Hello Fellow Pentaxians!

SusanO · 09-23-2016, 02:20 PM

I have a dilemma: Stick with Pentax, or switch brands. My first SLR was a Pentax Spotmatic, and I now use a K100D. I've got a nice library of lenses I like, so it seems a shame to switch, not to mention costly. My main line of photography is performance portraits of jazz/improv musicians, which you can see in Gallery O. You will see why low-light capabilities are part of my quest.

I'm thinking about a K3 or KS2, and would appreciate any comments you may have on either, or perhaps something you have found to be better. If you've switched to Canon (my #2 choice), what model did you choose? Are you happy? Many thanks for any insights you have time to share.

Last edited by photolady95; 09-23-2016 at 07:28 PM. Reason: Personal site removed

Unregistered User 8 · 09-23-2016, 03:13 PM

Originally posted by SusanO

Hello Fellow Pentaxians!

Hi Susan. Welcome to the Pentax forums, and hopefully a new Pentax camera body !!!

I have a K-3 and a K20D. The difference between the 2 is amazing. I think either the K-3 or K-S2 would serve your needs well. Much more help and advice will surely follow. Good to have you here.

C_Jones · 09-23-2016, 07:22 PM

Welcome to the forums.

K-3II is an excellent performer. I have one. It also has the the top lcd which you can view your settings on (shutter speed, F stop, ISO, and EV), which for example the K-S2 does not. It renders images with excellent detail/color, and the 24 mp sensor gives you abundant cropping opportunity. Coming from a K-100D I would say you would be making a large step up if you got the K-3 or especially the K-3II which I personally recommend because I have used it myself.

**BigMackCam** · 09-24-2016, 02:21 AM

Hello Susan, and welcome to the forums - glad you could join us!

All current (and recent) DSLRs are capable of very good low light results, considerably beyond the capabilities of your very good but ageing K100D. As you may already be aware, to get the best results you really need to shoot in RAW and do some post-processing in software such as Lightroom for colour and luminance noise reduction.

The K-3 (and K-3II) will produce excellent results up to ISO 6400. Depending on your subject, the level of luminance noise you can tolerate, and the amount of detail you wish to retain, you can get useable results as high as ISO 25600. The highest setting of ISO 51200 is really only of any value for very small images, and in my experience is best used for monochrome, if at all.

The new K-70 anecdotally performs even better than the K-3/K-3II at higher ISO settings, although the example photos I've seen thus far don't seem to show quite the level of improvement I'd expected. It's worth checking out though, for sure.

Regarding Canon, historically they tend not to perform quite so well as their competitors in terms of dynamic range (this will be most noticeable when trying to recover detail from shadows). From what I've read, very recent models such as the EOS 80D show a marked improvement in this respect, but it's something you'll want to investigate when looking at Canon's offerings.

Hope this helps

EDIT: One last point... I don't know what lenses you typically use, but - at the risk of stating the obvious - low light shooting benefits hugely from fast lenses. The wider the aperture you shoot at, the lower you can keep the ISO setting.

Last edited by BigMackCam; 09-24-2016 at 02:34 AM.

SusanO · 09-28-2016, 03:15 PM

Hello again, and many thanks to those who replied to my query. I really didn't want to switch to a new brand of SLR (started with a Spotmatic, ya know), and you provided just what I needed to know and them some, including inspiration.

Being a traditional shopper, I took my copious notes and further ideas to one of the few remaining camera stores in Toronto a couple of days ago, and have made the purchase of a K3 body. Like the K3II, it is weather-sealed, which should help cut down some of the shutter noise, and has an LCD dial on the top, which is nice to have again -- I've been nursing along a growing black blob on my K100 for two years. No built-in WiFi or GPS, and that's fine by me.

Am keeping my Pentax 18-55 and Sigma 80-200 lenses for now. I've probably got the fastest, most compact around, so am hoping that the new camera, and a bit more leeway on the ISO will help. I'm really excited, but no time so far to do anything but fully charge and install the battery ... and admire my purchase. Working through the manual, and looking forward to an upcoming shoot with a local photo meet-up group for a test run. Yours in Pentaxing!

**BigMackCam** · 09-28-2016, 03:26 PM

Congratulations, Susan - great choice! I'm so glad you decided to stay with Pentax.

Keep us posted and don't hesitate to ask if you need any help

**Kerrowdown** · 10-02-2016, 01:33 AM

Welcome to the forum, many here run multiple systems in order to get the best from each dependant on needs.

