k-7 firmware update wishlist

wolfier · 07-10-2009, 08:45 AM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

I don't see another way to do it and still have access to the functions underneath the 4 way switch.
I want the 4 way to default to AF point selection when I move the AF switch to SEL, but I still want access to the functions below the 4 way switch without having to move the AF switch off of SEL.
Having the AF switch in SEL should tell the camera that I want AF selection of the 4 way as the default operation, with the switches returning to that function.

If I need to get at the lower functions, press the OK button, do what I need to do and press OK again. The 4 way is back to being AF point selection.
This is more or less how it works on the K20, though the first button push is the Fn button, which is now missing.

I don't mind default settings as long as they make sense. When I put the AF switch into SEL, I am telling the camera I want AF point selection as the default operation for the 4 way switch, and that it should revert to that. If I want some other AF point selection method, I'll turn the AF controller to auto or center point.

What I want is a function that will allow me to stay in AF point select with as little fuss and as little button pushing as possible. Having the 4 way default back to AF point selection when that is my indicated preference by AF controller switch position is logical.

What is not logical is the way it is now, where I have to tell the camera I want AF point selection with the controller, then tell it I want AF point selection again with the OK button, and then having to tell it again and again and again that I want AF point selection every time I check my histogram.

The problem is, there are people (although not me) who prefer to select AF once, and change the picture styles, flash modes, etc. more often. To them, having the 4-way stuck at those functions until OK is press makes sense. They can press OK once and have the camera remember.

To the rest of us who wants AF selection until OK is pressed, we also can press OK once and have the camera remember.

This way, the desire of both groups of shooters can be accomplished without upsetting each other. This is the reason I'm against automatically snapping back to a default.

The beauty is, you still don't need to tell the camera again and again and again to use AF selection - you only need to press OK once after selecting a new WB, or once after selecting image curve, or once after selecting a filter - and this is already very acceptable to me.

wolfier · 07-10-2009, 08:47 AM

Originally posted by Peter Zack

Especially since with a grip the battery drain is nothing. I'd like this with an additional user selection in the menu. AE-L until the camera is turned off and not tied to the meter being active.

Can there be a workaround? For example, switching to M during AE-Lock...but with the mode dial lock, this is getting very tough.

(yes, I don't like the mode dial lock either. It looks like a solution in search for a problem while slowing photographers down)

deejjjaaaa · 07-10-2009, 08:47 AM

1) Olympus like AF calibration (for each AF point + take zooms into consideration)

2) automatic AF calibration done by camera by comparing PDAF w/ CDAF and remembering the necessary adjustment if there is one.

Peter Zack · 07-10-2009, 08:48 AM

BTW Wheatfield, I totally agree. Just for this it makes the camera less desirable. They need to address these issues in firmware quickly.

Clearly these setups are designed by engineers that haven't used the features for serious shooting.

Peter Zack · 07-10-2009, 08:53 AM

Originally posted by wolfier

Can there be a workaround? For example, switching to M during AE-Lock...but with the mode dial lock, this is getting very tough.

(yes, I don't like the mode dial lock either. It looks like a solution in search for a problem while slowing photographers down)

Actually I like the Mode dial lock. I don't know how many times I've switched modes by adjusting the meter when I have the camera to my eye and just using my thumb but changing both instead of only the metering mode. This to me is an improvement. If you shoot 1000+ images in a day at an event, you'll appreciate it.

But there's no workaround I've figured out. The thing I wind up doing is tapping the shutter button every 15 seconds to keep the meter on. But then that can't always be done and breaks the concentration on the work at hand.

wolfier · 07-10-2009, 09:00 AM

So you change the metering mode very often, no wonder. I think the lock is very useful to you then. I usually have metering mode set at CWA and at times set to Spot (and never touched Matrix). I think with the K-7 I might try to use Matrix more often and see if it meters more often at the EV that I want.

Do you find that the K-7's metering mode switch too stubby and too tight? It's physically quite difficult to swich metering mode now, compared to the K10D where the lever is longer, and the switch itself is not nearly as tight.

Peter Zack · 07-10-2009, 09:23 AM

Yeah I noticed that the switch is smaller. They didn't need to do that with the mode lock but not a big issue. I do usually shoot in spot and sometimes switch to the other 2 modes.

junyo · 07-10-2009, 09:30 AM

Originally posted by Peter Zack

BTW Wheatfield, I totally agree. Just for this it makes the camera less desirable. They need to address these issues in firmware quickly.

Clearly these setups are designed by engineers that haven't used the features for serious shooting.

