[aslyfox]

Unlike the K 3 or K 3 II, neither the KP nor the K 3 III can use AA batteries

[jersey]

Yes, my error, I mixed cameras Sorry.

[Pål Jensen]

Having got used to this, I don't think I could go back to the traditional Pentax menu system..

I have to disagree. The menu system on the previous K-3 models is far superior. The K-3III menu system is not intuitive; many functions are buried in submenues and it is not logical where. Even if I have used a function before, I still have to browse a long time before I find what I want or have to consult the manual. I never once needed to use the manual on the K-3. An example. Manual focus aid in LV is under auto focus in live view.
The K-3III is a fantastic camera but those who designed all screens on the camera, and what they do and how they works, doesn't seem to have any relation to those who designed the rest of it. I have a suspicion that the screen and menus is lifted wholesale from Ricoh, and the rest from the original Pentax team....

[Fila]

Thanks everybody, also the ones I did not reply to - much appreciated

Well... the difference between 1.4lb and 1.8lb might be significant if you're walking with a camera all day long...

That's true, even K-50 felt sometimes as ball and chain around my neck.

On the other hands, if you shoot indoor sports, I'd say the AF of the K-3 III is definitely what you want.

AF is the only thing I really missed with Pentax compared to other brands, and it seems that K-3 III is finally coming close

---------- Post added 01-13-22 at 02:13 PM ----------

Unlike the K 3 or K 3 II, neither the KP nor the K 3 III can use AA batteries

About the only advantage of K-50

---------- Post added 01-13-22 at 02:15 PM ----------

not sure what that means landscape vs. wildlife ???

Unfortunately both, still with wildlife as priority

---------- Post added 01-13-22 at 02:27 PM ----------

That is a hard question! What (and how!) do you like shooting? What lenses do you already have?

I am more shooting along, than having dedicated shooting sessions, as mentioned meanwhile, it is typically outdoors, often next to water and possibly with wet weather (that's what pushed me towards Pentax)
Indeed both landscape and wildlife, also macro (plants, insects), and then cities, architecture and (shyly) street photography.
Edit: In all this answering I did not mention too tough task for K-50: indoor sports (basketball)


I have few zoom lenses, and one 50mm, which I do not use much as it is not WR, shooting mostly with 18-135, and indeed I should indeed invest in lenses, thinking about some primes.
I was thinking about 100mm F2.8 Macro and also 20-40mm F/2.8-4.0 Limited ...

The KP is a fantastic camera, but the K-3iii has truly excellent performance. In general, if your budget isn't going to complain, I'd go for the K-3iii... but that depends on other factors too. The three things the KP has going for her are:
-Dedicated flash
-Tilt screen

I never used integrated flash on K-50, always used external one.
Tilt screen on the other hand would be nice, although I prefer using viewfinder

---------- Post added 01-13-22 at 02:31 PM ----------

only you can determine the camera that suits you best

I know, but it helps me to exchange thoughts about it

---------- Post added 01-13-22 at 02:35 PM ----------

I own both. I mostly shoot birds and aircraft inflight. I like the KP for reasons mentioned, but told myself that I would upgrade when Pentax "fixed" 3 things about the KP. 1) Frame rate during burst shooting is slow, and the buffer is comparatively very small. 2) Quicker focus and less hunting with my 300mm/F4 and 560mm. 3) Dual SD card slots are nice, but having an UHS-II capability was critical, again to clear the buffer.

The K-3iii hit all my upgrade requirements plus some more low light capability and lots of customization.

So, now the KP is my primary night/Astro camera (for the articulating screen) and the K-3iii is primary the rest of the time.

But hey, I'm just AnotherVoice...

Very interesting.
I did not think about card speeds, and quick price check on SanDisk Extreme PRO 128 GB gives about 7 time price difference between UHS-I and UHS-II ...

