Pentax K-3mkIII Impressions

I wish I could update to later cameras but I am limited by their weight. The K-70 is possible, so is the KP, but other than those, nothing since K-5 so I still use that, from time to time. I’d love a variable angle screen (hence interest in K-70) so I’d never buy another DSLR with a fixed screen. I find that being able to use a variable screen for birds is a good thing… they sit still as long as you arent looking at them :)
 
I wish I could update to later cameras but I am limited by their weight. The K-70 is possible, so is the KP, but other than those, nothing since K-5 so I still use that, from time to time. I’d love a variable angle screen (hence interest in K-70) so I’d never buy another DSLR with a fixed screen. I find that being able to use a variable screen for birds is a good thing… they sit still as long as you arent looking at them :)

I feel blessed I can still occasionally lug around camera gear.

I'd like a tilty screen on this, but I guess with other design goals they really couldn't do one. And my apartment makes a semi-decent blind. :hiding:
 
Have you shot very much with the highlight weighted metering yet?

Target of opportunity presented itself this afternoon. Dove in shadow and direct light, partially backlit. K-3III + DA*200/2.8, highlight-weighted metering, no exposure comp or highlight correction in post, no crop, resized for web. I could probably bring shadow detail up a bit and improve the image a little. In this shot I think it did a decent job.
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And I almost forgot a couple of comparison shots with the X100F. I wanted to shoot the comparison with the X100F set up the way I've set it up to better fit my hands. The little Fuji is slightly larger in width and height with the base plate, L attachment and grip.
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And this is where mirrorless can shine IMHO. A quality fixed-lens or small primes on a small-ish body. Start going larger with constant aperture zooms, fast glass, longer focal lengths, and the size/ weight advantage of mirrorless starts to decrease.
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And I almost forgot a couple of comparison shots with the X100F. I wanted to shoot the comparison with the X100F set up the way I've set it up to better fit my hands. The little Fuji is slightly larger in width and height with the base plate, L attachment and grip.
View attachment 257350

And this is where mirrorless can shine IMHO. A quality fixed-lens or small primes on a small-ish body. Start going larger with constant aperture zooms, fast glass, longer focal lengths, and the size/ weight advantage of mirrorless starts to decrease.
View attachment 257351
Certainly smaller than I realised. Haptics look excellent. My problem is I look at the Pentaxes and my mind doesn't go beyond those 'Limited' lenses as well as the Takumars etc. I'd be spending so much money. Wonderful stuff.
 
Certainly smaller than I realised. Haptics look excellent. My problem is I look at the Pentaxes and my mind doesn't go beyond those 'Limited' lenses as well as the Takumars etc. I'd be spending so much money. Wonderful stuff.

Limiteds are gems IMHO. Good thing my eyes don't do well with manual focus anymore or I'd be collecting old glass.
 
After I learned that Pentax K can adapt a M42 lens without a hitch, I've had some interest towards the cameras.

Pentax used M42 before changing to K-mount.
Yes, last time I checked here are the numbers of the lenses that can be used:
  • 265 K-Mount lenses from the film and digital eras
  • 54 Pentax-branded M42 lenses
  • 1246 3rd-party K-mount lenses
  • 1633 3rd-party M42 lenses

The M42 to K-Mount adapters look more like a sleeve than an adapter. It's very thin.

I shoot film with Pentax and I haven't got a Pentax dSLR yet because of availability and access but then recently, got intrigued by the K-3 III and even the older CCD ones. I did some searching locally (TradeMe) and noticed that many 2nd-hand Pentax dSLRs get snapped up rather easily lately just like the Olympus Pen-F. I even had bidding battles with ABF-prone models and had to let go of the auction because the bids became ridiculously high. I am not in a hurry though.
I wish I could update to later cameras but I am limited by their weight. The K-70 is possible, so is the KP, but other than those, nothing since K-5 so I still use that, from time to time. I’d love a variable angle screen (hence interest in K-70) so I’d never buy another DSLR with a fixed screen.
The K-70 is easily available anywhere and has become popular lately. It's decently priced, as well, although 3 years ago, I found out through our price trends that there was a massive price drop globally.

I'd be spending so much money. Wonderful stuff.
I was warned by many Pentaxians here and in Australia that getting into the system can lead to an almost uncontrollable GAS, especially with the lenses :LOL:. I didn't get that GAS with my Pentax film. Let's see.
 
Yes, last time I checked here are the numbers of the lenses that can be used:
  • 265 K-Mount lenses from the film and digital eras
  • 54 Pentax-branded M42 lenses
  • 1246 3rd-party K-mount lenses
  • 1633 3rd-party M42 lenses

The M42 to K-Mount adapters look more like a sleeve than an adapter. It's very thin.

I shoot film with Pentax and I haven't got a Pentax dSLR yet because of availability and access but then recently, got intrigued by the K-3 III and even the older CCD ones. I did some searching locally (TradeMe) and noticed that many 2nd-hand Pentax dSLRs get snapped up rather easily lately just like the Olympus Pen-F. I even had bidding battles with ABF-prone models and had to let go of the auction because the bids became ridiculously high. I am not in a hurry though.

