem making the move from the K20D in terms of functionality. That's one thing Pentax does really well. All their dSLRs are very user friendly yet have lots of functions at your fingertips.
As for the lens choice, I'm not a fan of Sigma's super zooms. The quality of images that they produce don't compare with the 18-135 or 18-250. The Pentax coatings just seem to bring out more contrast, colour and life in the images. But to be honest, your 16-45 is good to mach up with a 55-300 WR because between the two you will get even better image quality and a greater zoom range than the all-in-one options. Changing lenses doesn't take much and is what dSLR photography is all about.

[beachgardener]

G'day mate and welcome to the forum

[jimr-pdx]

I preferred the 18-200 Sigma over the 18-135, but I've always been the odd duck on such matters The only thing about the Sigma is that it focuses the opposite way from Pentax lenses generally, so I'd often twist the wrong way when zooming; other than that no issues, and far less chromatic fringing. The newer models with HSM are nicer yet but not available for $120 of course.

[Kerrowdown]

Welcome, I've only recently traded up from my faithful K20D's.

I was lucky enough to have glass enough to make the jump to light speed with the K1.

[BigMackCam]

Welcome to the forums, great to have you with us You've already had good advice and opinions on lenses, so I won't duplicate or add to that. I will say that the K-3 is a superb camera, and my main photographic tool. It has been incredibly reliable and constantly impresses me with its IQ, even at relatively high ISOs...