Pentax K5-II autofocus too slow ?

aashkulkarni · 10-21-2012, 06:04 PM

I bought a Pentax K5-II yesterday in Tokyo, the dimensions, weight, size is great however the main reason I upgraded from my K200D was the better sony sensor, the low light performance and the better autofocus. However even with the DA*16-50 lens the focusing does not even match the speed of my K200D ( which I bought 3 years ago ) . I will post more details after a thorough testing on the weekend, but as of now I am not impressed with the autofocus.

Adam · 10-21-2012, 07:31 PM

You probably won't see much of a difference in speed under normal shooting conditions, but try in low light or point it at things with low contrast- the K-5 should hunt little, if at all.

123jippo · 10-22-2012, 05:44 AM

I did update from K100 to K5 and honestly i can not say which body have better AF...many people here not like to read this but thats how it is anyway...try to keep calm ok

But when I did update from MZ5 to K100D I did notice that AF did get so much worse...

LFLee · 10-22-2012, 06:17 AM

My DA*16-50 keep getting back focus on the K5 in shaded area, low light area. But no problem in bright light.
There is no such problem on my K200D. I suspect is a lens+camera issue, since other lenses have no such problem on my K5.

I just put the DA*16-50 on my K200D to solve the problem.

yomer · 10-22-2012, 08:27 AM

Originally posted by aashkulkarni

I bought a Pentax K5-II yesterday in Tokyo, the dimensions, weight, size is great however the main reason I upgraded from my K200D was the better sony sensor, the low light performance and the better autofocus. However even with the DA*16-50 lens the focusing does not even match the speed of my K200D ( which I bought 3 years ago ) . I will post more details after a thorough testing on the weekend, but as of now I am not impressed with the autofocus.

This can't be. The main feature of this second revision of the K5 is better autofocus. Please do post your test results. It must be some type of lens compatibility problem, You could try with other lenses and compare AF speed.

**Rondec** · 10-22-2012, 08:44 AM

I don't think there would be a whole lot of difference with SDM lenses. I see the slowness of the lens motor as being the bottle neck in this situation. That said, as Adam says, the big difference should be that the camera can lock focus in lower light/contrast situations.

psibian · 10-28-2012, 07:55 AM

I have found my k30 hunting when I try to focus with objects at planes far part. For example, viewing something through a mesh fence.

TomE · 10-28-2012, 08:18 AM

That is not the news I was looking for, I was thinking the new AF on the K5 II would be somewhere on the same level as Nikon so I can go back to buying Pentax again.

westmill · 10-28-2012, 08:48 AM

Speed is just one aspect of many for autofocus. Pentax has most certainly made the focus much better, but they have not stated that it is faster. It will now focus accurately in low light conditions and not miss focus under ambient light etc. That in itself is a big improvement. Within the limits of the large focus points it is far more capable of nailing focus more acurately even with fast lenses. Focus speed is as much dependant on the lens in use as the camera body. The pentax 16-50 is fairly fast but it is not a speed demon. I use both the Pentax K5 and a Nikon D300. The d300 prob has the best focus system there is. Despite this, switching from camera to camera as I do, I dont find myself waiting in anyway as regards to speed with the K5. I use the tamron 17-50 which is run by the body. The lens has a very short focal path which makes it very fast focusing. The drawback is thats it is very very difficult for manual focus since a small turn makes a large difference.

snake · 10-28-2012, 08:50 AM

I don't know why people are expecting miracles on an evolution model. The only way I see Pentax making a huge difference on AF is with a new model, with new hardware, designed from the ground up.

To be honest, the SD type lenses focus pretty damn fast. SDM is disappointing, in most cases.

I'm also using primes, so for me, focus is quite ok, when it's not hunting or front-focusing in dark conditions...

TomE · 10-28-2012, 11:15 AM

I also shoot Nikon and Pentax and there is no comparison between my D700, which is old Nikon technology and my K5, with the K5 being far slower to focus on fast moving objects.

normhead · 10-28-2012, 11:30 AM

Quote:

with the K5 being far slower to focus on fast moving objects.

