Originally posted by Quark I was shocked and disappointed to find that the rider's head was in focus in only 30% of the frames
This would imply that the K-1 has worse AF performance than the K-3, which almost certainly isn't the case.
Did you have the "hold AF" setting set to off? If not, this would add a delay before the camera attempts to re-acquire focus, and it could explain the outcome.
Originally posted by Quark 3) Is there anything that can be done to make the Pentax K-1 continuous autofocus more accurate and competitive?
I think with practice and the right technique, you'll be able to greatly increase your keeper rate. Replacing the lens might eventually become necessary if your standards are high, but it shouldn't be needed for a slow-paced subject like the one in your test.
Remember than SEL-9 assumes that you keep a single AF point within the grid pointed at what you want to be sharp. If this isn't the case, repeat the test with auto-9 instead. In that mode the camera will maintain focus on what's closest within the 9-point matrix, rather the prioritizing a single point.
Originally posted by Quark 2) Does anyone know why technically the Pentax continuous autofocus performance is so poor and inferior to, say, Nikon D750? Is it due to less powerful (and less expensive) computational hardware in the K-1 compared to the D750? Is it due to inferior tracking algorithms? Is it due to the lack of some other proprietary hardware?
Pentax AF motors are slower (and the one in the DA* 300mm is noticeably slower than the best Pentax offers, which are the DC motors), and yes, I don't think the hardware in SAFOX is quite as advanced as what Nikon or Canon uses. Still, it's not supposed to be this bad.
Adam
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