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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
12-26-2017, 10:38 PM
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To affirm what bm75 said, the last reason to move to a K-3 is the increase in resolution.
Normally you change cameras when you become dissatisfied with the old one, but the K-5 is good enough that you may not see the flaws unless you shoot with multiple dSLRs and can easily compare.
The basic problem with the K-5 is it is dog slow. It is the opposite of "responsive" as defined by 2017 standards. The autofocus and the camera menus and, critically, the buffer throughput and image review. If your K-5 does not seem slow to you, you can live blissfully ignorant and save your money, or you can go buy the K-3 on blind trust and have that "ah ha" moment the first time you take it out.
I also think the colors of the K-3 are more realistic, and the K-3ii better still, but this is subjective.
Also, the grip has improved. This is not subjective.
The K-3 is not a fast camera, the AF is still Pentax-level, but it is far better camera overall than the K-5.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
05-17-2015, 06:46 PM
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I've settled into this body now, so here's something of a best of / worst of list.
Most annoying things:
1. Buffer write speed. No UHS-1 support. Take 5-6 shots, press review to chimp, and you wait 2-3 seconds for the image to show up on the real LCD. If you are used as I am to having the image pop up the instant I press the review button, you'll know just how irritating this can be.
2. The metering. It's not bad, per se, but it has its quirks. It tends to overexpose, or overexpose more than I expect, in high contrast light. Given that for all the vaunted DR of the K-5 sensor the highlight headroom is still woefully small (all the DR appears to be in the shadows) overexposing is often unrecoverable.
3. There's no easy switch for the top LCD backlight. It's on all the time or off all the time, toggled in the setup menu. What I want is to turn it on only when I need it. Since I only need it when its too dark to read the LCD, the switch has to be really obvious and convenient (e.g. Nikon power switch reverse direction, aka Pentax DOF preview) A trivial thing that has tripped me up on 2-3 occasions now.
Best things:
1. It is sooo nice to snap back to the program line (or meter and set the exposure) by hitting the green button. Old lenses on Nikon, and Program generally, is such a pain in comparison.
2. I actually really like having WB and color profile on the right left keys of the 4way pad. ISO and EV comp on the top - less great but still good. It's generally intuitive. My D600 in comparison ... uh, ISO is down in the bottom left corner (bad), EV is up next to the shutter release close to the record button and meter mode button (marginal), while WB and color mode are mapped to two of the five identical buttons on the left of the LCD (ugh.). It's like playing a game of "memory" every time you pick up the camera.
3. I'm hesitating over point "3" not because there are none, but because most of the remaining great things about the K-5II most are more-or-less matched by my D600: the really nice rear LCD, the quiet, positive shutter release sound (D600 is louder, but crisper - less "squishy".), improved AF performance (Nikon still wins, duh), the excellent viewfinder, etc. I'm very familiar with the Pentax SR feature, and its great, but for me its not a huge deal as my photos are either daylight or I'm on a tripod anyway. So.... instead I'm going to go with the toughness of a real weathersealed cast alloy chassis which I gave up when I sold my D200. Nikon's recent plastic, or pseudo-metal efforts like the D600 don't cut it.
While the formal comparison should be one of the D7x00 bodies, the D600 is what I have and basically apart for the "FX-ness" what you can say for the D600 applies to the D7100.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
05-17-2015, 06:11 PM
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Funny that despite the huge feature list built into the K-5II there are little things which I take for granted coming from Nikon which seem to be missing.
Case in point:
Nikon, you set your flash mode to TTL, Commander, or Manual. Setting manual, you have further option to select flash output as 1 to 1/64. So if you are using a lens which does not give the aperture information back to the camera to support TTL, or simply want to have a fixed flash output for some reason, you have the full range of light output to play with.
With the Pentax K-5, it seems the pop up flash is fixed to max. when engaged with M42 lenses. Basically useless. A small annoyance perhaps, but it is something I use from time to time, and frankly I'd find it more welcome than some of the more esoteric features in the Pentax menus, like the automatic dust detection for example...
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
04-17-2015, 03:58 PM
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K5/II/IIs/3 price-value ratio is something you'll have to figure out for yourself I'm afraid, as is the matter of lens choice.
The II vs IIs is an especially tough decision, though in the end I simply trusted Pentax and bought the K5II as the best of the two for "general photography". The K-3 is still relatively dear, while the original K-5 models on the used market are not cheap enough to make it worth the while over the "II" considering they are often "well used".
For lenses, my favorite to recommend has always been the 35/2.8 macro limited. Though I don't own it anymore since I always use my 31 anyway (and my macro stuff is all with Nikon now) it's a wonderful all-rounder, do anything lens.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
04-17-2015, 06:07 AM
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Eh? The 18-55 keeps dust off the sensor, that's the sum of its usefulness... okay maybe that's too harsh, but I think we can all agree its not "reference quality".