Those of us who don't often focus on fast moving objects don't notice much difference. Neither do most of the test sites where on stationary objects teh difference between a Nikon System in bright light and low ISO was measured in 1/100s of a second. People should be warned though, if you are going to base your purchase on shooting fast moving objects. Pentax isn't for you. The subjects I shoot, I ask them to hold still or they are still, like still life or landscapes. I'm sure I'd get more seagull in flight keepers if I was shooting Canon or Nikon. But that's like twice a year. And I still get some keepers. Not as many as I'd get with a Canon or Nikon, but I'm usually only looking for 1 or 2, so it never becomes an issue.

yomer · 10-28-2012, 11:38 AM

How slow is slow?

I have no experience with any Pentax hardware. The K5II will be my first. So, comparatively speaking. How well does it measure up against the equivalent models from Nikon, Canon and Sony? Which would those be? I'm thinking N D7000, S A77, C T4i and 7D.

The primary reasons I'm going for Pentax is it's low light performance and IQ.

yomer · 10-28-2012, 11:41 AM

Originally posted by normhead

Those of us who don't often focus on fast moving objects don't notice much difference. Neither do most of the test sites where on stationary objects teh difference between a Nikon System in bright light and low ISO was measured in 1/100s of a second. People should be warned though, if you are going to base your purchase on shooting fast moving objects. Pentax isn't for you. The subjects I shoot, I ask them to hold still or they are still, like still life or landscapes. I'm sure I'd get more seagull in flight keepers if I was shooting Canon or Nikon. But that's like twice a year. And I still get some keepers. Not as many as I'd get with a Canon or Nikon, but I'm usually only looking for 1 or 2, so it never becomes an issue.

Uh oh, what about kids in motion? School events, parties, family gatherings. I intend to shoot both static and dynamic scenes.

snake · 10-28-2012, 11:49 AM - **1 Like**

It's funny that people still talk about the AF performance, but rarely specify what lenses they're using and what settings and conditions. I am only guessing that the lenses have an effect on the AF speed and accuracy.

Just a guess, though.

Mind you, the 5DII had a pretty poor AF system, which I rank even below the K-5 and it didn't seem to stop it from becoming perhaps the most dominant cam for pro use.

10-21-2012, 06:04 PM	#1
aashkulkarni New Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Tokyo, Japan Photos: Albums Posts: 7	Pentax K5-II autofocus too slow ? I bought a Pentax K5-II yesterday in Tokyo, the dimensions, weight, size is great however the main reason I upgraded from my K200D was the better sony sensor, the low light performance and the better autofocus. However even with the DA*16-50 lens the focusing does not even match the speed of my K200D ( which I bought 3 years ago ) . I will post more details after a thorough testing on the weekend, but as of now I am not impressed with the autofocus.

10-21-2012, 07:31 PM	#2
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,595	You probably won't see much of a difference in speed under normal shooting conditions, but try in low light or point it at things with low contrast- the K-5 should hunt little, if at all. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

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10-22-2012, 05:44 AM	#3
123jippo Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Photos: Gallery Posts: 165	I did update from K100 to K5 and honestly i can not say which body have better AF...many people here not like to read this but thats how it is anyway...try to keep calm ok But when I did update from MZ5 to K100D I did notice that AF did get so much worse...

10-22-2012, 06:17 AM	#4
LFLee Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Southern California Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,292	My DA16-50 keep getting back focus on the K5 in shaded area, low light area. But no problem in bright light. There is no such problem on my K200D. I suspect is a lens+camera issue, since other lenses have no such problem on my K5. I just put the DA16-50 on my K200D to solve the problem.

10-22-2012, 08:27 AM	#5
yomer Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 37	Originally posted by aashkulkarni I bought a Pentax K5-II yesterday in Tokyo, the dimensions, weight, size is great however the main reason I upgraded from my K200D was the better sony sensor, the low light performance and the better autofocus. However even with the DA*16-50 lens the focusing does not even match the speed of my K200D ( which I bought 3 years ago ) . I will post more details after a thorough testing on the weekend, but as of now I am not impressed with the autofocus. This can't be. The main feature of this second revision of the K5 is better autofocus. Please do post your test results. It must be some type of lens compatibility problem, You could try with other lenses and compare AF speed.

10-22-2012, 08:44 AM	#6
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,652	I don't think there would be a whole lot of difference with SDM lenses. I see the slowness of the lens motor as being the bottle neck in this situation. That said, as Adam says, the big difference should be that the camera can lock focus in lower light/contrast situations.

