[Pål Jensen]

I think we'll continue to debate the problem until such time when there is a definitive identification of the cause and effect. To date, it seems that the problem is not universal -- several folks have reported blurred images, while others have not observed any issue in dedicated testing or in field use. Without knowing a person's exact setup and the settings that precipitated their blurred images, it might be difficult or impossible to reproduce the effect.

- Craig

How many instances of this kind of blurring is reported? I'm only aware of the dpreview case and the one in this thread. The 2s self timer fuzziness has been indentified and is something else.

[Wheatfield]

How many instances of this kind of blurring is reported? I'm only aware of the dpreview case and the one in this thread. The 2s self timer fuzziness has been indentified and is something else.

What did it turn out to be? I'm not following that closely.

[Pål Jensen]

There's is a bug when using the 2s self timer and the horizon correction is on. The image rotates somewhat during exposure causing fuzzy images.


More about it Here:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/210-pentax-k-3-iii/426489-k-3-iii-bug-2s...fuzzyness.html

[c.a.m]

How many instances of this kind of blurring is reported?

Excluding the horizon+timer issue, I know of three -- the DPReview statement regarding the studio scene; one user in the DPR Pentax Forum who apparently saw his issue disappear with firmware v1.02 (maybe a second person but I'm not certain because the blur wasn't apparent to me); and one here.

- Craig

[BobL]

I am currently testing a Pentax K-3 III. I took an ISO series to see the level up to which the images can be used. For me all settings above ISO 51.200 are useless. Why do they offer the higher values up to 1.6 million?

When photographing negatives (film), I see a lot of bright dots in the viewfinder screen, as if there are many tiny bubbles in the material. I've never seen anything like it on a DSLR.The issue must be in the viewfinder because the dots don't move when I move the film that is being photographed.

Photos with ISO 100 and 200 from a reprostand (camera is pointed downwards) are not quite sharp. This doesn't happen with my K-3 II and K70. I don't seem to be the only one experiencing this at those ISO-levels. Dpreview reports:

„Worth mentioning at this stage, however, is the slight (relative) softness of the K-3 Mark III at the shutter speeds used for ISO 100 and 200 in our daylight mode in particular. Despite repeated attempts using LiveView, the optical viewfinder, mirror lock-up, shake reduction (which isn't recommended for tripod shooting) and of course a self-timer, we were unable to produce a sharp image using the mechanical shutter at these particular settings due to shutter shock.“

See: Pentax K-3 Mark III added to studio test scene: Digital Photography Review

The Pentax K-3 III warms up faster than my other DSLRs.

Have you had similar experiences?

I'm also testing the K3,III and have found that I have had to change to manual focus a couple of times to have it focus properly at a distance. Whilst it snaps into focus well if I focus on something nearer, shooting an average landscape to focus on infinity seems to be an issue.
I initially thought it was my 16 - 50mm, but when I put on my Sigma 28 -70 I discovered it did the same.
I also had an issue with the 150-450 in that I pressed the shutter & the camera locked up. I tried removing the battery but it made no difference. It was only after I changed lenses that it corrected itself & when I put the 150-450 on again it was fine and hasn't had a problem since.
As far as using the higher ISO, I do agree that whilst it may record at the higher levels, that the results are a waste of time. I've only taken it to 12,800 & felt that the results had far too much noise to be useful.

On a positive note, I'm finding the high burst rate amazing for wildlife. Hand holding a 500mm after sunset whilst tracking a jumping kangaroo is a pretty good test of its ability to hold focus, so I'm impressed with that aspect.

[Tesla]

After reading your comments and other reports on the web, I examined the exposure times of the blurred images and they were between 1/30 s and 1/80 s. The blurring looks like a second, slightly offset, weaker image, perhaps as a result of a sensorshift during the exposure. Does that sound crazy? Yes!

But do you remember that in the announcements before launching the Pentax K-3 III it was stated several times that the image quality was not only improved for high ISO values, but even for IS0 100? That had surprised me at that time.

See: https://youtu.be/cLX3H1Zblos?t=497

Perhaps Pentax engineers have come up with something clever which does not yet work for every application. Possibly indeed a pixel-shift during longer exposure times (< 1/100 s) in the lower ISO range, which should bei compensated by the processor and is used to get better tonal values with the Bayer matrix.

I cannot test this because I had to send the borrowed camera back to Ricoh.

I wonder if "Slow Shutter Speed NR" is the problem. Too bad you don't have the camera anymore to test.

[Jonathan Mac]

If it suffers from shutter shock then that's a real shame. I don't know why it would have that problem unless it uses a different shutter from previous K3 models.

Regarding the bright dots, I've no idea. Maybe related to the new OVF design?

As for ISO, if 51200 is usable then that's pretty good going. I wouldn't expect the last few stops of ISO to produce anything other than a noisy mess anyway.

[Cerebum]

Its at times like this when I love my KP a little bit more. Although the guys doing a single in challenge haven't flagged up this issue. Everything is different on this camera, bar the battery, so surely in its bank of tests Pentax R&D will have tested the new shutter for anything that impacts on image quality. I watch with interest

[wkraus]

I’ll give you a better sample than I have now if you insist on being disappointed.
Meanwhile, to get an idea of my standards, see here: Pixel Shifted Images - Page 96 - PentaxForums.com

@house: Here comes your first test. Copy stand as in OP’s setup, Tokina AT-X Macro 90mm 1:2.5 at 1:2 (maximum extension), f/6.3, 1/60, ISO 125. As I own no proper macro resolution target I used a piece of P 1000 sanding paper, which is pretty detailed.



The image posted here is a straight exposure using a cable release. I can see no blur to speak of. I also tried various combinations of Live View, 2 seconds self-timer and Shake Reduction, with no significant differences. The Pixel Shift version is quite a bit sharper, as expected. I’m not going to bore you with 7 almost identical frames but you can check, download and compare the whole set here: Pentax K-3 III test | Flickr

Conclusion: under these conditions, which are not too unlike those of the OP, camera-induced blur is a non-issue.

That said, I managed to get a small amount of blur with my heavy Manfrotto tripod at 1/80 so there is actually some source of vibration but as the blur is reduced when using the 2 seconds self-timer I assume it is from the mirror action. This needs more testing; I’ll report my findings.

The ultimate stress test for your tripod is this: use a long lens with a tripod mount such as the DA* 300mm, put it on your tripod and rotate the lens+camera to a vertical position. Then try getting a sharp image. If you think about the mechanics involved it is to be expected that the whole setup will have an extreme amount of vibration. But the K-1 is worse under these conditions than the K-3 III.

[stevebrot]

What did it turn out to be? I'm not following that closely.

I am following it closely and don't remember a clear and waterproof explanation.


Steve

[slartibartfast01]

I am following it closely and don't remember a clear and waterproof explanation.





Steve

Wasn't it an issue with horizon correction?

[stevebrot]

Wasn't it an issue with horizon correction?

Anecdotally, though there are examples with the 2s timer where horizon correction was turned off. To be honest, I think it is a bit of a stretch to suggest that the correction would not have been finished a full 2s after mirror up. It works fine otherwise even in burst mode.


Steve

[Pål Jensen]

Anecdotally, though there are examples with the 2s timer where horizon correction was turned off. T
Steve

Where?

[stevebrot]

Where?

Where was the connection proven? Sorry...that was blunt. I posted EXIF excerpts documenting this on another thread and will try and find the post.


Steve

[slartibartfast01]

Where was the connection proven? Sorry...that was blunt. I posted EXIF excerpts documenting this on another thread and will try and find the post.


Steve

Here I think.
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4580577