Yet another K-r AF test (with both 1.00 and 1.01)

alffastar · 02-03-2011, 01:55 AM

Guys, I just talked to the Pentax representative in Bulgaria. He told me that Pentax Germany are aware of the FF issue in tungsten light and Pentax is working on a new firmware for K-R!!! Hurray!!

ursamajor · 02-03-2011, 02:50 AM

If they succed, Kr will be the best performance/price ratio camera.

jolepp · 02-03-2011, 03:43 AM

There has been a similar utterance from Pentax Germany about a the similar K-5 AF problem(s): they are aware of the problem and are working on a solution through a firmware update.

Brydzo · 02-03-2011, 06:33 AM

Yesterday i sent an e-mail straight to the Pentax Europe Headquarters regarding FF issue, this is their answer:

Quote:

Dear Mr. XXX,

Thank you for your enquiry.

First of all we would like to apologize for the inconveniences caused by the problem you mentioned.
Our engineers and software developers are working intensively on a firmware update solution to solve the front focusing issue.
As far as this update is ready to publish you can find it on our website www.pentax.eu.

I hope that your question has been answered to your satisfaction.
Should you have further questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

So we know they are aware of the FF problem and they are working on a new firware.
In the e-mail I have sent them I also asked if there is any point of sending them the camera to the repair service,
as they did not answer I think sending it to them is a waste of time.

ursamajor · 02-03-2011, 07:02 AM

Good news!
Well, maybe now some people would like to check again the AF of their Kr cameras.

alffastar · 02-03-2011, 07:17 AM

Originally posted by Brydzo

Yesterday i sent an e-mail straight to the Pentax Europe Headquarters regarding FF issue, this is their answer:

So we know they are aware of the FF problem and they are working on a new firware.
In the e-mail I have sent them I also asked if there is any point of sending them the camera to the repair service,
as they did not answer I think sending it to them is a waste of time.

OK, so now several sources have verified this. Let's wait for the firmware then!!! I do not want to sell my limited lenses - they are great. The K-R is also great, if we forget about the FF.

mp29k · 02-03-2011, 09:00 AM

As much as it was like beating a dead horse, and kind of frustrating to read all the posts about FF in the K-r, I have to admit that th efforts of a few key individuals here (you know who you are), have probably helped to light a fire under Pentax to solve for this issue.

With that said, can we revert from focusing so much attention on it now that Pentax has committed to solving for it?

Potential buyers of this product may be turned off by all this talk, and choose to not buy into Pentax, and that would be a shame. I think it is important to remember that almost 100% of new digital cameras have some issue, the difference with Pentax is they are a small company, and I would wager to guess almost ALL information available on the web about a new camera is read before purchase by potential buyers, simpley because there is not as much of it available compared to Canikon. I only say this so that we can move forward with posting nice shots, celebrating all the real benefits this camera has (low noise, fast fps, great kit lenses, high res lcd, and fast auto focus with more cross points than comparable competition). This might go along way to balancing the content available to the potential buyer by not focusing so much on the single problem this camera exhibits.

-Kev

ursamajor · 02-03-2011, 09:14 AM

If you think it's me, I'm proud of that.

I made the effort and I left behind the Canon system (I still have 55-250IS, 50 f/1.8 and a Nissin 622 flash) by buying a Pentax camera, so I think Pentax can make the effort to fix my defective camera.

einstrigger · 02-03-2011, 09:46 AM

Hey all, I just received my K-R yesterday. Are you finding the FF issue with all lenses? I did some quick testing and found FF with the 18-55mm, but my DA 70mm and DA* 50-135mm were spot on in either AWB or Tungsten WB. I'm going to test my 16-50mm and 55-300mm later today when I get the chance.

einstrigger · 02-04-2011, 07:02 PM

alright, some follow-up. The 16-50mm and 55-300mm had some FF which required a -5 adjustment to take care of. But all seem to be within tolerance. I used Jeffrey Friedl's chart taken from here instead of the chart that everyone likes to use from the Nikon D70 test. I'm not going to sweat it unless it is super noticeable and someone else mentions it in my shots. Happy shooting all.

robroy · 02-05-2011, 01:57 PM

Hi to everyone! I just bought this little camera and also noticed the focusing problem. In my camera, it seems to be quite serious. I haven't actually been able to take even one really sharp shot indoors by using the phase based autofocus. With live view and contrast based autofocusing everything seems to be ok. Currently I'm little disappointed. I can take sharper images with my old Canon compact camera in similar circumstances.

