[Al_s14]

Alright, someone tell me if I'm not using my R correctly. It's advertised as having 6fps capability in continuous mode,but i can never get it to work (running animal for example, or sometimes walking) because it keeps trying to AF. Is key having mf on and doing it by hand? I don't remember having this problem with my old digital rebel .

Any input would be great thanks!

[Philoslothical]

Well, you haven't given too much info about how you're trying to do it, but here is what should work:

1. Press "Up" on the four way buttons, and set the drive mode to "Continuous - High"
2. Set your AF to AF-S on the first menu page.
3. Half press to focus, hold down the button to shoot a burst.

If you let go of the button, it will try to AF again the next time you half press it. The way around that is, if you want, to decouple the AF function from that button and move it to the back AF button. It takes some getting used to, but has some advantages, like no accidental refocusing. The settings to do this are in the menus, too. Check your manual for which pages.

Edit: Also be sure to turn off any lens corrections (Chromatic aberration or barrel distortion) in the menu, as the processing these cause will dramatically slow down the burst rate.

[Al_s14]

Ok great thanks. I probably should have said that when it does not work when i have it set in moving object mode. (but in moving object i cant modify any settings)

After following your directions(in auto) it worked as suppose to. So now i am even more confused....

[Anvh]

has to do with the AF most likely, AF-S release the shutter completely when it locks and it doens't "unlock" until you depress.
With AF-C it tries to keep "focus" between the shot so that's where your speed goes down but this the mode you need for moving subjects.

[Al_s14]

Wounder if Pentax 55-300 is just slow. Sometimes i loose mad time waiting for it to do its thing. Literary takes seconds between shot series

[Canada_Rockies]

Wounder if Pentax 55-300 is just slow. Sometimes i loose mad time waiting for it to do its thing. Literary takes seconds between shot series

It is slow. I have one, and it can be very annoying, as with any slow lens (slow in the aperture sense - at 300mm the best you can do is f/5.8, too slow for reliable AF). My solution to this is listed above. I have switched my camera to use only the [AF] button to autofocus. That way, I can focus on something that is at the right distance for my subject and just shoot as if the camera were in manual focus. I do miss some shots because I forget to press the AF button, but getting less and less over time. It's a matter of getting used to using the thumb instead of the forefinger for AF, and like all muscle habits, it needs to be done over time to train the the brain to use the thumb rather than the forefinger.

[Philoslothical]

The 55-300 is a good lens. What you should probably start looking into is shooting in Av mode. It's a good step away from auto, and will give you more consistent results once you learn the basics.

Do you already know the basic principles of exposure, how shutter speed, aperture and ISO interact, and what aperture size does with regards to depth of field?

With Av, as opposed to being fully automated, you only have to dial in one parameter, the aperture size (or f stop) to use. A larger aperture (smaller f number) will give you a shallow depth of field (a more narrow band of the scene that's in focus), and faster shutter speeds. A smaller aperture (higher f number) will give greater depth of field, but will cause slower shutter speeds, which you can compensate for with increased ISO, if needed. Your 55-300 will tend to be sharpest around f./8, which also gives a nice, moderate depth of field for a lot of subjects.

The main advantage of Av is that by setting that aperture parameter yourself, you have much more control over the resulting shot. Auto mode isn't very good at this, it often will fully open the aperture when it isn't needed, which can make it more difficult to get a sharp shot when starting out.

@Canada_Rockies - I think OP meant slow to AF, not slow as in aperture. It's probably hunting a bit if the light isn't good. I agree that using the AF button is superior though.

[Al_s14]

Genius! Thanks guys!

[Canada_Rockies]

<snip>
@Canada_Rockies - I think OP meant slow to AF, not slow as in aperture. It's probably hunting a bit if the light isn't good. I agree that using the AF button is superior though.

I was trying to say it was slow to AF because it was a slow aperture lens. Thanks for clarifying.

[Philoslothical]

Aye, as I posted that it occurred to me what you meant, and the two things are certainly linked, with PDAF especially. Don't mind me, not enough coffee here.

[Tom Woj]

Just to add here, there is a custom setting which allows the camera to fire even when the camera isn't focused.

By default, the shutter will only fire if something is in focus, which sounds like what was happening.

It's in: Custom settings page 2 -> number 9 -> AF.S Setting -> Release-priority: Shutter can be released even if subject is not in focus.

EDIT: Just tested this, if you use the back button for focusing that setting does nothing :P Never knew that ^^

[Anvh]

EDIT: Just tested this, if you use the back button for focusing that setting does nothing :P Never knew that ^^

??????

[Tom Woj]

??????

Ah, my mistake. That setting does affect it, but only while the back-focus button is held down.

If you use back button focus, and that setting is set to "only allow shutter to fire while in focus", you can still just press the front shutter button and it'll fire regardless.

[Anvh]

Was confused what you precisely meant XD

Yeah when you press the back AF button it also locks the exposure button and release it when it is done focusing or you release the button.