[ozlizard]

I ordered a K-5 body from B&H on Wednesday, Jan 26. It arrived new and factory fresh (Manf date: 14-Jan-11, shutter count = 0) on Friday, Jan 28. I paired it to a DFA 100/2.8 MACRO WR, upgraded to FW 1.02, and immediately put it through the classic stains test described here and elsewhere. Result = clean sensor (NO PROBLEM). I also shot some typical tungsten lit subjects at f/2.8 using AF in low light settings that were much darker than usual for me, but NOT so dark the AF assist light came on. Result = focus seems spot on, works great (NO PROBLEM). So for me, I'm putting the sensor stain and AF FF/BF issues out of my mind and am looking forward to some photographic fun... Appears to be a neat tough camera body just like the tons of reviews suggest..."

Good news, I don't have any problems with my K5, imaginary or not, maybe if I tried to photograph a chicken wearing a black jump suit in a dark burning building lit with every artificial lighting known to mankind while doing the tango upside down on the ceiling I might have trouble getting a decent shot.....bloody hell why can't this camera get this shot!!

Well sorry, but sometimes this is what it sounds like. For everything that I want to do I am sure this camera will be fantastic. For those who got a bum copy, return and start again.
I think it's worth it.

[Tommot1965]

whats the manufacturer date on yours Greg.

you can find it using photo me..cheers


I did some very extensive testing of mine tonite, i spent about an hour shooting test shots ranging from EV 5 to EV 2..{wheaty will love it, more bleedin test shots}LMAO

for me FF started at EV4....at EV2 the AF assit lamp came on, so I disabled it,

I shot at iso 100 and same ev at ISO 6400, which I consider handheld range {ISO 6400}

I used tripod, threes shot sequences , VF, VF/MLU, and LV

I was missing focus by as little as 4mm, when stopped down to F4, the FF went away.

Ill post my test shots tomorrow, as Im too knackerd now....

Id like it not to FF...but its such a minor issue...its incredible its blown up to were it has .

so to all that have been put of the K5 by this...dont be, in the real world it wont be a issue, unless your DOF is razor thin, im talking 12mm and under

[Zugzwang]

so to all that have been put of the K5 by this...dont be, in the real world it wont be a issue, unless your DOF is razor thin, im talking 12mm and under

Lucky you. For me it was a 1/2 meter off.

[Tommot1965]

Lucky you. For me it was a 1/2 meter off.

yes there have been two or three members that have FF that bad..but just about everyone else is missing it by millimeters, Id have to say if you missing focus by half a metre or more, theres a serious misalignment with your body, and id send it back for a replacement, as I doubt any firmware update will sort it....


if its discovered that the new batch of K5.s are all clear from FF, then Ill be returning mine too, but at the moment Ill wait for a firmware fix..

I will add to my statement

that all the tests that Ive seen documented on this forum and others, is that the FF is a millimeter problem , rather than a 500 mm issue...and im talking about thorough testing, not the odd out of focus shot...

check out jolepp thread, i contacted him for his test sheet, and did the same test.

perhaps you could too, so we all know whats really happening here

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-5-forum/129738-k-5-user-auto-foc...t-results.html

[Zugzwang]

yes there have been two or three members that have FF that bad..but just about everyone else is missing it by millimeters, Id have to say if you missing focus by half a metre or more, theres a serious misalignment with your body, and id send it back for a replacement, as I doubt any firmware update will sort it....


if its discovered that the new batch of K5.s are all clear from FF, then Ill be returning mine too, but at the moment Ill wait for a firmware fix..

I will add to my statement

that all the tests that Ive seen documented on this forum and others, is that the FF is a millimeter problem , rather than a 500 mm issue...and im talking about thorough testing, not the odd out of focus shot...

check out jolepp thread, i contacted him for his test sheet, and did the same test.

perhaps you could too, so we all know whats really happening here

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-5-forum/129738-k-5-user-auto-foc...t-results.html

Sorry, I don't take photo's of batteries. My testing ground was at the family Christmas dinner.
When I shot Santa Claus coming through the door and all that was in focus was the back of the children heads.
A shot of family and friends on the the couch and all that was in focus was their knee caps. The list goes on and on and every photo was consistently off.
Sorry no battery shots here, just real life photo's and my K5 failed miserably.

[JeffJS]

Good news, I don't have any problems with my K5, imaginary or not, maybe if I tried to photograph a chicken wearing a black jump suit in a dark burning building lit with every artificial lighting known to mankind while doing the tango upside down on the ceiling I might have trouble getting a decent shot.....bloody hell why can't this camera get this shot!!

Well sorry, but sometimes this is what it sounds like. For everything that I want to do I am sure this camera will be fantastic. For those who got a bum copy, return and start again.
I think it's worth it.

This has been my contention all along for a lot of these problems. I believe people do have issues with their cameras but some others ask the near impossible of them. Mine, with the previously mentioned situation is a couple inches off. An ideal situation (other than getting it right to begin with) that has been floated before, is to give us the ability to set AF adjustments based on White Balance. At the very least with Tungsten. I think that would require a hardware change though as I don't know if there's enough memory to support such a table.

My first exposure to Tungsten focusing issues was Christmas 2006 with my brand new K10d and my brand new FA50 f1:1.4. I tried to show off my new camera and not one single shot with it was in focus. I put the kit lens on, everything was fine for the rest of the night. The lens was flawless outdoors on that camera however.

