[k5astro]

My apologies. I don't own any Canon equipment, but the original post read a bit like a troll post to me. It was rather provocative, since it seemed to exaggerate a rather minor issue with the K-3. No offense was intended.

--DragonLord

Thanks, I appreciate that.

My impetus for posting or even commenting usually comes from many directions. I only give one example which may be a mistake. I love my K5ii but only a week ago I found it actually doesn't work in a number of flash modes both on and off-camera. No wonder I gave up using the flash in frustration. This is another example. I just feel that in many cases of tech products that in an attempt to offer too much, they spoil the main goal of the product - to take excellent photos and for the user to enjoy using it. An analogy of my attitude might be standard vs automatic transmission. Does one enjoy driving a standard or the more expensive automatic... If the automatic works well, I like it. If it doesn't then I prefer a standard. It depends a lot on engine size and the extra cost of the automatic. Again, does one want to pay for a car that parks itself? I don't and I'm sure I can do a better job as would anyone with experience. In the case of cameras... am I paying for all these extra features? Maybe not but maybe yes if they make the operation cumbersome and not so enjoyable anymore.

I disappoint easily so I found it disappointing to read the cons in the K3 review, that they fell down on the user interface, making it more awkward to operate (than the K5ii for example). Otherwise Pentax probably has the best user interface of the camera makers - I often have seen classmates trying to figure out how to operate their Canikons!

As I've tried to achieve decent images, I often end up resorting to manual operation. This goes for off-camera flash, action events, stage, etc. I will say that yes, a good auto-focus is a huge help, especially for older people who's eyes aren't what the used to be. And I'm impressed with the HDR and Lens corrections features... But the post was about the K3 and its downfalls. My next post will be about the annoyingly odd lens lineup... just kidding!

Cheers

[Miguel]

I'm willing to bet that whatever comes after the K-3 will have an entirely different interface that's designed to accommodate "more stuff"

This is good insight. Since most cameras are functionally really good, the interface for mastering those functions becomes more important over time. For the K-3 Ricoh should have lifted a few more things from the 7D (and other brand's models as well) which is an equally complex camera. One thing is the insipidly named "My Menu" which lets you customize the first menu you see with the control items of your choice. Incredibly useful and easy.

Perhaps another firmware fix, eh?

M