Pentax K-r -- acceptable focus adjust for a new body?

YJD · 10-26-2010, 06:36 PM

I saw that post, thank you.
So it means it's not a problem to the K-R put a problem to this specific K-R he had?

That makes me happy, because it would take me a very long time to save up for a K-5 even if its price his worth it. But for what I do, compare to what I have now and the amount of saving I have, the K-R would really be great!

Sorry to hijack this this thread, but does K-R can identify Hot/Dead pixel and 'remove' or 'cancel' them out? I remember seeing this on the K20D.

Thank!

rawr · 10-26-2010, 08:37 PM

Originally posted by YJD

but does K-R can identify Hot/Dead pixel and 'remove' or 'cancel' them out?

Yes, it does.
The K-r manual spells it all out:
http://www.pentax.jp/english/support/man-pdf/k-r.pdf

YJD · 10-27-2010, 07:18 AM

Thanks!

Martowski · 10-31-2010, 11:23 AM

Okay, so I just tested my K-r. Here's what I did. I put the Moire interference pattern on my laptop's screen and tested both my 18-55mm lens and my 55-300 mm lens. For both, I set each lens on 55mm and mounted my camera on a tripod about 5 feet away so i could get a good close-in of the Moire pattern (and changed focus point mode to center only). I set live-view on, put the camera on manual focus, and adjusted until I got the maximum effect and coloring. I then put the camera on viewfinder mode, put it back on autofocus, and depressed the shutter button 1/2 way. Result? No movement of the focus ring. I tested to make sure I was doing this right by purposely putting the Moire pic slightly out of focus, repeating the process above, and I did get slight movement of the focus ring at that point. Once I did get some movement on the 55-300 lens, but it was very slight and in both the manual focus w/ liveview and the autofocus modes, both showed plenty of Moire effect (I think I just had it ever so slightly off focus when I was in manual mode, but didn't notice as there was still plenty of effect showing). I did this in my kitchen in front of a very large picture window with a light fixutre above that had CFL bulbs, but also with light from incandescent canister lights coming through (so I basically have a mixture of light sources). If I did this right, it appears my K-r is "spot on" with autofocus, correct?

smattbe · 11-04-2010, 07:12 PM

Originally posted by filmamigo

I did quite a bit more testing ... and found that the front focusing was better (i.e. less bad) under daylight conditions. But still not perfect.

I have the same findings on my 2° Kr.
I send my first K-r back: front-focus with 4 lens ( FA50, Da 40 & 70, DA 50-135 who work well on my K20 & K7) was still there with micro ajust AF set at -10. Tests were done under mixed light: daylight + artificial, no flash.

krebsy75 · 12-21-2010, 06:33 PM

I believe my wife's new K-r has this problem. Stay tuned.

krebsy75 · 12-21-2010, 06:48 PM

Here's another thread on this issue:
Does anyone know about the k-r front focusing problesms? - Steve's Digicams Forums

cloud016 · 12-21-2010, 07:59 PM

I saw in some other thread reported they got new correct focus K-r, so I brought mine (no.382xxxx) to my local vendor this morning. They tested mine and a whole new one (no.39xxxxx) but still front-focus under artificial light

They sent my k-r with FA77 back to Japan. hope Pentax could fix it..

Hypocorism · 12-21-2010, 11:23 PM

Originally posted by cloud016

I saw in some other thread reported they got new correct focus K-r, so I brought mine (no.382xxxx) to my local vendor this morning. They tested mine and a whole new one (no.39xxxxx) but still front-focus under artificial light

They sent my k-r with FA77 back to Japan. hope Pentax could fix it..

Hope it arrives back soon and working right for you.
Interesting topic this, bit worrying too.

I've not had occasion to notice if my K-r is affected and haven't got around to testing it for this possible issue yet because frankly I don't know where to start -- but if I have the issue I'd really like to know and get it fixed asap.
(yeah there's rumours of a pending firmware coming.... but gossip and speculation never did cure anything.)

The "if" is the main problem for me, possessing near zero knowledge or experience to make a fair assessment, probably not helped by the fact that I don't tend to delve into the general areas of pic-taking where it easily exposes itself too.

