<p>I've just published the first installment of my Shooter's Report for the Pentax K-3, one of the most technically interesting cameras of 2013, and a Camera of Distinction in our 2013 Enthusiast DSLR of the Year awards. I've been a Pentax shooter myself for about four years now, first with the K-7, and then the K-5, and so not surprisingly I'm very interested in the massively-upgraded K-3. My review, then, serves something of a dual purpose -- informing readers about the camera, and helping me decide whether it's time for an upgrade.</p><p>In the first part of the Shooter's Report, I take a look at the Pentax K-3 from the perspective of a photographer getting ready for the upgrade. My K-5 shared its body design with the earlier K-7 and subsequent K-5 II / IIs, so for several generations there's been little if any adjustment to the basic control layout in Pentax's enthusiast flagships. Although it's roundly similar, the K-3 has some important differences in its control layout, and I was keen to see what I'd think of them in the field.</p><p>The other main issue I wanted to get a feel for in this first part of the Shooter's Report is how the Pentax K-3 performs with high sensitivity / low light shooting. Hence, I took the K-3 around downtown Knoxville at sunset a few days ago, shooting it side-by-side with my own K-5, and with the same lenses and setup on both cameras. Then I took a close look at images from both to see if the K-3 could hold its own in the high ISO department, despite a much higher-resolution sensor. (And I've uploaded my gallery photos shot with both cameras, so you can make that judgement for yourself.)</p><p>Other points touched on in the first part of the Shooter's Report include the K-3's radically overhauled autofocus system, an interesting difference in white balance between the K-3 and K-5, and what seems to be a little bug we've uncovered in the exposure bracketing system.</p><p><a href="http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2013/12/26/pentax-k-3-review-shooters-report-part-i-early-thoughts-from-a-k-5-owner">Keep reading...</a></p>