There are a few negatives about the K5ii, but image quality is not one of them. Mostly my complaints would center on the slow response: to engage live view, to review images, or to call up the menus. With lens corrections on, the time to call up the review image is ridiculous. The only other tiny annoyance is the top LCD light: its either off or on: there's no way to turn it on if you have it disabled, like Nikon where you flip the power switch past "on" to turn on the light manually.
I will say that the images take a little bit of work tweaking the settings away from the defaults to look their best, but that's as much personal taste as anything: defaults have too little contrast and way too much saturation for my liking, and have a purple tint I don't care for. But that's all easily fixed within the customization options available.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
04-17-2015, 04:37 AM
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That's a good price.
I can maybe comment a little, as I have both the D600 and the K5ii. The K5ii can't touch the 24MP FX sensor in the D600. The D600 is a good working camera, but it's not all that much fun to use (re. you not bonding with a D7100 --- I can relate, D600 is a little better but the control layout is still a mess.). K5ii is smaller, nicer, and, dare I say, better thought out. Like you I don't take the D600 with me as much as I'd like. I didn't think there was room for another camera between my Nikon 1 V1 and D600, except as a specialty unit for using my Pentax glass on occasion. K5ii is proving me wrong, it's a very enjoyable companion ... especially as, for the first time for me using a Pentax, the autofocus is actually something I find I can rely on.
Verdict: Buy.
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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
11-06-2014, 06:23 PM
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Ye-es, but I got my SB800's used for $200 ea. That's full-function, full-compatibility with modern Nikon sDLRs. I'm not arguing against your basic premise, but if you want cheap flashes you can still stick with Brand name quality if you want to. Nikon SB-26 comes to mind, if you just want remote triggering/manual.
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
10-26-2014, 05:49 PM
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Anyone here not seeing the FA31 coming out in first place in the tournament?
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
10-26-2014, 05:48 PM
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If the DA21 had less barrel distortion it would be competitive in this match up.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-13-2014, 11:14 PM
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I would say this in inevitable, as Ricoh consolidates its branding through the Pentax lens lineup. Its unlikely they will stick at just the Limiteds. That said they may opt for something other than the "HD" moniker, as that is associated with optical coatings that may not be cost-appropriate for the lower-end lenses. They will likely just convert the green ring to red, add some extra-special-sounding-non-feature, and raise the price $50.:lol:
If the 35/2.4 is selling for a price that interests you, just grab it. (Though you may want to consider a used smc 35/2.8 macro limited, as they are pretty cheap these days since the HD versions got released.)
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
04-13-2014, 10:58 PM
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You can play exactly the same game comparing the D7100 vs. the D600, and it's even easier since they share same Nikon picture controls. I refer you to Ken Rockwell's web site if you care to follow that up.
Then you ask yourself, staring at two more-or-less identical 24 MP images, "is the glass half full, or is it half empty?".
If you want to convince yourself that the APSC output is functionally every bit as good as the full frame data, knock yourself out. The default output of the Nikon and Pentax cameras are sufficiently different that if you want to be brand-loyal you are welcome to announce, "Hoho, isn't the Pentax color so much nicer!".
According to dpreview, it's the K-3 color that has issues, but personally I don't much care for the D600 standard default either so we'll call it a draw.
However, as a long-time APSC user who recently stepped up to the D600, I insist that at both the pixel level, and the format level, it's an entirely different world. First, at the hardware level, the viewfinder is just bigger and better, and the lens FOV/DOF characteristics are reshuffled. On my Nikon system, it means I now have a cheap, light, and excellent standard lens (the AFS50/1.8G), and plenty of options in the 20-50 mm range of wide-standard prime lenses, and 85-135mm range of short teles where before I was always stuck on APSC with a vaguely wrong FL. (I'm not a serious telephoto user so the crop factor/pixel density of APSC is of no benefit) Second, at a data level, the performance of the 24 MP FX sensor up to ISO6400 is near unbelievable, especially at the low ISO range: there is simply no noise up to ISO400. Not even at 100%, not even if you push a stop. It's perfectly clean. Now you may or may not have a use for this level of performance, but you'd have to be in blind denial to insist it isn't there. Modern 24 MP APSC can't touch it, though - sure, I'm happy to admit it - at the top-level the difference can often be very subtle.
