[m8o]

...
there is talk about the low light (around 0 to 3 EV) performance and discussions with AF with fast lenses. I have tried using the Sigma at a dance (3 to 4 EV) last Friday and AF-C locked well but was very inaccurate. I used the same lens under same conditions with a K10D (hunts but locks accurately a lot of the time) and a K-7 (minimal hunting and locks accurately a lot of the time).
It seems that the K-5 under low light (0 to 3 EV) conditions with a fast lens (narrow DOF) has overall much poorer performance than the K10D and K-7 due to the inaccurate focusing performance.

.... this hearkens back to around at the time the K20D was being released, and there was discussion regarding how the K20D would focus confirm vs. how the K10D would focus confirm; I believe posts or threads from Chris [codiac2600], who hasn't been very active this year, was the source of most of those discussions having had a K20D pre-release trial, mentioning how the K20D would lock much quicker (but no, not based on speed to lock in ultra-low EV situations). The short of it is the K10D will take time to perform another cycle of focus confirmation before lock after initial confirmation, and the K20D stopped doing that; and I'm guessing the rest of the bodies after that acts that way too. This was implemented because of the complaints from K10D owners over focus lock time, or hunting and not locking at all.

Why however the K-5 would not perform to the level of the K-7 ... That's the issue now, isn't it.

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Last edited by m8o; 12-16-2010 at 09:53 AM.

[deejjjaaaa]

under tungsten low light conditions

tungsten - not low light... it is just typically you have both conditions together, but you can try the test under several 200+wt bulbs.

[Fer]

tungsten - not low light... it is just typically you have both conditions together, but you can try the test under several 200+wt bulbs.

In my experience it's low light (both tungsten and candle). The AF is very precise in normal to high tungsten lighting conditions

[Horst-Helmut]

I was shooting at a snooker club yesterday. Out of 50 or so pictures only one was focused correctly. All the rest had front focus, tried to use the lens correction but it had no effect on the front focusing.

K-5 has so much issues that should be corrected and fast. What's the use of ISO 6400-12800 if the camera misses focus almost every time, it basically has 10 focus points. The outer 2 aren't usable at all. I shoot quite much in clubs and gigs with poor lights and I need reliable focusing, the reason I upgraded from K200D that stopped locking focus.

Had a film noir style studio shoot (Halogen modeling light in Hensel strobes) that were also front focused, so bad that I cant use those in my school project, 50mm @ f8-11. It's like I had used completely other focus point. Tried to focus on the eyes/face but camera focused on the hands that were on table.

I'm seriously thinking another system, K-5 was the last chance I'm giving to Pentax. I just love the optics and ergonomics with Pentax, but that won't help in this situation.

[Fer]

I was shooting at a snooker club yesterday. Out of 50 or so pictures only one was focused correctly. All the rest had front focus, tried to use the lens correction but it had no effect on the front focusing.

K-5 has so much issues that should be corrected and fast. What's the use of ISO 6400-12800 if the camera misses focus almost every time, it basically has 10 focus points. The outer 2 aren't usable at all. I shoot quite much in clubs and gigs with poor lights and I need reliable focusing, the reason I upgraded from K200D that stopped locking focus.

Had a film noir style studio shoot (Halogen modeling light in Hensel strobes) that were also front focused, so bad that I cant use those in my school project, 50mm @ f8-11. It's like I had used completely other focus point. Tried to focus on the eyes/face but camera focused on the hands that were on table.

I'm seriously thinking another system, K-5 was the last chance I'm giving to Pentax. I just love the optics and ergonomics with Pentax, but that won't help in this situation.

My thoughts exactly. And in addition to the tests I conducted in candle light (see one of my previous posts), the K5 AF also let me down big time in a studio session I did last tuesday in a photography course I'm taking. This is AT LEAST as serious an issue as the one with the stains on the sensor. I'm quite surprised that so few people are talking about it in the forums.

[m8o]

Had a film noir style studio shoot (Halogen modeling light in Hensel strobes) that were also front focused, so bad that I cant use those in my school project, 50mm @ f8-11. It's like I had used completely other focus point. Tried to focus on the eyes/face but camera focused on the hands that were on table.

Maybe there's something wrong w/your AF system? Maybe return it for a replacement. My 1st body had a in-camera level that was off by 3 degrees. The new body is perfect.