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09-24-2013, 03:25 PM   #1
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FW 1.04 and longer AF lenses: any improvement?

Hi all,

In the new firmware thread, some people were claiming faster AF with lenses like the DA 40XS. Has anyone tested with longer (slower) lenses like DA(-L) 55-300? Any improvement? Just wondering...

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09-24-2013, 04:55 PM   #2
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The AF focus throw seems shorter on my 80-320mm. Less hunting, no more going the wrong way to the end of the lens travel then back.

09-24-2013, 05:05 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by Doundounba Quote
Hi all,

In the new firmware thread, some people were claiming faster AF with lenses like the DA 40XS. Has anyone tested with longer (slower) lenses like DA(-L) 55-300? Any improvement? Just wondering...

--
Doundounba
Sounds like the placebo effect to me. Whenever Pentax has made improvements, they're always been documented.

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09-24-2013, 06:12 PM   #4
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Placebo, the 55-300 hunts as much as before.

09-24-2013, 08:16 PM   #5
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I did a quick test with the kit 18-55 in low light - as the original FW improvements were most evident on the slower lenses. It is possible, based on my quick before and after tests, that the change in FW might allow focusing further down the EV scale - perhaps by a third of a stop. At the same time, I noticed that in the close-call situations the lens seemed to be hunting a bit more. So, it is possible that the new FW can AF in slightly lower light, but it will hunt more to achieve AF.

I tested only out of curiosity. Personally, I tend to rely on MF and fast lenses in low light situations - so it wasn't an issue where I felt the need for further improvements. In fact, I'd rather have the outcome cut-and-dried rather than dealing with the focus hunting problem in marginal light. Again, not a drastic change; only a change in that very narrow EV area between adequate light and too dim. The slow aperture hunting problem was much more drastic in the earliest firmware versions.
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