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0rangepeel · 08-01-2012, 02:57 PM

Got the K-30 a few days ago. To my surprise this was a tremendous upgrade from the K-x which I've owned for nearly 3 years, since I paid nearly the same price. I don't know what it's like to use the K-5, but I thought it'd be awesome if people can share some *not-mentioned* features the K-30 have that people stepping up from more entry cameras may think are really neat.

For me, I thought assigning the "Fx" button to select AF points using the two dials can be used to pick focus points is really interesting, and I can imagine you could be very fast at switching AF points by practising a little.

That said, I'm curious if anyone knows what the Composition tool is for? It looks like it offsets the sensor using the SR system, but I'm not quite sure why anyone would want to do this.

jimr-pdx · 08-01-2012, 03:04 PM

That's definitely a feature for precision work, probably only a studio artist would use it - but saying this so blatantly should get a few more people to respond

I'm pleased that they put af-c and af-s on the AF switch, rather than making that choice a menu item. That's one thing that I have really valued in the higher-end bodies. Your note on focus points does sound great though.

Julie · 08-01-2012, 05:01 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by 0rangepeel

That said, I'm curious if anyone knows what the Composition tool is for? It looks like it offsets the sensor using the SR system, but I'm not quite sure why anyone would want to do this.

At the K-30 product tour, the presenter showed that feature and gave us an example of how it can be useful in a real situation- taking macro shots. You've got everything set up; your camera, lens, tripod, lighting and you don't want to move everything to change the composition. Instead, you use the composition tool to move the sensor to the left, right, up, down, until you get the composition that you want.

I believe he also said that the K-30 is the only camera (of one of the only) you can do this in because it has in-body shake reduction that allows the sensor to move.

I found this pretty cool.

0rangepeel · 08-01-2012, 06:34 PM

Originally posted by Julie

At the K-30 product tour, the presenter showed that feature and gave us an example of how it can be useful in a real situation- taking macro shots. You've got everything set up; your camera, lens, tripod, lighting and you don't want to move everything to change the composition. Instead, you use the composition tool to move the sensor to the left, right, up, down, until you get the composition that you want.

I believe he also said that the K-30 is the only camera (of one of the only) you can do this in because it has in-body shake reduction that allows the sensor to move.

I found this pretty cool.

That makes a lot of sense. At the macro level, the sensor shift would move the imaging area much more than say a landscape shot at 18mm. Neat to know.

JinDesu · 08-01-2012, 06:45 PM

Originally posted by Julie

At the K-30 product tour, the presenter showed that feature and gave us an example of how it can be useful in a real situation- taking macro shots. You've got everything set up; your camera, lens, tripod, lighting and you don't want to move everything to change the composition. Instead, you use the composition tool to move the sensor to the left, right, up, down, until you get the composition that you want.

I believe he also said that the K-30 is the only camera (of one of the only) you can do this in because it has in-body shake reduction that allows the sensor to move.

I found this pretty cool.

Wow, brilliant. I would have really wanted this when I had my Tamron 90, because it was a pain in the rear trying to adjust the object that TINY LITTLE AMOUNT.

TJWest · 08-01-2012, 09:22 PM

great to know, I just ordered the k30 and that Tamron, that is a great feature indeed!

wed7 · 08-01-2012, 10:07 PM

more please.

ihasa · 08-02-2012, 06:04 AM

Originally posted by JinDesu

Wow, brilliant. I would have really wanted this when I had my Tamron 90, because it was a pain in the rear trying to adjust the object that TINY LITTLE AMOUNT.

This feature has been around since the K7 I think!

You Tube

loco · 08-02-2012, 11:40 AM

I know this isn't a new feature but it's new to me ... I dig the electronic level. Great for landscapes and just all around shooting. Sometimes when you shoot at an odd angle or bending over weird or something, it's really hard to get the camera straight. This is going to be a godsend for those times!

UncleRed · 08-02-2012, 01:18 PM

Originally posted by loco

I know this isn't a new feature but it's new to me ... I dig the electronic level. Great for landscapes and just all around shooting. Sometimes when you shoot at an odd angle or bending over weird or something, it's really hard to get the camera straight. This is going to be a godsend for those times!

I agree with the level..........for some reason all my shots are about 5 degrees off and I have to use the straighten tool to level them. This has already worked well for me.

intjonmiller · 08-02-2012, 01:23 PM

I beg to differ, regarding how much difference the shift makes on wide images. Just put your camera on a tripod which can pan smoothly. Make sure SR and liveview are on. Now pan a little faster than you would if you were recording video and suddenly stop. As the SR recenters you'll get an idea just how much difference it can make. I see this regularly when setting up panos, as I pan to the next shot.

But, yes, it would make a much bigger difference with macro work where very small camera movements can have a huge impact on the field of view and focus.

JinDesu · 08-02-2012, 06:16 PM

Originally posted by ihasa

This feature has been around since the K7 I think!

PENTAX K-7 Composition Adjustment - YouTube

Ah I didn't know - I have a k-x.

wed7 · 08-03-2012, 06:38 AM

really cool features! the k-30 is really tempting!

loco · 08-03-2012, 06:43 AM

Originally posted by UncleRed

I agree with the level..........for some reason all my shots are about 5 degrees off and I have to use the straighten tool to level them. This has already worked well for me.

What I just discovered is you can't have both the electronic level in the viewfinder AND the exposure compensation. This is unfortunate. For now, I have turned the level back off.

