[roberts_camera]

Hi!

I know this is a question that has been asked time and time again, but I'm sure this could help quite a few people reach ten posts for the month

As an upgrade/addition to my current K-50, should I consider the KP, K-70, or K-3 II?

I typically shoot for leisure, but occasionally I take senior pictures, small events, etc. Maybe a wedding or two will pop up in the next year?

I am leaning towards the K-3 II because of its dual SD card slots, battery life, and (from what I've heard) very quiet shutter unlike my noisy K-50. My hesitation, though, is that I know it is aged compared to the KP and K-70.

What are the strengths/drawbacks of each? I'm sure I couldn't go wrong.

Thanks in advance!


Side note: I typically shoot with my Sigma 17-50 2.8, Pentax DA* 50-135 2.8, and Pentax DA 35 2.4.

[pepperberry farm]

I moved from a K-50 to a K-3 and it is wonderful... so much so, when my K-50 started to fail, I replaced it with a second K-3....

compared to the KP or the K-70, I like the battery life and the top LCD, but also know that an articulated rear LCD would occasionally be handy....

[DW58]

If money is no object I'd get the KP. I'm using a K-70 and love it. The two drawbacks it does have is noisy shutter and less than impressive battery. Both of which are absolutely no problem for what I typically shoot. K-3ii is also a good choice. You've probably done this already but in case you haven't you can do a side by side comparison of all three under the "cameras" tab at the top of this page. I'm sure you will be getting a lot of well informed feed back soon.

[aaacb]

I like my k3ii for the deeper buffer than the other two, especially in raw. But it doesn't sound like you'd need it. It's an older model compared to the other two, but I like it. Would you miss the pop up flash from your current camera?
Not sure what I'd pick today, if it wasn't for the buffer, which I need for concerts, I'd probably get the KP for the newer interface

[MrMojo]

K-70 can share your batteries with the K-50, which may or may not be of importance to you.
Button layout is similar on both the above too, the K3 & KP are quite different.

They are all great cameras, I started with a K-70 (in the modern era, won't bore you with the older ones), picked up a K5 cheaply, loved it, and switched the 70 out for a K3 for the reasons listed above. I still miss some of its features and its light construction.
My K-70 incidentally went to my partner who had a K-50 at the time, and she absolutely adores it.

So for addition to the K-50, I'd say the K-70 for sure.
For replacement, any of them. The K3 is longer in the tooth but still a great camera and demonstrably rugged. The other two have their strengths and weaknesses, I have no idea which of these would be the most important to you to advise.

[pres589]

KP and K-70 use the same battery and would offer very similar shots per charge. Battery grip available for the KP but not for the K-70. K-3 has much better battery life.

A KP with a custom grip and a spare battery would be a great travel companion. It's also the best at low-light shooting.

I've got a K-5 II that I really like and am really curious about the K-3 replacement that's supposed to be coming. If you don't *need* to upgrade, waiting might make sense.

[Qman]

The problem is that when the replacement for the K3 II comes out, you'll likely wish you had waited to get it. So, if you can't wait I'd suggest the K-70 as an inexpensive stop-gap. Or, find a used K3 II and when the new camera comes out it will hopefully use the same batteries. Then you can upgrade.

[roberts_camera]

Thanks for all of the responses! A lot of great feedback so far.

So like I originally guessed, it seems like I really couldn't go wrong. But it sounds like waiting it out for a while might be the best bet.

- The extra buffer on the K-3 II does sound nice, as well as its rugged construction and battery life.
- The K-70's articulating screen could come in handy, but I don't see a huge need for that. As new as it is, it seems like maybe it wouldn't be a big enough step from the K-50 to choose over the K-3 II or KP? Maybe I'm wrong though.
- The KP seems like a good option because of how new it is and because of its optional battery grip in case I ever do shoot a wedding. Low light performance is definitely a plus too.

Any input on video for them? The video for my K-50 is practically unusable, my Galaxy S9 stomps all over it...

Thanks again!

[MrB1]

The logical next step from the k-50 is the K-70. Its only downside might be the battery charge duration, but that is easily solved by a couple of spare cheap non-OEM batteries in the pocket or bag. In every other respect it should be a noticeable improvement on your K-50; and it is also amazing value - the most features per monetary unit. One of its advantages over the KP (and K-3) is the fully-articulated screen; I don't use it often but when I do, it facilitates low down (or high up) landscape or portrait shots, whereas a tilt screen (as on the KP) is really only useful for landscape orientation.

[The Squirrel Mafia]

Any input on video for them? The video for my K-50 is practically unusable, my Galaxy S9 stomps all over it...

Pentax for video sucks compared to Canon DSLRs & most of the other mirrorless manufacturers. The best one for video would be the K-70, but it still fails miserably at video AF & digital wobbly stabilisation. If you pull the focus manually & use some kind of gimbal, you'll be good. That does require more effort, though.

[DW58]

The problem is that when the replacement for the K3 II comes out, you'll likely wish you had waited to get it. So, if you can't wait I'd suggest the K-70 as an inexpensive stop-gap.

This is the reason I opted for K-70 and not KP. At the time the KP was close to twice the cost of the K-70. The price gap has lessoned since.

[skierd]

In almost the same boat (I have a k-30) and I went with the KP. I do some portrait work and have become my family’s photographer so I’ll be a third shooter at a wedding in October but that’s not my primary focus. I’m mostly a landscape and wildlife person.

The K-3ii might still be the flagship, but I’ve learned to work with the small buffer in the K-30 and rarely has it been an issue. With that exception and a few others the K-3ii is outclassed by the KP and K-70 in image making specs.

K-70 vs KP was a harder choice, but I decided that the KP was worth the extra $270 as they sit now for its more advanced specs. I really wanted the better autofocus system and it should be somewhat better in low light, and I like the body design at least from what I’ve seen in photos. Mine arrives today.

[monochrome]

K3-ll = full professional external control set and features over an aging internal architecture
K-70 = high consumer external control set and features over a more evolved aging internal architecture
KP = enthusiast / high consumer control set with esoteric features over a highly evolved internal architecture

[BigMackCam]

You can see from my signature that I prefer the so-called flagship APS-C bodies, hence why I shoot the K-3 and (as a backup that will soon become my main camera) K-3II. I like the longer battery life, dual SDHC card slots, IR remote control, and - whilst I don't use this feature all that often - the relatively deep continuous shooting buffer. More than anything, I like the estimated shutter life of 200,000 actuations. But if the KP or K-70 suit your shooting needs well enough, the improved high ISO performance might be very tempting...

[mikesbike]

I also have both the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 and for a long time the wonderful DA* 50-135mm f/2.8 lenses. In addition to my older K-5 IIs, I more often and absolutely love them used with my KP! Handling is very good with the largest of the supplied grips. Then you can switch to the small grip if shooting exclusively with a small lens. Low light/high ISO is marvelous, as is its overall image quality.

I also bought the battery grip, which can supply gobs of battery power and longevity, as well as better balance and more grip with a larger, heavier lens like the DA* 200mm f.2.8, which I've found complements this f/2.8 lens ensemble. For me, the larger of the supplied grips is still ok with the DA* 200mm. The battery grip is also very fine for extensive vertical shooting, with its duplicated controls. At least the option is there. The KP's control set is also superior to my K-S2 which is similar to the K70, and nearly as good as my excellent K-5 IIs controls! I like it so much, this year I bought another body- I now have 2 silver KPs!

If you do a lot of burst shooting needing more buffer, and the 2-card slots are of great importance, I'd say wait for the K-3 II replacement.