K3 II Problems???

Smoke665 · 08-09-2016, 05:38 AM

About 3 months ago I upgraded from a K30 to K3 II. I'm not sure if I have a problem camera or a problem with the guy behind the camera. I've disabled all the little "extras", and upgraded the firmware. The first problem I'm having has to do with focus primarily when closer to the subject like within 3-5', it seems like sometimes it just won't focus sharp. Doesn't seem to matter if it's on AF or manual, or which lens I'm using. Other times it will be tack sharp. I've tried everything from single point to multi point.

The other issue has to do with the meter, it seems to be erratic at times, jumping from 2 to 3 stops underexposed to 2 to 3 stops over exposed, despite no change in the light. Other times it seems to hold the same reading.

Lastly I've fought an on going issue with development of raw images in LR and PS. Saturation and detail.

Anyone else experiencing problems?

victormeldrew · 08-09-2016, 06:02 AM

No, this is not normal behaviour, however some more detail and an example image might help identify the probem:
What little 'extras' did you disable?
What lenses are you using that have issues focusing? Are you sure you are not within the minimum focus distance?
What issues do you have with saturation and detail? Can you post an example?

**BigMackCam** · 08-09-2016, 07:02 AM - **1 Like**

Apologies if you already know the following:

The closer the distance of your subject, the shallower the "depth of field" (the area within acceptable focus) at any given focal length and aperture. Conversely, the more distant your subject, the greater the depth of field. If your lens requires AF fine adjustment (and many do, due to manufacturing tolerances in both the camera and lens), it's possible that AF is focusing slightly in front of, or behind, the desired point. At distance, this won't matter so much because of the increased depth of field, but close in you will notice it. Using MF should work just fine, but this relies on you being able to accurately focus the lens, which can be easier said than done.

Have you tried focusing with live view? This uses a different method of AF (contrast detection rather than phase detection), and is usually very accurate. If your shots are accurately focused with live view, but not so when you focus through the viewfinder, it's very likely an AF fine adjustment issue and relatively easy to resolve.

Regarding the metering issue, are you using evaluative, centre-weighted or spot metering? No metering system is accurate 100% of the time - in fact, you could say they're mostly inaccurate as they use elements of the scene you're shooting to guess the correct exposure. Often, you need to evaluate the scene yourself and decide which metering method would be most appropriate, or compensate manually.

And finally, Lightroom and Photoshop... When you import your images, are you are leaving the colour profile set to "Adobe Standard"? If so, try changing this to "Embedded", which uses colour profile embedded into the image by the camera. This should provide a better starting point for your image development and editing.

As @victormeldrew says, some examples would help us in helping you.

Smoke665 · 08-09-2016, 09:04 AM

Originally posted by victormeldrew

No, this is not normal behaviour, however some more detail and an example image might help identify the probem:
What little 'extras' did you disable?
What lenses are you using that have issues focusing? Are you sure you are not within the minimum focus distance?
What issues do you have with saturation and detail? Can you post an example?

Disabled - High light Correction, Shadow Correction, High ISO, Slow Shutter, Distortion Correction, Peripheral Correction, AA Filter

Lens - Problems occur with my Pentax (DAL 18-55, HD DA 50, SMC 50-200) Haven't tried the Sigma 100-300 yet on this camera. Problem is not limited to one lens, and does not always occur. Primarily happens anytime you start to get anywhere close to minimum focus distance. Also, have tried in live view, finding the same thing focus not always sharp (10x) even if you back off. Turn the camera off, come back later and focus sharp as a tack???

Raw images loaded into LR and PS tend to be over saturated, unless they are first developed in Utility 5, and then saved as a TIFF, otherwise when you drop the saturation down, some of the fine detail disappears. I'll try to do some screen captures later today. There was a known issue with PS and Pixel Shift as of April of this year, and I suspect there are also issues with how Adobe handles the Pentax file. Again never had these problems with the K30. LR and PS default to apply develop settings Pentax K3 II.

Meter issue can occur at anytime - I've had the camera on a tripod and focused. Press the shutter halfway, and the meter might register 2 stops over, release and press again, meter might register 2 under, press and hold and the meter might fluctuate from under to over to under. Then it might not do it again for days. Tried spot , center weighted and matrix. Tends to do it more on spot, but I've had the fluctuations on center weighted occasionally also.

