K-5 Mirror Slap? Causing Blur???

Wheatfield · 01-26-2011, 12:21 PM

Interestingly, I noticed mirror slap on several series' of pictures that I shot a few weeks ago.
I was shooting 5 exposure brackets with the intention of doing HDR. Everything I shot that day was pretty much ruined by shake.
However, today I tried to emulate the problem in my house and everything was sharp.
No explanation for that other than perhaps something I was doing that day (on an ongoing basis) was causing some grief.
I'll file this in the life's little mystery column and keep an eye out for it happening again and see if I can pin it down.
One thing that is a little odd, definitely a quirk in how Pentax decided to program the camera operation, it doesn't seem possible to combine mirror lock with auto bracketing.
I would love for someone to correct me on this.

ve2vfd · 01-26-2011, 12:25 PM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

I was shooting 5 exposure brackets with the intention of doing HDR. Everything I shot that day was pretty much ruined by shake.

Thats interesting, I had something similar happen when I was messing around with bracketing.

I attributed it to user error and deleted the pics, but now I wish I had kept the photos to further study them...

Pat

betaPhoto · 01-26-2011, 12:50 PM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

Interestingly, I noticed mirror slap on several series' of pictures that I shot a few weeks ago.
I was shooting 5 exposure brackets with the intention of doing HDR. Everything I shot that day was pretty much ruined by shake.
However, today I tried to emulate the problem in my house and everything was sharp.
No explanation for that other than perhaps something I was doing that day (on an ongoing basis) was causing some grief.
I'll file this in the life's little mystery column and keep an eye out for it happening again and see if I can pin it down.
One thing that is a little odd, definitely a quirk in how Pentax decided to program the camera operation, it doesn't seem possible to combine mirror lock with auto bracketing.
I would love for someone to correct me on this.

Maybe after the first shot in a bracketing sequence the camera is shaking a little on the tripod (especially if the tripod's too weak, like you said it was) and all subsequent shots show blur?

Maybe this is a case for using SR on a tripod. I don't think it would work though because the SR wouldn't know the shake until it's too late.

RonHendriks1966 · 01-26-2011, 01:09 PM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

Interestingly, I noticed mirror slap on several series' of pictures that I shot a few weeks ago.
I was shooting 5 exposure brackets with the intention of doing HDR. Everything I shot that day was pretty much ruined by shake.
However, today I tried to emulate the problem in my house and everything was sharp.
No explanation for that other than perhaps something I was doing that day (on an ongoing basis) was causing some grief.
I'll file this in the life's little mystery column and keep an eye out for it happening again and see if I can pin it down.
One thing that is a little odd, definitely a quirk in how Pentax decided to program the camera operation, it doesn't seem possible to combine mirror lock with auto bracketing.
I would love for someone to correct me on this.

Why not using LiveView on this?

DaveBlack · 01-26-2011, 01:17 PM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

Interestingly, I noticed mirror slap on several series' of pictures that I shot a few weeks ago.
I was shooting 5 exposure brackets with the intention of doing HDR. Everything I shot that day was pretty much ruined by shake.
However, today I tried to emulate the problem in my house and everything was sharp.
No explanation for that other than perhaps something I was doing that day (on an ongoing basis) was causing some grief.
I'll file this in the life's little mystery column and keep an eye out for it happening again and see if I can pin it down.
One thing that is a little odd, definitely a quirk in how Pentax decided to program the camera operation, it doesn't seem possible to combine mirror lock with auto bracketing.
I would love for someone to correct me on this.

I don't have a K-5 yet, but do have the K-7. In autobracketing or HDR I found that even with using a remote I would have some movement. It seems to be the first photo in the series. I have been using Liveview to get the mirror locked up before bracketing or in-camera HDR and it seems to solve the little bit of shake with the first photo in a braket series.

Still it would really be great to have a true mirror lockup or at least be able to use the 2-sec timer with bracketing.

betaPhoto · 01-26-2011, 01:29 PM

I believe the idea of mirror slap causing blur on the K-5 is now settled and shown not to be the case. The K-5 seems fine in this regard!

