For those that think the Pentax AF system is not geared for action, sports

pentkon52 · 07-11-2008, 08:04 AM

Pentax Users Gallery July 2008 - Sports and Action

This months Pentax Users Gallery theme is Action and Sports.

Some good ones this month, and maybe this will help in some of the newbie and fence sitters mind making up. I'v always said, it may be slower than other makes, but in the right hands, will do wonders.

If not, its a darn good gallery this month

Dave

Jodokast96 · 07-11-2008, 08:19 AM

AF seems to work ok in #'s 5, 8, and 20, and it looks like FPS was fast enough for #24

kenyee · 07-11-2008, 09:24 AM

The definition of "not geared" doesn't mean "impossible"...even though I'm a relative noob w/ SLRs, I still have some tennis pics I'm happy with in the first year I went to the US Open last year using a relatively "non-sports" Tamron 70-300 lens :-)

I think it just less probable of getting shots that they want. This is part AF predictiveness (e.g., the D300/700's AF system), user technique (how well you predict action and "the shot" along with how well you know how to use your gear), lenses (most sports shooters like 2.8 or 4 longgggg 400-600mm lenses which we don't have enough of in the Pentax ecosystem), and perception (others use Canon so I should, but they didn't know Pentax does the double-focus check thing, but it shoots faster, so they'll just hold it down and get a big burst to pick from).

pentkon52 · 07-11-2008, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by kenyee

The definition of "not geared" doesn't mean "impossible"...even though I'm a relative noob w/ SLRs, I still have some tennis pics I'm happy with in the first year I went to the US Open last year using a relatively "non-sports" Tamron 70-300 lens :-)

I suppose i could have said not impossible, but i think we all know what i mean.

I think it just less probable of getting shots that they want. This is part AF predictiveness (e.g., the D300/700's AF system), user technique (how well you predict action and "the shot" along with how well you know how to use your gear), lenses

And i think this is partif not most of the problem. I'm sure there are shooter out there, that get the most from the system, and a lot that just don't have enough experience yet, and think the camera is at fault.
Thats why i said, if you put it in the right hands.

(most sports shooters like 2.8 or 4 longgggg 400-600mm lenses which we don't have enough of in the Pentax ecosystem), and perception (others use Canon so I should, but they didn't know Pentax does the double-focus check thing, but it shoots faster, so they'll just hold it down and get a big burst to pick from).

I am a sport shooter and use my "big glass" more often than not, but my Nikon fast glass will hunt as well.
Part of the job.

Dave

07-11-2008, 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by pentkon52

Pentax Users Gallery July 2008 - Sports and Action

This months Pentax Users Gallery theme is Action and Sports.

Some good ones this month, and maybe this will help in some of the newbie and fence sitters mind making up. I'v always said, it may be slower than other makes, but in the right hands, will do wonders.

If not, its a darn good gallery this month

Dave

Dave,

You are right - but - there are limitations to this argument. If you take a quick look at the gallery link (as I just did) one will note that 99% of the shots seems to be outdoors under decent / excellent lighting conditions. Where the K10 (in my case) lacks precision is not here...but rather under low light situations such as when I shoot ice hockey during the winter...it struggles.

Granted the old Barn I shoot in is a bit of a cave *like most arenas* but still, the Pentax is SERIOUSLY challenged to handle the work load. Fortunately, given the fact I know the game well, and have some top notch FA* 2.8 glass, I can handle it. Looking at your equipment list, I see you are running two systems...Pentax and Nikon. I know for a fact the pro in Sarnia (for the Sting) was using a D2X up until he got his D300. The Windsor Star photogs here use MK11Ds.

My guess is, if you go to the arena and shoot the same game under the same conditions for two periods; one with the Pentax, one with the Nikon, you'll get more "keepers" from the latter (which for the cost difference is to be expected).

Hockey samples for indoor, low-light action, can be found by visiting my website and clicking on the gallery called BEST OF THE WINDSOR SPITFIRES 07/08.