**brightseal** · 08-09-2016, 11:45 AM

Originally posted by BigMackCam

Apologies if you already know the following:

Very informative, I sometimes have this same issue. thanks

---------- Post added 08-09-16 at 14:53 ----------

Originally posted by Smoke665

Disabled - High light Correction, Shadow Correction, High ISO, Slow Shutter, Distortion Correction, Peripheral Correction, AA Filter

Lens - Problems occur with my Pentax (DAL 18-55, HD DA 50, SMC 50-200) Haven't tried the Sigma 100-300 yet on this camera. Problem is not limited to one lens, and does not always occur. Primarily happens anytime you start to get anywhere close to minimum focus distance. Also, have tried in live view, finding the same thing focus not always sharp (10x) even if you back off. Turn the camera off, come back later and focus sharp as a tack???

Raw images loaded into LR and PS tend to be over saturated, unless they are first developed in Utility 5, and then saved as a TIFF, otherwise when you drop the saturation down, some of the fine detail disappears. I'll try to do some screen captures later today. There was a known issue with PS and Pixel Shift as of April of this year, and I suspect there are also issues with how Adobe handles the Pentax file. Again never had these problems with the K30. LR and PS default to apply develop settings Pentax K3 II.

Meter issue can occur at anytime - I've had the camera on a tripod and focused. Press the shutter halfway, and the meter might register 2 stops over, release and press again, meter might register 2 under, press and hold and the meter might fluctuate from under to over to under. Then it might not do it again for days. Tried spot , center weighted and matrix. Tends to do it more on spot, but I've had the fluctuations on center weighted occasionally also.

I have very little experience with this camera but I was having the same issue, so for what it's worth , I started concentrating more on being still up until and after pressing the shutter release. There "seemed" to be some delay between when you press the shutter and actual capture so I try not to move for a second or so after I release the shutter, seems to work for me.

P.S. Film is still better than digital.....

---------- Post added 08-09-16 at 15:04 ----------

Originally posted by Smoke665

jumping from 2 to 3 stops underexposed to 2 to 3 stops over exposed

Yes my K3 II does the same, meter jumps around as you described , don't know if this is a defect but I only use it as a guide anyway.

Smoke665 · 08-09-2016, 02:36 PM

A call to Pentax didn't yield much more information other than send it in. I'm going to do some more testing to see if I can replicate when and how it does it.

I forgot to ask this question, but in thinking about it more, if the meter is set on "spot" , does anyone know, how big of a spot the meter is reading from? Is there a possibility that when you are working close, could any movement in the camera or the subject cause the meter to register a significantly different reading?

There was a new update on PS today, so I'm curious to see what effect if any that will have on processing.

aleonx3 · 08-09-2016, 03:22 PM

If you select spot metering, you expect that the camera only meter on the spot where you focus point is landed on. Therefore, I don't see anything wrong with it, for example, if you are taking photos of bride (dressed in white) and groom (dressed in black), then the meter showing on the camera would be vastly different.

**c.a.m** · 08-09-2016, 05:21 PM

Originally posted by Smoke665

does anyone know, how big of a spot the meter is reading from?

On the Pentax K-7, K-5, and K-3 APS-C format cameras, the spot metering frame corresponds to the center marks in the viewfinder: ( )

- Craig

Smoke665 · 08-11-2016, 08:00 AM

Thanks. I've had to much going on to test anymore, but intend on. I did find one of the UV filters (Bower) had a slight haze in the filter itself, that seemed to be adding a softness. Never had that happen before, though this one is several years old. Didn't show up till I took it off and held it up to a light.

Smoke665 · 08-13-2016, 06:20 AM

Thought I would update the results of what I found. The focus problems seem to have been limited mostly to one lens, which had the problem with the UV filter. Once that was replaced the close in sharpness improved a lot. Found some other UV filters with the beginning of haze/cloudiness when viewed in good light. Not sure why they're doing this unless it's age. The issue with the meter seems to be related to movement of either the camera or the subject when in spot mode. Even a slight movement can change the reference point causing a bump in the meter, when you're in close, and using LED's for light. Switched to speedlights and umbrellas, metering off the ambient light, and everything stable.

**microlight** · 08-13-2016, 09:46 AM

Good that you're tying it down. There are those (I'm one) that don't use filters routinely - indeed some lenses (e.g. the Pentax 55-300) are noticeably worse with one attached. The rationale is - why add a piece of potentially cheap glass or plastic in front of an expensive lens for which the designer hasn't bargained? If you want protection, a hood really helps (IMO a hood should always be used regardless of lens.)

