[gnaztee]

Hi Ben,

Thanks for all the teasers. I have two questions:

1) Serious Q: If you know, will there be any new lenses added to the roadmap? 1, 2, 5?

2) Less serious Q: Any chance they will make either of the cameras in an alternate style like this:



Thanks,
Todd

[Tom M]

OK, admittedly, I don't shoot anything fast moving. Though, I wonder why someone would want MORE focus points. I say this because I strictly shoot in center-point. If I want to have the focused subject off-center in the frame I focus-lock and recompose my shot. It takes all of a split second. Wouldn't having more focus points only slow down the focusing? I see visions of sharp as a tack shoes instead of the face on a moving basketball player and stuff like that. Or, the branches to the left of the scene are in focus but the bird that you were centered on is not. Educate this landscape/architecture dude.

[ftpaddict]

I'm drooling already.
Will you post a video of your press conference?

[jbcampbell]

OK, admittedly, I don't shoot anything fast moving. Though, I wonder why someone would want MORE focus points. I say this because I strictly shoot in center-point. If I want to have the focused subject off-center in the frame I focus-lock and recompose my shot. It takes all of a split second. Wouldn't having more focus points only slow down the focusing? I see visions of sharp as a tack shoes instead of the face on a moving basketball player and stuff like that. Or, the branches to the left of the scene are in focus but the bird that you were centered on is not. Educate this landscape/architecture dude.

More focus points is actually a great feature, once you get used to a camera with a lot of focus points it will spoil you. My 1DmkII has 45 focus points & the method to select them is so fast and easy it eliminates the need to focus lock & recompose.
I would love it if the next Pentax would take a similar approach.

[jshurak]

This is the best camera on the market today in the mid to upper mid price range. It will compete with the top of the line Nikon and Canon and will do so with no excuses. It won't be fair to compare this camera to the Canon 40D & Nikon D90 as this camera is out of their league and swims comfortably in the waters of the Canon 1D mk lll and Nikon D300...

Anyone interested in purchasing a 2001 Honda Accord? hmmm?? only 87,000 miles?!

[mawz]

OK, admittedly, I don't shoot anything fast moving. Though, I wonder why someone would want MORE focus points. I say this because I strictly shoot in center-point. If I want to have the focused subject off-center in the frame I focus-lock and recompose my shot. It takes all of a split second. Wouldn't having more focus points only slow down the focusing? I see visions of sharp as a tack shoes instead of the face on a moving basketball player and stuff like that. Or, the branches to the left of the scene are in focus but the bird that you were centered on is not. Educate this landscape/architecture dude.

If you do use more than the single centre point, having lots is a big win because it increases the chance your subject will be under a focus point. The D3000's probably best for this, with the largest frame coverage (Frame coverage is an issue with the 45-point Canons and the Nikon D3, as all the AF points are concentrated in the centre of the image).

[thibs]

OK, admittedly, I don't shoot anything fast moving. Though, I wonder why someone would want MORE focus points. I say this because I strictly shoot in center-point. If I want to have the focused subject off-center in the frame I focus-lock and recompose my shot. It takes all of a split second. Wouldn't having more focus points only slow down the focusing? I see visions of sharp as a tack shoes instead of the face on a moving basketball player and stuff like that. Or, the branches to the left of the scene are in focus but the bird that you were centered on is not. Educate this landscape/architecture dude.

Focussing and recomposing the shot isn't always that good. Sometime after recomposing, the part you focussed on will not be anymore in totally focus. It happens, really.

[SLC Flyfishing]

OK Ben, I think I deduced from your posts that the conference is tomorrow (23rd), am I correct?

I can't afford it right now, but if a few key features are there that I wish I had with the K10D then I may free up some cash!

SLC

[Tom M]

More focus points is actually a great feature, once you get used to a camera with a lot of focus points it will spoil you. My 1DmkII has 45 focus points & the method to select them is so fast and easy it eliminates the need to focus lock & recompose.
I would love it if the next Pentax would take a similar approach.

Well, I know it has 11 point now.. I've played with it but, I found it slower to select a focus point. Maybe if the camera is on a tripod it would be quicker? I found half-depressing quicker. And also more accurate. It must be the way I shoot that doesn't lend itself to more AF points or something.