The issue now is for a mirror-up choice to be added to the drive modes in a future firmware release.

End of the subject for me!!!

Class A · 01-26-2011, 02:02 PM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

However, today I tried to emulate the problem in my house and everything was sharp.

Given that the OP was triggered by a remark Wheatfield made as an aside in another thread and that Wheatfield couldn't replicate the observation that led to his remark, it is time to close the thread before a "K-5 has a mirror slap" hysteria evolves.

There is no indication that there is a K-5 mirror slap problem and we shouldn't create it out of thin air.

EDIT: @betaPhoto: Good on you for having settled the "problem" for yourself. I loaded the page when your last post hadn't been made yet.

Wheatfield · 01-26-2011, 02:03 PM

Originally posted by RonHendriks1966

Why not using LiveView on this?

Thanks Ron. I just checked, and this is the workaround I was looking for.

offertonhatter · 01-26-2011, 03:20 PM

Odd that the OP is complaining of mirror slap on the K-5

If anything the mirror is smoother and better damped on my K-5 that it has ever been on my K20D, which is certainly gives a pronounced kick in the hand from the mirror.

Wheatfield · 01-26-2011, 03:25 PM

Originally posted by offertonhatter

Odd that the OP is complaining of mirror slap on the K-5

If anything the mirror is smoother and better damped on my K-5 that it has ever been on my K20D, which is certainly gives a pronounced kick in the hand from the mirror.

That can be deceptive. My LX cameras had a definite "kick", but I don't recall ever seeing a mechanically induced blur.
OTOH, my Super program felt quite smooth, but had enogh mechanical blur at 1/8 second to require a 15 pound Zone VI tripod to keep it still.
Anyone who has shot with a Pentax 6x7 will tell you that the noises that the camera makes will strike fear in the hearts of all but the bravest and most stoic, but the camera, while sounding like a small firearm, has no mechanically induced blur, even though it definitely shakes a bit in the hand.

betaPhoto · 01-26-2011, 03:32 PM

Originally posted by offertonhatter

Odd that the OP is complaining of mirror slap on the K-5

If anything the mirror is smoother and better damped on my K-5 that it has ever been on my K20D, which is certainly gives a pronounced kick in the hand from the mirror.

I do not own the K-5 (but I am deciding if I want one), and can not complain about mirror slap.

I was simply exposing the accusations of mirror slap from a few others so as to settle the issue as to whether or not it was causing blur.

I'm convinced the issue is now settled, mirror slap blur is not an issue!

sewebster · 01-26-2011, 09:01 PM

Well, it might be an issue at certain shutter speeds, in auto-bracket mode, in cold temperatures. We don't really know yet. Do you want to take the chance?

extravagrant · 01-26-2011, 10:37 PM

Originally posted by sewebster

Well, it might be an issue at certain shutter speeds, in auto-bracket mode, in cold temperatures. We don't really know yet. Do you want to take the chance?

so ... slow shutter speeds already at the bottom of handholding range, trying to hold the camera in one position for longer than just one shot, and in the cold, where your muscles are going to experience fatigue faster, as well as be more inclined to twitch...

Yep. Definitely mirror slap.

Wheatfield · 01-26-2011, 10:55 PM

Originally posted by extravagrant

so ... slow shutter speeds already at the bottom of handholding range, trying to hold the camera in one position for longer than just one shot, and in the cold, where your muscles are going to experience fatigue faster, as well as be more inclined to twitch...

Yep. Definitely mirror slap.

Pity you didn't bother to read this thread, including the links.
You scored 1 out of 4 on this one.