---------- Post added 01-13-22 at 02:37 PM ----------

Leaning on it, mmm alright, but sleep on it? I agree with the others here that if you just put the question K-3 III or KP an answer might be either difficult or the easiest one to answer. But the advise to buy a KP and add a good lens for the price difference is a sound advise. I enjoy the grip that came with it and it is never off my KP. The 20-40mm Ltd paired excellent with this camera, but the 16-85 is very capable as well. I bought it to upgrade from my K-3 mark II and never regretted it. The poor K-3 mark II now suffers the life of a backup for the KP.

Thanks, I am considering 20-40 as well

---------- Post added 01-13-22 at 02:39 PM ----------

I own and use both … the ergonomics are somewhat "different"!
The K-3iii is very much in the continuing vein of Pentax DSLRs … if you already own one you'll feel immediately at home with this body, the shutter button and control wheels are exactly where you'd expect them to be!
The designers apparently spent some time fine-tuning the grip and control placement … they got it right!
I bought the K-3iii as an "a/f upgrade". In that role it serves well for wildlife work, mostly birds.
In my mind, the KP was a design exercise, trying to replicate an older camera, with the shutter button on the top of the body instead of slightly in front and the front control wheel added almost as an afterthought.
Having used my KP extensively with the largest of the three grips, 'cos that "looked" most like my other DSLRs, the arrival of my K-3iii left me with a KP with no real job to do , so I started to fiddle around, and found fitting the smallest grip, everything started to make sense!
Although the physical measurements of both cameras appear similar on paper, the KP with the small grip "feels" very much more compact in the hand. There's no big right-hand bulge, just so much more "retro". In my hand, the shutter button placement seems so much more natural with the smallest grip fitted (wish I'd realised that earlier!!)
With a "standard" zoom (eg. 18-50mm DC WR RE) fitted and some telephoto capability in my bag (FA 100-300mm or modern equivalent) the KP is an ideal "outdoor and travel companion". The built-in flash makes it just that little bit more flexible … if I was using the K-3iii for that purpose I'd want to have a separate flashgun, just in case The KP is also some 100+gm (4oz) lighter, a thought if you're carrying it for any distance.
The KP's autofocus is very good, especially with the latest firmware installed. Not stellar, like the K-3iii, but a very significant step up from the earlier firmware and even more so from the earlier cameras. Inevitably, both cameras will benefit from a wider aperture lens if being used for indoor sports! On paper the K-3iii has an extra stop of low light sensitivity, EV-4 against EV-3 for the KP, but only with an f/2.8 lens!
I've absolutely nothing to say against either camera, they are both superb, but inevitably the K-3iii is even "more superb" … even if you do need a separate flash


Just my tuppence worth … having used both cameras I thought there might be something of use in my ramblings

Very interesting, especially about KP grips, thanks for your "ramblings "

---------- Post added 01-13-22 at 02:44 PM ----------

Agreed, though 880 Euro for a KP seems high (assuming used) unless one truly wants that model. If NOS, 880 Euro pricing may be more in line. (Pricing in the EU and Britain can be so different than in the U.S., so I had best shut my mouth, eh?)


Steve

Both are new (including VAT)

---

Last edited by Fila; 01-13-2022 at 07:56 AM.

[aslyfox]

I was thinking about 100mm F2.8 Macro and also 20-40mm F/2.8-4.0 Limited ...

Both of the D FA 100mm f2.8 Macros are great, and share optics with the FA and F versions

The optical design is the tried-and-proven formula of the previous generation D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro lens, which in turn had inherited the optical design from the well-respected FA 100mm F2.8 and F 100mm F2.8 macro lenses introduced in 1991 and 1987, respectively. None of these earlier lenses had rounded aperture blades. . . .

https://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/pentax-d-fa-100mm-f28-wr-macro/specifications.html

Never got use to the idea of a Pentax Limited zoom

Have you looked at the 16-85 mm zoom?

[AnotherVoice]

Fila,

I noted your price vs. performance comment regarding SD cards, specifically UHS-1, vs UHS-II cards. If the camera can support it (and the K-3iii can - thankfully), now is not the time to cheap out, even if that means that one uses 32GB, or 64 GB cards vs. 128GB. I use a 64 GB UHS-II card, I "unload" it every day after shooting and have never maxed it out. I HAVE, however been waiting for the buffer to clear with UHS-1 cards. After spending close to $2k for the camera and god knows how much for lenses, I'd hate to miss a shot of birds/jets because the camera had to wait for its buffer to clear onto a slow card.