I absolutely agree, this is a complete buzzkill on a camera I crave. I didn't preorder because I'm not sure I can deal with the point selection setup.

krtwood · 07-10-2009, 08:44 PM

Originally posted by wolfier

The problem is, there are people (although not me) who prefer to select AF once, and change the picture styles, flash modes, etc. more often. To them, having the 4-way stuck at those functions until OK is press makes sense. They can press OK once and have the camera remember.

I'm sure there are, but the AF point selection is something that you may unexpectedly need to change very quickly as you react to what is happening. Of the four functions that the buttons access the only one I can see a need for emergency quick changing is the drive mode. My point being that regardless of how often you change it what matters is the urgency in which it needs to be changed. Having to worry about what mode the camera is in before you can move the AF point may mean missing the shot. So I completely agree that we need to be able to set how we want the camera to behave and that is the end of it, no flipping back and forth reverting back to a default. Even having to hit OK *every* time would be better than sometimes having to do it, because I can learn to do that fast. Though having it maintain the current behavior when you aren't in SEL would make perfect sense.

I would like to see the option to always show EV comp over on the right when the electronic level is active. This is a feature I'd love to have active, but I have to be able to see what the EV comp is set to all the time. I need to have that staring me in the face every second, even with it there I still forget sometimes, if it's not there I'm really in deep trouble. So it's a nifty feature that I will never use. Of course that means giving up ISO, which I am so happy to see in the viewfinder without setting it to a dial finally, and here I am asking to take it away again!

Another thing I would like to see is the option to keep the dials in shooting priority while the instant review is up. I want to keep the instant review up for the max time, but I can't tell you how many times (on every body I've had) that I have tried to change a setting and end up doing something to the review, and then I'm looking through the vf going "wtf, why won't the aperture change?" So I tend to turn the review completely off, but then I'm hitting play a lot, which takes us back to the first point about not reverting to a default because I hit play...

ogl · 07-11-2009, 12:06 AM

About AF lamp again.

We discuss about logic of K-7's AF lamp's work at russian pentax-club and I think it's really strange work. Auto switch on is rather disappointed. AF lamp can start to work in semidarkness, but without any logic - not always, next time it coudn't work in the same condition, no work in full dark at all.

It could be called as "unpredictable behaviour".

Even P&S camera's AF lamp works more predictable.
That's why we ask about the possibility to switch on/off by user in any time.

MikePerham · 07-11-2009, 08:22 AM

The MLU function locks the mirror up for about 30 seconds, then drops it down again. I suppose this is a power saving function ...however, there are times I wait for more than that to trigger the shutter and need to lock up the mirror again. Perhaps they could have an option to have the MLU timed to the power off setting.

Dr_who · 07-11-2009, 08:30 AM

removal of the banding appearing in images. Especially after using Live View for some users, but it has been appearing at low ISO and bright pictures not just under exposed ones.

inferno10 · 07-12-2009, 03:07 PM

After playing around with my K-7, I'm finding that there are some functions that were on the K20D but are no longer on the K-7.

First, the custom function for the AF button in the K-7 is missing the 3rd option to allow the button to choose the center focus point. This was a function I used quite often on the K20D. With the new button layout on the K-7, it would be especially nice to have this 3rd option so I don't need to press OK then move the point to the center target, instead just pressing the AF button to return to center.

Second, please allow us to manually enable the LCD illumination on the top panel. I'm not a fan of turning on the LCD after each meter reading, but I'm even more opposed to the alternative of totally disabling the ability to illuminate the LCD. The K20D allowed us to manually illuminate the LCD by pressing the exposure compensation button. For me, this worked perfectly, letting me control when I needed the illumination.
Both of these feature requests appear to be software-related, so hopefully they can be added in a firmware revision.

Ned or Jon C, if you happen to read this post, please pass these feature requests along to your engineers. I'd be most grateful if these features return to the K-7.

fishy · 07-12-2009, 03:18 PM

A minor gripe I have with the grip (on my K10D) is pressing the shutter button on it by accident. It would be so nice if the grip controls are only activated if the camera is rotated...

krtwood · 07-12-2009, 07:24 PM

In movie mode I'd like an option for a beep when recording starts. Normally you don't want any noise that would of course be picked up by the microphone, but if you're using the camera on a tripod with a cable release and you can't see the LCD you have no idea if recording actually started. I've already had this happen where I thought it was recording but wasn't.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
K-x Firmware wishlist	Eruditass	Pentax DSLR Discussion	101	03-29-2011 10:12 PM
Cannot Update Firmware	a johnson	Pentax DSLR Discussion	10	04-27-2010 04:36 PM
KX FIRMWARE UPDATE	ntarbox	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	3	01-21-2010 04:18 AM
K7 Firmware Update	Workingdog	Pentax DSLR Discussion	2	12-22-2009 01:53 PM
Another K-7 Firmware Wishlist Thread	Wheatfield	Pentax DSLR Discussion	16	09-09-2009 09:09 AM