08-09-2016, 05:38 AM	#1
Smoke665 Senior Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 249	K3 II Problems??? About 3 months ago I upgraded from a K30 to K3 II. I'm not sure if I have a problem camera or a problem with the guy behind the camera. I've disabled all the little "extras", and upgraded the firmware. The first problem I'm having has to do with focus primarily when closer to the subject like within 3-5', it seems like sometimes it just won't focus sharp. Doesn't seem to matter if it's on AF or manual, or which lens I'm using. Other times it will be tack sharp. I've tried everything from single point to multi point. The other issue has to do with the meter, it seems to be erratic at times, jumping from 2 to 3 stops underexposed to 2 to 3 stops over exposed, despite no change in the light. Other times it seems to hold the same reading. Lastly I've fought an on going issue with development of raw images in LR and PS. Saturation and detail. Anyone else experiencing problems?

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08-09-2016, 06:02 AM	#2
victormeldrew Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: South West UK Photos: Albums Posts: 1,493	No, this is not normal behaviour, however some more detail and an example image might help identify the probem: What little 'extras' did you disable? What lenses are you using that have issues focusing? Are you sure you are not within the minimum focus distance? What issues do you have with saturation and detail? Can you post an example?

08-09-2016, 07:02 AM - 1 Like	#3
BigMackCam Digitiser of Film Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North East of England Posts: 20,695	Apologies if you already know the following: The closer the distance of your subject, the shallower the "depth of field" (the area within acceptable focus) at any given focal length and aperture. Conversely, the more distant your subject, the greater the depth of field. If your lens requires AF fine adjustment (and many do, due to manufacturing tolerances in both the camera and lens), it's possible that AF is focusing slightly in front of, or behind, the desired point. At distance, this won't matter so much because of the increased depth of field, but close in you will notice it. Using MF should work just fine, but this relies on you being able to accurately focus the lens, which can be easier said than done. Have you tried focusing with live view? This uses a different method of AF (contrast detection rather than phase detection), and is usually very accurate. If your shots are accurately focused with live view, but not so when you focus through the viewfinder, it's very likely an AF fine adjustment issue and relatively easy to resolve. Regarding the metering issue, are you using evaluative, centre-weighted or spot metering? No metering system is accurate 100% of the time - in fact, you could say they're mostly inaccurate as they use elements of the scene you're shooting to guess the correct exposure. Often, you need to evaluate the scene yourself and decide which metering method would be most appropriate, or compensate manually. And finally, Lightroom and Photoshop... When you import your images, are you are leaving the colour profile set to "Adobe Standard"? If so, try changing this to "Embedded", which uses colour profile embedded into the image by the camera. This should provide a better starting point for your image development and editing. As @victormeldrew says, some examples would help us in helping you.

08-09-2016, 09:04 AM	#4
Smoke665 Senior Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 249 Original Poster	Originally posted by victormeldrew No, this is not normal behaviour, however some more detail and an example image might help identify the probem: What little 'extras' did you disable? What lenses are you using that have issues focusing? Are you sure you are not within the minimum focus distance? What issues do you have with saturation and detail? Can you post an example? Disabled - High light Correction, Shadow Correction, High ISO, Slow Shutter, Distortion Correction, Peripheral Correction, AA Filter Lens - Problems occur with my Pentax (DAL 18-55, HD DA 50, SMC 50-200) Haven't tried the Sigma 100-300 yet on this camera. Problem is not limited to one lens, and does not always occur. Primarily happens anytime you start to get anywhere close to minimum focus distance. Also, have tried in live view, finding the same thing focus not always sharp (10x) even if you back off. Turn the camera off, come back later and focus sharp as a tack??? Raw images loaded into LR and PS tend to be over saturated, unless they are first developed in Utility 5, and then saved as a TIFF, otherwise when you drop the saturation down, some of the fine detail disappears. I'll try to do some screen captures later today. There was a known issue with PS and Pixel Shift as of April of this year, and I suspect there are also issues with how Adobe handles the Pentax file. Again never had these problems with the K30. LR and PS default to apply develop settings Pentax K3 II. Meter issue can occur at anytime - I've had the camera on a tripod and focused. Press the shutter halfway, and the meter might register 2 stops over, release and press again, meter might register 2 under, press and hold and the meter might fluctuate from under to over to under. Then it might not do it again for days. Tried spot , center weighted and matrix. Tends to do it more on spot, but I've had the fluctuations on center weighted occasionally also.

