[reh321]

So the K-3 III knows the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.

No, but it can find the only eye in the frame.

[reh321]

It seems like if you can find and follow the small bird, the K3markIII autofocus does remarkably well at focusing and tracking it. These birds were incredibly difficult to track with a 150-450mm lens but I was able to get more in-focus shots of these birds than I ever have while trying with the K3 or K1markII.

Thank you - that was exactly the sort of example I was looking for.

[mattt]

It seems like if you can find and follow the small bird, the K3markIII autofocus does remarkably well at focusing and tracking it. These birds were incredibly difficult to track with a 150-450mm lens but I was able to get more in-focus shots of these birds than I ever have while trying with the K3 or K1markII.

That is a great example. TFS

[cfraz]

Out of the images I especially like imgp9082 most, because of the composition with the bird in the foreground, which gives the image some depth. Usually I find bird in flight images not much more quality than brick walls.

Hitchcock's "The Birds" came to mind when I saw that image.

[reh321]

Out of the images I especially like imgp9082 most, because of the composition with the bird in the foreground, which gives the image some depth. Usually I find bird in flight images not much more quality than brick walls.

Even apart from artistic considerations, these birds provide such goodgreat examples of the focusing capabilities of the K-3iii!

[Kobie]

Hi,
Sorry but form me isn't clear yet how the subject recogniction works

For instance:if i have in sight a face how can i decide to set the focus on the eye(which one?) Rather than to keep on focusing the face?

And what happens if i want to catch a bird on a branch among the leafs? Does the camera will detect automatically the bird?

Thanks in advance if someone could help me

Subject Recognition is an automatic system that you really don't have control over.
It also only works by using Zone, or fully auto AF.
I've had a hit and miss experience with it so far. It just doesn't really pick what I want to focus on.
I've had better luck with All SEL AF modes when using AF.C. I've shot some birds through branches, and the only way to do that would be to change the AF Mode to "Spot", it's now a small enough AF point that you can actually shoot between branches without confusing the AF system.

Eye detect (for portraits), works in Zone or full Auto AF through the OVF. You can't pick which eye, but it will find and focus on an eye. It's not perfect (the subject needs to be a minimum of x distance from the camera) and any backlighting seems to render it useless. BUT, if the subject is primarily front lit, it works really really well.

[rory gallagher]

Subject Recognition is an automatic system that you really don't have control over.
It also only works by using Zone, or fully auto AF.
I've had a hit and miss experience with it so far. It just doesn't really pick what I want to focus on.
I've had better luck with All SEL AF modes when using AF.C. I've shot some birds through branches, and the only way to do that would be to change the AF Mode to "Spot", it's now a small enough AF point that you can actually shoot between branches without confusing the AF system.

Eye detect (for portraits), works in Zone or full Auto AF through the OVF. You can't pick which eye, but it will find and focus on an eye. It's not perfect (the subject needs to be a minimum of x distance from the camera) and any backlighting seems to render it useless. BUT, if the subject is primarily front lit, it works really really well.

Thank you very much for the explanations Kobie

---

Last edited by rory gallagher; 05-08-2021 at 10:48 PM.

[Smolk]

Subject Recognition is an automatic system that you really don't have control over.
It also only works by using Zone, or fully auto AF.

Are such things clearly explained in the manual, or is it really trial and error?

[Kunzite]

Are such things clearly explained in the manual, or is it really trial and error?

It's a bit too much to expect things clearly explained in the manual But there's a paragraph about that (see page 62).
Logically, it can't work in the Select/Expanded Area modes, because then you're specifying the target yourself (and the camera should not override you).

[Ishpuini]

African or European swallow?

One of the first subjects I will test the K-3 III + 150-450 on are the common swifts that arrived here in Antwerp, Belgium last week from Africa. These are synonymous with summer for me, since they stay only 3 or 4 months before they return south. There are not many birds in the city, and these are our constant summer companions when we sit on our small terrace.

I never managed to photograph them though, because they are among the fastest birds in the world. Hope the K-3 III will be able to get the shots...

[dicki]