01-26-2011, 12:50 PM	#18
betaPhoto Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Minneapolis, MN Photos: Gallery Posts: 129 Original Poster	Originally posted by Wheatfield Interestingly, I noticed mirror slap on several series' of pictures that I shot a few weeks ago. I was shooting 5 exposure brackets with the intention of doing HDR. Everything I shot that day was pretty much ruined by shake. However, today I tried to emulate the problem in my house and everything was sharp. No explanation for that other than perhaps something I was doing that day (on an ongoing basis) was causing some grief. I'll file this in the life's little mystery column and keep an eye out for it happening again and see if I can pin it down. One thing that is a little odd, definitely a quirk in how Pentax decided to program the camera operation, it doesn't seem possible to combine mirror lock with auto bracketing. I would love for someone to correct me on this. Maybe after the first shot in a bracketing sequence the camera is shaking a little on the tripod (especially if the tripod's too weak, like you said it was) and all subsequent shots show blur? Maybe this is a case for using SR on a tripod. I don't think it would work though because the SR wouldn't know the shake until it's too late. Last edited by betaPhoto; 01-26-2011 at 01:15 PM.

01-26-2011, 01:29 PM	#21
betaPhoto Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Minneapolis, MN Photos: Gallery Posts: 129 Original Poster	I believe the idea of mirror slap causing blur on the K-5 is now settled and shown not to be the case. The K-5 seems fine in this regard! The issue now is for a mirror-up choice to be added to the drive modes in a future firmware release. End of the subject for me!!! Last edited by betaPhoto; 01-26-2011 at 01:44 PM.

01-26-2011, 03:32 PM	#26
betaPhoto Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Minneapolis, MN Photos: Gallery Posts: 129 Original Poster	Originally posted by offertonhatter Odd that the OP is complaining of mirror slap on the K-5 If anything the mirror is smoother and better damped on my K-5 that it has ever been on my K20D, which is certainly gives a pronounced kick in the hand from the mirror. I do not own the K-5 (but I am deciding if I want one), and can not complain about mirror slap. I was simply exposing the accusations of mirror slap from a few others so as to settle the issue as to whether or not it was causing blur. I'm convinced the issue is now settled, mirror slap blur is not an issue! Last edited by betaPhoto; 01-26-2011 at 03:40 PM.

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01-26-2011, 12:21 PM	#16
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,980	Interestingly, I noticed mirror slap on several series' of pictures that I shot a few weeks ago. I was shooting 5 exposure brackets with the intention of doing HDR. Everything I shot that day was pretty much ruined by shake. However, today I tried to emulate the problem in my house and everything was sharp. No explanation for that other than perhaps something I was doing that day (on an ongoing basis) was causing some grief. I'll file this in the life's little mystery column and keep an eye out for it happening again and see if I can pin it down. One thing that is a little odd, definitely a quirk in how Pentax decided to program the camera operation, it doesn't seem possible to combine mirror lock with auto bracketing. I would love for someone to correct me on this.

01-26-2011, 12:25 PM	#17
ve2vfd Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Montreal, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,433	Originally posted by Wheatfield I was shooting 5 exposure brackets with the intention of doing HDR. Everything I shot that day was pretty much ruined by shake. Thats interesting, I had something similar happen when I was messing around with bracketing. I attributed it to user error and deleted the pics, but now I wish I had kept the photos to further study them... Pat

01-26-2011, 01:09 PM	#19
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	Originally posted by Wheatfield Interestingly, I noticed mirror slap on several series' of pictures that I shot a few weeks ago. I was shooting 5 exposure brackets with the intention of doing HDR. Everything I shot that day was pretty much ruined by shake. However, today I tried to emulate the problem in my house and everything was sharp. No explanation for that other than perhaps something I was doing that day (on an ongoing basis) was causing some grief. I'll file this in the life's little mystery column and keep an eye out for it happening again and see if I can pin it down. One thing that is a little odd, definitely a quirk in how Pentax decided to program the camera operation, it doesn't seem possible to combine mirror lock with auto bracketing. I would love for someone to correct me on this. Why not using LiveView on this?

