[madison_wi_gal]

I have a bit of CBA and a lot of LBA, but sadly no solid skills to justify all the *BA.

Got a K-3 III last week (used up a pile of Bezos bucks I was saving for a KP and never wound up using) and took it for a test run today. Changed specific settings to the ones recommended. Slapped on the 20-40 Limited and went outside. Dreary day.

Took 20 or so pics, using AUTO. A few leaves, a lake, etc.

Meh.

Changed to the Tamron 90 Macro and tried a few close ups of some African violet buds. Yes, still on AUTO.

Meh.

These lenses have been good to me in the past on my K-r and K-30, and no I did NOT read the manual yet, so I'll assume it is me, but I have 28 days to return this if it is defective.

Is there a foolproof way to determine if the camera is behaving as it should? I have fixed and zoom lenses, some quite good.

I have started to look at the Clacker's series so that may help.

[pres589]

Probably need to share some sample images to form real opinions. EXIF data will help.

[madison_wi_gal]

Thanks, will do that over this coming week.

[Snafu711]

It would also help if you could be a bit more specific in which fields the K-3 III does not live up to your expectations. When I got mine there was some Wow but also some learning curve to understand why the new camera did not what I expected.

Have you performed any firmware update? It might not be recommended if you are considering to return the camera, but it will have an impact on the camera performance.

[Billking]

I never use auto. Wondering if that is part of the problem. Most cameras give the best results when you shoot on manual.

I will be getting a K3iii down the track so don't have drect experience with it yet. However, when I replaced my K7 with a K3 I was thrilled by how good it was. My understanding is that the K3iii is even more impressive.

[NZ_Ross]

Is there a foolproof way to determine if the camera is behaving as it should? I have fixed and zoom lenses, some quite good.

I have started to look at the Clacker's series so that may help.

I have been very impressed with what my K-3 III sensor is giving me in terms of images. I generally shoot TAv mode and keep to ISO lower if I can.

This image was taken over the weekend with my Zeiss 35/2, which admittedly is a very good lens.

I would also suggest firmware updates, and then testing with a lens you are very familiar with, and that you know gives you good results. That will give you a good basis of comparison with your previous cameras.

[RICHARD L.]

I bought my K3 III about 3 months ago and I still marvel at the results my lens collection gives me up to now. Every lens seems to perform even better than it did on my other camera bodies (K20, K5 and K3). I use Aperture-priority (Av mode), set my lenses between f/5.6 and f/11, use Auto-ISO set between 100 and 200 ISO, set the "VIBRANT" color palette in the MENU section and all my images turn very good. AF is instantaneous and the shutter sound is very muffled.

A few examples :

HD DA 55-300 mm f/4-5.8 ED WR


DFA 28-105 mm f/3.5-5.6 HD


DFA 28-105 mm f/3.5-5.6 HD


HD DA 16-85 mm f/3.5-5.6 ED


HD DA 16-85 mm f/3.5-5.6 ED


DFA 70-200 mm f/2.8 ED


DA 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 ED


DA 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 ED


DA 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 ED

---

Last edited by RICHARD L.; 05-09-2022 at 04:46 AM.

[southlander]

Might simply be the dreary day. A mix of flat light and not being inspired by the conditions. Try again on a more pleasant day. In the interim, check the focus calibration of your lenses on the new camera. Doesn’t take much in mis-calibration to degrade the ‘pop’ of your images.

[NZ_Ross]

Doesn’t take much in mis-calibration to degrade the ‘pop’ of your images.

Or use a manual focus lens like the Zeiss, so that your eyes work out where the 'pop' is

[madison_wi_gal]

Answer to all:

1- firmware was first thingI did (I am an IT person so that is second nature)
2 - Yes, agreed AUTO is clearly not the way to optimize images, was lazy of me.
3 - Will look at how to check focus calibration
4 - A nice sunny day would be great.

[Just1MoreDave]

One thing I always forget is software, especially if it's something like Lightroom which automatically applies something to each import. I get it set up right for the old camera, but forget to take that step for a new camera.

I have a lot of extra equipment around so I can take shots with the same settings, lens and way too many bodies. If you still have the older cameras, try that. After I waste a lot of time on test shots like that, I'll figure out that it was Lightroom as above.

[mikesbike]

Just take it out on a better day.

I am also "me too" as to against using the "Auto' setting of your mode dial. The camera then juggles many different exposure aspects, even selecting the Custom Image category it "thinks" is appropriate for the scene you are shooting, changing factors like sharpness, contrast, color palette, etc. This also denies access to controls or adjustments. Using "Auto" is potentially a useful setting when you hand your camera to a novice to shoot a photo with you in it, under ideal lighting conditions, so they don't inadvertently touch a control and screw up the photo.

For fully automatic exposure setting by the camera, use the "P" Program mode, which only sets aperture and shutter speed, and ISO if you have that set to auto. The default Custom Image category for the P mode is usually the "Bright" setting, which is ideal for most circumstances. You can set to the P mode and take a look to see which category is selected. If Custom Image is then still set to its "Auto" mode, by all means change that to the "Bright" setting, or it will be switching itself all over the place.

[cjn314]

Clackers series is great. As per others experiences I stopped using Auto modes very early on in my pentax journey. You really need the control to balance aperture/depth of field/iso/shutter speed and lighting conditions. It takes time and practice - practice being the fun part of it I purchased the Pentax K-3 III because I too have CBA and LBA, but more specifically to assist in taking sports photos. Attached are a range of photos with different lighting conditions and subjects. I am really impressed by the K-3 III, particularly thos night shots were taken with ISO 5000 (?).

[bigbaz]

I bought my K3 III about 3 months ago and I still marvel at the results my lens collection gives me up to now. Every lens seems to perform even better than it did on my other camera bodies (K20, K5 and K3). I use Aperture-priority (Av mode), set my lenses between f/5.6 and f/11, use Auto-ISO set between 100 and 200 ISO, set the "VIBRANT" color palette in the MENU section and all my images turn very good. AF is instantaneous and the shutter sound is very muffled.

A few examples :

HD DA 55-300 mm f/4-5.8 ED WR


DFA 28-105 mm f/3.5-5.6 HD


DFA 28-105 mm f/3.5-5.6 HD


HD DA 16-85 mm f/3.5-5.6 ED


HD DA 16-85 mm f/3.5-5.6 ED


DFA 70-200 mm f/2.8 ED


DA 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 ED


DA 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 ED


DA 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 ED

They are stunning.

[Paul_R_H]

Answer to all:

1- firmware was first thingI did (I am an IT person so that is second nature)
2 - Yes, agreed AUTO is clearly not the way to optimize images, was lazy of me.
3 - Will look at how to check focus calibration
4 - A nice sunny day would be great.

So in what sense are the images 'meh'?
• You mention firmware – was the camera in some way unresponsive?
• You mention shooting in auto – were they over or underexposed? Was the depth of field not to your liking because the camera chose a different aperture to the one you would have used? Or do the shots have image blur because of camera shake, because of too long a shutter speed?
• You mention focus calibration – so are they out of focus?
• You mention sunshine – so do they lack contast/saturation, or are they too grey/blue in tone?

You've identified lots of issues that could give rise to 'meh' images, but I doubt you're suffering all of those at once. Please post photos and be specific about the 'meh'-ness. There are lots of people here who'd love to help.

Also lots of us are delighted with their K3 iii images. That said, I love what mine has been doing for me, but it has been inconsistent focus with big-aperture wide-angle shots, so has gone back for check/repair. If that's the poblem you're having with your 20-40 at wide apertures, I sympathise.

Paul