Originally posted by alcvet in moderately low contrast or darker situations, typically in the studio, it is hunting for ages, and sometimes just giving up. To the point where I am having to turn lights on all over the studio just to find focus, while everyone elses camera is snapping on first time.
Strange. I can't recall having any problem with the K-1 managing to grab focus in low-light. Works much better than any of my other cameras, even from other brands.
Sounds like a potential lens issue. Note that some lenses are simply darker than others [T-stop], which I have noticed in the past when shooting with some lenses like my Sigma 105 Macro on my K-3. And of course issues like using UV or protection filters on a lens can also both darken a lens and play havoc with contrast, and hence make camera AF suffer. So perhaps test your K-1 AF with brighter [& filterless] lenses before drawing any final conclusions.
Quote: I have just dug out my old K5, and tested it alongside my K1, and the K5 is streets ahead, locking onto smooth black surfaces almost instantly even in the relative dark.
Hmmmmmmm ... Compared to my K-5, K-1 low-light focus is so much more confident. Which is not surprising - AF in the K-5 'Classic' is only rated to work down to 0 EV, whereas K-1 AF is specified to work down to -3 EV. The low-light AF of the K-5 used to cause me problems all the time at gigs.
Anyway, shooting smooth black surfaces in low-light is always likely to be problematic in any camera. If your K-5 manages to reliably get focus under such conditions, you have a very special K-5.
Generally worth recalling some of these AF tips [from Nikon]:
Focus-assist light always remains turned off on my cameras, BTW. With cameras from the K-3 onwards, simply not required.