Originally posted by mervis 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 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.
Substandard as in very poor focus accuracy under tungsten lights, very large AF points that don't necessarily lock on to what they are centered on, very poor AF accuracy with fast lenses and overall rather hit or miss focusing.
Add to that, Pentax's AF tends to be somewhat slower and clunkier than comparably priced competition.
Quote: 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.
Is it more productive to set up straw man arguments rather than dealing with the post you are quoting?
Quote: 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.
Fair enough, but if the manufacturer puts the feature onto the camera, it should at least work reasonably reliably.
Quote: 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.
At best you seem to be apologizing for deficiencies in the product, at worst you are outright denying they exist.
Quote: 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.
For $749, I can buy a camera with a viewfinder. Is that a mere detail too? Or more nitpicking?
Note, I also live in Canada, and have no direct experience with the K-01, but as I was responding to your rather fanciful post about the legions of imaginary Pentax QC folk who wouldn't let a single fault out the door, even in the face of much historical evidence to the contrary, it isn't really all that important.