08-01-2012, 02:57 PM	#1
0rangepeel Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Vancouver Photos: Gallery Posts: 111	Features you found neat about the K-30 Got the K-30 a few days ago. To my surprise this was a tremendous upgrade from the K-x which I've owned for nearly 3 years, since I paid nearly the same price. I don't know what it's like to use the K-5, but I thought it'd be awesome if people can share some not-mentioned features the K-30 have that people stepping up from more entry cameras may think are really neat. For me, I thought assigning the "Fx" button to select AF points using the two dials can be used to pick focus points is really interesting, and I can imagine you could be very fast at switching AF points by practising a little. That said, I'm curious if anyone knows what the Composition tool is for? It looks like it offsets the sensor using the SR system, but I'm not quite sure why anyone would want to do this.

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08-01-2012, 03:04 PM	#2
jimr-pdx Pentaxian Join Date: May 2010 Location: now 1 hour north of PDX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,897	That's definitely a feature for precision work, probably only a studio artist would use it - but saying this so blatantly should get a few more people to respond I'm pleased that they put af-c and af-s on the AF switch, rather than making that choice a menu item. That's one thing that I have really valued in the higher-end bodies. Your note on focus points does sound great though.

08-01-2012, 05:01 PM - 1 Like	#3
Julie Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Illinois Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,069	Originally posted by 0rangepeel That said, I'm curious if anyone knows what the Composition tool is for? It looks like it offsets the sensor using the SR system, but I'm not quite sure why anyone would want to do this. At the K-30 product tour, the presenter showed that feature and gave us an example of how it can be useful in a real situation- taking macro shots. You've got everything set up; your camera, lens, tripod, lighting and you don't want to move everything to change the composition. Instead, you use the composition tool to move the sensor to the left, right, up, down, until you get the composition that you want. I believe he also said that the K-30 is the only camera (of one of the only) you can do this in because it has in-body shake reduction that allows the sensor to move. I found this pretty cool.

08-01-2012, 06:34 PM	#4
0rangepeel Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Vancouver Photos: Gallery Posts: 111 Original Poster	Originally posted by Julie At the K-30 product tour, the presenter showed that feature and gave us an example of how it can be useful in a real situation- taking macro shots. You've got everything set up; your camera, lens, tripod, lighting and you don't want to move everything to change the composition. Instead, you use the composition tool to move the sensor to the left, right, up, down, until you get the composition that you want. I believe he also said that the K-30 is the only camera (of one of the only) you can do this in because it has in-body shake reduction that allows the sensor to move. I found this pretty cool. That makes a lot of sense. At the macro level, the sensor shift would move the imaging area much more than say a landscape shot at 18mm. Neat to know.

08-01-2012, 06:45 PM	#5
JinDesu Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: New York City Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,638	Originally posted by Julie At the K-30 product tour, the presenter showed that feature and gave us an example of how it can be useful in a real situation- taking macro shots. You've got everything set up; your camera, lens, tripod, lighting and you don't want to move everything to change the composition. Instead, you use the composition tool to move the sensor to the left, right, up, down, until you get the composition that you want. I believe he also said that the K-30 is the only camera (of one of the only) you can do this in because it has in-body shake reduction that allows the sensor to move. I found this pretty cool. Wow, brilliant. I would have really wanted this when I had my Tamron 90, because it was a pain in the rear trying to adjust the object that TINY LITTLE AMOUNT.

08-01-2012, 09:22 PM	#6
TJWest Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 116	great to know, I just ordered the k30 and that Tamron, that is a great feature indeed!

08-01-2012, 10:07 PM	#7
wed7 Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Manila, Philippines Posts: 1,421	more please.

08-02-2012, 11:40 AM	#9
loco Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,846	I know this isn't a new feature but it's new to me ... I dig the electronic level. Great for landscapes and just all around shooting. Sometimes when you shoot at an odd angle or bending over weird or something, it's really hard to get the camera straight. This is going to be a godsend for those times!

08-02-2012, 01:18 PM	#10
UncleRed Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 84	Originally posted by loco I know this isn't a new feature but it's new to me ... I dig the electronic level. Great for landscapes and just all around shooting. Sometimes when you shoot at an odd angle or bending over weird or something, it's really hard to get the camera straight. This is going to be a godsend for those times! I agree with the level..........for some reason all my shots are about 5 degrees off and I have to use the straighten tool to level them. This has already worked well for me.

08-02-2012, 01:23 PM	#11
intjonmiller Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Bountiful, Utah, USA Posts: 74	I beg to differ, regarding how much difference the shift makes on wide images. Just put your camera on a tripod which can pan smoothly. Make sure SR and liveview are on. Now pan a little faster than you would if you were recording video and suddenly stop. As the SR recenters you'll get an idea just how much difference it can make. I see this regularly when setting up panos, as I pan to the next shot. But, yes, it would make a much bigger difference with macro work where very small camera movements can have a huge impact on the field of view and focus.

08-02-2012, 06:16 PM	#12
JinDesu Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: New York City Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,638	Originally posted by ihasa This feature has been around since the K7 I think! PENTAX K-7 Composition Adjustment - YouTube Ah I didn't know - I have a k-x.

08-03-2012, 06:38 AM	#13
wed7 Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Manila, Philippines Posts: 1,421	really cool features! the k-30 is really tempting!

08-03-2012, 06:43 AM	#14
loco Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,846	Originally posted by UncleRed I agree with the level..........for some reason all my shots are about 5 degrees off and I have to use the straighten tool to level them. This has already worked well for me. What I just discovered is you can't have both the electronic level in the viewfinder AND the exposure compensation. This is unfortunate. For now, I have turned the level back off.

Features you found neat about the K-30

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