[kwb]

"Is available" or is it coming in a firmware update?
Because there is zero reference to eye-af or bird-af in the manual - only face detect in LV.

English manual page 62, "subject recognition". It seems like this is either on or off, no finer control in the setting.

[MMVIII]

"Is available" or is it coming in a firmware update?
Because there is zero reference to eye-af or bird-af in the manual - only face detect in LV.

---------- Post added 04-01-21 at 03:18 PM ----------

I've seen lots of reference that 'it can focus on pupils' but is there a setting for me to select that detects pupils in pdaf? or is the af assuming that I want to detect pupils at all times?

If you let the camera decide it might assume that face and eye is what you want to have in focus. I think I read somewhere that it will need focus point selection on Auto or Zone select. I think it's natural that with that you give some control out of hand and have to trust the algorithm.
Not having used a camera with eye detect AF, how do others handle that? How do they know which eye I want to have in focus? What if I'm photographing a bride walking behind the flower girls...? Any experience someone?
(I'm an old school focus and recompose type of photographer, and rarely I open the lens to more than 5.6)

Edit: by the way, when dpreviev did the bicycle test with the D500 I had a look at the images and almost all of them had a OOF-face. Their answer was that the camera cought the more contrasty shirt (sure, signal yellow or orange) for the start of the focusing sequence but then showed perfect prediction by keeping it on exactly that... So, this would be one answer to my previous question...

[Wheatfield]

Inflation ?!?

Pentax K-3 (2014), US$ 1299
Pentax K-3 ii (2015), US$ 1099.95
Pentax K-3 iii (2021), US$ 1999

For US$ 1999 you get also an K-1 ii ?!?

I will continue use my K-3 und K-1 (without Mark).

Thank you for sharing that with us. I know a lot of people were concerned.

---------- Post added Apr 1st, 2021 at 05:04 PM ----------

Is eye AF even possible through a OVF? ... don't think I have seen it from any other manufacturer before.

Canon did it on one of their SLRs in the late 1980s.

[kwb]

If you let the camera decide it might assume that face and eye is what you want to have in focus. I think I read somewhere that it will need focus point selection on Auto or Zone select. I think it's natural that with that you give some control out of hand and have to trust the algorithm.
Not having used a camera with eye detect AF, how do others handle that? How do they know which eye I want to have in focus? What if I'm photographing a bride walking behind the flower girls...? Any experience someone?
(I'm an old school focus and recompose type of photographer, and rarely I open the lens to more than 5.6)

I tested Sony A7R4 for a week or so as my work colleague bought it for technical documentation purpose. I only tested face and eye AF for 10 minutes or so, but thought the camera selected a face that has some intersection with the focus area, so you have that control (move the focus area or move the camera and start tracking), and you can also touch the face on the touch screen to select.

When eyes are detected, the camera somehow automatically selects right or left for you, but as far as you're not actually focus-tracking (i.e. shutter button half pressed), you can switch eyes by using the touch screen. There was supposed to be a way to switch eyes by pressing a button but I couldn't find which button that was.

[bencoskater]

My big question is about the speed of autofocus for bird photography with my DA* 300mm, with and without the DA 1.4x TC. Lightning speed isn't normally a big issue for me until I'm trying to photograph flitting, fast moving songbirds like warblers, when the time lag with my K-3 can be very frustrating. I have some good bird in flight shots using settings found on the forum but that's a bit hit and miss - I've lost some really good opportunities and don't even attempt swallows flying by, which some cameras/lenses seem to be able to do.
I'm guessing that for a bird in the bush there are two factors - the speed of locking in the focus which would be the camera, and the mechanics of moving the the lens elements, which would be the lens motor. So maybe I can expect some improvement in that but not the speed of a PLM lens. For birds in flight I'm thinking the new tracking ability would give me a substantiial improvement , from what I have read so far.

Take a look on Rene Fisher instagram. She shot BIF without any problem using K3 III + DA* 300 + 1.4 TC. I have the same configuration lens
You can also see her prictures on the site of Pentax.

[Adam]

Thank you for sharing that with us. I know a lot of people were concerned.

---------- Post added Apr 1st, 2021 at 05:04 PM ----------



Canon did it on one of their SLRs in the late 1980s.

Probably beating a dead horse here, but I just wanted to point out that the K-5 launched at $1599 if I recall correctly. We're just back to paying premium prices for premium cameras.

[Belnan]

Probably beating a dead horse here, but I just wanted to point out that the K-5 launched at $1599 if I recall correctly. We're just back to paying premium prices for premium cameras.

Take this you dead horse, I paid 1200 for my K-3 original, within weeks of the release, I could of bought 2 of them for the same price as the latest one. Dont forget that the K-3 had many advancements over the K-5 as well.


However the K-5 had the leading IQ and they were able to ask a bit of a premium for that camera, perhaps a similar philosophy with the newest camera.

[reh321]

English manual page 62, "subject recognition". It seems like this is either on or off, no finer control in the setting.

I'm not even sure what 'finer' control would consist of.

[reh321]

Take this you dead horse, I paid 1200 for my K-3 original, within weeks of the release, I could of bought 2 of them for the same price as the latest one. Dont forget that the K-3 had many advancements over the K-5 as well.

The K-3iii is a mighty fine new camera - possibly "twice as fine" as the original K-3.

[FozzFoster]

'finer'

'subject recognition' is super vague... but maybe it really is that good at detecting the scene.
I had thought I could choose from:
-Face detect
-Eye detect
-Bird detect
-maybe 'motion detect'

[reh321]

'subject recognition' is super vague... but maybe it really is that good to detect the scene.
I had thought I could choose from:
-Face detect
-Eye detect
-Bird detect
-maybe 'motion detect'

So you want it to focus on the left eye of a Grackle standing next to a Squirrel??

[FozzFoster]

So you want it to focus on the left eye of a Grackle standing next to a Squirrel??

I personally don't need it to do much more than what Pentax currently offers, but it sounded to me that they were making such claims and I haven't seen it in practice.. yet

It's pretty impressive what some other brand eye-af can do, such as detecting the nearest eye or detect multiple peoples eyes, animal eyes etc

It sounded like Pentax said we can do that too, and in a viewfinder! so I'm just excited to see what they can do

[dbs]

I personally don't need it to do much more than what Pentax currently offers, but it sounded to me that they were making such claims and I haven't seen it in practice.. yet

It's pretty impressive what some other brand eye-af can do, such as detecting the nearest eye or detect multiple peoples eyes, animal eyes etc

It sounded like Pentax said we can do that too, and in a viewfinder! so I'm just excited to see what they can do

Ricoh have had the tech for awhile ( GR iii ) and have been able to impliment it into the K3 iii.
You tube the GR Project and you will see it in action .

Dave

[mtkeller]

Ricoh have had the tech for awhile ( GR iii ) and have been able to impliment it into the K3 iii.
You tube the GR Project and you will see it in action .

Dave

GR iii doesn’t have a viewfinder. The K-3 iii offers this focusing technology through the OVF, not just in live view, which would be the area where technology also on the GR iii would be useful.

[FozzFoster]

This video at 0:47 mentions something that caught my eye:
https://youtu.be/dAEvaVsdxWY?t=47

"To provide a larger image, then, we had to resolve a number of issues - many which aren't even listed in the specification sheet"

I can't wait to get my hands on one of these!