[Jool]

Has anyone else experienced exposure problems with the K-3ii? The metering for exposure seems to be off on the K-3ii. I usually shoot in Av priority but have tried other modes. For some reason, at times, the speed drops way slow and when I take a picture it's quite overexposed. I can switch to M mode to set the speed but it takes more time and trial and error to get the correct exposure. When in Av priority the speed should not be so slow which results in overexposure. It seems like my K-5 was much more reliable with the exposure, I could trust it more. I'm always checking my shots now because I can't trust that the exposure is ever correct on the K-3ii. I sent one camera back because I thought it was defective and got a replacement. Well, this one does the same thing. Other aspects of the K-3ii I like but this exposure thing makes it difficult to enjoy using. If you've had this same experience could you please let me know if you've found any solution or if there are other things to check on the camera? I would like to be able to trust my K-3ii as I did my K-5.

[stevebrot]

I own a K-3 and have nothing but positive things to say about the metering system.

Questions:

- Is exposure compensation active and turned to overexpose? (sorry, had to ask)
- Meter mode? Spot metering by any chance?*
- Are you set to link AE to AF point?
- Are you using an aftermarket focus screen?
- Can you provide an example image with EXIF intact (out of camera JPEG is best)


Steve

* Spot metering is the most common cause of erratic automated exposure. It is a special purpose tool and always requires direct user intervention.

[Adam]

Another thing to check is the auto exposure compensation custom function which seems to have been causing a number of headaches lately

[Jool]

Answers to above questions:
The Exposure Compensation is not enabled/active.
Auto EV Compensation is Off.
I have tried all 3 metering modes, mainly multi-segmented, then center-weighted, and some spot.
I don't use an aftermarket focus screen.


How do I check the link AE to AF point?


I don't have any pictures right now as I delete any bad pictures, but I will be shooting some pictures this weekend so we'll see if I get any samples I can post. I always shoot RAW but I could convert to Jpeg.
Thanks for the suggestions so far.

[aleonx3]

The most common mistakes for getting over/under exposed pictures is likely due to incorrect metering mode combined with erroneous ISO setting. I would double check that next time when you run into that situation. You said you never had the same problem with the k-5, perhaps when the k-3II does that overexposure thing again, try to repeat same with k-5 to determine if the k-3II is faulty.

[stevebrot]

The most common mistakes for getting over/under exposed pictures is likely due to incorrect metering mode combined with erroneous ISO setting.

And maybe the second most common mistake is ignoring the camera's signal that the light is outside the available range of settings (blinking). This may happen by using auto-ISO with an overly restrictive range or routinely shooting at high ISO in Av mode with moderate to wide apertures.

To the OP...try this:

• Shoot at fixed ISO 200 for daylight conditions and see if your results don't improve.

Steve

[Jool]

I don't know what you mean by erroneous ISO setting, but I usually try to stick between ISO 100-400 and sometimes bumping up to 800 or 1600 for lower light. I did do some testing last fall comparing it to my K-5 and also to my sister's camera (not a Pentax, the "C" brand) and the other two cameras seemed to do better exposures than the K-3ii. That was the K3ii I returned and replaced but my current K-3ii does the same overexposure thing. Even in plenty of light outside the speed drops fairly low sometimes. Maybe I got two bad cameras but I still think maybe some setting(s) are causing the inconsistencies and problems. At least I hope so.

[stevebrot]

I did do some testing last fall comparing it to my K-5 and also to my sister's camera (not a Pentax, the "C" brand) and the other two cameras seemed to do better exposures than the K-3ii.

Let's get back to basics here. Go over to your sister's place and do a comparison with her Canon:

• Both cameras in Av mode
• Both cameras set to same ISO
• Both cameras set to same aperture
• If possible, both cameras in center-weighted meter mode
• If possible, both cameras with similar lens focal length/maximum aperture
• Use an evenly-lit exterior wall as a target (the less detail, the better)
• Manual focus...Defocus both lenses to minimum focus distance
• Half-press and record the metered shutter speed for both cameras

The two shutter speeds should be within 0.5 stop of each other. Alternatively, compare against a hand-held meter if you have one.

