been a while... Got the K3 this month, and I've been dual wielding both cameras this month so far for the Singles in Challenge on both the nikonforums and here, the Nikon with the Zeiss 50mm f1.4 and the Pentax with the FA Limtied 43mm f1.9. The field of views are kind of similar between the two cameras, with the Pentax requiring you to take a step and a half back to get a similar field of view, which wasn't done by design... but for fun.
The interesting thing here is that both lenses are actually quite similar.. both are tack sharp dead center, both get incredibly sharp around f4 throughout the frame, and by f11 start showing diffraction. They also make beautiful starbursts and render color and contrast extremely well. So its' actually quite fun to use them together and make the camera body do the work.
One thing that is quite evident in the first two photos of this post is the white balance and color rendering differences between the two cameras. As you can see both images are very sharp and have tons of detail, but the Pentax image just doesn't have the life in terms of colors. Granted before I set the "vivid" camera profile in Lightroom for the D800 these images were incredibly similar in terms of color saturation and contrast. Now both cameras were set to auto for WB here, and I got to say, the Nikon presented a much nicer color temperature...but the Pentax was way more accurate to what I actually saw.
Here is another example of how the white balance plays tricks. Now the exposure settings for these two images are very different, but as you can see the D800 has a more muted tone. Actually come to think of it, I think I set the Pentax up for "shade" which may explain a lot... but the rendering again is very similar in terms of sharpness. But I prefer the D800 image myself.
It's an interesting thing here, the D800 takes photos to the next level, I already know this. The Pentax though..
Well the Pentax is just more enjoyable to use. It's faster, which has a lot to do with it. Granted it's not processing massive RAW data files, but the 24mp files the K3 puts out aren't tiny when compared to the 16mp files the K5 or OMD EM1 output, and are very large compared to my little sidekick the Pentax Q/Q7. Then again, I'm used to the Pentax way of doing things, and while Nikon has some nice advantages, the Pentax has it's own too.
I've used live view a lot on both cameras this past week or so, and a large reason for that is the tripod use. I can say I prefer the K3 in this role, only because it's faster with the processing time. The monitor is also not as noisy as the D800, even though the D800 live view shows a more accurate preview of the final image. Doesn't matter though since I can take 3 shots and chimp them before the D800 even lets loose with one when you consider how slow it is between shots. This is because the K3 seems to do less between shots. In fact, it seems to operate like a mirror-less camera just letting the shutter go and returning to ready status, unlike the D800 or K5 which I assume let the mirror down and then lock it back up to return back to live view.. which in hindsight just doesn't make sense.
Nikon D800
Pentax K3
The other thing I love about the Pentax K3 is glove ergonomics. This may not be that important in some other places on this planet, but here in Edmonton, Alberta Canada...it's very important as we start getting closer and closer to -30 degree Celsius temperatures without windchill. The ability to navigate all exposure parameters of your camera, and even drive mode with gloves on is very important. Heck, even your tripod should have this ability.. all pieces of gear used in this cold should be able to be used with gloves.
it's also important to have the right gloves. I love these Thinsulate work gloves I found for construction workers who are out in the cold and still need maximum finger dexterity. They are super grippy and water resistant which is important out here.
Now, how does this affect the D800 vs K3 situation? Well because the D800 ergonomics were already in question, but now even more so with gloves. Don't get me wrong, the D800 is a very great camera and very comfortable to use with or without gloves, and if you use Auto-ISO and don't change your drive mode this won't matter to you, but both options are a pain to get too with gloves. The switch to unlock the drive dial is a pain to use with gloves and I find myself accidentally actuating one of the buttons up top...like white balance or iso...or accidentally setting the Quality... While with the K3 I can pretty much use the whole camera (aside from live view..that button is a little irritating with gloves) while gloved up for winter.
At the end of the day, it's impossible to compare these two cameras as if they are on the same playing field. The Nikon is an NHL level camera while the K3 is an AHL level camera. Every once in a while the AHL player gets called up to the best hockey league in the world to show their stuff, and sometime makes a dynamite impact for a bargain price to club. That is exactly what the K3 does... deliver professional results, just with a sub-professional price tag. There is a nearly $2600 price gap between these two kits.... can anyone honestly say there is a $2600 gap in quality? No.
The next test for the K3? Live bands next weekend! Q7 one night, K3 the other night. D800 will stay home.