[Clavius]

I don't understand a few things here:

1. Why compare a fully featured flagship camera with a much lower featured entry level body from an entirely different (new) breed of cameras? Appels and pears.

2. If you already own a K5, you're bound to be spoiled. Why then buy a lower tier underfeatured camera and expect it to do better!?!

A few users have already given you this great advise, and I'll say it again. Just have fun using it. It's part of knowing your camera. Make great pictures with it.

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Last edited by Clavius; 03-13-2012 at 02:28 AM.

[RonHendriks1966]

Well one thing I do wonder is why we all want to AF in dimmlight rooms on things like a wooden cupboard without any contrast. Did we do that a few years ago also?

[krebsy75]

In my experience, this is true for the DA 40mm XS but not for any of the other lenses in my bag.

In any case I think one clear conclusion can be made: that while the K-01's AF is fine for the typical user...

[krebsy75]

The K-01 is great for snapshots. People take lots of snapshots in their living room.

Well one thing I do wonder is why we all want to AF in dimmlight rooms on things like a wooden cupboard without any contrast. Did we do that a few years ago also?

[krebsy75]

I'm comparing LV contrast-detection functionality which is apples vs. apples. I was experiencing issues with the K-01 locking on some of my lenses. I tried the same lenses on my K5 in LV and it's auto-focus locked more successfully.

I don't understand a few things here:

1. Why compare a fully featured flagship camera with a much lower featured entry level body from an entirely different (new) breed of cameras? Appels and pears.

2. If you already own a K5, you're bound to be spoiled. Why then buy a lower tier underfeatured camera and expect it to do better!?!

A few users have already given you this great advise, and I'll say it again. Just have fun using it. It's part of knowing your camera. Make great pictures with it.

[krebsy75]

I don't dispute this. I'm baffled that the K-01 is available with the 50-200 as a kit. I don't have this lens any longer but I suspect the cam will be fussy locking focus on it as well.

By the way, any mirrorless camera has problems with long lenses.

[Clavius]

I'm comparing LV contrast-detection functionality which is apples vs. apples. I was experiencing issues with the K-01 locking on some of my lenses. I tried the same lenses on my K5 in LV and it's auto-focus locked more successfully.

So in your eyes, the PDAF of a K100D should perform just as well as that of the K5? Of course not, they don't have to be the same. And so the CDAF of a K-01 doesn't have to be the same as the CDAF of the higher end model.

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Last edited by Clavius; 03-13-2012 at 05:41 AM.

[asahi]

In the manual, it says the total focusing box can be varied from 4 little boxes to 36--and can be just a "spot" as well. The illustration shows a 36-box example (max size). Maybe Pentax is trying to tell us something here...that the total box must be large enough to include contrast sufficient for the AF to work. I am from the "single spot" school when using my K20D, but perhaps the K-01 requires a different approach to optimize its AF. I think I will play around with the box size when my K-o1 finally arrives.
Some really helpful info from this thread!

[krebsy75]

I would like to see what other people's experiences are like with zoom lenses in a variety of lighting conditions.

[Stepalex]

Pentax wouldn't release a camera with substandard focusing - they have reams of testers doing QC before release.

The did so with the K-r - and seem to have gotten away with it - so...

[JinDesu]

So in your eyes, the PDAF of a K100D should perform just as well as that of the K5? Of course not, they don't have to be the same. And so the CDAF of a K-01 doesn't have to be the same as the CDAF of the higher end model.

I disagree with this. The k-5 didn't have the greatest CDAF, because it has the PDAF to fall back on. None of the previous DSLRs of Pentax had great CDAF (my k-x is notoriously horrible).

I would expect it to be at least as GOOD as the k-5 - if everything else was salvaged from the K-5, the k-r, etc.

[Wheatfield]

Pentax wouldn't release a camera with substandard focusing - they have reams of testers doing QC before release.

Er, umm, can you say K5 and K-r? Both were released with substandard focusing....
For that matter, compared to the competition, every camera Pentax releases has substandard focusing.

[frank]

Hmm... thats a bummer...

Yeah, this is the photo I was trying to capture in AF w/ the 40XS lens, but failed in many attempts. Ended up got this one w/ MF (focus peaking works great here):

[pingflood]

It's also quite limited. I got my camera and took pictures of everything, using all the different settings, until I got tired. The next day, I went out and did some semi-serious shooting, but since it was a new camera, I didn't expect to be producing great art. Again, I went through various settings. Later on, I experimented with bracketing -- hand-held, mind you, which I then made into an HDR image using third party software. (I'm SUCH a rebel.)

This is what I call getting to know the camera, but then, I think photography is fun.

It is nice that you have found the camera to work well for YOUR type of shooting. That does not mean there can't be faults with it that affects others. I am constantly amazed at how any flaw in a Pentax camera is immediately shouted down by the fanboy crowd. At least the Canon and Nikon guys know how to bitch about stuff properly.

This smells more like the Apple crowd. Camera won't focus in tungsten lighting? You're using it wrong!

[mervis]

Er, umm, can you say K5 and K-r? Both were released with substandard focusing....
For that matter, compared to the competition, every camera Pentax releases has substandard focusing.

What do you mean by substandard? Slower than the competition? Doesn't focus at all? I guess I have different expectations. If I can find a way to find focus, then I'm good. If a camera starts hunting around because it's dealing with too many focus points, I would just go back to basics - use a single point and calculate from there.

Contrast Detect... You have to give it some contrast to detect. Playing around in the dark and then announcing your disappointment doesn't seem very productive to me. Plus the camera offers Focus Peaking, which is a nice form of manual override.

My shooting philosophy doesn't depend on bells and whistles. I'm skeptical of all auto-helpers. I figure it's up to me in the end, and not the camera, to get the right exposure, the correct focus, the best framing and timing, etc.

This camera offers killer IQ at a very reasonable price. The only other camera that offers a comparable price vs. IQ ratio is the NEX-5N. But Sony's lens offerings are pretty limited at the moment. So that's MY starting point: pro-level IQ with an easy to acquire line-up of high-end primes. A few functionality shortcomings are small issues after that. Doesn't have Nikon-level focus speed? I can work around that. I'm a one-picture-at-a-time guy anyway. Can't see the screen in the bright sun? Frankly, I don't believe that one. Never had a noticeable issue with my LX-5's screen in all kinds of conditions, don't expect it with the K-01.

Disclaimer: I live in Canada, The camera isn't available here yet. So I haven't held it or used it. My opinions are based on what I've read and a lifetime of photo experience, but I shouldn't pretend to be some kind of authority on this particular model. I'm just surprised at people who choose to overlook the obvious benefits of the K-01 + K lenses to nitpick on secondary details. Details that maybe shouldn't be demanded of a $749 camera.