A more rigid diagnostic goes like this:

• Rule out bad metering by comparison to a known-good standard (use plain white or gray card target)
• Rule out bad aperture control by checking a known-good exposure reading against the image histogram at different aperture settings (again, use plain white or gray card target) and ISO with set shutter speed. The histogram should be centered.
• Similarly, rule out bad shutter control.

If meter and aperture and shutter check out, the issue is with some fine point of technique or configuration. FWIW, complaints about metering on Pentax dSLRs are usually that results are too dark.


Steve

[stevebrot]

Rule out bad aperture control

It is probably also good to test the lens aperture actuation off-camera by flicking the actuator lever while looking through the lens. Action should be snappy, with no sticking or hesitation.


Steve

[C_Jones]

I utilize my EV (-) when I seem to get overexposure using TAV mode especially when sun glare may be present in my subject area. Using the -EV brings down the ISO in most of these cases. Bright/dark mixtures in a subject area can cause different ISO reactions when in any auto-ISO mode, that is where Manual mode can be useful. I too have a K-3II, and ISO reactions to bright/dark mixture subject lighting can vary, as they also have done with my K-5s and K-5IIS. I use Spot mode for metering and AF. It is easy for opinions to differentiate on this subject, but if you tested in plain daylight in AV mode, shooting a well lit subject with no extreme backlighting, and got consistently near normal results, I would not label your system as defective, but you have the option of having it checked under warranty if you feel that it is not behaving normally.

[Smoke665]

Went from k30 to the k3 ii and am also experiencing overexposure problems. I hadn't thought about it but the problem is worse in mixed lighting. I

[Jool]

I was going to attach a picture but I don't have enough upload space so I will just describe it. I was shooting my daughter sitting on a rocky cliff in fairly bright conditions. My camera was set in Av priority at 9.0, the ISO was 200, and the speed that the camera chose was 1/15 second. She is totally blown out and you can hardly see her face it's so bright. No detail at all. I believe I was using multi-segmented at the time. If not it was center-weighted. There is no way with the amount of lighting available the camera should have chosen 1/15 of a second.

[Smoke665]

So was there a change in how the light is read, or processed, because I didn't have these kind of problems with the K30. Exposure was generally right on the money.

[Larrymc]

I was going to attach a picture but I don't have enough upload space so I will just describe it. I was shooting my daughter sitting on a rocky cliff in fairly bright conditions. My camera was set in Av priority at 9.0, the ISO was 200, and the speed that the camera chose was 1/15 second. She is totally blown out and you can hardly see her face it's so bright. No detail at all. I believe I was using multi-segmented at the time. If not it was center-weighted. There is no way with the amount of lighting available the camera should have chosen 1/15 of a second.

What else was in the metering frame besides her face? Depending upon what else was in the metering frame when using multi-segment or center-weighted average metering the camera will attempt to meter for the over all tonal range of the frame. Have you tried using Manual mode with manual ISO and shoot according to the in camera meter just to check if the meter might be off? For the situation you just described, metering off her face using spot metering probably would have worked better.


Larry

[master49]

I wonder if the metering issues are a forewarning of a more serious problem. The metering on my camera has now failed completely-ISO, Aperture and shutter speed flashing (stuck on 30 seconds) and exposure compensation resetting to -5! Now the camera only operates in Bulb mode-all other modes are useless and c/w, matrix and spot metering won't work. Had previous issues with mirror slapping and some really overexposed shots which were not my fault but some terrible metering inaccuracy-one shot fine and then two others or more sometimes overexposed by 2 stops+ (and no exposure compensation set). Very disappointing for a camera only purchased in February. Even a firmware update made NO difference. Now very dissatisfied with Pentax-for such a new camera to have so many faults is unforgiveable. It's very lucky I was not using the camera for important stuff like a wedding. To be fair, I have never had any issues with previous cameras-the K30 was used for 5 years with no faults-but to roll out a "flagship" camera which is so unreliable is simply unacceptable. The after sales service leaves a lot to be desired, to say the least, and I am now going to either demand a complete refund or that they replace the body with a K70-that's if I ever hear from Ricoh! Failing that, I will be switching to a Sony RX10iii as even my 16-85 lens has had issues with overexposure-what a complete waste of hard earned money, let alone spoiled photos which I travelled a fair way to take. Either way, it appears that with the K3ii Ricoh are NOT providing goods that are actually fit for purpose of sale!