[willdmo]

Often for me counts one shot, not a row of 7 in focus. The rest is practice, the camere moves and I manipulate with quickshift to the desired focuspoint, or wait til I know that the subject passes and burst than my images.
I guess it is a diffrent approach to gain the same results. As I understand your approach, focus must be improved. With my way to take the picture, focus helps but e rely on practise, rather then focus for "the one candid shot"

[solar1]

Really looking forward to the unveiling next week :-)

ropen
Senior Member • Posts: 1,475
Like?
Re: some points on the new K3
In reply to solarider, 57 min ago
K-3 (on paper until the 8th) is what GR was for Coolpix A, a camera refined to almost perfection in its class and at a very reasonable price for what it is. Both Nikon and Canon have nothing in the APS-C world that can hold a candle to it and will have a great deal of problem to come with a D400 or 7D Mark2 which will best it for the price. D7100 which at least here is the same price as K-3 will be at launch it is a very bad joke in comparison.

And about the AF system it could be easily on par with Nikon's best on speed (including tracking) and more important precision (especially ultra low light level and fast lenses).

Radu

P.S. And yes, it has some quite unbelievable things!


Re: some points on the new K3: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

[Andi Lo]

Really looking forward to the unveiling next week :-)

ropen
Senior Member • Posts: 1,475
Like?
Re: some points on the new K3
In reply to solarider, 57 min ago
K-3 (on paper until the 8th) is what GR was for Coolpix A, a camera refined to almost perfection in its class and at a very reasonable price for what it is. Both Nikon and Canon have nothing in the APS-C world that can hold a candle to it and will have a great deal of problem to come with a D400 or 7D Mark2 which will best it for the price. D7100 which at least here is the same price as K-3 will be at launch it is a very bad joke in comparison.

And about the AF system it could be easily on par with Nikon's best on speed (including tracking) and more important precision (especially ultra low light level and fast lenses).

Radu

P.S. And yes, it has some quite unbelievable things!


Re: some points on the new K3: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Sounds like the second coming of K10D... exciting

[7samurai]

Just waiting for someone to tell me where I pre-order.

[monochrome]

Sounds like the second coming of K10D... exciting

I still have my K10D so I should get one of these, I guess, too!

[The Kurly One]

If focusing improves as much as some of you are speculating, I will upgrade, if not I'll keep holding out

[repaap]

Apart from wifi and tethering and a built in GPS you mean?



Every lens, going from my k-5 to the K-3 should gain about 400 lw/ph, a 20% increase in resolution. That to me is the kind of change that causes new camera purchases. if you have a K-5 IIs, the change isn't so dramatic, less than 10%. Those guys have a much tougher decision, unless the AF is a lot better.

well I have K-7, so I'm quite optimistic for improvements.

[normhead]

Just waiting for someone to tell me where I pre-order.

I'll be driving south by a camera store on the 9th... there's a pretty good chance I'll be stopping in. I'm already making plans... but I'm going to have to test the AF before I make up my mind. I'm not convinced I need more resolution. I'm defintiely not givng up the DR of my K-5, but faster AF could be a selling point. From the number of reviewers that reportedly have these, I'm expecting some pretty solid reviews on the 8th.

[derekkite]

I dont know why AF acuracy is such a big problem,
If you set cour camera to spot metering and set the AF point in the middle it is quite good, with any cam, any brand. If it is a difficult situation and a moving subject, off centered it is not always that easy for your cam to know, what is the subject to focus on. With a thin DOF especially people can be hard to shot, fucused on noses is not a good picture, but no cam in this world can fix that. Its always up to the user and can be cured with manual manipulation on quickshiftlenses. If I shot action, I trap my subjects rather than hunt it. Unless the K-3 wont teach how to make pictures of fast moving subjets, AF reliability will even with big improvement only improve results a little.

I have gotten some great shots with my K-5 and the DA*300, but I have missed quite a few as well. The AF is unpredictable. The center point is very large, and to pick out something to focus on that is smaller than the center point is unpredictable. With moving subjects, it reacts slow enough that the focus is lost by the time it acquires focus and does an exposure. The results are very dependent on light levels and the amount of contrast; I have had many times where even good light the camera can't find focus.

