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08-13-2014, 05:03 PM   #16
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sorver Quote
there is obviously a larger learning curve with the k-3 than I envisioned.
The larger learning curve is no more than simply reading the directions that come with the camera and taking things one step at a time. The K-3, "out of the boxy", in no more difficult to use than a K-50 or a K-500.

The crazy mirror report is a sad thing. It may be that the OP has a defective camera. In which case he/she should work with the seller and get it replaced.

As for the AF "issues"...there is no camera that can track a child and provide consistently sharp photos at f/2.8 and focal length over 70mm. The DOF is at 5' is only 2" at 70mm. Any expectation of such is truly unwarranted and tragic.

To the OP...My comments may sound judgmental, but that is not my attitude. I am truly sorry that your camera misbehaved out of the gate and that the performance of both camera and lens did not live up to your expectations. The AF-C on my K-3 has amazed me the few times I have had to use it and with time perhaps it will gain your respect as well. Do contact your seller in regards to the crazy mirror. Your camera should not do that even at low voltage.


Steve


Last edited by stevebrot; 08-13-2014 at 05:09 PM.
08-13-2014, 07:19 PM   #17
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
The larger learning curve is no more than simply reading the directions that come with the camera and taking things one step at a time. The K-3, "out of the boxy", in no more difficult to use than a K-50 or a K-500.

The crazy mirror report is a sad thing. It may be that the OP has a defective camera. In which case he/she should work with the seller and get it replaced.

As for the AF "issues"...there is no camera that can track a child and provide consistently sharp photos at f/2.8 and focal length over 70mm. The DOF is at 5' is only 2" at 70mm. Any expectation of such is truly unwarranted and tragic.

To the OP...My comments may sound judgmental, but that is not my attitude. I am truly sorry that your camera misbehaved out of the gate and that the performance of both camera and lens did not live up to your expectations. The AF-C on my K-3 has amazed me the few times I have had to use it and with time perhaps it will gain your respect as well. Do contact your seller in regards to the crazy mirror. Your camera should not do that even at low voltage.


Steve
Ok. Thanks for everyones input. All is well as I found the culprit. I am very familiar with shutter speeds, motion blur, etc. as I have been shooting sports since I was 12. 1000/ sec is plenty fast for me to judge if my subject in in focus, and I know the difference between my subject and background. I did update the firmware, and set the AWB to strong for tungsten light. That was a huge improvement. As for the AF, I had menu C.18 set to high, which is the hold AF feature. I mistakingly thought this meant the AF speed. Instead, it means the amount of time the AF will hold its last position before re-focusing. Once I set it to off and set single point AF, all is well. I also set the burst mode to medium, which allowed the AF to keep up better and give me a higher keeper rate. I set both in camera SR and lens OS to off, as its not needed at 1000/sec.

Now, I have a new problem of which lens to keep, and which to send back. My options are the DA* 200mm, or the Sigma 70-200mm EX HSM. I did several tests, and the DA* is very impressive on the K3. I had decided to return it after testing it on my K-30, but it is way faster on the K-3. I had about a 50% keeper rate with the DA*, and believe it or not, a little less on the Sigma. I can barely tell a difference in IQ between the two, so that is a wash. I like the WR as it may come in handy, and like the weight. The Sigma, on the other hand is more versatile, and was actually slower. Any thoughts?

---------- Post added 08-13-14 at 09:33 PM ----------

Also, i forgot to mention both lenses needed +10 fine adjustment. Other than that, the camera is rocking now.
08-13-2014, 07:35 PM   #18
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For sports I think the zoom might be an advantage.
I'm surprised to hear the sigma is slower than the SDM lens.
I have an SDM 50-135 as well as a DA*300 in SDM and the Sigma OS lens beats them in focus speed.
08-13-2014, 09:35 PM   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by Khoff2 Quote
All is well as I found the culprit.
Did the crazy mirror resolve as well?


Steve

08-14-2014, 05:36 AM   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Did the crazy mirror resolve as well?


Steve
It has not happened on day 2. I will be shooting an event this weekend, though, with my K-30 as backup.

Oh, BTW, I was using F4, not 2.8. Either way, modern AF should be able to keep up with a panning shot, where the subject distance is slowly changing. As for running toward me, I am satisfied with a 50% keeper on that, which I finally achieved. As I said before, menu C.18 was the problem, not my expectations.

Last edited by Khoff2; 08-14-2014 at 05:43 AM.
08-14-2014, 05:53 AM   #21
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Yeah, sometimes the way options are worded is counter-intuitive - that's caught lots of us I'm sure.

As mentioned, zooms have their advantages in constantly-changing situations. It sounds like you have to work through the relative advantages and figure out which lens will suit your situation.
08-14-2014, 09:58 AM   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by Khoff2 Quote
Now, I have a new problem of which lens to keep, and which to send back. My options are the DA* 200mm, or the Sigma 70-200mm EX HSM. I did several tests, and the DA* is very impressive on the K3. I had decided to return it after testing it on my K-30, but it is way faster on the K-3. I had about a 50% keeper rate with the DA*, and believe it or not, a little less on the Sigma. I can barely tell a difference in IQ between the two, so that is a wash. I like the WR as it may come in handy, and like the weight. The Sigma, on the other hand is more versatile, and was actually slower. Any thoughts?[COLOR="Silver"]
Hi Khoff2,

One consideration might be the ability to use a TC. With the HD AW 1.4x Rear Converter, you would have full functionality at 280mm f4. AF would work as expected, SR would adjust to the added FL, and the one stop difference would be compensated for with corrected Av in exif. None of these would hold true with the Sigma, if reports are correct, and I have no doubts that these are true, but I have no direct experience.

