[maidenfan84]

I was just wondering if you guys find focus peaking to be that noticeable or it's just a semi help? Some things I've noticed is that with designs and textured surfaces, FP is very noticeable. But when used for other things, you really have to look close to notice it. I've never used FP before so I'm not sure if it's supposed to be blatantly obvious or if it's typically more subtle.

[Adam]

I was just wondering if you guys find focus peaking to be that noticeable or it's just a semi help? Some things I've noticed is that with designs and textured surfaces, FP is very noticeable. But when used for other things, you really have to look close to notice it. I've never used FP before so I'm not sure if it's supposed to be blatantly obvious or if it's typically more subtle.

It's definitely more helpful when there are strong edges in your frame. At other times, you might not even see it at all. That's just how it works

[JinDesu]

It would be more helpful if the k-01 allowed magnification greater than 6x while taking the picture =p

[Na Horuk]

Hey there,
focus peaking only highlights high contrast areas. So if something is in-focus, but has no contrast, it won't glow. Similarly, it could in theory happen that something is out of focus and very contrasty and it would glow. But this doesnt really happen.
Focus peaking does have its weaknesses:
-very wide angle lenses - DoF is so big, it doesnt accurately show where the focus is
-slow lenses. Lenses with a high minimum f-number have a big DoF, and the same problem as earlier arises. This usually applies to cheaper zoom lenses, and these lenses can have problems with AF in liveview in general. There is a thread from some time ago that lists user reports about how well the K-01's AF works with various lenses. Keep in mind that each firmware update seems to improve the AF on this camera, so make sure yours is updated to the latest firmware (it includes all previous ones)
-the DoF of the focus peaking is not necessarily the same as the actual DoF, because peaking is done at a different aperture than the photo is actually taken. This can mislead you into thinking something is or isnt in focus

So, peaking is a great tool, but you need to learn when to use it and what its limitations are. I love it for manual focusing primes. I have it set on red button, so I can enable or disable it at will.
Oh, and a big criticism of the K-01's peaking is that the user cannot select the peaking colors and intensity. Nothing we can do about that, just makes it hard to use on white surfaces

Edit: And I also use it in combination with magnification. At 6x, I think it is okay, and it also opens lens aperture when you use magnification, so the focusing is more accurate.

[bradsarno]

I find its focus peaking to be a simply amazing feature. My experience with a K-01 and focus peaking with manual lenses is like the new century version of a rangefinder. Once you get used to the peaking and how to best interpret its range and have a good understanding of what its doing, photos are generally very sharp and in focus right where you want them to be. I just love the experience.

B

[prime.partisan]

Focus peaking on the K-01 isn't very bright until you zoom in 4x to 6x. The it becomes very bright and sensitive, great to nail accurate focus. I wish the zoom feature could be assigned to red or green button instead of just the OK, which is hard to reach in active shooting.

[jimr-pdx]

As Na Horuk says, it definitely depends on the situation. A wide-angle lens will show nearly everything peaked with its large depth of field, and in a very dimly-lit spot the contrast is so low it's hard to see enhancement. For me that means less than 5% of the time it's not great - and I can live with that!

[filoxophy]

Late to this thread, but my two cents are that its main shortcoming in the K-01 implementation is the lack of color/intensity adjustment. A dead horse, but one worth beating. Are you listening, Ricoh?! This would be a simple firmware fix! To my eyes, the white peaking can at times just blend into the scene in a way that the red/yellow of my friend's NEX-7 doesn't. Yes, it is very helpful with legacy lenses--no, it is not as good as it could be.

[wombat2go]

I used the K-01 last night at a school concert.
Not having an AF zoom long enough, I used a big old manual zoom 1:3.8 39 ~ 90mm, the distance was 15 metre (45 ft) and the lens was at f/8 and 85mm mostly.

The biggest problem was getting sharp focus, using the focus peaking in zoom mode. With that lens there is not enough graduation in the peaking for my eyes, it looks like I was back focussing mostly.

Looking at the dng s later, I see that the photos at iso 3200 and iso 6400 were noisy, so the camera jpg appears not sharp.
With ufraw was able to pull denoise to the dng progressively, to see the noise reduction, but with progressive loss of sharpness.

Today I did a comparison between the old f/3.8 zoom and the SMC Pentax 1:2 85mm.
The wider aperture latter lens works (very much) better using the focus peaking in zoom mode.
Next concert I will try that lens , and turn the iso down, and use a wider aperture.

[shin888]

I really wish that you can set the FP to a different color like in the SONY cameras. A bright yellow would be so much more usable in many more situations.

[prime.partisan]

I set the color to yellow on my 5R and it's great. However Sony peaking doesn't work well in magnified view, especially under low light - I think K-01 is a little better at this.

[cahudson42]

Focus Peaking is the major reason I finally went digital with a new K-01. This in large part as I only plan to use my nice collection of M42s - bought when I bought my last new Pentax, a Spotmatic ES II 'some years ago'.

Previously, I have been looking at everything since the K-x, but since I was always going to be manual focus, always decided against.

The K-01 and Focus Peaking changed the game. A few weeks ago I got just the K-01 body, and 'permanently' installed the 30120 adapter (previously bought some years ago from Adorama when they had them).

Lots of fun so far - and for me - Focus Peaking is just great! While I have not had much experience with wide angles or tele lenses yet - I'm finding my old ES 1.4 50mm SMC Tak works super with the K-01 - though when there is a lot of light I often switch to my F4 50mm SMC MACRO Tak with its brilliant color, contrast, and sharpness.

I'm also starting to use my mint Makro Kilar E 2.8 40mm Preset, which I never used on the ES-II because I was scared of the mirror crashing into the lens when used at or near infinity. This is a super-light Tessar formulation, and of course gives me a more 'Normal' lens. And with the K-01 - no worries about mirror crashing

Also finding that with M42s and the K-01 - the old Presets like the Kilar, at least for me, are a bit easier to use than the newer Taks with the A/M switch. Easier to move the preset ring, as far as I am concerned. This led me to just buy a copy of the original preset 50mm MACRO Tak.

Seems unbelieveable Ricoh/Pentax discontinued the K-01 so quickly. Its perfect for me. And who knows how much better a 'K-02' might have been...

Just like shooting my original ' Spotmatic - but no 'match needle' on stop-down or fiddling with shutter speed dial. Float the ISO from 200-3200, focus open, stop down, let Av do its thing.

Mulling getting a spare new body to put away..
Chris