[JohnKal]

Hi all.
I am looking forward to buy a new Pentax and I am in confusion about what to choose.
I love K-3 (the first edition) but unfortunately it is hard to find it brand new. I have found it in great condition as used, or in offer as a demonstration model in some shops through amazon in around 500 euro.
But I also love the K-70 which I can find in a similar price brand new.
So give me your thoughts about what to choose at your opinions.
The usage I intent to do is as a family camera and as a hobby partner all around. I am amateur user and even if I am coming from a MINOLTA 7000 I consider myself as a beginner photographer.
My preferred photo type is landscape, opportunistic photography, family moments, and some aircraft spotting (not so often). (Definitely no sports photographer).
I love the quality of Pentax and it's huge customization capabilities. I know that K-70 video capability is not so great in autofocus mode, so I am looking to the K-3.
I am planning to buy and use a Pentax 18-135 WR and a 55-300 PLM lens. If you have some better suggestion in (one for all) lens like 18-270 please give me your thoughts.
So waiting your suggestions.
Thanks in advance.
John

[pepperberry farm]

K-3's video isn't any better than the K-70's....

but I'd rather the K-3 than the K-70 due to the pro chassis, bigger battery, top LCD, and if I ever need them, dual SD cards...

[SSGGeezer]

What Pepperberry said. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If you want video, buy a cheap video camera, for great stills, either camera you mentioned will give you amazing images with your selected lenses.

[roberrl]

The K3 is a great camera but remember the K70 has a flippy screen which some people (myself included) find a great advantage.

[aslyfox]

Have you looked at the forum''s comparison tool

K3 vs K 70 vs KP

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-cameras-compared/?c1=Pentax+K-3&c...0&c3=Pentax+KP

Or check the owner and in depth reviews

[ramseybuckeye]

Don't forget about the KP which will outperform the K-3 and K-70, the K-3 has a couple of features the KP doesn't have like the 2 card slots and top LCD. I would compare and see what means the most to you. Your lens selection is good, and take videos on a video camera or phone.

[Adam]

Definitely a fine lens choice. As others have pointed out, a KP might be right for you, because it balances the K-70's improved image quality with the K-3's durability.

Adam
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[aslyfox]

. . . My preferred photo type is landscape, . . . I am planning to buy and use a Pentax 18-135 WR and a 55-300 PLM lens. If you have some better suggestion in (one for all) lens like 18-270 please give me your thoughts.
So waiting your suggestions.
Thanks in advance.
John

you might want to consider if the field of view of your 18-135 on the ASP-C filter is wide enough for your landscape photos

perhaps the DA 15mm Limited or the DA 16-85 instead?

[microlight]

Welcome, John.

All three cameras mentioned here will give extremely fine images, so the choice for me would be more about layout and functionality, and about how much there is to spend. There are trade-offs between the models, and while best value for money could be the used K-3 with its premium build, twin card slots, top LCD etc etc, its internals are a little bit older than the K-70 and KP. Don't over-focus (sorry) on autofocus capability in video in any case, the videographers here will tell you that it's best to pre-focus and then leave the AF alone during recording, tweaking the focus manually on the fly if you need to.

The two lens setup you mention has a fair bit of range overlap; even the 16-85 would overlap the PLM by 30mm, although it's generally considered superior to the kit lens which would be the only real alternative without stepping up to the smaller-range 20-40 Limited. There are many fans of the DA 15mm Limited for landscapes here, if you do go for a 18mm lower end!


If you do go for an all-in-one zoom like the 18-270, remember that this type of lens is a bag of optical compromises, and that you could be as well served by a high-end fixed lens bridge camera. And even then, it wouldn't go down to the 15mm field of view in either case.

[Merv-O]

Hi all.
I am looking forward to buy a new Pentax and I am in confusion about what to choose.
I love K-3 (the first edition) but unfortunately it is hard to find it brand new. I have found it in great condition as used, or in offer as a demonstration model in some shops through amazon in around 500 euro.
But I also love the K-70 which I can find in a similar price brand new.
So give me your thoughts about what to choose at your opinions.
The usage I intent to do is as a family camera and as a hobby partner all around. I am amateur user and even if I am coming from a MINOLTA 7000 I consider myself as a beginner photographer.
My preferred photo type is landscape, opportunistic photography, family moments, and some aircraft spotting (not so often). (Definitely no sports photographer).
I love the quality of Pentax and it's huge customization capabilities. I know that K-70 video capability is not so great in autofocus mode, so I am looking to the K-3.
I am planning to buy and use a Pentax 18-135 WR and a 55-300 PLM lens. If you have some better suggestion in (one for all) lens like 18-270 please give me your thoughts.
So waiting your suggestions.
Thanks in advance.
John

KP is the one for me: As an aside: the K-S2 can still be had new and the 20mp sensor, wifi and articulated screen makes it a fun first Pentax.New ones are available for about 400 and can be had with various kit lenses for about $500...it's a great way to introduce yourself to Pentax without a 850 to $1,000 initial investment and the K-S2 has most/all the features of the K-70 with the exception of the 4mp differential. The $300-400 between the 2 can often result in a few more lenses....

