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01-19-2015, 06:00 AM   #1
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cant get sharp pics with k3

Hi folks it has been with me about 9 months..k3 is a fantastic tool. it exceds my skills. I have had many k mounts cameras/2 k5s2+k200+k01+k5+k3/ and many lenses so iam familiar with pentax cameras but as the title speak i still get some blured pics. i do with k3 what i used to do with the others cameras. i need some experiences to get the best output of the camera. some settings or techniques or any thing could help to control this power tool.
thanks.

01-19-2015, 06:08 AM   #2
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What lens are you using? Are you using a tripod? What is the ISO set to? Can you post an example?
01-19-2015, 06:13 AM   #3
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Have you noticed a pattern to the blurry pictures? I had a problem early on with snapping pictures before the shake reduction settled down.
01-19-2015, 06:14 AM   #4
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Please post some sample images. Include EXIF data.

01-19-2015, 06:19 AM   #5
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One other thing on some of your faster lenses some have experienced better focus with using LV. Have you tried this?
01-19-2015, 06:19 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by zmohie Quote
Hi folks it has been with me about 9 months..k3 is a fantastic tool. it exceds my skills. I have had many k mounts cameras/2 k5s2+k200+k01+k5+k3/ and many lenses so iam familiar with pentax cameras but as the title speak i still get some blured pics. i do with k3 what i used to do with the others cameras. i need some experiences to get the best output of the camera. some settings or techniques or any thing could help to control this power tool.
thanks.
This not the first post with this problem.

The increased resolution of the K3 plus having the anti aliasing filter off shows up handling "faults" or relative "weaknesses" in consumer lenses used that were "disguised" by the lower resulution plus the anti aliasing filter of your other cameras. There is also a very slight posibility of a back or front focusing problem.

Suggest you post some of your faulty pictures along with details of settings and lens used for those much more expert than myself in the K3 to view and help towards advice.
01-19-2015, 06:55 AM   #7
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My K3 needed a little focus adjustments with a couple lenses. Maybe that is the problem

01-19-2015, 07:01 AM   #8
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I guess the question is whether you ever get sharp photos. Sharpest photos probably should be shot stopped down a little bit with mirror lock up on a sturdy tripod. If you don't get sharp photos in that situation, then there is a problem with the camera.

When shooting hand held, you do need to have a pretty good shutter speed and sharp lens to take full advantage of the K3. SR is worth something and good technique are really helpful as well. There is a nice article by Alex (Heie) here on the forums that talks about best technique for hand holding an SLR and it might be worth a review as well. Shooting Long Exposures Hand-Held - Articles and Tips | PentaxForums.com

Post some photos for more specific advice. We'll do our best.

Good luck!
01-19-2015, 07:15 AM   #9
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Thanks to all
here is one and when back to home Iwill share more
01-19-2015, 07:32 AM   #10
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My untrained eye detects possible high ISO noise (grain), focus seems to be more in line with the "V" in his shirt than on the eyes. I'm sure someone much more knowledgeable will be along to give a more informed opinion.
01-19-2015, 07:47 AM   #11
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This a case for using selective focus or spot focus. But also possibly a problem with the positioning of the model. Lying down with head up? You've created a neckless person... you really need to be more aware of the plane of the subject that is in focus as defined by DoF. I'm not seeing soft focus so much as a lack of control over what is in sharp focus. It would be helpful to see the whole image, because if this is not cropped, you've somehow achieved sharp focus at the bottom of the frame, which would be impossible using any AF setting I'm aware of, at least one that is working correctly. And of course, that much noise will degrade your image as well.
01-19-2015, 08:04 AM   #12
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Front or back focusing issues are easy to detect but a little harder to suspect. You may be focusing on the eyes but only nose is in focus. Try putting your camera on a tripod and point it down at the ground at around 45 degree. Wide open aperture. Distance to the ground should be close, like 10x the focal length. Enable the 2 second timer. Shoot! Zoom in on the center of the image. Shooting wide open gives a very shallow depth of field so only a very narrow sliver of area should be in focus - and it should be going across the center of the image. If the sliver of "sharp" is lower or higher than the center line of the image then you need to adjust your focus settings.
01-19-2015, 08:23 AM   #13
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I would suggest you use shutter speed of at least 1/(2*focal length). So 50mm lens should have at least 1/100 shutter speed to prevent handshake blur. Secondly, if you have SR enabled, you should hold the shutter half pressed for a second, so the SR activates (you can see the little SR icon turn green). Gently press the shutter the rest of the way. And also aperture - most lenses are not super sharp wide open (lowest f-number), and that is also when the DoF is the most shallow. Of course, the main problem is light. Our eyes are great in low light, but the camera has a much more difficult time. In low light, the AF has a harder time. And also you need a longer shutter speed, as well as a lower f-number. All of this makes the photo less defined. In those conditions, you have to use flash (bounced, diffused).
01-19-2015, 08:44 AM   #14
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without exif data, it's tough to tell whether this is a technical or mechanical issue.

that said, the usual response for K3 issues is that it is a very unforgiving camera. every lens over 20mm needs to be calibrated because front and back focusing becomes much more evident. technique needs to be perfected and if using shallow depth of field misfocus is obvious.

the grain in the background is actually something I see quite often on my K3 when I underexpose by more than -1 EV. It seems to be a weird K3 quirk, but I have printed several images and the grain has yet to actually show up on the media. The other thing I have noticed is that that "effect" is a little less prominent on my 4k monitor than it was on a 1080px monitor. It could be some sort of "artifact" that is created when scaling down the resolution to monitor size. We are after all dealing with a native 240ppi image and most 1080 monitors are around 90-100ppi. My 4k is at 135(?)ish, so maybe that's helping.

in summary, eliminate any technical errors by calibrating all you lenses to correct for front and back focus + read the many many threads about K3 image issues already on the Forum for other ideas. Then post EXIF data with any sample images so we can also help with any human error issues.
01-19-2015, 09:15 AM   #15
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The eyelashes or part of the brow appear to be in focus, but it looks to be a less-than-stellar lens in terms of sharpness - and shot wide open. In any event, unless there is a consistently front focusing issue, I don't see a problem that can be pinned on the camera. I will mention this - that high contrast and high ISO situations tend to trigger overexposure in the K-3. This shot clearly exhibits the problem. It needs about 2/3rds of a stop less exposure - whether achieved with smaller aperture, lower ISO, or faster shutter (or a combination), the image would be improved.

If its a front-focusing problem, then identifying it using manual focus shot wide open in live view will allow for correct focus, then take the same shot in AF to see the shift. The problem with AF calibration is that you never quite get there - depending on the light source and aperture shift. Lenses rated faster than f/2.8 will outperform the AF capabilities of the camera, and most of these fast lenses have at least a minute focus shift when stopping down; the color of the light also tends to cause some focus shift. Bottom line, the best way to nail focus is in live view, stopped down, manual focusing. I find my keeper rate on portraits considerably greater going that route - especially so when shooting with an 85mm f/1.4.

The K-3 will tend to sort out the better lenses from the poor ones. If shooting a consumer zoom or any very fast lens, some stopping down is strongly advised (this is true with all cameras, but especially so with the ones lacking an AA filter, and 24 mp only further emphasizes it).
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