[dexmus]

Posted in dpreview by a user called stern. I quote:
"I querried Pentax Germany about what they will do about the frontfocus problem of my K-r that continues even after sensor-adjustment done at their service center. After urging for an answer, I finally received one stating that Pentax is completely aware of the FF problem and is frantically ("mit Hochdruck") working on a software-fix. Here is the mail (anonymised) from Pentax Germany:

Sehr geehrter Herr .....,
vielen Dank für Ihre Anfrage.
Das von Ihnen beschriebene Fokusproblem ist uns bekannt. Wir arbeiten derzeit mit Hochdruck an einer softwareseitigen Lösung des Problems. Sobald ein Update für dieses Problem verfügbar ist, werden wir es über unsere Homepage veröffentlichen. Wir bitten Sie daher um etwas Geduld.
Wir hoffen Ihnen mit unserer Antwort behilflich gewesen zu sein.
Bitte zögern Sie nicht, uns bei Rückfragen erneut zu kontaktieren.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
M.....
Pentax Camera Support Team
"

Translated, it comes to -

"
Dear Mister....,
Thank you for your enquiry.
The focus problem you have described is known to us. We are currently working "under high pressure" (unter Hochdruck) to solve this problem with a software fix. As soon as the fix for this problem/update for this problem is available we will publish it on our homepage. Thus, we kindly ask for some patience.
We hope that our answer is helpful to you.
Please, don't hesitate to contact us again if you have any further questions.
Kind regards,
M.....
Pentax Camera Support Team
"

This is very good news. And confirms what Falk said earlier.

[Adam]

This was so one month ago! Check the B&H forum - there was a quote from a Pentax rep that said the same thing (in German).

[bjan]

There have been around 1000 posting about the FF issue of the K5 under artificial light in this forum till today. Most probably many more to come.
I must admit not all posting are super relevant but it clearly shows the relevance of the topic amongst Pentaxians.
More than 1000 posting and many thousands more in other forums on the internet from around the globe. No official reaction about the time frame and possibility of repair.
I may be accused of creating hysteria around the K5 but I want to emphasize that not enough hysteria can be created around a 1000 Euro plus camera that cannot focus under artificial light and is sold every day to unaware consumers that are not informed that their money is spent on a camera with a bug.

[Smeggypants]

There have been around 1000 posting about the FF issue of the K5 under artificial light in this forum till today. Most probably many more to come.
I must admit not all posting are super relevant but it clearly shows the relevance of the topic amongst Pentaxians.
More than 1000 posting and many thousands more in other forums on the internet from around the globe. No official reaction about the time frame and possibility of repair.
I may be accused of creating hysteria around the K5 but I want to emphasize that not enough hysteria can be created around a 1000 Euro plus camera that cannot focus under artificial light and is sold every day to unaware consumers that are not informed that their money is spent on a camera with a bug.

I'd much rather noise was made about a problem than have people try and minimise the problem or even try and claim it's non existent simply becuase there camera does not have the fault.

I support you bjan

[bjan]

Thanks !

[znieh]

Hi bjan,
as I can see you're still fighting. R.E.S.P.E.C.T. You and I and many others know that the ff issue is true and big enough. As many others who suffered this issue or the bubbles thing, I too returned also my latest K5 some tie ago. I hope P is not getting back more cams than they're selling because this will not be very healthy.
I got bored by these guys claiming there is no issue. All K5 that I had in my hands (also recently) had ff - maybe it's my hands? At the moment I am using an A55 to distract myself from waiting on the Pentax fix. If it takes too long I might get used to another brand.
While taking back all these cams I hope P will have some time left to resolve this problem.

[bjan]

Thanks for your sympathy Znieh. Indeed I also make my shots with a canon S95 as long as I don`t go for another brand than PENTAX for my serious shooting. I have decided to wait till March. In March I will make my decision and choose again . Hopefully the K5 is on its feets at it was intended to be. For now I believe in warning consumers about the stupid and disastrous marketing blooper from PENTAX to be silent and create frustration and dissapointment among very loyal Pentaxians. I am curious about the further development of mirrorless cams like your A55. Still a way to go but a future for sure .
Are you happy with it ?

[donallison13]

Just goes to show you, he who waits will have fewer headaches. I am so happy that I didn't run out and buy a K-5 lemon like so many of my friends. When I buy, and I will, and at a reasonable price point, just think, I'll have no stains and I'll have a firmware fix for the FF issues. Hmmm...must wait and see what all this random locking up of the camera is though. Cheers. Don

[twitch]

Ha Ha, I read this title and thought Pentax had acknowledged the Full Frame problem, ie, not having one.

[dlacouture]

I got a similar answer from Pentax France one month ago...

Meanwhile, I'm still enjoying my stained K5, with its occasional FF (yeah, don't understand why, but sometimes focus is good, and sometimes I get FF)...