I do limited amount of music photography, but fast manual focus lenses have always delivered the results for me.

That said, I still use Pentax for my pleasure.

**Ash** · 10-02-2016, 02:17 AM

K-3 should serve you well, a fine camera indeed, very capable and affordable nowadays.
Enjoy shooting with it - it will be leaps and bounds over the K100D in every way, but all Pentax cams are capable of amazing things...

**beachgardener** · 11-04-2016, 02:12 AM

G'day mate and welcome to the forum

**Douglas_of_Sweden** · 11-04-2016, 05:09 AM

I've used the K-3 (and K-5 and K-7) quite a lot for stage shooting, often at low light.
Some of my favorite lenses when wanting to reach up on the stage and isolate an artist in a shot are the DA70ltd as well as the DA*50-135. But there is one used lens I must recommend: the FA135/2.8. Sharp, also at f2.8, and very fast autofocus. It is often too long for portraits (on an APS-C sensor) and too short for sports, but for stage shooting it's often perfect. Pentax should make a DFA version of this lens.

Originally posted by SusanO

Hello again, and many thanks to those who replied to my query. I really didn't want to switch to a new brand of SLR (started with a Spotmatic, ya know), and you provided just what I needed to know and them some, including inspiration.

Being a traditional shopper, I took my copious notes and further ideas to one of the few remaining camera stores in Toronto a couple of days ago, and have made the purchase of a K3 body. Like the K3II, it is weather-sealed, which should help cut down some of the shutter noise, and has an LCD dial on the top, which is nice to have again -- I've been nursing along a growing black blob on my K100 for two years. No built-in WiFi or GPS, and that's fine by me.

Am keeping my Pentax 18-55 and Sigma 80-200 lenses for now. I've probably got the fastest, most compact around, so am hoping that the new camera, and a bit more leeway on the ISO will help. I'm really excited, but no time so far to do anything but fully charge and install the battery ... and admire my purchase. Working through the manual, and looking forward to an upcoming shoot with a local photo meet-up group for a test run. Yours in Pentaxing!

09-23-2016, 02:20 PM	#1
SusanO New Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Posts: 19	Hello Fellow Pentaxians! I have a dilemma: Stick with Pentax, or switch brands. My first SLR was a Pentax Spotmatic, and I now use a K100D. I've got a nice library of lenses I like, so it seems a shame to switch, not to mention costly. My main line of photography is performance portraits of jazz/improv musicians, which you can see in Gallery O. You will see why low-light capabilities are part of my quest. I'm thinking about a K3 or KS2, and would appreciate any comments you may have on either, or perhaps something you have found to be better. If you've switched to Canon (my #2 choice), what model did you choose? Are you happy? Many thanks for any insights you have time to share. Last edited by photolady95; 09-23-2016 at 07:28 PM. Reason: Personal site removed

09-23-2016, 07:22 PM	#3
C_Jones Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,088	Welcome to the forums. K-3II is an excellent performer. I have one. It also has the the top lcd which you can view your settings on (shutter speed, F stop, ISO, and EV), which for example the K-S2 does not. It renders images with excellent detail/color, and the 24 mp sensor gives you abundant cropping opportunity. Coming from a K-100D I would say you would be making a large step up if you got the K-3 or especially the K-3II which I personally recommend because I have used it myself. Last edited by C_Jones; 09-23-2016 at 08:13 PM.

09-28-2016, 03:15 PM	#5
SusanO New Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Posts: 19 Original Poster	I've Bought a K3! Hello again, and many thanks to those who replied to my query. I really didn't want to switch to a new brand of SLR (started with a Spotmatic, ya know), and you provided just what I needed to know and them some, including inspiration. Being a traditional shopper, I took my copious notes and further ideas to one of the few remaining camera stores in Toronto a couple of days ago, and have made the purchase of a K3 body. Like the K3II, it is weather-sealed, which should help cut down some of the shutter noise, and has an LCD dial on the top, which is nice to have again -- I've been nursing along a growing black blob on my K100 for two years. No built-in WiFi or GPS, and that's fine by me. Am keeping my Pentax 18-55 and Sigma 80-200 lenses for now. I've probably got the fastest, most compact around, so am hoping that the new camera, and a bit more leeway on the ISO will help. I'm really excited, but no time so far to do anything but fully charge and install the battery ... and admire my purchase. Working through the manual, and looking forward to an upcoming shoot with a local photo meet-up group for a test run. Yours in Pentaxing!