08-09-2016, 11:45 AM	#5
brightseal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 629	Originally posted by BigMackCam Apologies if you already know the following: Very informative, I sometimes have this same issue. thanks ---------- Post added 08-09-16 at 14:53 ---------- Originally posted by Smoke665 Disabled - High light Correction, Shadow Correction, High ISO, Slow Shutter, Distortion Correction, Peripheral Correction, AA Filter Lens - Problems occur with my Pentax (DAL 18-55, HD DA 50, SMC 50-200) Haven't tried the Sigma 100-300 yet on this camera. Problem is not limited to one lens, and does not always occur. Primarily happens anytime you start to get anywhere close to minimum focus distance. Also, have tried in live view, finding the same thing focus not always sharp (10x) even if you back off. Turn the camera off, come back later and focus sharp as a tack??? Raw images loaded into LR and PS tend to be over saturated, unless they are first developed in Utility 5, and then saved as a TIFF, otherwise when you drop the saturation down, some of the fine detail disappears. I'll try to do some screen captures later today. There was a known issue with PS and Pixel Shift as of April of this year, and I suspect there are also issues with how Adobe handles the Pentax file. Again never had these problems with the K30. LR and PS default to apply develop settings Pentax K3 II. Meter issue can occur at anytime - I've had the camera on a tripod and focused. Press the shutter halfway, and the meter might register 2 stops over, release and press again, meter might register 2 under, press and hold and the meter might fluctuate from under to over to under. Then it might not do it again for days. Tried spot , center weighted and matrix. Tends to do it more on spot, but I've had the fluctuations on center weighted occasionally also. I have very little experience with this camera but I was having the same issue, so for what it's worth , I started concentrating more on being still up until and after pressing the shutter release. There "seemed" to be some delay between when you press the shutter and actual capture so I try not to move for a second or so after I release the shutter, seems to work for me. P.S. Film is still better than digital..... ---------- Post added 08-09-16 at 15:04 ---------- Originally posted by Smoke665 jumping from 2 to 3 stops underexposed to 2 to 3 stops over exposed Yes my K3 II does the same, meter jumps around as you described , don't know if this is a defect but I only use it as a guide anyway.

08-09-2016, 02:36 PM	#6
Smoke665 Senior Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 249 Original Poster	A call to Pentax didn't yield much more information other than send it in. I'm going to do some more testing to see if I can replicate when and how it does it. I forgot to ask this question, but in thinking about it more, if the meter is set on "spot" , does anyone know, how big of a spot the meter is reading from? Is there a possibility that when you are working close, could any movement in the camera or the subject cause the meter to register a significantly different reading? There was a new update on PS today, so I'm curious to see what effect if any that will have on processing.

08-09-2016, 03:22 PM	#7
aleonx3 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Brampton, Ontario Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,996	If you select spot metering, you expect that the camera only meter on the spot where you focus point is landed on. Therefore, I don't see anything wrong with it, for example, if you are taking photos of bride (dressed in white) and groom (dressed in black), then the meter showing on the camera would be vastly different.

08-09-2016, 05:21 PM	#8
c.a.m Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Ottawa, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,193	Originally posted by Smoke665 does anyone know, how big of a spot the meter is reading from? On the Pentax K-7, K-5, and K-3 APS-C format cameras, the spot metering frame corresponds to the center marks in the viewfinder: ( ) - Craig

08-11-2016, 08:00 AM	#9
Smoke665 Senior Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 249 Original Poster	Thanks. I've had to much going on to test anymore, but intend on. I did find one of the UV filters (Bower) had a slight haze in the filter itself, that seemed to be adding a softness. Never had that happen before, though this one is several years old. Didn't show up till I took it off and held it up to a light.

08-13-2016, 06:20 AM	#10
Smoke665 Senior Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 249 Original Poster	Thought I would update the results of what I found. The focus problems seem to have been limited mostly to one lens, which had the problem with the UV filter. Once that was replaced the close in sharpness improved a lot. Found some other UV filters with the beginning of haze/cloudiness when viewed in good light. Not sure why they're doing this unless it's age. The issue with the meter seems to be related to movement of either the camera or the subject when in spot mode. Even a slight movement can change the reference point causing a bump in the meter, when you're in close, and using LED's for light. Switched to speedlights and umbrellas, metering off the ambient light, and everything stable.

08-13-2016, 09:46 AM	#11
microlight Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,129	Good that you're tying it down. There are those (I'm one) that don't use filters routinely - indeed some lenses (e.g. the Pentax 55-300) are noticeably worse with one attached. The rationale is - why add a piece of potentially cheap glass or plastic in front of an expensive lens for which the designer hasn't bargained? If you want protection, a hood really helps (IMO a hood should always be used regardless of lens.)