It's different with the AF-C. A new concept was pursued, particularly with the AF-C with an extended measuring field.So far you have chosen a focus point and this then moved in the "extended measuring field" with the moving object.With the "AF-C with extended measuring field" of the K3-3 you don't select a viewfinder point but a viewfinder area. The camera chooses a focus point itself within this field. This means. the focal point constantly jumps back and forth within the measuring field, and even if it has captured a focus, no "red focal point" or even a "signal tone" is signaled. Just a green point in the lower area of ​​the viewer that I can't see when I wear glasses. In addition, the focus point flutters around and clings to parts of the image that I didn't even select. I really miss the simple and, for me, more practicable concept of the K3! Tracking the focus point with the object, e.g. in street photography, and the subsequent exposure when the object is in the appropriate position of the subject is not possible.The promise in the Pentax roules to concentrate entirely on the motif is absurd here. Rather, one concentrates on the fluttering focal point and almost loses sight of the subject itself.Why the whole thing? I could imagine that it has to do with the "eye focus" and the "motif focus". In this function, the focus point has to reorient itself again and again, it is in the nature of the matter. Unfortunately, the programmer forgot to program the shutdown or shutdown of this strategy. Since you can switch off the eye focus in the menu, it should also be possible to switch off the fidgeting.To make my point of view clear. The autofocus on the K3-3 is great. You can still live with the late lighting up of the focused viewfinder point, which cannot be used. But interpreting the viewfinder strategy of the eye focus in AF-C as a basic strategy is a programming error in my opinion. The AF-C strategy should basically refer to the AF point with an extended AF field and if the eye focus is activated then the viewfinder field function must first be switched on. The prioritization is wrong here.In fast, snapshot-like animal photography, this may not be a disadvantage, since you work with a smaller aperture, greater depth of field and speed. In the creative part it is not practical, because the fidgeting focus point determines the focus and not the photographer.Pentax sent dozens of professional photographers out with the new camera and nobody noticed.
(Translatet with google)

[reh321]

It's different with the AF-C. A new concept was pursued, particularly with the AF-C with an extended measuring field.So far you have chosen a focus point and this then moved in the "extended measuring field" with the moving object.With the "AF-C with extended measuring field" of the K3-3 you don't select a viewfinder point but a viewfinder area. The camera chooses a focus point itself within this field. This means. the focal point constantly jumps back and forth within the measuring field, and even if it has captured a focus, no "red focal point" or even a "signal tone" is signaled. Just a green point in the lower area of ​​the viewer that I can't see when I wear glasses. In addition, the focus point flutters around and clings to parts of the image that I didn't even select. I really miss the simple and, for me, more practicable concept of the K3! Tracking the focus point with the object, e.g. in street photography, and the subsequent exposure when the object is in the appropriate position of the subject is not possible.The promise in the Pentax roules to concentrate entirely on the motif is absurd here. Rather, one concentrates on the fluttering focal point and almost loses sight of the subject itself.Why the whole thing? I could imagine that it has to do with the "eye focus" and the "motif focus". In this function, the focus point has to reorient itself again and again, it is in the nature of the matter. Unfortunately, the programmer forgot to program the shutdown or shutdown of this strategy. Since you can switch off the eye focus in the menu, it should also be possible to switch off the fidgeting.To make my point of view clear. The autofocus on the K3-3 is great. You can still live with the late lighting up of the focused viewfinder point, which cannot be used. But interpreting the viewfinder strategy of the eye focus in AF-C as a basic strategy is a programming error in my opinion. The AF-C strategy should basically refer to the AF point with an extended AF field and if the eye focus is activated then the viewfinder field function must first be switched on. The prioritization is wrong here.In fast, snapshot-like animal photography, this may not be a disadvantage, since you work with a smaller aperture, greater depth of field and speed. In the creative part it is not practical, because the fidgeting focus point determines the focus and not the photographer.Pentax sent dozens of professional photographers out with the new camera and nobody noticed.
(Translatet with google)

This does indeed depend on your photographic methods and intentions. Perhaps a later firmware “fix” will give the photographer more control.
If I had been one of the testers, I would have neither noticed nor cared about the ‘fidgeting’.
I intentionally use ‘AF-C’ most often when photographing wildlife, and in the photos of the swallows, the K-3iii gives exactly the photo I would want, and I wouldn’t have time to see how the focus point behaved on its way to getting that result.

[tmlawes]

It's different with the AF-C. A new concept was pursued, particularly with the AF-C with an extended measuring field.So far you have chosen a focus point and this then moved in the "extended measuring field" with the moving object.With the "AF-C with extended measuring field" of the K3-3 you don't select a viewfinder point but a viewfinder area. The camera chooses a focus point itself within this field. This means. the focal point constantly jumps back and forth within the measuring field, and even if it has captured a focus, no "red focal point" or even a "signal tone" is signaled. Just a green point in the lower area of ​​the viewer that I can't see when I wear glasses. In addition, the focus point flutters around and clings to parts of the image that I didn't even select. I really miss the simple and, for me, more practicable concept of the K3! Tracking the focus point with the object, e.g. in street photography, and the subsequent exposure when the object is in the appropriate position of the subject is not possible.The promise in the Pentax roules to concentrate entirely on the motif is absurd here. Rather, one concentrates on the fluttering focal point and almost loses sight of the subject itself.Why the whole thing? I could imagine that it has to do with the "eye focus" and the "motif focus". In this function, the focus point has to reorient itself again and again, it is in the nature of the matter. Unfortunately, the programmer forgot to program the shutdown or shutdown of this strategy. Since you can switch off the eye focus in the menu, it should also be possible to switch off the fidgeting.To make my point of view clear. The autofocus on the K3-3 is great. You can still live with the late lighting up of the focused viewfinder point, which cannot be used. But interpreting the viewfinder strategy of the eye focus in AF-C as a basic strategy is a programming error in my opinion. The AF-C strategy should basically refer to the AF point with an extended AF field and if the eye focus is activated then the viewfinder field function must first be switched on. The prioritization is wrong here.In fast, snapshot-like animal photography, this may not be a disadvantage, since you work with a smaller aperture, greater depth of field and speed. In the creative part it is not practical, because the fidgeting focus point determines the focus and not the photographer.Pentax sent dozens of professional photographers out with the new camera and nobody noticed.
(Translatet with google)