I find myself wishing recently for a Pentax FF dSLR. While, unlike Nikon, Pentax *does* have a decent selection of high quality modern APSC lenses, the fact remains that the only "true" equivalent 50/1.8 FOV lens on ASPC crop is the 31/1.8. That's hardly within reach of most, and its size and weight vs. the Nikon 50mm is such that my D600/50 is lighter and essentially the same size as my K10D with the FA31. AND the 50/1.8 has wider DOF control, for a lens costing 1/5 of the FA31. Sad to say this, but if I really wanted to use my (mostly full frame, mostly manual focus) Pentax lenses on a modern camera, I would probably go with the Sony A7 before I went out and got the K-3.
In summary: the K-3 is a great camera, capable of taking great photos, and in certain respects (build quality, continuous shooting) out-performs my D600. But make no mistake: the gravitational pull of "entry level" full-frame is strong. Once you go there, it's almost impossible to go back. It just feels right.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
10-17-2013, 02:43 AM
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Thom Hogan, and his fans, views things though a narrow prism. Specifically, the needs and wants of wildlife photographers mostly.
For one thing, they cannot accept that Nikon killed the "high-end" APSC camera. They wait in perpetuity for a D400 that will never come because Nikon has no plans to go there. The D90 was upgraded to the D7000 line (with AI coupling ring), and the D700 downgraded to the D600. This, in Nikon's view, fills the gap. There are some, very vocal, people for whom this is a poor product layout : neither the D7000 nor the D600 are as rugged or as fast (or as deep a buffer) as the D300. Nikon has no APSC "action cam" like the 7D for example. So Thom is correct to say that the K-3 is what his people wanted in the Nikon D400.
However, I think Nikon called it correctly: given the choice a APSC dSLR and a full frame dSLR at the same price, most people are going to opt for full frame even if it means taking a hit in performance. The D400 would have had to cost $2000. There isn't the market for that camera at that price like there was when the D200, D300 were released.
The cynical side of me also notes that Nikon has moved to ever-cheaper construction in ever more-expensive camera lines. "profit margins" being the operating principle here, clearly.
Will Nikonians pining for a D400 move to Pentax for the K-3? Honestly, I doubt it.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
10-17-2013, 02:17 AM
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My cold-blooded (ok, cynical) analysis is that the smartest course of action is to buy a used K-5IIs in 4-6 months time.
As a self-labelled, card-carrying amateur, depreciation on camera bodies hits hard - no way can I justify losing $3-400 a year in depreciation on this hobby, or, frankly, paying out more than $1000 for camera body.
The preorder K-3 price and the current sale price on the Canon 6D are within spitting distance. That, if nothing else, should be pause for thought.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
10-17-2013, 01:54 AM
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Just ... wow.
If I was an event shooter, I would tape over the camera logos on principle. Any camera. If someone asked me what camera I was using, I'd give them the evil eye and tell them it doesn't matter.
I have owned several Ricoh cameras, including a really nice Ricoh rangefinder from the 1950's. I'd have no problem with them moving to Ricoh branding on the prism of their dSLR's... but I do think out of respect (and prudence) they should not re-brand what are existing model lines. And I see no indication to suggest they will. Ricoh logo on the back of the K-3? Why anyone would be at all bothered by this I cannot imagine...
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
12-29-2012, 07:35 AM
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Mirrorless:
Compiled from the top 20, u43 combined is 50%, NEX on 18%, Nikon 1 at 13%. I am shocked that the J1 was so popular in Japan. Shocked, I say.
dSLR:
Canon at 52%, Nikon 34%. That's pretty much as things have been for many years now. Pentax at 5%, again where it has been for some time I think, but Sony at 6% beating Pentax to take 3rd is a bit hard to stomach. Also, Nikon's best selling dSLR is the D5100, selling almost four times better than the K-r and K-30 combined.
No. Accounting. For. Taste.
Final world:
Things are holding steady for Pentax in terms of dSLR marketshare, and their marketshare in mirrorless is actually even better than in dSLRs. As always they are stuck as a niche player in both, but things are holding steady at least.
Their main threat in 2013 is probably Fujifilm. They have a strong lineup now that caters to the same kind of people who are likely to be interested in Pentax. And then then there's what Nikon will field as a D7000 replacement against the K-5ii, and the question of just how many Pentaxians will jump ship for a cheap full frame dSLR...
On the other hand the first salvo of RicohPentaxes are surely almost ready for release...
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-27-2012, 05:08 AM
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Why is it the 85/2 are typically so much smaller than the 85/1.9 or 85/1.8?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-26-2012, 05:30 AM
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Not at all! But it doesn't hurt to keep them guessing, either. My K10D's neck strap has "Contax" written on it in bold white lettering, just to keep people off the scent*.
*this is not true. It's just a really nice used Contax strap I found cheap at the local camera store...
