[Adam]

Have you already tried it with the 150-450 to see if the AF is faster than with the K-3 ?

Yes, and unfortunately it doesn't seem any better. There are a few issues getting the way of truly breakthrough AF speeds and they are all detailed on this page:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/hd-pentax-d-fa-150-450mm-prelim/focusing.html

Like I've said in the past, the in-camera algorithms and hardware need an overhaul rather than incremental improvements to be able to reach the performance that sports and action photographers crave. The current system works just fine in many scenarios, but it just doesn't feel refined when it comes to action.

Adam
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[biz-engineer]

Thanks Adam

[Qwntm]

A second K-3 II magically showed up at my door today and this one presents no issues. The serial number only differs by 4! I've added both to the serial number database.

Do you still have the 1st one that wouldn't turn off, or did you send it back right away? I'm curious because I want to know if it would have self corrected if you kept it.


The switch on mine felt "normal" it just wouldn't turn the camera off. I wonder if people just send them back immediately, or if the problem does persist over a week or two. The one I have has been 100% since it self corrected after the first 3 days. But I did have it packaged up ready to go back and then got busy at work for 3 days and thought I'd give it one more chance. It sat without a battery in it for 3 days and somehow that seems to have corrected the problem. The first night with the battery in it overnight did not "fix" it, and that's why I thought to send it back. Just trying to collect and add to the data...

[bwDraco]

Yes, and unfortunately it doesn't seem any better. There are a few issues getting the way of truly breakthrough AF speeds and they are all detailed on this page:

HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 Review - Focusing | PentaxForums.com Reviews

Like I've said in the past, the in-camera algorithms and hardware need an overhaul rather than incremental improvements to be able to reach the performance that sports and action photographers crave. The current system works just fine in many scenarios, but it just doesn't feel refined when it comes to action.

The AF hardware is excellent. What need to be improved are the algorithms. A firmware update can certainly help here.

Edit: Removed erroneous double post.

—DragonLord

---

Last edited by bwDraco; 06-20-2015 at 08:16 AM.

[mee]

From the few K-3II owners that pops up, it seems that the K-3II has huge quality issues. Perhaps it's worth waiting for the bug fixes before buying one.

I've thought this too.. we seem to be seeing a lot of issues with this particular body from previous releases..

It also makes me wonder if we will have a time where a certain batch of these are floating around, problematic, and unknowingly to buyers second hand.

[biz-engineer]

It also makes me wonder if we will have a time where a certain batch of these are floating around, problematic, and unknowingly to buyers second hand.

My K200D worked flawlessly, 25K shots in different countries often by very hot or humid climate. I had a mirror flop issue with the first K-5 I purchased about one year after its release (the manufacture date was fairly old, too much stock I suppose) I returned the camera to amazon and asked for a new camera with a newer serial number, they sent me a new K-5 with which I never had a single issue. But I learned from the K-5. When I purchased the K-3, I waited for a while until the issue was escalated to Ricoh and then I purchased the k-3 after a fix was talked about by Ricoh. When I received the K-3, I did all I could to trigger the shutter bug (except dropping the camera from the 5th floor), and since I have it, in any weather conditions from freezing cold in winter to very hot in summer, the K-3 that I own never had a single fault. So, I think it's gonna be the same for the K-3II , customers will return faulty models, Ricoh will find the root cause and implement a test and/or a fix, and once the stock will be refresh, this issue won't exist anymore. We just have to know when the stock of faulty K-3II will be depleted.

[mee]

My K200D worked flawlessly, 25K shots in different countries often by very hot or humid climate. I had a mirror flop issue with the first K-5 I purchased about one year after its release (the manufacture date was fairly old, too much stock I suppose) I returned the camera to amazon and asked for a new camera with a newer serial number, they sent me a new K-5 with which I never had a single issue. But I learned from the K-5. When I purchased the K-3, I waited for a while until the issue was escalated to Ricoh and then I purchased the k-3 after a fix was talked about by Ricoh. When I received the K-3, I did all I could to trigger the shutter bug (except dropping the camera from the 5th floor), and since I have it, in any weather conditions from freezing cold in winter to very hot in summer, the K-3 that I own never had a single fault. So, I think it's gonna be the same for the K-3II , customers will return faulty models, Ricoh will find the root cause and implement a test and/or a fix, and once the stock will be refresh, this issue won't exist anymore. We just have to know when the stock of faulty K-3II will be depleted.

Those K-5s were likely released into the wild earlier this year on ebay. Definitely the ones with the Sensor Stains were.. by the bucket loads.