[Catalana]

I share your sentiments, Don. On the other hand, I have my doubts, that they will be able to fix the FF issue via firmware. Some (we just don't know how many) K-5 bodies exhibit this problem, others don't, so a firmware fix (in my mind) would be globally applied to all bodies. The presumption would be, that the code will be able to differentiate which bodies have an issue and which don't. I'm more inclined to believe a fix for the flash issue to be forthcoming.

I really wanted to buy into the K-5, but my confidence in Pentax/Hoya has been severely shaken. I am one of the K-7/K-x owners that has shutter blur issues @ 1/125sec or thereabouts. I often get sharper images @ 1/40sec but not consistently in the (to me) critical range of 1/80 to 1/125sec. I just don't want to think about the number of blurred images that I chucked into the trash. That is why the K-5 had such an appeal to me upon release, as I would have been able to increase the ISO with very little noise penalty and use a higher shutter speed.

Although I still enjoy street shooting (which makes shooting on a tripod impractical), I am constantly accompanied by nagging doubt about my keeper rate and image quality. I do feel for those that have returned their K-5's multiple times, but I for one have become very critical (if not cynical), and am glad I was able to curb my impulse. In my mind, Pentax/Hoya have a very big hurdle to overcome before I commit myself again. By that time it may be to late...

[areidjr]

I share your sentiments, Don. On the other hand, I have my doubts, that they will be able to fix the FF issue via firmware. Some (we just don't know how many) K-5 bodies exhibit this problem, others don't, so a firmware fix (in my mind) would be globally applied to all bodies. The presumption would be, that the code will be able to differentiate which bodies have an issue and which don't. I'm more inclined to believe a fix for the flash issue to be forthcoming.

My theory is that the ones that don't have FF issues that vary with light type and level have broken color temperature sensors and are not responding to color temperature

[Catalana]

If the FF issue is a hardware fault, then some folks will be experiencing another round of "shipping ping pong". You send the camera in for sensor repair/replacement, then get one back that develops the same problem. With several users already on their 4th or 5th cycle for the stain problem, I wonder how they'll feel if they have to send it in again to get the focusing module repaired/replaced. Now imagine a scenario where they have filtered out the K-5 bodies with sensor issues, but inadvertently still included faulty focusing modules. It is a potential cascade of problems.

Like I said, I'm holding my breath, but my lungs have only so much capacity...

[znieh]

@bjan "Are you happy with it?"
It's a nice toy, and it has the same sensor. And video is quite nice, just a little noisy (AF). But I am a low light shooter and it is easy to see that the translucent mirror swallows some of the light, resulting in more noise and less DR than the K5. And it is slower in reaction, as either liveview or the electronic viewfinder at any time have to be feeded by the processor. Or when system is idle and you want to be fast it takes some time. IQ is not too bad but with the kit lenses there is no comparison with the K5. At the moment I put a 1.8/50mm glass on it, and this is much better. But this makes me dream of a similar lens on the K5... must be like heaven! Also my timeline is March. We will see...

[tibor]

I share your sentiments, Don. On the other hand, I have my doubts, that they will be able to fix the FF issue via firmware. Some (we just don't know how many) K-5 bodies exhibit this problem, others don't, so a firmware fix (in my mind) would be globally applied to all bodies. The presumption would be, that the code will be able to differentiate which bodies have an issue and which don't. I'm more inclined to believe a fix for the flash issue to be forthcoming.

I really wanted to buy into the K-5, but my confidence in Pentax/Hoya has been severely shaken. I am one of the K-7/K-x owners that has shutter blur issues @ 1/125sec or thereabouts. I often get sharper images @ 1/40sec but not consistently in the (to me) critical range of 1/80 to 1/125sec. I just don't want to think about the number of blurred images that I chucked into the trash. That is why the K-5 had such an appeal to me upon release, as I would have been able to increase the ISO with very little noise penalty and use a higher shutter speed.

Although I still enjoy street shooting (which makes shooting on a tripod impractical), I am constantly accompanied by nagging doubt about my keeper rate and image quality. I do feel for those that have returned their K-5's multiple times, but I for one have become very critical (if not cynical), and am glad I was able to curb my impulse. In my mind, Pentax/Hoya have a very big hurdle to overcome before I commit myself again. By that time it may be to late...

Hi Catalana
+1, I agree with you here.
I had chance to handle a perfectly focusing (albeit stain-positive) K-5. For me it is clearly a hardware issue. I am glad for those who have perfectly focusing K-5 bodies.

I decided to wait with my K-5 (early production, stain-positive, FF) until Pentax officially declares the final solution to K-5 FF problem.
The FF is much more important issue for me than stains on sensor /I shot mainly with Limited primes, narrow DOF photography) and I really do not need to play a replacing ping-pong game with Pentax.