[leekil]

If the a7 II has the same issues as the a9 with manual focusing, perhaps the K-1 should be definitively first:

Now we know: Sony a9 is sharper than we thought: Digital Photography Review

[Kunzite]

Since they're complaining about the K-1's AF, I can't help but notice how the A7II was tested differently - with an improvised studio scene and gentle movements; no bearded DPReviewer on a bike!
Their conclusion - "It works, sometimes" - somehow didn't made into the roundup.

[Digitalis]

This isn't science. There's a lot of subjectivity in those scores

I agree, and there are many detractors are saying that reviews should be objective. No...just no.

Do you have any idea how many camera purchases I based purely upon review scores?

...absolutely none. I do my own homework and find out what will work best for me.

[normhead]

They do give you some guidance as to what you might want to look at. There are a lot of different camera types out there.

[THoog]

Since they're complaining about the K-1's AF, I can't help but notice how the A7II was tested differently - with an improvised studio scene and gentle movements; no bearded DPReviewer on a bike!

That's no good - we need to know how it performs for the very popular BIF* sub-genre!

*Bicycle in Focus

[normhead]

I have to admit, I have never taken a picture of a Bicycle coming straight at me. Zero, nada, zilch, bagel, null set, null and void. I'll never get a job reviewing Pentax gear at DPR.

[TheOneAndOnlyJH]

That's no good - we need to know how it performs for the very popular BIF* sub-genre!

*Bicycle in Focus

Oops! I had the wrong acronym and I've been wasting time trying to work on my Bird In Flight technique. I guess I'll go find some bicycles to practice on instead! 😄

[normhead]

Oops! I had the wrong acronym and I've been wasting time trying to work on my Bird In Flight technique. I guess I'll go find some bicycles to practice on instead! ��

I've posted images of Birds in Flight , like a seagull coming string at me with 7 in a row in focus. It doesn't change the minds of the haters. They just make up excuses why they don't count.

People have also posted pictures of cyclists in a similar vien, they didn't count either. Anything that suggests Pentax has any worth at all as an AF camera simply doesn't count. You may as well quit practicing.

There is absolutely nothing to you can do with Pentax photos where someone doesn't claim it would have been done better with another camera. It's religion around here.

Yet not one of the haters can post an image taken with another camera beside a Pentax where the Pentax guy didn't get a shot but the other guy did. I've posted pictures where I got the better shot shooting next to guy with a 1Dx. That doesn't count either. IN fact it wasn't even commented on. The silence was deafening.

And god forbid you should post a great shot that relies on AF that you are happy with. The haters cannot and will not tolerate happy Pentax shooters. They must be slapped down at all costs.

[MarkJerling]

I've posted images of Birds in Flight , like a seagull coming string at me with 7 in a row in focus. It doesn't change the minds of the haters. They just make up excuses why they don't count.

People have also posted pictures of cyclists in a similar vien, they didn't count either. Anything that suggests Pentax has any worth at all as an AF camera simply doesn't count. You may as well quit practicing.

There is absolutely nothing to you can do with Pentax photos where someone doesn't claim it would have been done better with another camera. It's religion around here.

Yet not one of the haters can post an image taken with another camera beside a Pentax where the Pentax guy didn't get a shot but the other guy did.

And god forbid you should post a great shot that relies on AF that you are happy with. The haters cannot and will not tolerate happy Pentax shooters. They must be slapped down at all costs.

Yup, happened with me when I posted cycle racing photos.

[totsmuyco]

I've posted images of Birds in Flight , like a seagull coming string at me with 7 in a row in focus. It doesn't change the minds of the haters. They just make up excuses why they don't count.

People have also posted pictures of cyclists in a similar vien, they didn't count either. Anything that suggests Pentax has any worth at all as an AF camera simply doesn't count. You may as well quit practicing.

There is absolutely nothing to you can do with Pentax photos where someone doesn't claim it would have been done better with another camera. It's religion around here.

Yet not one of the haters can post an image taken with another camera beside a Pentax where the Pentax guy didn't get a shot but the other guy did. I've posted pictures where I got the better shot shooting next to guy with a 1Dx. That doesn't count either. IN fact it wasn't even commented on. The silence was deafening.