01-26-2011, 01:17 PM	#20
DaveBlack Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Louisville, Kentucky Posts: 441	Originally posted by Wheatfield Interestingly, I noticed mirror slap on several series' of pictures that I shot a few weeks ago. I was shooting 5 exposure brackets with the intention of doing HDR. Everything I shot that day was pretty much ruined by shake. However, today I tried to emulate the problem in my house and everything was sharp. No explanation for that other than perhaps something I was doing that day (on an ongoing basis) was causing some grief. I'll file this in the life's little mystery column and keep an eye out for it happening again and see if I can pin it down. One thing that is a little odd, definitely a quirk in how Pentax decided to program the camera operation, it doesn't seem possible to combine mirror lock with auto bracketing. I would love for someone to correct me on this. I don't have a K-5 yet, but do have the K-7. In autobracketing or HDR I found that even with using a remote I would have some movement. It seems to be the first photo in the series. I have been using Liveview to get the mirror locked up before bracketing or in-camera HDR and it seems to solve the little bit of shake with the first photo in a braket series. Still it would really be great to have a true mirror lockup or at least be able to use the 2-sec timer with bracketing.

01-26-2011, 02:02 PM	#22
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Originally posted by Wheatfield However, today I tried to emulate the problem in my house and everything was sharp. Given that the OP was triggered by a remark Wheatfield made as an aside in another thread and that Wheatfield couldn't replicate the observation that led to his remark, it is time to close the thread before a "K-5 has a mirror slap" hysteria evolves. There is no indication that there is a K-5 mirror slap problem and we shouldn't create it out of thin air. EDIT: @betaPhoto: Good on you for having settled the "problem" for yourself. I loaded the page when your last post hadn't been made yet.

01-26-2011, 02:03 PM	#23
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,980	Originally posted by RonHendriks1966 Why not using LiveView on this? Thanks Ron. I just checked, and this is the workaround I was looking for.

01-26-2011, 03:20 PM	#24
offertonhatter Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: North West UK Posts: 390	Odd that the OP is complaining of mirror slap on the K-5 If anything the mirror is smoother and better damped on my K-5 that it has ever been on my K20D, which is certainly gives a pronounced kick in the hand from the mirror.

01-26-2011, 03:25 PM	#25
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,980	Originally posted by offertonhatter Odd that the OP is complaining of mirror slap on the K-5 If anything the mirror is smoother and better damped on my K-5 that it has ever been on my K20D, which is certainly gives a pronounced kick in the hand from the mirror. That can be deceptive. My LX cameras had a definite "kick", but I don't recall ever seeing a mechanically induced blur. OTOH, my Super program felt quite smooth, but had enogh mechanical blur at 1/8 second to require a 15 pound Zone VI tripod to keep it still. Anyone who has shot with a Pentax 6x7 will tell you that the noises that the camera makes will strike fear in the hearts of all but the bravest and most stoic, but the camera, while sounding like a small firearm, has no mechanically induced blur, even though it definitely shakes a bit in the hand.

01-26-2011, 09:01 PM	#27
sewebster Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Vancouver, BC Photos: Gallery Posts: 544	Well, it might be an issue at certain shutter speeds, in auto-bracket mode, in cold temperatures. We don't really know yet. Do you want to take the chance?

01-26-2011, 10:37 PM	#28
extravagrant Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Chicago Photos: Gallery Posts: 121	Originally posted by sewebster Well, it might be an issue at certain shutter speeds, in auto-bracket mode, in cold temperatures. We don't really know yet. Do you want to take the chance? so ... slow shutter speeds already at the bottom of handholding range, trying to hold the camera in one position for longer than just one shot, and in the cold, where your muscles are going to experience fatigue faster, as well as be more inclined to twitch... Yep. Definitely mirror slap.

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01-26-2011, 10:55 PM	#29
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,980	Originally posted by extravagrant so ... slow shutter speeds already at the bottom of handholding range, trying to hold the camera in one position for longer than just one shot, and in the cold, where your muscles are going to experience fatigue faster, as well as be more inclined to twitch... Yep. Definitely mirror slap. Pity you didn't bother to read this thread, including the links. You scored 1 out of 4 on this one.