Just AnotherVoice...

[The Squirrel Mafia]

Definitely get the K-3III if you can.

[JPT]

I have to disagree. The menu system on the previous K-3 models is far superior. The K-3III menu system is not intuitive; many functions are buried in submenues and it is not logical where. Even if I have used a function before, I still have to browse a long time before I find what I want or have to consult the manual. I never once needed to use the manual on the K-3. An example. Manual focus aid in LV is under auto focus in live view.
The K-3III is a fantastic camera but those who designed all screens on the camera, and what they do and how they works, doesn't seem to have any relation to those who designed the rest of it. I have a suspicion that the screen and menus is lifted wholesale from Ricoh, and the rest from the original Pentax team....

Well, I guess there is a strong element of familiarity and personal preference in it. I found myself hunting for things in my K-5 IIs menus the same way as you describe, and I don't find the K-3 III any worse. It's true that there seem to be almost too many items in the menu now. I read an interview with the Pentax engineers saying how carefully they through through the issue of menu length, depth and layout.

What I do feel, however, is that if I'm going to be hunting in menus, I'd rather be doing it with a touch screen than the direction pad. In the case of focus peaking, you can set it to a smart function slot or one of the customizable buttons for quick access, and they have implemented a lot of ways to bring commonly used functions out of the menus. Perhaps they should have named the section you are referring to "Focusing in Live View", rather than "AF in Live View".

I'm certain that this is going to be the menu system going forward, so it's probably best to get used to it.

---------- Post added 01-14-22 at 09:13 AM ----------

Sorry, to continue on this side-track, but have you seen this page of look-up tables to help users of prior models to adjust to the K-3 III menu?

K-3 Mark III Menu Correlation Table : Support & Service | RICOH IMAGING

[kypfer]

The extensively complex menu system in the K-3iii is, in part, a result of making virtually every feature and operation of the camera customisable in one way or another.
If the choices weren't available the menus wouldn't be necessary.
Obviously, not all features need to be available to all photographers all of the time, but, for those who take advantage of and enjoy the immediacy of "User Modes", Pentax have provided 10 separate saveable configurations so anyone can have their own favourite "Landscape", "Street", "Macro", "Portrait" etc. settings available at the virtual click of a Control Panel button (or on the Mode Wheel if you prefer, but there's only five choices there!)
Having taken the time to go through the user manual (several times) I've now got a handful of "custom" configurations saved and rarely use the Mode Wheel except for setting up another configuration
Having chosen a User Mode for a particular situation, there's still nothing to stop me shifting aperture/shutter/ISO as required, but I've got a known starting point that I can reset to simply by switching the camera off and on again
Combine User Modes with the Smart Function facility (yet more customisable options!) even the most pernickety photographer should be able to get "exactly" what they want as a pre-set … if the time is taken to sit down and work through the manual!
For this purpose, using the pdf of the manual as a searchable document on the computer can make finding any obscure setting so much easier … provided you can remember (or figure out) some of the "unique" phraseology used
The only disadvantage to this approach, in my experience, is that in the event of wanting/needing to use a more "basic" camera, I actually have to "think" sometimes
Inevitably YMMV .. enjoy

[Fila]

Fila,

I noted your price vs. performance comment regarding SD cards, specifically UHS-1, vs UHS-II cards. If the camera can support it (and the K-3iii can - thankfully), now is not the time to cheap out, even if that means that one uses 32GB, or 64 GB cards vs. 128GB. I use a 64 GB UHS-II card, I "unload" it every day after shooting and have never maxed it out. I HAVE, however been waiting for the buffer to clear with UHS-1 cards. After spending close to $2k for the camera and god knows how much for lenses, I'd hate to miss a shot of birds/jets because the camera had to wait for its buffer to clear onto a slow card.

