[Winder]

the microphone is a massive PITA, it's a problem with CIF on MF too because it catches it (CIF uses the center point ),

But I now have a massive collection of razor sharp microphone pictures.

[eddie1960]

But I now have a massive collection of razor sharp microphone pictures.

I have a few myself - less actually since i started using my tak 50 1.4 more and my af lenses less, but when you have the 3 songs in the pit you need af to machine gun it and get what you get. - the one edge a show i shoot from the pit usually has is enough light to shoot f 4 or 5.6 so the mic isn't an issue
club shows i can just battle the crowd until i get bored then move back

[Eruditass]

From having used a D700 extensively, and a D300s and D7000 for shorter periods of time, there is a very large AF.C gap for pentax to close. It is not just the focus motors either. For shooting erraticly moving action like children for example, the D700 with a slower focusing lens will acquire focus quicker and more accurately than the K-5 with a fast focusing lens. This is even with the additional handicap of reduced DOF that the D700 sometimes faces. I hope the gap can be closed, but it will likely take more effort than has been put into the K30's AF.

As an aside, I have sometimes wondered if Nikon and Canon "got there first" with some AF related patents, and have claimed some of the easier ways to improve AF performance. This is pure conjecture.

This is the biggest issue and again everyone seems to be stuck on focus motor speed. The other issue is low light focus speed, IMHO. Hopefully at least the K-5 replacement can be on the same level as last generation CaNikon.

[Anvh]

but then SDM is still slow.

Try out the DA16-50 that one has a very decent focus speed, it really depends on the focus throw with pentax if the lens focus fast or not and most lenses with SDM have a large throw.

[jmg257]

Unless Pentax can break away from the current 11pt continuous grid style AF module, it is possible there is only so much they can do. Module lens to cut down on CA, better light algorithms, and AF module SR could help with sensor accuracy, but Canon has new chips with + and X AF sensors all over the frigging place. Hoya has some patents for such..freewheeling style AF sensors, ones with numerous arrays, with double sensors, etc., but not sure if Pentax is entitled to use them or if they would.

Or maybe they could go to a tighter grid? Like 5x5?

[twitch]

Unless Pentax can break away from the current 11pt continuous grid style AF module, it is possible there is only so much they can do. Module lens to cut down on CA, better light algorithms, and AF module SR could help with sensor accuracy, but Canon has new chips with + and X AF sensors all over the frigging place. Hoya has some patents for such..freewheeling style AF sensors, ones with double sensor arrays, etc., but not sure if Pentax is entitled to use them or if they would.

Or maybe they could go to a tighter grid? Like 5x5?

100% agree. For high end Pentax bodies we need a revolution not a gentle evolution of existing 11 point system.

[starbase218]

Try out the DA16-50 that one has a very decent focus speed, it really depends on the focus throw with pentax if the lens focus fast or not and most lenses with SDM have a large throw.

I have the DA* 16-50 and the focus speed is decent when compared to all my other lenses (except maybe for the 35/2.4 which is very fast) but it still doesn't compare to the Nikkor 24-70. With that lens you simply don't have to wait.

[Raffwal]

I don't need FASTER autofocus - but I do want more ACCURATE autofocus. Also:
No more tungsten front focus issues?? I hope so!

+1 (and some additional characters to make the post long enough)

[bwDraco]

Hoya has some patents for such..freewheeling style AF sensors, ones with numerous arrays, with double sensors, etc., but not sure if Pentax is entitled to use them or if they would.

Aren't all the patents on technologies related to Pentax photographic equipment transferred during the Pentax-Ricoh acquisition?

--DragonLord

[Sandy Hancock]

the microphone is a massive PITA, it's a problem with CIF on MF too because it catches it (CIF uses the center point ),

So it's not just me ;-)
I have sooooo many sharp microphones and out-of-focus vocalists.

[DaveBlack]

I shoot a good bit of concert and event work here in Nashville. F/2.0 is pretty much my go to aperture inside venues. With the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 or the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 the DoF is so narrow that being off just a little bit makes the photo worthless. The high contrast of the microphone is a magnet for the large center AF point. Even when the microphone is outside of the center circle the AF point grabs it.

I don't care if my next camera only has 1 AF points as long is it is 1/4 the size of the current and accurate. I really don't have issues with the current speed of the K-5 and the Sigma HSM lenses. With HSM lenses the K-5 is very fast.

Totally agree! Maybe spot AF point option for the center point. Canon has both regular size AF sensor and pen point spot AF sensors in the 7D.

[Alizarine]

Speaking of AF speed, I'm just curious....

by "faster AF" does it mean how fast and accurate the AF system takes to focus on the right subject? Because I just thought, if a "faster" AF system actually drives the screw mechanism faster than older AF software can...

[bossa]

So it's not just me ;-)
I have sooooo many sharp microphones and out-of-focus vocalists.

Hehe.. are you Shure? Almost every vocalist I recorded required millions of hours of PP using auto-tune or Cubase note by note fixes so I gave up recording other people's music. (a couple of months ago now)

[apisto]

Speaking of AF speed, I'm just curious....

by "faster AF" does it mean how fast and accurate the AF system takes to focus on the right subject? Because I just thought, if a "faster" AF system actually drives the screw mechanism faster than older AF software can...

I guess, boiled down, there are two main factors. Firstly the AF speed of the lens itself, i.e. how long it takes to go from MFD to infinity focus, and points in between. Secondly, the capability of the camera body to judge and aquire proper AF. My current thinking is that they are both important, but the Camera body is the most important. I feel this way because when I had my D700, bacially any lens I tried on the D700 accurately aquired focus as or more quickly than any lens I tried on my K20D / K-5. With the D700, I basically left it on AF.C all the time. Even when shooting my favorite lens on the D700, the Tokina 35 macro, the AF.c performance was as fast as I could want it to be.

Now, I am not slamming Pentax. I actually only own only a Pentax body right now. Pentax has a lot going for it. But because of the AF performance to a greater extent, and the availability of FF bodies to a lesser extent, I will end up being a dual system, Nikon and Pentax, shooter. I had been planning on waiting until later in the year to make a decision on my next camera body, but the D800 is really calling my name.

[apisto]

This is the biggest issue and again everyone seems to be stuck on focus motor speed. The other issue is low light focus speed, IMHO. Hopefully at least the K-5 replacement can be on the same level as last generation CaNikon.

I agree, if the AF performance of the K-5 replacement equaled the D700/D300s I would be absolutely beside myself with excitement, even still using currently available lenses.