There is definitely room for improvement. I didn't use the K5II, I understand it was better in the sense that it did what was possible with the system.

I look forward to an improved AF system and will buy if it materializes.

[kadajawi]

I'm not that informed on the headphone thing but does it make sense to have a 1/4 jack (?) for headphones when one can use bluetooth wireless headphones ?

Bluetooth headphones are useless, the sound quality isn't very good.

Now having a "high end" headphone port would still be a waste of money though... it's not like Pentax is going to integrate high end microphones that would make these useful... Also, it's not that necessary... a "VU meter" should do it to manually control the gain, unless they get really serious with video (which I don't see happening anytime soon...).

@wildmo: I disagree. Say I put the camera on a tripod, with the DA 50 1.8. I focus on a stationary, high contrast object. The focus point keeps changing everytime I press the AF button (well, no, it thinks it is in focus, every single time, but if I put my hand in front of the lens, let it hunt and then focus on the object again, I will get another point on the focus ring. Sometimes it gets it right, other times not. Heck, I do a better job focusing manually (though it is slower), and that is with old glasses since my newer ones broke. I'm using a K-5. Again, stationary object, lots of contrast. I really don't know what's wrong... When I use CDAF it is spot on, though I do have issues when it gets noisy... then the camera will see the noise and think it's in focus

[starbase218]

There is something I don't understand. People expect the AF of the supposed K-3 to be faster. But isn't it the AF motor that actually determines how fast the lens focuses? In case of screwdriven lenses, it may be faster because the focus motor is in the body. But with SDM/HSM lenses, how can focus speed be faster if you don't change anything about the AF motor?

The only other option I see is that the AF algorithm is improved. This could make the AF more confident, which may lead to somewhat faster focusing. But I don't see how Pentax AF speed can compete with eg Canon or Nikon without using a different AF motor in their SDM lenses, and this means you actually want new lenses, not a new camera.

As for accuracy, I would think that does depend on the AF system and algorithms in the camera.

[thibs]

There is something I don't understand. People expect the AF of the supposed K-3 to be faster. But isn't it the AF motor that actually determines how fast the lens focuses? In case of screwdriven lenses, it may be faster because the focus motor is in the body. But with SDM/HSM lenses, how can focus speed be faster if you don't change anything about the AF motor?

The only other option I see is that the AF algorithm is improved. This could make the AF more confident, which may lead to somewhat faster focusing. But I don't see how Pentax AF speed can compete with eg Canon or Nikon without using a different AF motor in their SDM lenses, and this means you actually want new lenses, not a new camera.

As for accuracy, I would think that does depend on the AF system and algorithms in the camera.

Starbase, you're at least partly right. It is clear that DA55 will never quickly focus.
Yes, Pentax needs better than current SDM, that's been clear for a while.
Fortunately, Pentax has a lot of screwdriven lenses so that's OK lol.

[repaap]

There is something I don't understand. People expect the AF of the supposed K-3 to be faster. But isn't it the AF motor that actually determines how fast the lens focuses? In case of screwdriven lenses, it may be faster because the focus motor is in the body. But with SDM/HSM lenses, how can focus speed be faster if you don't change anything about the AF motor?

The only other option I see is that the AF algorithm is improved. This could make the AF more confident, which may lead to somewhat faster focusing. But I don't see how Pentax AF speed can compete with eg Canon or Nikon without using a different AF motor in their SDM lenses, and this means you actually want new lenses, not a new camera.

As for accuracy, I would think that does depend on the AF system and algorithms in the camera.

Well, I do think that these improvements are just in that algorithm part/effectivity on AF sensor. When it is more confident and accurate, it makes focus more quick also. And with better mid area hopefully atleast one part with f2.8 sensitivity, it makes it more easy with fast zooms, like 50-135/2.8 or 70-200/2.8, 17-50/2.8, ect. To work actually faster with camera. Not that lenses motors will more efficient, but camera would. Also improwing the processor, will make computing faster -> faster focus.