Hopefully Pentax will resolve this issue soon. I really like this camera. Build quality is great, camera is sturdy, has lots of options etc. This issue is quite a big show stopper for me. Another issue is that battery indicator seems to be very inaccurate, but maybe that will get better when time goes on. Local Pentax distributor and service center are not aware of any problems with K-r.

torpesco · 02-05-2011, 07:16 PM

I seem to recall the battery indicator got more accurate after my first couple times using/draining it and charging.

robroy · 02-06-2011, 09:09 AM

Originally posted by torpesco

I seem to recall the battery indicator got more accurate after my first couple times using/draining it and charging.

That's good to know. Let's see how things are after a couple of weeks...

lavascript · 02-06-2011, 10:41 AM

Welcome, robroy. Have you adjusted your AF to max (-10)? That tends to help somewhat. Also, setting a tungsten or custom white balance helps as well, but that's crap with as good as the AWB finally is.

My current workaround for shooting my kids in tungsten is to aim for the ears. Focussing on the ears usually gets the eyes pretty sharp with the FF.

ursamajor · 02-06-2011, 11:12 AM

Originally posted by lavascript

My current workaround for shooting my kids in tungsten is to aim for the ears. Focussing on the ears usually gets the eyes pretty sharp with the FF.

Nice. Perhaps if I want to take a picture to Eiffel tour in Paris, I must focus on Big Ben in London.

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02-03-2011, 01:55 AM	#91
alffastar Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Sofia Posts: 35	Guys, I just talked to the Pentax representative in Bulgaria. He told me that Pentax Germany are aware of the FF issue in tungsten light and Pentax is working on a new firmware for K-R!!! Hurray!!

02-03-2011, 02:50 AM	#92
ursamajor Banned Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 242	If they succed, Kr will be the best performance/price ratio camera.

02-03-2011, 03:43 AM	#93
jolepp Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Finland Photos: Albums Posts: 3,196	There has been a similar utterance from Pentax Germany about a the similar K-5 AF problem(s): they are aware of the problem and are working on a solution through a firmware update.

02-03-2011, 06:33 AM	#94
Brydzo Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 56	Yesterday i sent an e-mail straight to the Pentax Europe Headquarters regarding FF issue, this is their answer: Quote: Dear Mr. XXX, Thank you for your enquiry. First of all we would like to apologize for the inconveniences caused by the problem you mentioned. Our engineers and software developers are working intensively on a firmware update solution to solve the front focusing issue. As far as this update is ready to publish you can find it on our website www.pentax.eu. I hope that your question has been answered to your satisfaction. Should you have further questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us again. So we know they are aware of the FF problem and they are working on a new firware. In the e-mail I have sent them I also asked if there is any point of sending them the camera to the repair service, as they did not answer I think sending it to them is a waste of time.

02-03-2011, 07:02 AM	#95
ursamajor Banned Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 242	Good news! Well, maybe now some people would like to check again the AF of their Kr cameras.

02-03-2011, 07:17 AM	#96
alffastar Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Sofia Posts: 35	Originally posted by Brydzo Yesterday i sent an e-mail straight to the Pentax Europe Headquarters regarding FF issue, this is their answer: So we know they are aware of the FF problem and they are working on a new firware. In the e-mail I have sent them I also asked if there is any point of sending them the camera to the repair service, as they did not answer I think sending it to them is a waste of time. OK, so now several sources have verified this. Let's wait for the firmware then!!! I do not want to sell my limited lenses - they are great. The K-R is also great, if we forget about the FF.

