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04-19-2014, 11:54 AM - 1 Like   #1
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Pentax K3 Lens calibration

I've previously owned the K5 and K5IIs and recently purchased the K3. I'm curious to know if I still have to go through the lens calibration issues I had with the older body styles?

04-19-2014, 12:50 PM   #2
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Every camera may need the lenses calibrated.
04-19-2014, 12:52 PM   #3
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It'll just depend on how they match up. Start with zero correction and see what you get and go from there. My lenses calibrated differently on the K-5 and K-3.
04-19-2014, 01:02 PM   #4
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DA HD 20-40mm lens

Thanks guys...........my images are coming out good from this lens (only 1 day old) but I think I will check back focus and calibrate to be sure I'm on target.

04-19-2014, 01:16 PM   #5
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Some lenses need calibration, some not. More easy to calibrate with the camera than sending each lens to correct for focus shift that may come with age.
04-19-2014, 01:23 PM   #6
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My guess is that there will be a time when (manual) lens calibration is completely unnecessarily, but in the meantime, it would be nice if there was a greater range of calibration (without unsupported attempts to access debug mode) than +-10 (through the K5, anyway - not sure about the K3.)
04-19-2014, 07:31 PM   #7
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On my k-5 just about all lenses required a focus adjustment. I ran the same testing on the k-3 and only one lens required any adjustment and that was -1. YMMV of course but was very pleasantly surprised by the k-3.

04-19-2014, 09:17 PM   #8
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So far I am running all my lenses in the K-r and K-3 with no lens adjustment. I have tested and tested but have found them all to appear best at 0. That said, zooms have given me issues, but they average out on 0.
04-20-2014, 12:47 PM - 1 Like   #9
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Hi robinhood,

Personally, I think that a lot of people over obsess about AF calibration. I've been shooting Pentax DSLRs for over 9 years, have used the DS, K100DS, K10, K20, K-7, K-5, M-5IIs, and now the K-3. I have 18 AF lenses and have yet to calibrate a lens for microfocus, but when the bodies started offering this feature, I did a lot of testing, trying to see if I could make the lenses perform better. Maybe I'm just lucky. . .

I no longer shoot charts or do pixel peeping tests when I get a new body. It's just too time consuming, and I hate it. I just go out and shoot with a lens. If the results are acceptable compared to the performance on previous bodies, I just move on. YMMV, of course.

Scott

Last edited by snostorm; 04-21-2014 at 02:40 AM.
04-23-2015, 12:44 PM   #10
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Can someone point this newbie (me) to a how-to write-up on how to calibrate each lens with my K-3? Much appreciated :-)
04-23-2015, 02:49 PM - 1 Like   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by TrailRunner Quote
Can someone point this newbie (me) to a how-to write-up on how to calibrate each lens with my K-3? Much appreciated :-)
Here's an article that describes the what, whys, and hows of front and back and how to calibrate your lenses. The article uses the LensAlign MkII and Spyder LENSCAL focusing charts, but if you want to use one, a free printable focusing chart is available on PENTAX DSLRs courtesy of Yvon Bourque (ebooks4pentax). Hope this helps
04-23-2015, 02:59 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by goodnight Quote
Here's an article that describes the what, whys, and hows of front and back and how to calibrate your lenses. The article uses the LensAlign MkII and Spyder LENSCAL focusing charts, but if you want to use one, a free printable focusing chart is available on PENTAX DSLRs courtesy of Yvon Bourque (ebooks4pentax). Hope this helps
Super helpful. Thanks much!
04-24-2015, 09:22 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by mdave13 Quote
Every camera may need the lenses calibrated.
Or not.

LensRentals.com - "This lens is soft" and other myths

---------- Post added 04-24-15 at 12:30 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by TrailRunner Quote
Can someone point this newbie (me) to a how-to write-up on how to calibrate each lens with my K-3? Much appreciated :-)
Unless you have a solid reason to believe one (or more) lens needs calibration, why worry about it? If you consistently get images where the focus isn't where you expected it to be, you probably do have an issue. But the occasional miss is to be expected, after all, you know what you want to focus on, the camera's AF system has no idea what you want to focus on, and may choose to focus on something within the focus plane other than what you had in mind.

Here's the process I use when I suspect an issue: AF microadjustment for the 1Ds mark III, 1D Mk3, 5D Mk2, 7D, 1D X

I've only ever had to adjust one lens-the DA 40 on my K-7.
04-24-2015, 11:22 AM   #14
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I had always thought the need to calibrate lens focus was a bit overkill having been happy with my K10d and K5. Then when I got my K-3, I noticed two lenses were just always out of focus (severe front-focus) in real world shooting. I finally broke down and learned how to use test charts and adjust the focus, and now everything is ok.

It leads me to think now that these cameras probably come generally calibrated well, but that perhaps certain body (and perhaps lens combos) will require adjustments just because of manufacturing variations. It also has made me realize that my Sigma 30 1.4 is much better than I ever thought to the point where I've now calibrated it on my K5, and everything is fantastic now with that lens.
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