The K3markIII has a number of user options for autofocus point selection and not all of them "fidget" around the zone. With all of these options, it is about finding the best solution for the type of photography that you are doing. Single-point selection, which I use almost exclusively with the K3 and K1markII, is still available and appropriate for many situations and works wonderfully on the K3markIII too. For example, I wanted more focusing control to catch the Virginia rail hiding in the dense vegetation, so I changed my focusing approach. The single-point autofocus points are now small enough that I could focus on the rail's eye between the cattails. That being said, however, photographing this bird is my first test autofocus of the K3markIII where it sometimes hunted for something to focus on.

The image of the swallow was to demonstrate the tracking capabilities of the camera under challenging conditions, and it is a bit offensive to refer to it as "snapshot-like animal photography". I guarantee you that more went into getting that test shot than a quick point-and-shoot.

I understand that not all user interfaces work for everybody, but I don't mind the black, moving focus-point indicators which only really move much when I'm doing a poor job of keeping the subject framed steadily. With the new OVF, I can tell when the image is in focus without the beep or a flashing red autofocus confirmation. I find a focus point that changes to red more distracting. If you need that extra help, you can turn on the flashing red autofocus confirmation light in the menu to be on at all times and not just in low-light conditions. However, when I tested that, it only seemed to work using AF-S focusing. In AF-C, it seems to only give the red focus confirmation light in low-light conditions like this barn swallow inside of the dark blind building and was shot handheld at 450mm with a shutter speed of 1/125sec.

[Mike.P®]

The image of the swallow was to demonstrate the tracking capabilities of the camera under challenging conditions, and it is a bit offensive to refer to it as "snapshot-like animal photography". I guarantee you that more went into getting that test shot than a quick point-and-shoot.

Did you see at the end he has used google translate from his native language?

It is possible that he wasn't actually being offensive and it has been translated into something it wasn't meant to be,

[repaap]

It's different with the AF-C. A new concept was pursued, particularly with the AF-C with an extended measuring field.So far you have chosen a focus point and this then moved in the "extended measuring field" with the moving object.With the "AF-C with extended measuring field" of the K3-3 you don't select a viewfinder point but a viewfinder area. The camera chooses a focus point itself within this field. This means. the focal point constantly jumps back and forth within the measuring field, and even if it has captured a focus, no "red focal point" or even a "signal tone" is signaled. Just a green point in the lower area of ​​the viewer that I can't see when I wear glasses. In addition, the focus point flutters around and clings to parts of the image that I didn't even select. I really miss the simple and, for me, more practicable concept of the K3! Tracking the focus point with the object, e.g. in street photography, and the subsequent exposure when the object is in the appropriate position of the subject is not possible.The promise in the Pentax roules to concentrate entirely on the motif is absurd here. Rather, one concentrates on the fluttering focal point and almost loses sight of the subject itself.Why the whole thing? I could imagine that it has to do with the "eye focus" and the "motif focus". In this function, the focus point has to reorient itself again and again, it is in the nature of the matter. Unfortunately, the programmer forgot to program the shutdown or shutdown of this strategy. Since you can switch off the eye focus in the menu, it should also be possible to switch off the fidgeting.To make my point of view clear. The autofocus on the K3-3 is great. You can still live with the late lighting up of the focused viewfinder point, which cannot be used. But interpreting the viewfinder strategy of the eye focus in AF-C as a basic strategy is a programming error in my opinion. The AF-C strategy should basically refer to the AF point with an extended AF field and if the eye focus is activated then the viewfinder field function must first be switched on. The prioritization is wrong here.In fast, snapshot-like animal photography, this may not be a disadvantage, since you work with a smaller aperture, greater depth of field and speed. In the creative part it is not practical, because the fidgeting focus point determines the focus and not the photographer.Pentax sent dozens of professional photographers out with the new camera and nobody noticed.
(Translatet with google)

Hi! Yeah. There is several focus modes and one can choose between them. Unless one exclusively want to use the mode where camera will try to find the target(form/eyes) this will work only in area of your selected zone. But you can and should move that zone about and this way use it in order to make it focus where you want it to focus. Of course, automatically it will try to seek forms it has been programmed to seek.

There are plenty of focus modes to choose from. Where shooter can decide, but then that won’t work with ‘finding the eye’.

One question is that how much have you tried to vary focus modes if that would help you to make it work better for you.