[asharpe]

This is a little odd. I selected the RAW/Fx button to be Shake Reduction on/off, and indeed it does do this, but only if I have the Status Screen showing (clicking the button correctly shows the shake reduction being turned on and off). But I don't like the Status Screen; it is distracting, so I selected to turn the display off. When I do this, and either have no display, or even press the Info button to select features, the custom button does nothing (the Info display for SR does not change). This is annoying, and odd, and I'm running the latest firmware (1.0.3). Anyway, if I choose Info, it's easy enough to select the SR and turn it off, but what's the point of having a custom button that only works when the Status Screen is shown? This seems like a bug, and something that can be fixed in firmware.

I wanted to get some consensus that this is indeed what happens for other folks, too, before I report it (and is the Ricoh support web page the best place to report this?).

Andrew
photography by andrew sharpe

[Stone G.]

Now that's mighty strange. I just tried to set the RAW/Fx button to SR (never tried this before) and this is what happened for me:

With the Status screen off, I can both hear the beep and see the SR icon turn off and on in the viewfinder as I press the RAW/Fx button. If I then turn on the status screen - - - - - then the RAW/Fx button becomes inactive!!!

Like you, I have firmware version 1.03 - and like you I find the Status/Info screen distracting (and power consuming?).

So, why does your K-3 behave differently from mine??? To me it almost looks like a hardware (wire/soldering) flaw. Only other explanation that I could think of would be if you were in a User Mode and had some kind of conflict here?

[mactrash]

I just do a quick test.

Firmware 1.03

Set the Fx button to SR.

If work both screen or and off

[Stone G.]

Thanks mactrash & OK, I correct myself:

With the Status Screen it can be as well on as off. The RAW/Fx button still works.

With the Info screen (: the screen that appears when the Info button is pressed) the RAW/Fx button becomes inactive when the screen is on.

[asharpe]

Ok, a little more research. The custom RAW/Fx button does not work when the info screen is on. However, if the display is blanked, it does work, but there is no indication whether it is on or not (the viewfinder indication can show that it is *active*, but it takes a second or two sometimes before it activates, especially in dim light, so this is *not* a simple indication that it is *enabled*). And the SR status doesn't show in the top LCD. And turning it on or off doesn't offer a focal length, either, so it looks like the fastest way to do that is the same was as the old K20D: turn the camera off and on again. The focal length is in the 3rd submenu, so its a bit buried. It would have been easy to put it on the OK menu when you select SR in the Info screen, but alas, it is only On or Off on that screen. Luckily for me, (and smart of Pentax), the SR turns off when timer or mirror lock or remote control is used. Because I'm on a tripod when I use those, its a good thing that it is turned off automatically, in case I forget.

So I guess my complaints are not too serious: the design issues of no easy way to get to SR focal length without turning the camera off and on, no indication of SR in the top LCD (nor the SR focal length), and the RAW/Fx button not working in the Info screen (where it would be useful).