07-10-2009, 08:45 AM	#16
wolfier Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 123	Originally posted by Wheatfield I don't see another way to do it and still have access to the functions underneath the 4 way switch. I want the 4 way to default to AF point selection when I move the AF switch to SEL, but I still want access to the functions below the 4 way switch without having to move the AF switch off of SEL. Having the AF switch in SEL should tell the camera that I want AF selection of the 4 way as the default operation, with the switches returning to that function. If I need to get at the lower functions, press the OK button, do what I need to do and press OK again. The 4 way is back to being AF point selection. This is more or less how it works on the K20, though the first button push is the Fn button, which is now missing. I don't mind default settings as long as they make sense. When I put the AF switch into SEL, I am telling the camera I want AF point selection as the default operation for the 4 way switch, and that it should revert to that. If I want some other AF point selection method, I'll turn the AF controller to auto or center point. What I want is a function that will allow me to stay in AF point select with as little fuss and as little button pushing as possible. Having the 4 way default back to AF point selection when that is my indicated preference by AF controller switch position is logical. What is not logical is the way it is now, where I have to tell the camera I want AF point selection with the controller, then tell it I want AF point selection again with the OK button, and then having to tell it again and again and again that I want AF point selection every time I check my histogram. The problem is, there are people (although not me) who prefer to select AF once, and change the picture styles, flash modes, etc. more often. To them, having the 4-way stuck at those functions until OK is press makes sense. They can press OK once and have the camera remember. To the rest of us who wants AF selection until OK is pressed, we also can press OK once and have the camera remember. This way, the desire of both groups of shooters can be accomplished without upsetting each other. This is the reason I'm against automatically snapping back to a default. The beauty is, you still don't need to tell the camera again and again and again to use AF selection - you only need to press OK once after selecting a new WB, or once after selecting image curve, or once after selecting a filter - and this is already very acceptable to me.

07-10-2009, 08:47 AM	#17
wolfier Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 123	Originally posted by Peter Zack Especially since with a grip the battery drain is nothing. I'd like this with an additional user selection in the menu. AE-L until the camera is turned off and not tied to the meter being active. Can there be a workaround? For example, switching to M during AE-Lock...but with the mode dial lock, this is getting very tough. (yes, I don't like the mode dial lock either. It looks like a solution in search for a problem while slowing photographers down)

07-10-2009, 08:47 AM	#18
deejjjaaaa Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: steel city / rust belt Posts: 2,043	1) Olympus like AF calibration (for each AF point + take zooms into consideration) 2) automatic AF calibration done by camera by comparing PDAF w/ CDAF and remembering the necessary adjustment if there is one.

07-10-2009, 08:48 AM	#19
Peter Zack Pentaxian Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 10,643	BTW Wheatfield, I totally agree. Just for this it makes the camera less desirable. They need to address these issues in firmware quickly. Clearly these setups are designed by engineers that haven't used the features for serious shooting.

07-10-2009, 08:53 AM	#20
Peter Zack Pentaxian Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 10,643	Originally posted by wolfier Can there be a workaround? For example, switching to M during AE-Lock...but with the mode dial lock, this is getting very tough. (yes, I don't like the mode dial lock either. It looks like a solution in search for a problem while slowing photographers down) Actually I like the Mode dial lock. I don't know how many times I've switched modes by adjusting the meter when I have the camera to my eye and just using my thumb but changing both instead of only the metering mode. This to me is an improvement. If you shoot 1000+ images in a day at an event, you'll appreciate it. But there's no workaround I've figured out. The thing I wind up doing is tapping the shutter button every 15 seconds to keep the meter on. But then that can't always be done and breaks the concentration on the work at hand.

07-10-2009, 09:00 AM	#21
wolfier Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 123	So you change the metering mode very often, no wonder. I think the lock is very useful to you then. I usually have metering mode set at CWA and at times set to Spot (and never touched Matrix). I think with the K-7 I might try to use Matrix more often and see if it meters more often at the EV that I want. Do you find that the K-7's metering mode switch too stubby and too tight? It's physically quite difficult to swich metering mode now, compared to the K10D where the lever is longer, and the switch itself is not nearly as tight.

07-10-2009, 09:23 AM	#22
Peter Zack Pentaxian Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 10,643	Yeah I noticed that the switch is smaller. They didn't need to do that with the mode lock but not a big issue. I do usually shoot in spot and sometimes switch to the other 2 modes.