[Tommot1965]

Sorry, I don't take photo's of batteries. My testing ground was at the family Christmas dinner.
When I shot Santa Claus coming through the door and all that was in focus was the back of the children heads.
A shot of family and friends on the the couch and all that was in focus was their knee caps. The list goes on and on and every photo was consistently off.
Sorry no battery shots here, just real life photo's and my K5 failed miserably.

, i did the A4 text test at the end of that thread....did you return your K5?

thorough testing is helpful,so i wouldn't dismiss others attempts at some conclusion as inconsequential, whether it battery shots or santa !

[Rupert]

I'm still scratching my head wondering why someone would send their camera back for another for "such a minor issue"" That seems to defy logic?

Sending a camera back and playing Russian Roulette is no fun, ask those on their 3rd, 4th, 5th, cameras. To submit that most FF issues are of the tiny MM type is also misleading, and a seasoned shooter with decades of experience does not need a test to spot FF or BF any more than a Weatherman needs a rain gauge to know when he is standing in a rainstorm. I love my Pentax gear, have no desire to see it fail any more than the others that have years of Pentax satisfaction, and tons of Pentax gear, but denial of a noted problem is never going to benefit any of us. I just want to buy a K5, it is a great camera and exactly what I want....but I want it to work as specified. I think that is all anyone here wants? What else is there? Do not confuse those here with real problems with Ricehigh, we all know his motivations, and that is not what we have here.....we have mostly loyal Pentaxians wanting a fix for their problems. How is that wrong or a bad thing?
Best Regards

[JeffJS]

I'm still scratching my head wondering why someone would send their camera back for another for "such a minor issue"" That seems to defy logic?

Sending a camera back and playing Russian Roulette is no fun, ask those on their 3rd, 4th, 5th, cameras. To submit that most FF issues are of the tiny MM type is also misleading, and a seasoned shooter with decades of experience does not need a test to spot FF or BF any more than a Weatherman needs a rain gauge to know when he is standing in a rainstorm. I love my Pentax gear, have no desire to see it fail any more than the others that have years of Pentax satisfaction, and tons of Pentax gear, but denial of a noted problem is never going to benefit any of us. I just want to buy a K5, it is a great camera and exactly what I want....but I want it to work as specified. I think that is all anyone here wants? What else is there? Do not confuse those here with real problems with Ricehigh, we all know his motivations, and that is not what we have here.....we have mostly loyal Pentaxians wanting a fix for their problems. How is that wrong or a bad thing?
Best Regards

It isn't.

[Tommot1965]

Rupert

dont misinterpret my posts with someone that doesn't want the FF resolved, of course I do...but in real world shooting the issue is minor... go try a K5.. you will see what Im on about then...until then, Im unsure you can comment.

and yes if my distributer can assure me he has a fully functioning K5 that has none of the ff problems, ill be there like a shot out of a gun..but my FF with My K5 is minor..but still there none the less.

[Tommot1965]

It isn't.

how can that be..when stopping down one stop..or taking two steps back will fix it..for my K5 anyway?

[areidjr]

how can that be..when stopping down one stop..or taking two steps back will fix it..for my K5 anyway?

Ah, if it was only that simple One can't always just take a couple step back or stop down. If that works for you, more power to you. For me, I'd like a real solution to the problem.

I'm not saying that there aren't K-5s out there that work spot on or that have very minor FF issues, but there are some of us for which this effects our real life shooting.

If I am to believe what I read, the ability my K100DS to properly focus in all of the situations that are important to me is a fluke and the FF issues on my K-5 are normal. Go figure

[Zugzwang]

Rupert

dont misinterpret my posts with someone that doesn't want the FF resolved, of course I do...but in real world shooting the issue is minor... go try a K5.. you will see what Im on about then...until then, Im unsure you can comment.

and yes if my distributer can assure me he has a fully functioning K5 that has none of the ff problems, ill be there like a shot out of a gun..but my FF with My K5 is minor..but still there none the less.

Your not getting it.
In your world it's a minor problem, in my world it's a major problem. It all depends on one's shooting preferance. My K5 was useless in about 50% of what I normally shoot.
I did return mine, but I'm not playing the "I'm on my 4th K5" game.
I'll wait.

[JeffJS]

how can that be..when stopping down one stop..or taking two steps back will fix it..for my K5 anyway?

How can What be?

FA77mm f1.8, K5, Tungsten lighting for focus, flash used for the shot, taken at f4. There IS no stepping back in this case. The aimed focal point is the elf's head which for all practical purposes, is the same as the entire hand car (the photo is cropped).



http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5246/5264884379_96956f046a_o.jpg

[Rupert]

Jeff, I see no problem in that shot...not for me anyhow. What we have here as I see it is some with no problems, or very minor problems, and others with more emphatic or major problems.
I am not really willing to accept that we can't recognize that both of these conditions can exist at the same time in different cameras?

I have pointed out before, I know Al and have for a long time...he is fully qualified, a very loyal Pentax user, and even through our major differences a long time ago over at P&R, I have never once found him dishonest or to be "looking for trouble". He simply wants his K5 to work as well as his K100D in low light. He has praised the K5, loves everything else about it, and is not an enemy by any stretch of the imagination. By Golly, I want to see him get a good K5.....and I want one too!
BTW- I have many thousands of dollars of Pentax and Pentax related gear, and it gives me every right to voice my concerns.