Pentax K-3 review – White balance and colour
Image: Once again, the colours produced by the K-3’s sensor are excellent. This image was taken using the vibrant setting, which is perfect for rich autumn colours
As well as the usual range of different white balance settings, the K-3 has a couple of interesting options tucked away in the custom menu. The first of these we have seen on other cameras: a choice of whether to keep tungsten light or produce a completely neutral tone when using the AWB lighting setting. The other option is one that allows each of the default white balance settings to work with a range of colour temperatures, rather than a single setting. For example, rather than have a single value for a tungsten setting, say 2,900K, the camera can work with a range of 2,700K-3,100K, which will allow for more precise correction. Obviously, the same principle will work for the daylight setting, which is most useful as the colour of daylight can change throughout the day.
Like the Pentax K-50 (which I tested in AP 24 August), the colours produced by the K-3 are great. There is a good selection of presets, with the black & white setting with red filter effect applied being a particular favourite. For those who like to experiment with colour settings, there is also a cross-process option, which can produce a variety of different effects. However, aside from the standard natural, portrait, landscape and vibrant settings, it is the bleach bypass filter effect that I enjoyed using the most.
When sticking to the standard settings, I found that the colours produced by the K-3 looked very natural. Greens in particular look excellent, making the K-3 great for landscape photographers.
Image: This unedited JPEG image shows why landscape photographers will appreciate the way the K-3 renders green colours