I'm not scientist or pro, but it makes sense to me...little.

[RobA_Oz]

The focussing motors, as I understand it, are piezo-electric drives (with the exception of the DC drive in the 18-135), which rely on the applied pulse rate for their maximum speed, just like the synchronous speed for an a.c. motor. The load will then determine the slip, or the amount by which the actual speed falls below the maximum. Increasing the pulse rate will increase the maximum speed, but that will generally require the power source to increase the supplied current, because the load on the motor tends to increase with speed. So, theoretically, you can increase the focussing speed by increasing the pulse rate, assuming the power supply can provide the increased current, and the motor can withstand the increased load. Increasing the pulse rate is the easiest part of the process. Of course, the algorithm used to achieve focus is the other part of the process.

[Clavius]

I thought to place things in perspective amid the usual nonsensical stuff about the K3, and what we now do know.

A. the new bump is a high end headphone port.
B. The K3 will have a 'completely new' AF system... implies wonderful and very high end to me.
There is much more than the new AF system, hinted at in section E.
C. The more obvious: New Sony 24 MP APSC sensor - (of course, it's NOT the old sensor used in the A77)
D. Firmware 1.0 by this Monday.
E. The really big thing (not to do with headphone port). This is the UNKNOWN, but apparently very big news (to me) and is yet to be announced. :-)


A.)
asahi man
Regular Member • Posts: 301

it´s only a ...
In reply to waxwaine (about the new bump on the K3 body), 13 hours ago

Sorry,sorry.....but....it is a very simple thing.....
High end headphone port,that´s all

best regards

B.) p.s.:the really plus point is the complete new af system.....nothing to do with the current Pentax autofocus


C.)

asahi man
Regular Member • Posts: 301
Like?
3
Re: K-3 with 24mp Sony A77 sensor will be announced early this month
In reply to Joe Ogiba (repeating the really nonsensical farce about using 2 year old sensor from A77), 2 days ago
It is NOT the same sensor.


Replied in Is this also a picture of the K-3?
Sony aps c 24 is inside :-)
In Pentax SLR Talk 9 hours ago


Pentax cameras with -3 are much faster in this range,much much faster and more accurate than the EOS6 and still faster than the Panasonic.
Under real use.
The K-3 have still Firmware 0.0x.
D.)Monday will be 1.0 in the air.

E.)

Replied in K-3´s mysterious bump
(replying to the wacked/distorted angled photo of k3)
This is a final picture,only bad angle of view :-D And again,under the "big thing" is the headphone connect ;-)
In Pentax SLR Talk 9 hours ago

In reply to Ayoh, 2 days ago Replied in Is this also a picture of the K-3?
asahi man wrote:
Replied in Is this also a picture of the K-3?
Q: What are some of those new things?
A: The autofocus...and more.

Replied in Is this also a picture of the K-3?
K3 was onPhotokina but Ricoh took it behind the line.
there are much more new things in this new (K)3,than in the old Pentax plan. Best regards
In Pentax SLR Talk 2 days ago

Well, if it has a headphone jack, then the K-3 must be more centered around video then. And then option E will probably have something to do with those added video capabilities. Which, no matter how impressive those capabilities may be, are just not very interesting to photographers. So I hope Asahi man is just full of it.

Edit 1: Not only the headphone jack indicates more video-centricity. The new line of HD lenses does that too. HD is a video term for 1024p video! And the continuous LED light on the new flashes is only usefull for video. Ah no! The K-3 is really going to be a camcorder.

Then my personal prediction is that the bulge has something to do with a very quiet screwdrive motor, so the typical screwdrive noise doesn't end up in the movies.

Now... How on earth can the entire Pentax userbase of PHOTOGRAPHY enthusiasts NOT be disappointed when they are given something they're not interested in at all? Yes I know, there must be some that are interested in both, but I would guess they would prefer to use dedicated gear.

Edit 2: I have no idea why this came out as a new post.