[reh321]

remember the K70 has a flippy screen which some people (myself included) find a great advantage.

Actually, the K-70 has an articulating screen - it sticks out to the side of the camera when facing up

The KP has a true flippy screen - it is directly behind the camera when facing up.

Each method has its "champions". Videographers prefer articulating variant. Personally, I prefer the flippy variant, because camera hides screen from sight, so your using it is much less obvious when you are street shooting .... subject is more likely to think you're looking at top making adjustments

[hcc]

Earlier messages gave you a lot of good advice on the camera body. I have a K-3 body and love it. But the K-p and K-70 are good advice also IMHO.

Let me share a few thoughts for the lens, particularly as my shooting needs are relatively close to yours. First of all, I would plan ahead my lens purchase list very carefully, consider a lens purchase road map and stick to it. (LBA, LBA, LBA!)

If you love good quality shots, go for prime lenses because they will give you the best IQ for the cheapest investment. And ... prime lenses are very robust (must more solid than most zoom lenses), they cost less (than zoom lenses), they do not loose value over time ('a good quality lens is worth every penny'), with excellent resale values, and Pentax is world-renown for outstanding prime lenses with focal lenses from 15 mm to 100 mm: e.g., the FA Limited (the 3 amigos), the DA Limited (pancakes lenses), the DA*, the D-FA.

Personally, my first lenses were: a DA18-250mm, a Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f1.4 and the Pentax FA31mm f1.8 Ltd (in that order). That is, I chose to combine an all-around lens with top quality prime lenses. Today my most used lenses are my DA18-270mm, Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f1.4, FA77mm Ltd, DA15mm Ltd and Pentax FA31mm f1.8 Ltd. And my typical travel kit is the DA18-270mm and 1 or 2 primes.

If I was in your position, starting from scratch, I would recommend to buy the DA18-270mm (excellent all-rounder IMHO), the DA15 mm Ltd (for landscape) and the FA77mm Ltd (for portrait). With the next lens purchases (eg next year) being a fast fifty (DA*55mm f 1.4) and the FA31mm Ltd.

My 5 cents.

[mikesbike]

I have sets of excellent prime lenses as well as a number of zoom lenses, even of professional grade having f/2.8 constant aperture capability. But the most versatile lens I use that can provide fine quality while avoiding the need to change lenses often if at all, is the DA 18-135mm. It can deliver fine results, even at the frame edges, in the typical landscape range of 18-40mm, with very fine quality, especially if stopped down even by a click, and it can keep to f/3.5-/4.5 all the way up to 70mm if needed. Its edge sharpness drops off gradually after about 50mm (here stopping down a bit helps lots), but its central frame area sharpness remains exceptionally high, even out to its longer FL. Usually, as one goes more into tele range the central area becomes most important and edges less. Its zoom range on any APS-C model is similar to a lens of 28-200mm on a 35mm film body. It is also very well-built yet compact, having WR (weather resistant) construction to match the WR of current camera bodies. It also features exceptionally fast, accurate, quiet autofocus. A very good matchup for your DA 55-300mm PLM lens, which can definitely provide superior imaging in the tele range than lenses incorporating both wide-angle and tele out to 300mm.

The K-3 has a fine build quality and controls set, but the K-70 offers some very useful advancements that can be meaningful for superior imaging, especially its higher ISO sensitivity low noise (grain) performance. Definitely better than the K-3. For still scenics, there is also the pixel-shift technology for the ultimate in resolution. Then there is the very unique KP, with a build quality and control set close to that of the K-3 in a compact body, with all of the K-70's advancements and more. I love mine!

[JohnKal]

Hi all.
I am looking forward to buy a new Pentax and I am in confusion about what to choose.
I love K-3 (the first edition) but unfortunately it is hard to find it brand new. I have found it in great condition as used, or in offer as a demonstration model in some shops through amazon in around 500 euro.
But I also love the K-70 which I can find in a similar price brand new.
So give me your thoughts about what to choose at your opinions.
The usage I intent to do is as a family camera and as a hobby partner all around. I am amateur user and even if I am coming from a MINOLTA 7000 I consider myself as a beginner photographer.
My preferred photo type is landscape, opportunistic photography, family moments, and some aircraft spotting (not so often). (Definitely no sports photographer).
I love the quality of Pentax and it's huge customization capabilities. I know that K-70 video capability is not so great in autofocus mode, so I am looking to the K-3.
I am planning to buy and use a Pentax 18-135 WR and a 55-300 PLM lens. If you have some better suggestion in (one for all) lens like 18-270 please give me your thoughts.
So waiting your suggestions.
Thanks in advance.
John

I would like to thank all of you, for your immediate response to my questions.
You all are great guys. I appreciate your will to help. Wish all the best times.

[aslyfox]

some of us are really great at advising folks on how to spend their money

in the end, you will have to decide

and I am sure that you will make wise choices with the options Pentax has to offere