Just AnotherVoice...

I agree, you are completely right.

---------- Post added 01-14-22 at 11:13 AM ----------

Have you looked at the 16-85 mm zoom?

Thanks, I did now, indeed very interesting. What puts me off a bit is all those reports of inconsistent quality, quite some people remarked that their copy is not OK.

---------- Post added 01-14-22 at 11:14 AM ----------

Definitely get the K-3III if you can.

Yes, I am going for it

[bdery]

Hi,
I can get KP for 880 Euro or K-3 III for 1500 Euro and I am not sure what to do.

What would you choose?
Thanks
Fila

If you can afford it, go with the K-3 iii. It's a superior camera in every way excepting size, and will be more futureproof.

[DonV]

AA batteries are a mixed blessing, the KP has great battery life with the larger grip battery- not so much with the smaller one in the camera. I do recommend the grip.

Spending twice the price on a K3III, with features you may or may not need or like, is not something I'd recommend; by all means for such an investment try to handle both cameras.

I have both and find the KP "handier" and is more than sufficient for my photography and probably for the needs of most other non-pro or near pro photographers. JMHO
I've tried the using K3III- I really wanted to like it- and it just doesn't handle as well to me as the KP.
I voted with my $$, I have three KP bodies; I'd probably only have one if it were not a discontinued model- but I don't want to "run out".

And though the subject has been "beaten to death" I find the lack of a moveable screen on the K3 one of the main reasons I choose the KP 90+% of the time.
I don't enjoy lying on the ground or contorting myself to achieve a view of a subject- but then I'm kind of old .

[aslyfox]

. . . ]
Thanks, I did now, indeed very interesting. What puts me off a bit is all those reports of inconsistent quality, quite some people remarked that their copy is not OK. . .

owners reviews:

Recommended By 93% of reviewers

Average User Rating 9.03

Read more at: HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

in depth review:

HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6
Introduction

HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews


if you are buying new, make sure of your right of return so you can do that if you don't like the copy you get

I have never had a problem with mine on a K 3, K 3 II, K 1 or K 3 III

[Fila]

If you can afford it, go with the K-3 iii. It's a superior camera in every way excepting size, and will be more futureproof.

I am going for it, AF performance being the main factor.

---------- Post added 01-15-22 at 08:37 AM ----------

AA batteries are a mixed blessing, the KP has great battery life with the larger grip battery- not so much with the smaller one in the camera. I do recommend the grip.

Spending twice the price on a K3III, with features you may or may not need or like, is not something I'd recommend; by all means for such an investment try to handle both cameras.

I have both and find the KP "handier" and is more than sufficient for my photography and probably for the needs of most other non-pro or near pro photographers. JMHO
I've tried the using K3III- I really wanted to like it- and it just doesn't handle as well to me as the KP.
I voted with my $$, I have three KP bodies; I'd probably only have one if it were not a discontinued model- but I don't want to "run out".

And though the subject has been "beaten to death" I find the lack of a moveable screen on the K3 one of the main reasons I choose the KP 90+% of the time.
I don't enjoy lying on the ground or contorting myself to achieve a view of a subject- but then I'm kind of old .

Thank you, I see that many people are happy with KP, it must be great camera, pity it is discontinued.
I actually had my eyes on KP, and ordered one of the last new pieces on a decent discount, only to see great discount on K-3 III and started re-considering.
I did not open KP box yet, as I thought there is big chance I will return it - but maybe I should keep both - I still have three weeks to decide.

---------- Post added 01-15-22 at 08:39 AM ----------

owners reviews:

Recommended By 93% of reviewers

Average User Rating 9.03

Read more at: HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

in depth review:

HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6
Introduction

HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews


if you are buying new, make sure of your right of return so you can do that if you don't like the copy you get

I have never had a problem with mine on a K 3, K 3 II, K 1 or K 3 III

Thanks a lot, after this big camera decision I will have to make perhaps even bigger lens decision.

[aslyfox]

Choose a new lens and return the KP if you decide to get the K 3 III

That would be my recommendation