Originally posted by Dericali
and I'm not talking about BIF or anything fancy. sometimes my camera has trouble locking on to stationary objects. Frankly, Pentax should have been able to release a camera with decent AF - that is by no means asking too much.
Having watched the videos comparing the 24-70 and the 24-70s on other systems, I'm not sure you even have a point.
Pentax 24-70 compared to Canon and Nikon youtube - Yahoo Video Search Results
I wonder how many people realize that if your camera is set to shutter priority, it will fire the shutter before the camera is done focussing. There is just no information here to understand what is happening.
What you have there is people actually comparing actual cameras in real world use. They don't seem to find the pentax less than decent. Do I believe them, who actually have worked side by side with real systems? Or do i believe you and your negativity?
I know which one I think has a bit of understanding of what they are talking about. The point being, there may be situations where Pentax has trouble locking focus, the assumption that this is purely a Pentax problem that wouldn't happen with other systems is completely unsupported by any data. I have shot side by side with Canon shooters, who gave up because they couldn't lock focus while I was firing away in low light.
I got this, and about 20 more like it. This one taken with a Sigma 70-300 and a K-20D. The two Canon guys standing beside me walked away with nothing. Yet you don't see me going around claiming Canon low light performance is substandard. It's single case, one day, one set of circumstances. I understand that.
The fact that you at times can't lock focus, on it's own means next to nothing. I've seen lots of times when people with many systems can't lock focus for whatever reason. And there is actual test data out there that on stationary items with fast focussing lenses, Pentax is actually ahead of the curve, like at IR where Pentax checks focus on focus priority images faster than anything but an A9.
I suspect Pentax is more in the game than you think it is. This based on hours spent shooting beside users of other systems.
People who criticize Pentax AF, for some reason think that doing so gets then a free pass, and they don't have to provide any information, like what their situation was, and have the right to generalize from situations and are under no obligation to explain what those situations were. Most of the time when I'm shooting, next to Canon and Nikon systems, I don't find myself at a disadvantage. Perhaps the difference between me and you being, I've actually shot beside 50 or so other photographers over 8 years, talked to them about what they are experiencing and never felt the urge to trash Pentax the way you do. IMHO, sometimes I have more trouble than they do, sometimes they have more trouble than I do. I'll personally not even try and predict which system will be inadequate in which circumstances. I just know, sometimes my shutter clicks first.
Let that sink in. Sometimes I get the first shot off. it doesn't matter what everyone on the internet says about Pentax AF, sometimes I lock focus and start shooting before the Nikon and Canon guys. Explain to me how that can happen if Pentax AF is so inferior?
That would be different from what you are posting where Pentax AF would always be inferior. Again, in my experience, that's nonsense. Pentax AF is in some circumstances inferior. Like tracking BiFs. In many circumstances, it's not a disadvantage in the slightest.
If you are going to moan about how terrible Pentax AF is, at least give us the circumstances you were shooting in and light conditions etc. Someone might be able to help you out.
For example, if you are shooting in shutter priority, you may be firing the shutter before the camera is finished focussing. There are settings that can affect how many in focus images you get. Before i even entertain this "Pentax AF is terrible" kind of stuff, I want to know that the camera was set up optimally, for the task at hand.