[lytrytyr]

An experienced photographer would IMO:

2 Fully read their manual whilst practicing with the new camera/lens (especially a new brand)
3 Repeat #2 until they fully understand

In all fairness, the manuals aren't that helpful.
Several hundred pages, many of them aimed at beginners.
For more complicated issues,
they're not always clear about what the context is.

Real men don't read manuals anyway!

[JinDesu]

Seriously, only a couple of people seem to understand. At 1/1250 of a second, at infinity, the picture I posted shouldn't be that blurry, at all. That is not user error, it is a problem with the lens. I tried what was suggested, framing at 50mm and focusing, then zooming out to 16mm, and the pictures are just a blurry mess. You don't need focus test charts to see when an image is oof. The one I posted doesn't even need to be cropped to see the softness.

It just sucks to wait for the lens in the mail, and now if I want to do an exchange, it will probably be up to 2 weeks before I can even try my camera and lens combo again.

I'd suggest getting another lens to complement in the meantime then heh...

[Lane]

I had a similar experience. but the replacement lens is as good as any I have used in the past 40 years. Don't be discouraged, work with your vendor to get a good copy.

redbone

[joe.penn]

Seriously, only a couple of people seem to understand. At 1/1250 of a second, at infinity, the picture I posted shouldn't be that blurry, at all. That is not user error, it is a problem with the lens. I tried what was suggested, framing at 50mm and focusing

You did? Really, again, show a properly exposed snap and we can solve the issue, really plain and simple and the most basic of all things that you can do. You can blame it on the camera and (or) the lens and try and make a case that it is not user error - however, the only thing that you have shown is a snap that was nothing but a user error in a not properly exposed snap.

Also, I think the most ironic thing is you noted in your original post:

And the purple fringing is crazy bad

But yet you provide a snap that is:

- Not Properly Exposed
- Does Not Show Purple Fringing

I am in the pursuit of happiness, and sure could use some help.

We could have helped you achieve happiness and gave you some invaluable help hours ago.

[reivax]

I'm starting to think the guy is just trolling... But on the internet? Is that possible?

[bkpix]

I've had the lens and used it on a K-5 for some time. It's not blazingly sharp at 16mm and f/2.8, but it's not disastrous, by any means. I'd say it's perfectly adequate for professional use. At least that's what my clients have said with their checkbooks.

The shot linked here, if I've done it right, was taken in my livingroom just now. The camera is autofocused with center AF point on the TV frame. ISO 80, to get rid of any noise issues, f/2.8 and 1/160 with flash.

I have also, as is my standard practice, added sharpening (level 100) in Lightroom 3. I was actually about ready to send the whole system back before I read Falk's post that Pentax images need extra sharpening. (The problem I had was that while resolution was great, sharpness was flat. That's what digital sharpening is for. Now the K-5 produces images that are on an equal footing with those from my 1Ds. They make great 20x30 prints.)

The image is cropped to the center 1/9th of the original area; in other words, the center third in each dimension.

As you can see (if I've linked correctly) the lens is perfectly fine.

Some suggestions:

* Make sure you understand what the camera is focusing on. Pentax AF points are unexpectedly (and unpleasantly, I think) large.

* Ditch the advice to focus at 50mm and then change to 16mm. I don't think the lens is parfocal. Even if it is, that's introducing unnecessary trouble.

* As the OP says, I don't think SR is an issue here. Certainly not at 1/1250.

* Don't be shy about sharpening.

* Do try liveview manual focusing, on a tripod. This bypasses the autofocus system and is quite accurate. If you get a bad image that way, the camera or lens have deep problems.

* Try to get your hands on another Pentax lens to try, even in a camera store.

Post some more images if you continue to have trouble.

Bob

[evansph]

Hi there and just been reading this post with some interest! Not sure if it's been said anywhere but you should turn Shake Reduction OFF if you're using a shutter speed of 1/1250. This is way too fast for a SR/VR/IS system.

[krebsy75]

It's pretty safe to assume that the firmware has logic programmed to compensate for whichever shutter speed u choose.

Hi there and just been reading this post with some interest! Not sure if it's been said anywhere but you should turn Shake Reduction OFF if you're using a shutter speed of 1/1250. This is way too fast for a SR/VR/IS system.

[westmill]

It's pretty safe to assume that the firmware has logic programmed to compensate for whichever shutter speed u choose.

Trust me.... The SR will affect and can and will oomph a pic at any speed if it is not allowed to settle.
Simply taking two pics one horizontal and one vertical
at 800th of a sec in quick succesion will do it even.
It happned loads of times on me one day because I forgot to turn it off. I never had this problem with Nikon prob because the Vr is built in the lens but I can assure you it happens with the K5.

[evansph]

I've noticed that the bokeh is a lot "busier" with SR turned on at the higher shutter speeds. It's all about experimenting and getting to know both your camera body and lenses.

[krebsy75]

I stand corrected. I haven't experimented with this. It's not too often that I use high shutter speeds.

I've noticed that the bokeh is a lot "busier" with SR turned on at the higher shutter speeds. It's all about experimenting and getting to know both your camera body and lenses.

[westmill]

I've noticed that the bokeh is a lot "busier" with SR turned on at the higher shutter speeds. It's all about experimenting and getting to know both your camera body and lenses.

Yes of course, but im not talking about bokeh here, Im
talking about total oomph pics. The SR works well when
used as its designed too, but its important to allow it to settle between pics. There is no sharp focus anywhere in the pic when it happens you could describe it as total bokeh lol.

[evansph]

oops! apologies for that. I was just highlighting one of the issues of leaving SR on and not getting the results you were expecting. Agreed with Westmill about not getting that less than sharp shot when SR is always on.

[robgo2]

Maybe I missed it, but have you calibrated the autofocus properly? Also, have you tried manual focusing using Live View, which should eliminate calibration errors? If you have done both of those and still cannot get sharp photos, then you most likely have a bad copy of the lens.

My own experience with the DA*16-50 is that it is actually quite sharp, especially considering that it goes to 16mm and has a constant f2.8 maximum aperture. None of the competing lenses offer that.

Rob

[Better Image]

This thread can be closed. Most likely closing my account here as well. Seriously, I get accused of being a troll in one of my first posts asking for help? Thats some bull! A troll wouldn't ask for help for a problem that is frequently complained about. {potty-mouth comment to another member deleted by moderator}

For those of you who actually offered advice, thank you.