Not sure what setting I did or didnt change but my AF while in LV is at a snails pace. Unbearably slow. Ma y seconds go by even with focus asist activated. Any clues? New to tbis forum and K1. Thanks

[bertwert]

Typically live view AF is slower but more accurate.

[pakinjapan]

beside what @bertwert mention above, are you happened to use a Marcro lens?
I don't have a K-1 but on my K5 and K3 when Live-view auto focusing with any macro lens, it is slower than a snail walk. I think it is common for a macro lens.

Yeah it's a Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro. Thanks for the info.

[Sandy Hancock]

If a macro lens is set on infinity, and you try to focus on something close (or vice versa), you have to expect it to take a while. The focus throw on these lenses is very long.

If you're using a macro for general use, make sure it is at infinity before you try to autofocus. I find my DFA100WR is actually quite quick used this way.

[rawr]

In the scheme of things, K-1 LiveView AF is actually pretty fast, I've found. It was really slow in K-x, not much faster in K-5, but greatly improved in K-3 and K-1.

Perhaps try some different lenses (particularly SDM/HSM lenses, or fast screw drive lenses like some of the DA pancakes), and maybe adjust your AF settings too. Tracking AF mode in LiveView, for example, will probably make the AF feel slow if there is nothing to track.

I'd also suggest switching the camera to complete AUTO mode and seeing if that makes a difference to how LV AF performs. If it does, then you can be confident that any LiveView issues are probably something to do with the settings you have for AF (or metering).

[Winder]

It all depends on the lens.

It all depends on the lens.

All good advice. Thanks to all for the advice and info. Last time I used a Pentax camera was back in the mid 70's with a K1000.

Okay. set lens to infinity focus before shooting. Same issue. Barrel extends all the way out, then in. Snails pace. And Veerrry slowly. Tried using Full and Limit setting....no change. Lens focus Very fast when not in LV mode.

[boriscleto]

Okay. set lens to infinity focus before shooting. Same issue. Barrel extends all the way out, then in. Snails pace. And Veerrry slowly. Tried using Full and Limit setting....no change. Lens focus Very fast when not in LV mode.

Contrast detect AF is always going to be slower than phase detect AF. That is why the sensor makers are adding phase detect to the sensor for high-end mirrorless cameras.

[Sandy Hancock]

Live view focussing requires an area of contrast. Make sure your selected focal point is something the camera can detect.

I am aware of the contrast issue and thanks. I must have a feature turned off or on.

[Na Horuk]

a) Make sure you are using latest firmware update of the camera
b) Make sure the lens optics are clean (front and back element), and that no filter is affecting the IQ (some really poor UV filters or polarizing filters can cause trouble with AF)
c) Choose the Single point AF option. In live view, the tracking AF or face recognition AF are pretty bad.
d) Choose a fast lens. Not all lenses have the same contrast, the same focus throw.

Particularly macro lenses have a really long focus throw, so AF will be slower. Just focus on something that is 90cm away from you. Now switch to MF, and look at how the same frame looks if you focus to minimum focus disance, and then to infinity. Look at what a big difference there is! This is why the AF needs some time. A fast non-macro prime like DA 40mm or DA 50mm would focus a little faster, because it has less area to cover and a shorter focus throw. For macro you need a long focus throw because in macro range you usually use MF anyway. Anything that is close to 1:2 or more magnification should be just manual focus. You can even just choose the magnification you want and then focus by moving the camera one or two mm closer or further.

[bdery]

Not sure what setting I did or didnt change but my AF while in LV is at a snails pace. Unbearably slow. Ma y seconds go by even with focus asist activated. Any clues? New to tbis forum and K1. Thanks

Yeah it's a Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro. Thanks for the info.

Screw drive lenses will be slow in LV. That's not a camera issue.

Typically live view AF is slower but more accurate.

With modern, DC lenses, there is rarely any actual difference between LV and the viewfinder. For some it can even be faster, especially in low light.

DC lens ?

---------- Post added 04-07-17 at 06:51 PM ----------

Ah...got it. Lot of letters describing these lenses. Need a guide! 😮