On the other hand, the recent announcement of the discontinuation of the Sigma EX 70-200 might be an incentive to keep the lens, at least for a while. The generally accepted opinion is that this lens is the fastest focusing lens at this FL, despite your experience, and this will probably result in a high demand for this lens (read escalating used market price) now that the lens won't be available new. The last time Sigma discontinued their 70-200 f2.8, the market price rose to about 1.5x the most common street price for the lens when it had been previously available new. I'm not suggesting price gouging, but it might be worthwhile to hold off selling either lens until you see how this settles in the coming months as the market for the Sigma could change dramatically, and that might make the decision easier.

Scott

08-14-2014, 10:02 AM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by nicoprod Quote
..... as it can be a returned camera. You never know.
welcome to america
08-14-2014, 10:41 AM   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by snostorm Quote
Hi Khoff2,

One consideration might be the ability to use a TC. With the HD AW 1.4x Rear Converter, you would have full functionality at 280mm f4. AF would work as expected, SR would adjust to the added FL, and the one stop difference would be compensated for with corrected Av in exif. None of these would hold true with the Sigma, if reports are correct, and I have no doubts that these are true, but I have no direct experience.

On the other hand, the recent announcement of the discontinuation of the Sigma EX 70-200 might be an incentive to keep the lens, at least for a while. The generally accepted opinion is that this lens is the fastest focusing lens at this FL, despite your experience, and this will probably result in a high demand for this lens (read escalating used market price) now that the lens won't be available new. The last time Sigma discontinued their 70-200 f2.8, the market price rose to about 1.5x the most common street price for the lens when it had been previously available new. I'm not suggesting price gouging, but it might be worthwhile to hold off selling either lens until you see how this settles in the coming months as the market for the Sigma could change dramatically, and that might make the decision easier.

Scott
No wonder I had such a hard time finding it...Lol. Thanks for the tip.
K
08-14-2014, 06:42 PM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by Khoff2 Quote
As for the AF, I had menu C.18 set to high, which is the hold AF feature. I mistakingly thought this meant the AF speed. Instead, it means the amount of time the AF will hold its last position before re-focusing. Once I set it to off and set single point AF, all is well.


Well......CRAP! I misinterpreted that one myself. Fixed now! Thanks!
08-14-2014, 08:03 PM   #26
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One of the things this thread (and others) illustrate is that Pentax needs to do some work to explain the K-3 AF system's advanced features. I know myself that it is quite complicated to figure out which option will work best under various shooting circumstances.

In many ways the K-3 AF system is almost as complex as that of some of the pro Canon's AF features, like those of the 1Dx and 5D3. To it's credit, Canon has web pages and White Papers and downloadable PDF guide books that explain these camera features and how they may be used in various scenarios. This area of user education is something Ricoh needs to put more effort into.
08-14-2014, 08:27 PM   #27
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QuoteOriginally posted by rawr Quote
One of the things this thread (and others) illustrate is that Pentax needs to do some work to explain the K-3 AF system's advanced features. I know myself that it is quite complicated to figure out which option will work best under various shooting circumstances.

In many ways the K-3 AF system is almost as complex as that of some of the pro Canon's AF features, like those of the 1Dx and 5D3. To it's credit, Canon has web pages and White Papers and downloadable PDF guide books that explain these camera features and how they may be used in various scenarios. This area of user education is something Ricoh needs to put more effort into.
That is one of the reasons why I had started this:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/172-pentax-k-3/251413-post-your-k3-af-settings-here.html
to get more feedback from users.
08-14-2014, 09:11 PM   #28
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wait wait... you aren't happy with pentax AF, so your "solution" is to go with SONY?!?! ROFL...
08-15-2014, 10:38 AM   #29
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QuoteOriginally posted by kkoether Quote
Well......CRAP! I misinterpreted that one myself. Fixed now! Thanks!
After a bit of testing, it looks like menu C.18 works as follows:
1: off = continuous AF
2: low = AF will hold focus for .5 sec, then will AF again
3: med = AF will hold focus for 1 sec, then will AF again
4: high = AF will hold focus for 1.5 sec, then AF again

---------- Post added 08-15-14 at 12:43 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by Khoff2 Quote
After a bit of testing, it looks like menu C.18 works as follows:
1: off = continuous AF
2: low = AF will hold focus for .5 sec, then will AF again
3: med = AF will hold focus for 1 sec, then will AF again
4: high = AF will hold focus for 1.5 sec, then AF again
On second try, i got completely different results. Now I'm confused again
08-15-2014, 11:06 AM   #30
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Maybe you should try Auto mode? Or Instagram? Just one button. I mean, we all know that photography depends completely on the gear and has nothing at all to do with experience and skill. And Instagram photos are always so nice and sharp, with good saturation. I mean, why would anyone even bother with complicated cameras
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