Details:
I always stop down as much as possible, and use slow-type lenses in comparison to what most people are into and prefer; and from what I've gathered that can help cloak existence of this problem with the camera model. True?
(irrespective, it still needs fixing if it exists.)

My indoor use is 95% limited to static, mostly close focused subjects, and lighting is those common domestic grade flourescent bulbs, and sometimes resort to on-cam + external flash for assist or effect.

Q:
Is that classed as "tungsten", or another no-no type of lighting; or would it be likely to give A-focusing problems for a K-r, if faulty?

.R.

**Deimos** · 12-22-2010, 12:16 PM

Originally posted by Hypocorism

My indoor use is 95% limited to static, mostly close focused subjects, and lighting is those common domestic grade flourescent bulbs, and sometimes resort to on-cam + external flash for assist or effect.

Q:
Is that classed as "tungsten", or another no-no type of lighting; or would it be likely to give A-focusing problems for a K-r, if faulty?

.R.

Well compact fluorescent bulbs or reg flourescent should be fine with the AF as far as I know.

It is Tungsten, ie: your standard light bulb type that causes most of the issues. It does on my K-r. with any lenses I think although some are worse than others and some focal lengths are worse than others. When it is at its worse even the AF adjust wont make it work right.

I wouldnt really say this makes the camera faulty, I think it is a common issue with many dslrs as far as I know.

You will notice that focusing with live view in Tungsten is dead on accurate.

karelson · 03-08-2011, 08:13 AM

I spoke with live chat onPentax web site :

"
Please wait while we find an agent to assist you...
All agents are currently busy. Please stand by.
You have been connected to Michael C.
Michael C: Thank you for contacting Pentax chat support P, how may I help you?
Michael C: sir?
Pavel Levin: yes
Pavel Levin: I have the pentax K-r....
Pavel Levin: i noticed a front focus problem under tungsten light.....
Pavel Levin: i did a research over the internet and seems like it is an issue reported by many K-r users.....
Pavel Levin: Is there going to be a fix for that? I have one more week to return my camera and i need to decide wether to keep it or buy some other brand.
Pavel Levin: ?
Michael C: We do not have any information on any type of fix at this time. Pentax is aware and is researching it as we speak
Michael C: if any information becomes available, it will be posted on our website
Pavel Levin: is pentax aware that the problem is in the K-R, not only in the K-5?
Michael C: Pentax is aware and is researching it as we speak
Pavel Levin: so, what would should i do?
Michael C: you can exchange it from the place of purchase or send it into us and let us take a look at it
Michael C: or wait and see if any information will be released
Pavel Levin: If i send it to you, how much time will it take , untill i get it back..?
Michael C: It does take approximately 15-20 business days for repair
Pavel Levin: ok, thank you very much for the information....

"

Now my problem is that I don't know what to do, to keep the k-R or not?

Switch to K-X?

go for Nikon or Canon?

I am new to DSLR, I have zero knowlage at this point.

As Hypocorism I don't know how to spot this problem.

If i have this problem I will assume it is b/c I am not stable when i shoot.

Is this problem happening when i shoot landscape at night or day? or just indoors?

I saw a thread that most of the K-r users are keeping their camera.

I don't know what to do?

I hope i am posting this at the right place.....

p.s

Can Pentax acknowledge the problem, but not provide a fix?

apexlunat · 03-08-2011, 09:01 AM

karelson i am at the same position like you.Despite the fact that i really love my kr,i am seriously thinking of returning it and buy a different system.All this uncertitude whether pentax confirms or deny the problem and the advice to wait for a firmware update without a timeline is not very reassuring.At the end all we wanted to have is a camera not to give us stress but to let us take photos and have some good time.Thats my humble opinion.