02-03-2011, 09:00 AM	#97
mp29k Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Bangor, ME Posts: 90	As much as it was like beating a dead horse, and kind of frustrating to read all the posts about FF in the K-r, I have to admit that th efforts of a few key individuals here (you know who you are), have probably helped to light a fire under Pentax to solve for this issue. With that said, can we revert from focusing so much attention on it now that Pentax has committed to solving for it? Potential buyers of this product may be turned off by all this talk, and choose to not buy into Pentax, and that would be a shame. I think it is important to remember that almost 100% of new digital cameras have some issue, the difference with Pentax is they are a small company, and I would wager to guess almost ALL information available on the web about a new camera is read before purchase by potential buyers, simpley because there is not as much of it available compared to Canikon. I only say this so that we can move forward with posting nice shots, celebrating all the real benefits this camera has (low noise, fast fps, great kit lenses, high res lcd, and fast auto focus with more cross points than comparable competition). This might go along way to balancing the content available to the potential buyer by not focusing so much on the single problem this camera exhibits. -Kev

02-03-2011, 09:14 AM	#98
ursamajor Banned Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 242	If you think it's me, I'm proud of that. I made the effort and I left behind the Canon system (I still have 55-250IS, 50 f/1.8 and a Nissin 622 flash) by buying a Pentax camera, so I think Pentax can make the effort to fix my defective camera.

02-03-2011, 09:46 AM	#99
einstrigger Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sacramento, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 728	Hey all, I just received my K-R yesterday. Are you finding the FF issue with all lenses? I did some quick testing and found FF with the 18-55mm, but my DA 70mm and DA* 50-135mm were spot on in either AWB or Tungsten WB. I'm going to test my 16-50mm and 55-300mm later today when I get the chance.

02-04-2011, 07:02 PM	#100
einstrigger Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sacramento, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 728	alright, some follow-up. The 16-50mm and 55-300mm had some FF which required a -5 adjustment to take care of. But all seem to be within tolerance. I used Jeffrey Friedl's chart taken from here instead of the chart that everyone likes to use from the Nikon D70 test. I'm not going to sweat it unless it is super noticeable and someone else mentions it in my shots. Happy shooting all.

02-05-2011, 01:57 PM	#101
robroy Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 34	Hi to everyone! I just bought this little camera and also noticed the focusing problem. In my camera, it seems to be quite serious. I haven't actually been able to take even one really sharp shot indoors by using the phase based autofocus. With live view and contrast based autofocusing everything seems to be ok. Currently I'm little disappointed. I can take sharper images with my old Canon compact camera in similar circumstances. Hopefully Pentax will resolve this issue soon. I really like this camera. Build quality is great, camera is sturdy, has lots of options etc. This issue is quite a big show stopper for me. Another issue is that battery indicator seems to be very inaccurate, but maybe that will get better when time goes on. Local Pentax distributor and service center are not aware of any problems with K-r.

02-05-2011, 07:16 PM	#102
torpesco Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 87	I seem to recall the battery indicator got more accurate after my first couple times using/draining it and charging.

02-06-2011, 09:09 AM	#103
robroy Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 34	Originally posted by torpesco I seem to recall the battery indicator got more accurate after my first couple times using/draining it and charging. That's good to know. Let's see how things are after a couple of weeks...

02-06-2011, 10:41 AM	#104
lavascript Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 396	Welcome, robroy. Have you adjusted your AF to max (-10)? That tends to help somewhat. Also, setting a tungsten or custom white balance helps as well, but that's crap with as good as the AWB finally is. My current workaround for shooting my kids in tungsten is to aim for the ears. Focussing on the ears usually gets the eyes pretty sharp with the FF.

02-06-2011, 11:12 AM	#105
ursamajor Banned Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 242	Originally posted by lavascript My current workaround for shooting my kids in tungsten is to aim for the ears. Focussing on the ears usually gets the eyes pretty sharp with the FF. Nice. Perhaps if I want to take a picture to Eiffel tour in Paris, I must focus on Big Ben in London.