And god forbid you should post a great shot that relies on AF that you are happy with. The haters cannot and will not tolerate happy Pentax shooters. They must be slapped down at all costs.

Maybe you guys with good AF techniques should come up with a thread on how to optimize the Pentax AF. This thread can be used as reference for everyone who wants to learn your techniques and I'm sure this thread would help us a lot. Sorry I can't contribute any cause I'm not good at it.

[clackers]

Maybe you guys with good AF techniques should come up with a thread on how to optimize the Pentax AF. This thread can be used as reference for everyone who wants to learn your techniques and I'm sure this thread would help us a lot. Sorry I can't contribute any cause I'm not good at it.

Well, this is not a bad start, right here:

Guide to Camera and Autofocus Settings for Shooting Sports - Articles and Tips | PentaxForums.com

If it's any consolation, I shoot sports standing right beside Canon and Nikon shooters all the time.

We end up with much the same shots and make the same errors and have the same successes. The ones I've seen with something like a 1DX generate a huge number of frames, which can be handy compared to a Nikon D810 or Pentax K-1.

I find the bulk of Canikon shooters don't understand their camera or have any better action shooting technique than Pentaxians - the rate is very, very low, and the shots you see in magazines or the news come from a tiny minority of their owners.

[normhead]

Maybe you guys with good AF techniques should come up with a thread on how to optimize the Pentax AF. This thread can be used as reference for everyone who wants to learn your techniques and I'm sure this thread would help us a lot. Sorry I can't contribute any cause I'm not good at it.

My biggest problem with tracking AF is keeping the subject in the frame. This is nothing to do with the cameras AF. But, there's really not that much to it. I had a stab at it here.
A case for the supremacy of Pentax AF - Page 5 - PentaxForums.com

My guiding principle is, AF.c with tracking settings set up for birds are on a User setting.
Make the most of AF.s, an area where Pentax AF is quite good.
For trying to pick up birds in flight use the largest auto-focus are you can, and then keep the subject where the AF points are in your viewfinder.
But as far as I can tell this is all about practice.

I rarely can't achieve focus lock. However, I often lose it, or don't get an initial lock then start shooting the background. There is a lot of hand eye in tracking. Some are better at it than others.

[biz-engineer]

I rarely can't achieve focus lock. However, I often lose it, or don't get an initial lock then start shooting the background. There is a lot of hand eye in tracking. Some are better at it than others.

It's the same problem as tracking at clay pigeon shooting by aligning iron sight, or archery, not everyone get the same score, some people are very good, while others get very poor results (please correct me is my English is wrong).

[leekil]

I've posted images of Birds in Flight , like a seagull coming string at me with 7 in a row in focus. It doesn't change the minds of the haters. They just make up excuses why they don't count.

People have also posted pictures of cyclists in a similar vien, they didn't count either. Anything that suggests Pentax has any worth at all as an AF camera simply doesn't count. You may as well quit practicing.

I believe you have to have sharp photos of birds riding bicycles.

[clackers]

Yep, trying to make the camera track the subject, instead of the photographer, even on very expensive and hyped cameras, doesn't work. Across all brands, you have to cherry pick your examples as Jason Lanier or Gary Fong or whoever do in Youtube videos.

DPR's dream team (cough) reviewers Rose, Rishi and Butler still haven't understood that, as they say of the A9:

"Unfortunately, if you need absolute reliability and you simply cannot miss a shot during a crucial play, we still have to recommend using a flexible spot (zone), following your subject yourself, and therefore steering clear of subject tracking. All manufacturers have been making impressive strides in their subject tracking abilities, but as with the Canon EOS-1D X II, Olympus OM-D E-M1 II and even Nikon's D5, subject tracking on the a9 still isn't so reliable as to be counted on 100% of the time if you just need to get the shot."

If those guys were working sports photographers, they would know the ability to pan handheld or off a monopod is a key skill in that genre.

The aggressiveness of the Sony's algorithm to jump on to the background or a player dressed similarly to the one you're trying to focus on are examples from here:

Sony a9 Full Review: Mirrorless Redefined: Digital Photography Review