03-08-2011, 08:13 AM	#26
karelson Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 49	K-r I spoke with live chat onPentax web site : " Please wait while we find an agent to assist you... All agents are currently busy. Please stand by. You have been connected to Michael C. Michael C: Thank you for contacting Pentax chat support P, how may I help you? Michael C: sir? Pavel Levin: yes Pavel Levin: I have the pentax K-r.... Pavel Levin: i noticed a front focus problem under tungsten light..... Pavel Levin: i did a research over the internet and seems like it is an issue reported by many K-r users..... Pavel Levin: Is there going to be a fix for that? I have one more week to return my camera and i need to decide wether to keep it or buy some other brand. Pavel Levin: ? Michael C: We do not have any information on any type of fix at this time. Pentax is aware and is researching it as we speak Michael C: if any information becomes available, it will be posted on our website Pavel Levin: is pentax aware that the problem is in the K-R, not only in the K-5? Michael C: Pentax is aware and is researching it as we speak Pavel Levin: so, what would should i do? Michael C: you can exchange it from the place of purchase or send it into us and let us take a look at it Michael C: or wait and see if any information will be released Pavel Levin: If i send it to you, how much time will it take , untill i get it back..? Michael C: It does take approximately 15-20 business days for repair Pavel Levin: ok, thank you very much for the information.... " Now my problem is that I don't know what to do, to keep the k-R or not? Switch to K-X? go for Nikon or Canon? I am new to DSLR, I have zero knowlage at this point. As Hypocorism I don't know how to spot this problem. If i have this problem I will assume it is b/c I am not stable when i shoot. Is this problem happening when i shoot landscape at night or day? or just indoors? I saw a thread that most of the K-r users are keeping their camera. I don't know what to do? I hope i am posting this at the right place..... p.s Can Pentax acknowledge the problem, but not provide a fix?

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
How to adjust focus	Workingdog	Pentax DSLR Discussion	1	12-28-2009 08:39 PM
K7 focus adjust	Workingdog	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	3	12-20-2009 01:01 PM
k10D focus adjust	unkabin	Pentax DSLR Discussion	7	08-10-2009 05:11 AM
K20D focus adjust	dafiryde	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	9	05-22-2009 09:50 PM
Two ways to adjust focus?????	ChipB	Pentax DSLR Discussion	15	01-18-2008 06:26 AM

10-26-2010, 06:36 PM	#16
YJD Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Monte Vista, CO Posts: 529	I saw that post, thank you. So it means it's not a problem to the K-R put a problem to this specific K-R he had? That makes me happy, because it would take me a very long time to save up for a K-5 even if its price his worth it. But for what I do, compare to what I have now and the amount of saving I have, the K-R would really be great! Sorry to hijack this this thread, but does K-R can identify Hot/Dead pixel and 'remove' or 'cancel' them out? I remember seeing this on the K20D. Thank!

10-26-2010, 08:37 PM	#17
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	Originally posted by YJD but does K-R can identify Hot/Dead pixel and 'remove' or 'cancel' them out? Yes, it does. The K-r manual spells it all out: http://www.pentax.jp/english/support/man-pdf/k-r.pdf

10-27-2010, 07:18 AM	#18
YJD Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Monte Vista, CO Posts: 529	Thanks!

10-31-2010, 11:23 AM	#19
Martowski Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 105	Okay, so I just tested my K-r. Here's what I did. I put the Moire interference pattern on my laptop's screen and tested both my 18-55mm lens and my 55-300 mm lens. For both, I set each lens on 55mm and mounted my camera on a tripod about 5 feet away so i could get a good close-in of the Moire pattern (and changed focus point mode to center only). I set live-view on, put the camera on manual focus, and adjusted until I got the maximum effect and coloring. I then put the camera on viewfinder mode, put it back on autofocus, and depressed the shutter button 1/2 way. Result? No movement of the focus ring. I tested to make sure I was doing this right by purposely putting the Moire pic slightly out of focus, repeating the process above, and I did get slight movement of the focus ring at that point. Once I did get some movement on the 55-300 lens, but it was very slight and in both the manual focus w/ liveview and the autofocus modes, both showed plenty of Moire effect (I think I just had it ever so slightly off focus when I was in manual mode, but didn't notice as there was still plenty of effect showing). I did this in my kitchen in front of a very large picture window with a light fixutre above that had CFL bulbs, but also with light from incandescent canister lights coming through (so I basically have a mixture of light sources). If I did this right, it appears my K-r is "spot on" with autofocus, correct?

