[TopherTheME]

I usually designate my K01 for family event or party duty as its smaller and lighter than my K5 and if anything ever did happen to it I wouldn't be as upset. However, one thing that really bugs me about this camera for these types of events is that it simply cannot AF in really low light conditions. Not that the K5 is a performer in this area either, but the K01 is just lousy. I usually use it with a FA43 lens and it just doesn't seem to matter what I do but when I try to focus in low light the focus ring just racks back and forth. I usually operate it in AF select mode with the smallest square. Sometimes I have better luck with facial recognition if the light is right. Is there something I'm missing? Its just silly seeing iPhone's nail the focus and being able to take pictures when my mirrorless camera cant.

[Adam]

I usually designate my K01 for family event or party duty as its smaller and lighter than my K5 and if anything ever did happen to it I wouldn't be as upset. However, one thing that really bugs me about this camera for these types of events is that it simply cannot AF in really low light conditions. Not that the K5 is a performer in this area either, but the K01 is just lousy. I usually use it with a FA43 lens and it just doesn't seem to matter what I do but when I try to focus in low light the focus ring just racks back and forth. I usually operate it in AF select mode with the smallest square. Sometimes I have better luck with facial recognition if the light is right. Is there something I'm missing? Its just silly seeing iPhone's nail the focus and being able to take pictures when my mirrorless camera cant.

Try making the square larger and focus in high-contrast areas. That's going to give you the best chances of locking focus in low light.

The smaller the square, the less area there is to analyze and the worse the camera will do.

Sounds like you might be in need of a K-5 II or a K-3

[TopherTheME]

I can and it helps but it kind of defeats the purpose. I want to focus on the subject I want to take a picture of, not something right next to them/it.

I will get a K-3 eventually, but I'm thinking of first getting a RX100 or a Ricoh GR.

[jon404]

@TopherTheME -- have you updated the K-01 firmware to v.1.04? For me, it made all the difference. My K-01, with the 35mm f/2.4 lens, focuses fine in very low indoor light. But here's a question -- could poor autofocus also be related to differences between older and newer lenses? Does your FA43 act differently -- optically -- than the newer DA lenses? Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question... I don't really know about autofocus in any depth.

Beyond that, there's the sort of thing I'm prone to overlook... keeping the battery charged. When it's way down, less power, right? Slower motor actuation?

[TopherTheME]

I'll have to check on that I'm not sure if I have the latest firmware but I didn't think any of the new firmware releases offered an improvment in AF. I've tried different lenses like the DA 18-135 and 50-135 and its the same result.

The state of charge of the battery is irrelavent to the AF speed. The internal voltage to the electronics including the AF motor is regulated.

[jon404]

@TopherTheME -- I can definitely speak for the firmware update making a real difference. Here's why. Recently, I bought a second K-01, a blue one from Japan. And was shocked at how poorly its version 1.00 firmware handled autofocus. Low light? Terrible. Updated it to v1.04, and... just like that... it was exactly the same as my black K-01.

At my end, the only reason to use our K-30 is getting an accurate instant focus lock on difficult subjects, like airplanes or birds against the sky, using a 55-300mm telephoto lens. Physically, I don't believe that the K-01 is designed to do that very well... the lens racks back and forth and most often just can't acquire a focus in time. But on the K-30, and I guess the other DSLRs, it works just fine. Must be a MILC vs DSLR focus-design kind of thing.

[Steve.Ledger]

Must be a MILC vs DSLR focus-design kind of thing.

The K-30 has Phase Detect AF - the K-01 is contrast detect AF only.
DSLMs don't use Phase Detect

[jon404]

@Steve.Ledger -- yes -- and, I think you explained it to me once, there is a different focusing mechanism on the MILC (DSLM). As I understood it, just because of its innate mechanical design, it can never be as good as a DSLR. At least for auto-focusing, anyway.

Which gets me back to my airplane-photo workaround idea... hiring young ladies in bikinis to lure those Marine VF-22 Osprey pilots closer. "Keep waving, girls!"

[TopherTheME]

OK, stupid me, for some reason I thought I had v1.03 on the camera but I guess I still had v1.00. The updated firmware did make a huge difference. Not only does the AF motor spin the focus ring a lot faster but when it locks it doesn't a lot more accurately and in much lower light. When doing a quick test with the FA43 the K-01 now focuses accurately on an object where v1.00 would just rack back and forth. Still not as good as the K-5 but its not a DSLR so I guess it shouldn't be. Thanks for the help.


Cheers

[squareeyes]

Congratulations on successfully resolving a problem!

And thanks for posting a positive note, too.

Too often we see problems posted and never see when the solution is achieved.

[PiDicus Rex]

Topher, one other hint, especially for low light and when you have the focus assist light acive, be very careful with how you grip the K-01.

I've noted it is exceptionally easy to cover the focus-assist light with the tip of a finger,... Just another Marc Newson Design failure.

[ChopperCharles]

Yeah, make sure focus assist beam is on, it works wonders in low light. In low light, my 50mm f1.7 focuses almost as fast on the K-01 as it does on my K-x. So long as that beam is on, at least.

If you put a big honkin flash on there, which also has a focus assist beam, it focuses even better. Bigger, brighter beam makes a big difference with the focusing. (I have a sigma flash that works great like this). Although, you have to want to be using flash for that.

Charles.

[tclausen]

Yeah, make sure focus assist beam is on, it works wonders in low light. In low light, my 50mm f1.7 focuses almost as fast on the K-01 as it does on my K-x. So long as that beam is on, at least.

If you put a big honkin flash on there, which also has a focus assist beam, it focuses even better. Bigger, brighter beam makes a big difference with the focusing. (I have a sigma flash that works great like this). Although, you have to want to be using flash for that.

Charles.

Hold your horses....with a Pentax flash, I believe that it was established (and my own test with two different Pentax flashes confirmed) that the focus assist beam wouldn't turn on with the K-01.....

Any new developments on that? The K-01 is the ideal camera otherwise, if only that bit would work (the manual says that it should, but it doesn't)...

[Steve.Ledger]

Hold your horses....with a Pentax flash, I believe that it was established (and my own test with two different Pentax flashes confirmed) that the focus assist beam wouldn't turn on with the K-01.....

Any new developments on that? The K-01 is the ideal camera otherwise, if only that bit would work (the manual says that it should, but it doesn't)...

Working fine on my K-01 here using the Yongnuo 560II or GODOX CF-18.

[tclausen]

Working fine on my K-01 here using the Yongnuo 560II or GODOX CF-18.

Ah, but wait, that's just the in-camera AF assist beam....sure, that works.

I was interested in getting the in-flash AF assist beams to work, e.g., as in the 360 or 540 flashes....