[Qwntm]

My K200D worked flawlessly, 25K shots in different countries often by very hot or humid climate. I had a mirror flop issue with the first K-5 I purchased about one year after its release (the manufacture date was fairly old, too much stock I suppose) I returned the camera to amazon and asked for a new camera with a newer serial number, they sent me a new K-5 with which I never had a single issue. But I learned from the K-5. When I purchased the K-3, I waited for a while until the issue was escalated to Ricoh and then I purchased the k-3 after a fix was talked about by Ricoh. When I received the K-3, I did all I could to trigger the shutter bug (except dropping the camera from the 5th floor), and since I have it, in any weather conditions from freezing cold in winter to very hot in summer, the K-3 that I own never had a single fault. So, I think it's gonna be the same for the K-3II , customers will return faulty models, Ricoh will find the root cause and implement a test and/or a fix, and once the stock will be refresh, this issue won't exist anymore. We just have to know when the stock of faulty K-3II will be depleted.

I'm not really sure there is that much wrong with the K-3II's at all... other than a very minor firmware glitch which makes the camera not shut off for the first day or two and then its fine after the GPS sorts itself out.


If everyone just sends them back within 24 hours, no one really knows the extent of the problem.

[Adam]

Do you still have the 1st one that wouldn't turn off, or did you send it back right away? I'm curious because I want to know if it would have self corrected if you kept it.

I still have it (I've been using it daily) and I will check it again on Monday. But so far, both issues persist.

The AF hardware is excellent. What need to be improved are the algorithms. A firmware update can certainly help here.

More than firmware is needed here. "SAFOX" needs to go away and be replaced by something better The lens hardware is fine though.

[totsmuyco]

Yep this must be a hardware problem.

[Dan Rentea]

Well, it didn't last long and I had the first problem.
After three weeks with K-3 II and 2.000 shots taken in various condition, yesterday something went wrong. I took about 5 or 6 shots with AF-C and Continuous shooting set to High but the pictures haven't been written on the memory card.
I took another 80 or 90 shots after this (with the same settings) and everything worked well, but then the same problem occurred (6 or 7 shots haven't been written on the memory card and the sound from the mirror was a little different then normal - I don't know how to describe it).
I stopped shooting in continuous mode and the camera works without any problem. I will talk tomorrow with our Pentax official dealer about this problem and let's hope they and/or Ricoh will do something about this.

[zeds]

I agree with you only because the camera ends up turning itself off after 1 minute, every time

really agree too.,.,hehehe

[Adam]

Well, it didn't last long and I had the first problem.
After three weeks with K-3 II and 2.000 shots taken in various condition, yesterday something went wrong. I took about 5 or 6 shots with AF-C and Continuous shooting set to High but the pictures haven't been written on the memory card.
I took another 80 or 90 shots after this (with the same settings) and everything worked well, but then the same problem occurred (6 or 7 shots haven't been written on the memory card and the sound from the mirror was a little different then normal - I don't know how to describe it).
I stopped shooting in continuous mode and the camera works without any problem. I will talk tomorrow with our Pentax official dealer about this problem and let's hope they and/or Ricoh will do something about this.

What card were you using? Hopefully you don't have a shutter problem!

[Qwntm]

Yep this must be a hardware problem.

What must be a hardware problem? On my camera it wouldn't turn off for the first 24 hours and then it magically reset somehow and has been 100% ever since. Whatever was wrong can't be a hardware problem because they tend not to self correct.


Whatever anyone else has going wrong with their cameras I cannot say, but my problem seems to have gone away.

---------- Post added 06-21-15 at 05:19 PM ----------

I still have it (I've been using it daily) and I will check it again on Monday. But so far, both issues persist.

Maybe these issues are related. The turn off issue sure seemed to be GPS related for me\, and somehow worked itself out.

[Dan Rentea]

What card were you using? Hopefully you don't have a shutter problem!

I'm using a 32Gb SanDisk Extreme card on both cards slots.

It happened like that in the first place: I inserted 6 alkaline batteries in the battery grip and start shooting. After a few shots in single mode I switched the af to continuous mode and start shooting again 5 or 6 frames in High speed continous mode, but the photos haven't been written on the memory card and the battery level was low because the alkaline batteries were power drained.

I replaced only 2 alkaline batteries because I didn't had with me another 6 and I took another 80-90 shots until it happened again. The battery indicator has shown that the batteries were discharged when the issue occurred in the first place and when it happened again the batteries were also discharged.

I spoke with a friend of mine and he said that it could have been related to the fact that I used only the alkaline batteries which were inserted in the battery grip and because they were almost discharged. Yesterday I charged my genuine battery and I started testing Af-C and shooting in burst mode. I took almost 700 shots with those settings and the camera worked flawlessly.


I will keep looking in the next few weeks to see if that issue will occur again.