11-04-2010, 07:12 PM	#20
smattbe New Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Provence Posts: 1	Originally posted by filmamigo I did quite a bit more testing ... and found that the front focusing was better (i.e. less bad) under daylight conditions. But still not perfect. I have the same findings on my 2° Kr. I send my first K-r back: front-focus with 4 lens ( FA50, Da 40 & 70, DA 50-135 who work well on my K20 & K7) was still there with micro ajust AF set at -10. Tests were done under mixed light: daylight + artificial, no flash.

12-21-2010, 06:33 PM	#21
krebsy75 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Chester County, Pa. Posts: 804	I believe my wife's new K-r has this problem. Stay tuned.

12-21-2010, 06:48 PM	#22
krebsy75 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Chester County, Pa. Posts: 804	Here's another thread on this issue: Does anyone know about the k-r front focusing problesms? - Steve's Digicams Forums

12-21-2010, 07:59 PM	#23
cloud016 New Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 11	I saw in some other thread reported they got new correct focus K-r, so I brought mine (no.382xxxx) to my local vendor this morning. They tested mine and a whole new one (no.39xxxxx) but still front-focus under artificial light They sent my k-r with FA77 back to Japan. hope Pentax could fix it..

12-21-2010, 11:23 PM	#24
Hypocorism Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Melbourne .au Posts: 623	Originally posted by cloud016 I saw in some other thread reported they got new correct focus K-r, so I brought mine (no.382xxxx) to my local vendor this morning. They tested mine and a whole new one (no.39xxxxx) but still front-focus under artificial light They sent my k-r with FA77 back to Japan. hope Pentax could fix it.. Hope it arrives back soon and working right for you. Interesting topic this, bit worrying too. I've not had occasion to notice if my K-r is affected and haven't got around to testing it for this possible issue yet because frankly I don't know where to start -- but if I have the issue I'd really like to know and get it fixed asap. (yeah there's rumours of a pending firmware coming.... but gossip and speculation never did cure anything.) The "if" is the main problem for me, possessing near zero knowledge or experience to make a fair assessment, probably not helped by the fact that I don't tend to delve into the general areas of pic-taking where it easily exposes itself too. Details: I always stop down as much as possible, and use slow-type lenses in comparison to what most people are into and prefer; and from what I've gathered that can help cloak existence of this problem with the camera model. True? (irrespective, it still needs fixing if it exists.) My indoor use is 95% limited to static, mostly close focused subjects, and lighting is those common domestic grade flourescent bulbs, and sometimes resort to on-cam + external flash for assist or effect. Q: Is that classed as "tungsten", or another no-no type of lighting; or would it be likely to give A-focusing problems for a K-r, if faulty? .R.

12-22-2010, 12:16 PM	#25
Deimos Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Kingdom of Wonder Posts: 1,777	Originally posted by Hypocorism My indoor use is 95% limited to static, mostly close focused subjects, and lighting is those common domestic grade flourescent bulbs, and sometimes resort to on-cam + external flash for assist or effect. Q: Is that classed as "tungsten", or another no-no type of lighting; or would it be likely to give A-focusing problems for a K-r, if faulty? .R. Well compact fluorescent bulbs or reg flourescent should be fine with the AF as far as I know. It is Tungsten, ie: your standard light bulb type that causes most of the issues. It does on my K-r. with any lenses I think although some are worse than others and some focal lengths are worse than others. When it is at its worse even the AF adjust wont make it work right. I wouldnt really say this makes the camera faulty, I think it is a common issue with many dslrs as far as I know. You will notice that focusing with live view in Tungsten is dead on accurate.

03-08-2011, 09:01 AM	#27
apexlunat New Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 22	karelson i am at the same position like you.Despite the fact that i really love my kr,i am seriously thinking of returning it and buy a different system.All this uncertitude whether pentax confirms or deny the problem and the advice to wait for a firmware update without a timeline is not very reassuring.At the end all we wanted to have is a camera not to give us stress but to let us take photos and have some good time.Thats my humble opinion.