07-10-2009, 09:30 AM	#23
junyo Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 418	Originally posted by Peter Zack BTW Wheatfield, I totally agree. Just for this it makes the camera less desirable. They need to address these issues in firmware quickly. Clearly these setups are designed by engineers that haven't used the features for serious shooting. I absolutely agree, this is a complete buzzkill on a camera I crave. I didn't preorder because I'm not sure I can deal with the point selection setup.

07-10-2009, 08:44 PM	#24
krtwood Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: NH Posts: 40	Originally posted by wolfier The problem is, there are people (although not me) who prefer to select AF once, and change the picture styles, flash modes, etc. more often. To them, having the 4-way stuck at those functions until OK is press makes sense. They can press OK once and have the camera remember. I'm sure there are, but the AF point selection is something that you may unexpectedly need to change very quickly as you react to what is happening. Of the four functions that the buttons access the only one I can see a need for emergency quick changing is the drive mode. My point being that regardless of how often you change it what matters is the urgency in which it needs to be changed. Having to worry about what mode the camera is in before you can move the AF point may mean missing the shot. So I completely agree that we need to be able to set how we want the camera to behave and that is the end of it, no flipping back and forth reverting back to a default. Even having to hit OK every time would be better than sometimes having to do it, because I can learn to do that fast. Though having it maintain the current behavior when you aren't in SEL would make perfect sense. I would like to see the option to always show EV comp over on the right when the electronic level is active. This is a feature I'd love to have active, but I have to be able to see what the EV comp is set to all the time. I need to have that staring me in the face every second, even with it there I still forget sometimes, if it's not there I'm really in deep trouble. So it's a nifty feature that I will never use. Of course that means giving up ISO, which I am so happy to see in the viewfinder without setting it to a dial finally, and here I am asking to take it away again! Another thing I would like to see is the option to keep the dials in shooting priority while the instant review is up. I want to keep the instant review up for the max time, but I can't tell you how many times (on every body I've had) that I have tried to change a setting and end up doing something to the review, and then I'm looking through the vf going "wtf, why won't the aperture change?" So I tend to turn the review completely off, but then I'm hitting play a lot, which takes us back to the first point about not reverting to a default because I hit play...

07-11-2009, 12:06 AM	#25
ogl Banned Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sankt Peterburg Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,382 Original Poster	About AF lamp again. We discuss about logic of K-7's AF lamp's work at russian pentax-club and I think it's really strange work. Auto switch on is rather disappointed. AF lamp can start to work in semidarkness, but without any logic - not always, next time it coudn't work in the same condition, no work in full dark at all. It could be called as "unpredictable behaviour". Even P&S camera's AF lamp works more predictable. That's why we ask about the possibility to switch on/off by user in any time.

07-11-2009, 08:22 AM	#26
MikePerham Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Prince George, BC Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 642	The MLU function locks the mirror up for about 30 seconds, then drops it down again. I suppose this is a power saving function ...however, there are times I wait for more than that to trigger the shutter and need to lock up the mirror again. Perhaps they could have an option to have the MLU timed to the power off setting.

07-11-2009, 08:30 AM	#27
Dr_who Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 777	removal of the banding appearing in images. Especially after using Live View for some users, but it has been appearing at low ISO and bright pictures not just under exposed ones.

07-12-2009, 03:07 PM	#28
inferno10 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 342	After playing around with my K-7, I'm finding that there are some functions that were on the K20D but are no longer on the K-7. First, the custom function for the AF button in the K-7 is missing the 3rd option to allow the button to choose the center focus point. This was a function I used quite often on the K20D. With the new button layout on the K-7, it would be especially nice to have this 3rd option so I don't need to press OK then move the point to the center target, instead just pressing the AF button to return to center. Second, please allow us to manually enable the LCD illumination on the top panel. I'm not a fan of turning on the LCD after each meter reading, but I'm even more opposed to the alternative of totally disabling the ability to illuminate the LCD. The K20D allowed us to manually illuminate the LCD by pressing the exposure compensation button. For me, this worked perfectly, letting me control when I needed the illumination. Both of these feature requests appear to be software-related, so hopefully they can be added in a firmware revision. Ned or Jon C, if you happen to read this post, please pass these feature requests along to your engineers. I'd be most grateful if these features return to the K-7.

07-12-2009, 03:18 PM	#29
fishy Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Brussels Photos: Gallery Posts: 199	A minor gripe I have with the grip (on my K10D) is pressing the shutter button on it by accident. It would be so nice if the grip controls are only activated if the camera is rotated...

07-12-2009, 07:24 PM	#30
krtwood Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: NH Posts: 40	In movie mode I'd like an option for a beep when recording starts. Normally you don't want any noise that would of course be picked up by the microphone, but if you're using the camera on a tripod with a cable release and you can't see the LCD you have no idea if recording actually started. I've already had this happen where I thought it was recording but wasn't.