Originally posted by Flugelbinder I have nothing but respect for your insights - for what I've been able to read here - but that kind of comments, without you knowing my skills, are just......
I am sorry, but Jatrax's suggests were spot on and possibly the best advice you have received on this thread to the point of your comment copied above. I have no idea what your skills are, but your original post and most of the comments that follow read like you are a bit of a noob.
My suggestion (explicit this time) is that you narrow your scope to determine if the base AF system is working and dialed in properly. To do so, follow Jatrax's advice. I also suggest that you seriously consider how you are using the AF system. These things the system will not do for you:
- Determine what you want in focus (system cannot read minds)
- Determine what point within the diameter of the AF sensor you want in focus (system will always lock at best phase match)
- Perform at better than the system specification
That last is perhaps the most critical when determining acceptable results. The technical explanation is involved and would be 2000 words or more, but the summary only takes a few sentences. With the exception of the center focus point, the AF sensors on your camera have a focus sensitivity equal to f/5.6.* What that means is that the ability to detect out-of-focus is the same at f/2.4 (your DA 35/2.4 maximum aperture) as it is at f/5.6. At f/5.6 DOF is pretty generous and focus precision suffers as a result. The center focus point has a focus sensitivity of f/2.8. For best performance with a faster prime (like your DA 35/2.4) use fixed AF at the center point.
Good luck.
Steve
* The f/5.6 sensors are pretty much the industry standard with f/2.8 sensors less common and generally limited to higher end models. The K-5 has one f/2.8 sites and the K-3 has three. The K-30 and K-50 have f/5.6 sensors through-out.