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-25-2012, 05:39 PM
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Serious? I bought and sold the Cosina 55/1.2 a 2-3 years back for $200~. It was overvalued then, at today's prices, if you are right, utterly foolish - except that of course if you can sell it for more than you paid for it well then more power to you I suppose.
The Cosina is roundly beaten, taken to the cleaners and back again, by the Takumar 55/1.8. It's only party trick is the "soft glow bokeh balls at f/1.2" thing, and trust me that's amusing for all of a half hour or so before the lack of anything resembling sharpness or contrast become unbearable and you put the lens down in disgust. It also flares out at the drop of a hat. I actually spent a fair bit of time trying to find any kind of reason to keep it around - artistic effect, that kind of line - but could find none of any merit.
Moral of the story: beware the enticements of third-party ultra-fast optics.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-25-2012, 05:03 PM
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The diameter of the kit lens is quite a lot smaller, but its about the same length. Of course on an absolute scale the 85/1.9 is far from huge, but compared to the rest of the Takumars I own it certainly gives the impression of being "built for giants". Part of that is the way /everything/ is scaled up, not just the front element. Only the mount thread is left untouched. I'll have to do a comparison shot with the 55/1.8, so you can see the difference...
I've noticed that people seem more likely to ignore the camera when the logo is covered. Lately I've been in the habit of keeping my K10D blacked out like this.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-24-2012, 09:18 PM
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Holy smokes, this lens is BIG! It's proportioned almost exactly like the Super-Takumar 55/1.8, but scaled up by 50%. 58mm filter thread. Looks like it belongs on a Bronica, or Pentax 67...
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Forum: Pentax K-01
06-30-2012, 12:50 AM
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Or, you know, the reviews could, you know, be accurate?
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
05-22-2012, 04:34 PM
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I've read through the responses. Observations:
1. Pentax are not going to move out of APS-C to APS-H. Pentax (and Nikon) have a good thing going with Sony, and Pentax especially benefits from using the sensor technology Sony develops. Sony is not going to develop an APS-H sensor, they know full-frame and APS-C is where the money is, sp Pentax stays where it is. Also there might be issues with vignetting with certain DA lenses which were designed with little margin of error in the image circle. (Tokina-shared DA* zooms come to mind.)
2. Full frame. Not yet. And if they ever do it will be a huge U-turn for them, requiring a massive re-think of the lens portfolio. Pentax have currently all of 7 lenses that are compatible with full frame. Number of compatible zoom lenses currently offered: precisely zero. So even if they wanted to - and I don't think they do - they are not in a position to do it.
3. Assuming the K-3 is on schedule for 2 years after the K-5, there isnt much room for technological improvements vis. the K-30. The image processing pipeline and AF systems are going to be pretty much the same class.
4. In the same line, mechanically the K-7/K-5 chassis is pretty much the best Pentax can manage. It's pretty darned good. They've already done there absolute best.
Filtering the replies, my list of improvements to be implemented in the K-3 over and above K-5 chassis + K-30 internals comes down to
- 24 MP (I wonder, perhaps 36? the 24 MP Sony APS-C has been out for a while now...)
- improved video, HDMI out
- improved wireless flash system
- external min in, audio monitor out
- 14 bit raw
- bigger buffer
- perhaps slightly tweaked AF system
- unlikely but possibly a flip out rear LCD (would be rather un-Pentaxish though)
I have a feeling they are going to let the metal chassis and higher resolution sensor sell the camera for them.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
05-21-2012, 06:27 PM
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The Pentax K-30 makes some pretty bold strides upmarket. It's pretty much a K-5 in a plastic body. As such we can be certain that Pentax feels quite confident that the K-3 (seems a reasonable guess for the name, no?) is going to come out a sufficient distance above the K-30 so as to carve a decent market share for itself.
Alright, so apart from the obvious metal chassis, what is Pentax going to give the K-3 to kick it up the sufficient number of notches?
- 24 MP. I suppose that's a given.
- as hinted at by PF admin, 14 bit raw.
Alright. That doesn't seem enough, but I'm drawing blanks. What else can they do?
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Forum: Pentax K-01
04-04-2012, 06:35 AM
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So ..is focus peaking is accurate enough to be useful with the 77mm wide open?
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Forum: Pentax K-01
03-30-2012, 07:34 AM
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That whole passage about what is and is not a "replacement" of the K-r is very muddy and vague, and deliberately so, of course. They are not allowed to divulge future plans! All we got out of the exchange was that the K-r is discontinued and while there are no plans to "directly" replace it, Pentax will continue to produce new dSLR models.
Squinting while reading between the lines, I see it as "We'll keep the entry level dSLR (the K-z?) off the shelves for a bit to give the K-01 a fair run."
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