10-28-2012, 07:55 AM	#7
psibian New Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 3	I have found my k30 hunting when I try to focus with objects at planes far part. For example, viewing something through a mesh fence.

10-28-2012, 08:18 AM	#8
TomE Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 299	That is not the news I was looking for, I was thinking the new AF on the K5 II would be somewhere on the same level as Nikon so I can go back to buying Pentax again.

10-28-2012, 08:48 AM	#9
westmill Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Stoke on Trent Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,146	Speed is just one aspect of many for autofocus. Pentax has most certainly made the focus much better, but they have not stated that it is faster. It will now focus accurately in low light conditions and not miss focus under ambient light etc. That in itself is a big improvement. Within the limits of the large focus points it is far more capable of nailing focus more acurately even with fast lenses. Focus speed is as much dependant on the lens in use as the camera body. The pentax 16-50 is fairly fast but it is not a speed demon. I use both the Pentax K5 and a Nikon D300. The d300 prob has the best focus system there is. Despite this, switching from camera to camera as I do, I dont find myself waiting in anyway as regards to speed with the K5. I use the tamron 17-50 which is run by the body. The lens has a very short focal path which makes it very fast focusing. The drawback is thats it is very very difficult for manual focus since a small turn makes a large difference.

10-28-2012, 08:50 AM	#10
snake Banned Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: NY/Germany Posts: 1,183	I don't know why people are expecting miracles on an evolution model. The only way I see Pentax making a huge difference on AF is with a new model, with new hardware, designed from the ground up. To be honest, the SD type lenses focus pretty damn fast. SDM is disappointing, in most cases. I'm also using primes, so for me, focus is quite ok, when it's not hunting or front-focusing in dark conditions...

10-28-2012, 11:15 AM	#11
TomE Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 299	I also shoot Nikon and Pentax and there is no comparison between my D700, which is old Nikon technology and my K5, with the K5 being far slower to focus on fast moving objects.

10-28-2012, 11:30 AM	#12
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Quote: with the K5 being far slower to focus on fast moving objects. Those of us who don't often focus on fast moving objects don't notice much difference. Neither do most of the test sites where on stationary objects teh difference between a Nikon System in bright light and low ISO was measured in 1/100s of a second. People should be warned though, if you are going to base your purchase on shooting fast moving objects. Pentax isn't for you. The subjects I shoot, I ask them to hold still or they are still, like still life or landscapes. I'm sure I'd get more seagull in flight keepers if I was shooting Canon or Nikon. But that's like twice a year. And I still get some keepers. Not as many as I'd get with a Canon or Nikon, but I'm usually only looking for 1 or 2, so it never becomes an issue.

10-28-2012, 11:38 AM	#13
yomer Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 37	How slow is slow? I have no experience with any Pentax hardware. The K5II will be my first. So, comparatively speaking. How well does it measure up against the equivalent models from Nikon, Canon and Sony? Which would those be? I'm thinking N D7000, S A77, C T4i and 7D. The primary reasons I'm going for Pentax is it's low light performance and IQ.

10-28-2012, 11:41 AM	#14
yomer Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 37	Originally posted by normhead Those of us who don't often focus on fast moving objects don't notice much difference. Neither do most of the test sites where on stationary objects teh difference between a Nikon System in bright light and low ISO was measured in 1/100s of a second. People should be warned though, if you are going to base your purchase on shooting fast moving objects. Pentax isn't for you. The subjects I shoot, I ask them to hold still or they are still, like still life or landscapes. I'm sure I'd get more seagull in flight keepers if I was shooting Canon or Nikon. But that's like twice a year. And I still get some keepers. Not as many as I'd get with a Canon or Nikon, but I'm usually only looking for 1 or 2, so it never becomes an issue. Uh oh, what about kids in motion? School events, parties, family gatherings. I intend to shoot both static and dynamic scenes.

10-28-2012, 11:49 AM - 1 Like	#15
snake Banned Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: NY/Germany Posts: 1,183	It's funny that people still talk about the AF performance, but rarely specify what lenses they're using and what settings and conditions. I am only guessing that the lenses have an effect on the AF speed and accuracy. Just a guess, though. Mind you, the 5DII had a pretty poor AF system, which I rank even below the K-5 and it didn't seem to stop it from becoming perhaps the most dominant cam for pro use.