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09-23-2016, 03:13 PM	#2
Unregistered User 8 Closed Account Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,694	Originally posted by SusanO Hello Fellow Pentaxians! Hi Susan. Welcome to the Pentax forums, and hopefully a new Pentax camera body !!! I have a K-3 and a K20D. The difference between the 2 is amazing. I think either the K-3 or K-S2 would serve your needs well. Much more help and advice will surely follow. Good to have you here.

09-24-2016, 02:21 AM	#4
BigMackCam Digitiser of Film Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North East of England Posts: 20,674	Hello Susan, and welcome to the forums - glad you could join us! All current (and recent) DSLRs are capable of very good low light results, considerably beyond the capabilities of your very good but ageing K100D. As you may already be aware, to get the best results you really need to shoot in RAW and do some post-processing in software such as Lightroom for colour and luminance noise reduction. The K-3 (and K-3II) will produce excellent results up to ISO 6400. Depending on your subject, the level of luminance noise you can tolerate, and the amount of detail you wish to retain, you can get useable results as high as ISO 25600. The highest setting of ISO 51200 is really only of any value for very small images, and in my experience is best used for monochrome, if at all. The new K-70 anecdotally performs even better than the K-3/K-3II at higher ISO settings, although the example photos I've seen thus far don't seem to show quite the level of improvement I'd expected. It's worth checking out though, for sure. Regarding Canon, historically they tend not to perform quite so well as their competitors in terms of dynamic range (this will be most noticeable when trying to recover detail from shadows). From what I've read, very recent models such as the EOS 80D show a marked improvement in this respect, but it's something you'll want to investigate when looking at Canon's offerings. Hope this helps EDIT: One last point... I don't know what lenses you typically use, but - at the risk of stating the obvious - low light shooting benefits hugely from fast lenses. The wider the aperture you shoot at, the lower you can keep the ISO setting. Last edited by BigMackCam; 09-24-2016 at 02:34 AM.

09-28-2016, 03:26 PM	#6
BigMackCam Digitiser of Film Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North East of England Posts: 20,674	Congratulations, Susan - great choice! I'm so glad you decided to stay with Pentax. Keep us posted and don't hesitate to ask if you need any help

10-02-2016, 01:33 AM	#7
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,819	Welcome to the forum, many here run multiple systems in order to get the best from each dependant on needs. I do limited amount of music photography, but fast manual focus lenses have always delivered the results for me. That said, I still use Pentax for my pleasure.

10-02-2016, 02:17 AM	#8
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	K-3 should serve you well, a fine camera indeed, very capable and affordable nowadays. Enjoy shooting with it - it will be leaps and bounds over the K100D in every way, but all Pentax cams are capable of amazing things...

11-04-2016, 02:12 AM	#9
beachgardener Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,842	G'day mate and welcome to the forum

11-04-2016, 05:09 AM	#10
Douglas_of_Sweden Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Stockholm Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,374	I've used the K-3 (and K-5 and K-7) quite a lot for stage shooting, often at low light. Some of my favorite lenses when wanting to reach up on the stage and isolate an artist in a shot are the DA70ltd as well as the DA*50-135. But there is one used lens I must recommend: the FA135/2.8. Sharp, also at f2.8, and very fast autofocus. It is often too long for portraits (on an APS-C sensor) and too short for sports, but for stage shooting it's often perfect. Pentax should make a DFA version of this lens. Originally posted by SusanO Hello again, and many thanks to those who replied to my query. I really didn't want to switch to a new brand of SLR (started with a Spotmatic, ya know), and you provided just what I needed to know and them some, including inspiration. Being a traditional shopper, I took my copious notes and further ideas to one of the few remaining camera stores in Toronto a couple of days ago, and have made the purchase of a K3 body. Like the K3II, it is weather-sealed, which should help cut down some of the shutter noise, and has an LCD dial on the top, which is nice to have again -- I've been nursing along a growing black blob on my K100 for two years. No built-in WiFi or GPS, and that's fine by me. Am keeping my Pentax 18-55 and Sigma 80-200 lenses for now. I've probably got the fastest, most compact around, so am hoping that the new camera, and a bit more leeway on the ISO will help. I'm really excited, but no time so far to do anything but fully charge and install the battery ... and admire my purchase. Working through the manual, and looking forward to an upcoming shoot with a local photo meet-up group for a test run. Yours in Pentaxing!