Review on 📸 Pentax K-3 SLR Camera Review: Unboxing the Body Only Version by Michael Norwood

This new enthusiast camera shows that Pentax/Ricoh is serious about staying in the DSLR market. This is a completely redesigned design replacing the already good K-5ii and K-5iis. In terms of features, power and performance, the K-3 easily competes with the Nikon D7100 and Canon 70d. But in a way it has even more to offer. Remarkably, this is the only camera in the world that can emulate the presence of an AA filter (used when moiré can be a risk), but without the complete loss of detail caused by installing a true low-pass filter. Also, I'm not sure if anyone else offers a star tracking feature that uses GPS (optional) and a mirror to track the Earth's rotation. Very cool. But best of all, this camera's anti-shake protection is built into the body, not the lenses, meaning it will even work with any vintage K-mount lens you might find at a flea market. And the system works pretty well if you buy 3 ev or so. Pros will love the dual SD slots, super-fast continuous shooting, and a nifty new autofocus system that's (finally!) top-notch - as good as anyone else. The K-3 is fairly forgiving when it comes to low-light, high-ISO shots. You will see some noise at 3200 but it's pretty easy to clean up. While video has improved greatly over previous models, it still lacks continuous autofocus, making other options more appealing to those planning to capture their little girl's first ballet. (Think Canon.) This camera is for photographers who will fall in love with it. For existing Pentax owners, the update is fairly familiar in terms of control placement. What moved was basically necessary. Using the camera is very easy once you learn the controls and there are many of them. However, within a week I found that I could control the camera even in the dark, so the layout should be pretty intuitive. Additionally, there are so many things you can control with buttons and switches that I almost never have to navigate through menus. Image quality is excellent, and with 24 megapixels you can crop deeply and capture amazingly sharp details. Colors are rich yet authentic, and white balance has been accurate so far with auto adjustment. Ricoh put their badge on the back of the camera - I think that's fine as long as the Pentax name stays on the front. While no one in this market comes close to the Big Two, I don't want the Pentax brand to be weakened or ousted. We can, however, thank Ricoh and their deep pockets for making an excellent enthusiast DSLR. Hope they come!