The K-70 is easily available anywhere and has become popular lately. It's decently priced, as well, although 3 years ago, I found out through our price trends that there was a massive price drop globally.


I was warned by many Pentaxians here and in Australia that getting into the system can lead to an almost uncontrollable GAS, especially with the lenses :LOL:. I didn't get that GAS with my Pentax film. Let's see.

Red - IIRC kinda like the LTM to M-Mount adapter.

And speaking of Leica, some people don't know there was a Leica version of the 43 Limited - the SMC Pentax-L 1:1.9 43mm Special, with a matching optical VF.
 
Yeah, I was being somewhat facetious, but it is a very cool lens. There's one on the Bay for just under $1K with a hotshoe finder. Not too terrible really, in M-lens world.

Wasn't sure if you were.

I guess prices have come down a bit? Read a thread about the lens years ago, somewhere, and the $1500 range was being tossed around by the posters. Maybe the one they were discussing was essentially new or in like-new condition?
 
Well, haven't had much productive photo time yesterday and today. Doc appointments and other aspects of real life getting in the way again. Hopefully back to some photos and more handling of the camera through the weekend.

So, as of today, unless I find a major issue this weekend I'll be keeping the K-3III. After use and comparison side-by-side with the K-1, the K-3III's OVF isn't much worse for me than the K-1's OVF. Buffer size and clearing speed, AF decisiveness and tracking, big improvements over my K-1.

Whether or not the OVF will be an issue during all day use at airshows, will have to be determined when I am capable of getting back to one. Next local one is this fall (November), but I likely have at least one medical procedure before then. Possibly several. So, playing everything by ear for now.

Still need to spend a lot more quality time with existing lenses. The two with the old SDM occasionally have focus issues, but they do work a little better on the K-3III. Not sure if either are up to hours of tracking aircraft. And I'll need to decide if it will replace the X100F as my travel camera, and which two DA Limiteds to acquire (and which lenses get sold to fund them).

Slightly better gear shot than before...
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Just a quick update. Will be keeping the K-3III. Most Fuji stuff to go. X100F will stay for now, and I'll think about whether or not it goes at a later time.

Tons of doc appointments and testing going on right now, so I probably won't have much time to play around with new things on the camera for a bit. I'll update if I run across anything new, and I'll try to answer questions if anyone has any.

edit - fixed some typos
 
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Allrightythen.

I haven't used my X-H1 + 100-400 for 2 weeks. After using the K-3III + DA*300 trying to track small birds in the tree this morning, I grabbed the other combo and worked with it for a bit.

Wow.

Having the ability to customize the EVF output makes a larger impact for me than I originally thought. I have the X-H1 set up with the image reduced to about 90% and most shooting info displayed below the image. I can actually see the entire image with no corner vignette, or choose slight vignette on the upper corners and also see the shooting info. Huge difference from the K-3III.

I still vastly prefer OVF over EVF. I still vastly prefer Pentax menus, ergos and haptics over Fuji. But I really like being able to see the dang image in the viewfinder.

This should have been an easy decision, but I guess I might need to think about this a bit more.

:hmmm:
 
EVF vs OVF is a big question. I think it comes down to something like this for me: when I'm out to get the image first, an EVF is super useful. It has WYSIWYG, not only in terms of exposure, but focus (if it's a good EVF), colors (again, has to be a good EVF) etc. An OVF is more for enjoying the process (because will an EVF ever be "fun" the way looking through a good OVF is? Doubtful) and staying connected with the subject. I kind of wish I could permanently come down on one side or the other myself, but I suspect that it's a right tool for the job kind of thing. I'd need to limit the photography I practice to truly accept one or the other.
 
I like the WYSIWYG aspect, especially with regard to judging light/ exposure, but dislike EVFs in general. That might change as they become more "transparent" in the future. I know the X-H1 EVF is better than previous versions I have tried or used. I suspect at some point, EVFs will have resolution and refresh rates high enough the issues with flicker, low-light graininess, smearing, blackout, etc... will be gone. Then it will simply be whether or not your eyes can tolerate an EVF, or you just prefer an OVF.

The big problem I am currently having is being able to actually see all of the image in the viewfinder.

Both the K-1 and K-3III have heavy vignette, and I have to shift my view into the OVF to see the info display and loose even more of the upper corners.

Being able to customize the output of the X-H1 EVF means I can have an image sized where I can see the entire image, no vignette. A little vignette happens in the top corners when I shift to see the info display.

Not having a high self-brand awareness/ consciousness/ whatever the current wording, is a blessing and a curse. I can easily switch brands if needed/ wanted. And I'm at a point where I could go either full Pentax or full Fuji, and both would be useable. Both have potential pitfalls. Fuji gives me a more complete image view, but the menus/ ergos/ haptics of Pentax are much better. I have the lenses I need already with Fuji, going full Pentax would generate a slight change in lens alignment (more expenditure). Both systems have lenses that fall into the "would be nice to have" category.

I guess I have to decide which features are going to be the most important going forward. Either way has a risk.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I really like being able to see the image in the viewfinder when shooting.

Channeling my inner Charlie Brown... "AAAUGHH!"
 
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