Rob

pentkon52 · 07-12-2008, 06:52 AM

Rob.

No doubt it does perform not as well in the mentioned venue, but so do my Nikons.
I know the game of hockey, shoot friends kids a lot, in badly lit arenas, and my keepers are not that great. However i do get some and I to use 2.8 glass.

The posting was more of a "see it can be done" type of thing, for those that may have been unsure about this system.

I see so much Pentax bashing here, on a PENTAX site, that i thought this might help in a small way.

I'll go back to being quiet now.

Dave

trumpyman · 07-12-2008, 07:41 AM

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*reeftool* · 07-12-2008, 09:30 AM

If anybody looks through the posted photos in this forum you will find plenty of sports photos. I started with manual cameras in the late 60's. You had to meter, focus, shoot and then manually move the lever to advance the film. Only those with lots of money or pro's could afford a camera with a motor drive and there was no auto focus but somehow we managed to get sports photos. I know there are cameras that will shoot more frames per second but the statement "can't shoot sports with a Pentax" is downright stupid. I have some water skiing shots in the current POTW that were shot with a "cheapo" Sigma 70-300 in bad light going by at 40mph and the auto focus did its job quite well. The "slow" Pentax filled up 2 of my 2gb SD cards with jpegs and most were keepers and the ones that weren't were shots where the camera focused on something else while I was panning. I have more posted on my picasa site, Picasa Web Albums - Richard.

07-12-2008, 09:44 AM

Originally Posted by pentkon52

Rob.

No doubt it does perform not as well in the mentioned venue, but so do my Nikons.
I know the game of hockey, shoot friends kids a lot, in badly lit arenas, and my keepers are not that great. However i do get some and I to use 2.8 glass.

The posting was more of a "see it can be done" type of thing, for those that may have been unsure about this system.

I see so much Pentax bashing here, on a PENTAX site, that i thought this might help in a small way.

I'll go back to being quiet now.

Dave

Apologies Dave if you actually read my response that way.

Quiet? No...Objective? Yes

Stating both sides of the argument is the only fair thing to do. Someone may be contemplating spending serious amounts of coin on a Pentax system for indoor sports usage only to find out it's AF system is "problematic" at times. Are Pentax dSLRs capable of shooting sports? Of course they are. Are they preferred for shooting sports? I would suggest - objectively - no, not really.

kenyee · 07-12-2008, 10:05 AM

Dave, don't be quiet. It's always good to have insight from a person w/ multiple systems. I'd love to hear more comparisons on how you feel both systems do.
We know Pentax AF can get sports shots but it's more work, but we've been trying to quantize it.
There was a good thread a while back about the Canon 40D AF system vs. the K10D...turns out the 40D had more out of focus images during the test, though it at least got the shot while the K10D was still trying to do the double AF lock confirmation. That's useful info to have so we know that we can switch to MF or AFS-C if we can't it to lock consistently...

Arpe · 07-13-2008, 06:15 PM

I have hundreds of sports shots I am happy with taken with my K20D. I always wonder however whether I would have more with another system.

NicholasN · 07-13-2008, 06:51 PM

It's honestly not worth worrying about what shots you "MIGHT" get with another system. That time is best invested exploring the system you do have and perfecting it for what you want.

pentkon52 · 07-13-2008, 09:18 PM

Originally Posted by NicholasN

It's honestly not worth worrying about what shots you "MIGHT" get with another system. That time is best invested exploring the system you do have and perfecting it for what you want.

Thank you for saying what i could not

Dave

trumpyman · 07-13-2008, 11:46 PM

Totally agree with Nich,you said it all in a sentence.

Zewrak · 07-14-2008, 12:25 AM

Originally Posted by Arpe

I have hundreds of sports shots I am happy with taken with my K20D. I always wonder however whether I would have more with another system.

If your system is your limit, you might aswell get a HD videocamera.

I always hear people whine about their gear, with some selfcriticism I swear that 90% of them would find the limits in their skills.