[Tom M]

So, how would you use the multi-point in a basketball game shooting action?

Wait a second.. With the camera set to multi-point and you fully depressing the shutter release woudl the camera fire off the instant it had focus regardless of where the subject is? I could see that being useful in fast-paced action where just getting the shot is more important than framing.. Am I correct?

Again, trees, buildings, they don't move so much

[mawz]

So, how would you use the multi-point in a basketball game shooting action?

Wait a second.. With the camera set to multi-point and you fully depressing the shutter release woudl the camera fire off the instant it had focus regardless of where the subject is? I could see that being useful in fast-paced action where just getting the shot is more important than framing.. Am I correct?

Again, trees, buildings, they don't move so much

The camera's AF unit will track movement, so all you need to do is keep the viewfinder centred on the action and the camera will keep it in focus. The Canon 45 point and Nikon 51 point units are VERY good at this, with no possibility of comparison to what the 5-15 point units in lower-end bodies. The Pentax's in particular are bad at picking the right point, but I've yet to see a lower point count body that could match my old EOS 3 for AF in action situations (And I'm including some high performance bodies like the F100 and D2Hs's in this).

[blwnhr]

To add my 2-cents to the focus speed and focus point debate I will refer to the 2 images I've posted links to below.

Having multiple focus points is essential. It is, especially in sports photography, not an option to recompose. Take the first image of a car, the focus point is set to the middle-right point so as to keep the front of the car in focus. In the soccer example I had the farthest-right point selected as I was shooting in portrait and wanted to be certain the subjects head was always in focus.

Focus was tracking on the front-left (camera-right) headlight.
Focus was tracking on this boys face.


In sports shooting you need quick, accurate AF and high FPS. These go hand in hand, as we've discovered with the K10D. I, personally, would like to see at least 40D-grade AF, hopefully nearing D300. 11 AF points is good, some more would be better, but mainly accuracy and the ability to predict what is happening.

The prediction side of things Pentax simply can not do. I'm now finding myself shooting more and more sports and finding the limitations of the K10D AF system regularly. For examples like the one posted below the Pentax simply couldn't handle it, yet I shot the same corner with the same lens (both 50-500's) on a 40D and it was spot on every time.

Notice how the focus is on the base of the windscreen? The camera focussed on the front bumper, but because it couldn't predict where it was going to be it fouled up the focus.

This is most certainly a selling point. Not just for me, but a lot of others. There is a massive market here.

[jgredline]

To add my 2-cents to the focus speed and focus point debate I will refer to the 2 images I've posted links to below.

Having multiple focus points is essential. It is, especially in sports photography, not an option to recompose. Take the first image of a car, the focus point is set to the middle-right point so as to keep the front of the car in focus. In the soccer example I had the farthest-right point selected as I was shooting in portrait and wanted to be certain the subjects head was always in focus.

Focus was tracking on the front-left (camera-right) headlight.
Focus was tracking on this boys face.


In sports shooting you need quick, accurate AF and high FPS. These go hand in hand, as we've discovered with the K10D. I, personally, would like to see at least 40D-grade AF, hopefully nearing D300. 11 AF points is good, some more would be better, but mainly accuracy and the ability to predict what is happening.

The prediction side of things Pentax simply can not do. I'm now finding myself shooting more and more sports and finding the limitations of the K10D AF system regularly. For examples like the one posted below the Pentax simply couldn't handle it, yet I shot the same corner with the same lens (both 50-500's) on a 40D and it was spot on every time.

Notice how the focus is on the base of the windscreen? The camera focussed on the front bumper, but because it couldn't predict where it was going to be it fouled up the focus.

This is most certainly a selling point. Not just for me, but a lot of others. There is a massive market here.

Are you saying that the first two examples were with a canon?
Nice work by the way.

[Arpe]

Chris - you mention something for sports shooters - is this camera-centric or lens-centric? And if lens related - will it be announced at the same time as the new cameras?

[blwnhr]

Are you saying that the first two examples were with a canon?
Nice work by the way.

No, they are all with K10D. Just saying that having multiple, selectable AF points is essention, depending on how the camera is being used. The last link is also K10D, my point was where that image is focussed on the windscreen when locked on the bumper, the Canon is focussed on teh bumper when locked on the bumper.