[Kiwi645hauler]

Been trying out a M50 f1.7 lens. When I compose, focus then press the green button, it picks some strange shutter speeds. The camera is in M, the GB is set to Tv mode. Some images are way over exposed, some are way under exposed and some are spot on. I find that adjusting the shutter speed myself without using the gb can give just as good pics.
Last night as the light was fading, I tried a few images around the back yard. Forgot to set up for manual op's. The camera was in Av and auto ISO. Some of the images came out okay.
The frustrating thing is, no F# in the image property details so it is hard to recall which images were at what aperture setting.

Big learning curve here.

With the M lenses, the camera if you are using in TV mode will try and guess what aperture you are using for metering because despite the aperture lever on the lens being set to a position without the contacts of the A & FA series lenses, the camera is only guessing what the lens is on the camera and the aperture. So when the shutter is released the lens stops down, hence some of the funny shutter speeds when it captures the image. Best idea if using the old M lenses is to set the camera in M mode, that way the metering won't second guess your settings as you are controlling everything and telling the camera you are using 1/60th and f2.8 for example and the camera won't try and change it

---------- Post added 11-05-17 at 02:06 PM ----------

Morning all,

Yesterday I finally got around to undertaking the individual lens AF adjustment. The back focussing of a lens finally got to me.

First up I tried a few to see if this would be a global value in the camera, but it soon became clear that there were different requirements between the lenses.

I have 4 Autofocus capable lenses, and the change values were all over the place, and different between our two bodies, the K-3 and K-S1. Only the Tamron 90mm was bang on straight away on both bodies.

Have yet to retry the lenses out in the field, but wanted to check something here first:

I found this reference to the User Modes needing separate changes, or something like that.
AF adjustment - PentaxForums.com

Can someone advise if I need to repeat this whole process to save these into the user modes, or can I just recreate the modes and write these settings over the top of the current modes etc
Somewhat confused and a bit unsure as to why a setting like this wouldn't automatically be applied to all modes etc.

Ideas? Thanks.

I do believe that each user mode has to be set individually as they are exactly that, a user created mode.. Highly annoying if you have multiple lenses to adjust, but i do think that each user mode can be adjusted with the new AF adjustment settings and saved overtop of the current ones.

[richandfleur]

I do believe that each user mode has to be set individually as they are exactly that, a user created mode.. Highly annoying if you have multiple lenses to adjust, but i do think that each user mode can be adjusted with the new AF adjustment settings and saved overtop of the current ones.

Yeah that's what I'm thinking I'll do. I'll head into whatever mode I used to save the current user mode settings, recreate what I'm after in that user mode, and then save those settings over the top of the old, which will hopefully save the new lens corrections to that user mode too. Honestly seems naff, but there seems a sensible work around.

Interesting side discussion, but what modes do people normally save to their user mode options?
I predominantly have one to use for sports, where I want very specific AF behaviours, and don't want to have to menu dive to set them up each time.

Whilst I miss having physical levers/switches for some items, I see the benefits where these options can be saved to a user mode. ie SR, AF mode etc.

[Transit]

With the M lenses, the camera if you are using in TV mode will try and guess what aperture you are using for metering because despite the aperture lever on the lens being set to a position without the contacts of the A & FA series lenses, the camera is only guessing what the lens is on the camera and the aperture. So when the shutter is released the lens stops down, hence some of the funny shutter speeds when it captures the image. ....

I don't think that is correct, in anything accept Manual, the lens does not stop down at any stage.
The variation is probably due to Gubs point about light leakage through the viewfinder effecting metering

[GUB]

Yeah that's what I'm thinking I'll do. I'll head into whatever mode I used to save the current user mode settings, recreate what I'm after in that user mode, and then save those settings over the top of the old, which will hopefully save the new lens corrections to that user mode too. Honestly seems naff, but there seems a sensible work around.

Interesting side discussion, but what modes do people normally save to their user mode options?
I predominantly have one to use for sports, where I want very specific AF behaviours, and don't want to have to menu dive to set them up each time.

Whilst I miss having physical levers/switches for some items, I see the benefits where these options can be saved to a user mode. ie SR, AF mode etc.

I don't seem to have a use for any of the user modes. I am in manual mode , saving in raw and Iso stuck on 100 , manual focusing. What potential is there in it for me?. can I set a user mode to M, electronic shutter on and one with it off?

[GUB]

Na -- don't all answer me at once - got it sussed - U1 Mshutter SR on - U2 Eshutter - U3 Mshutter SR off - and all in M mode . Be interesting to see if it works for me.

[NZ_Ross]

Na -- don't all answer me at once - got it sussed - U1 Mshutter SR on - U2 Eshutter - U3 Mshutter SR off - and all in M mode . Be interesting to see if it works for me.

I am planning to set user modes for settings for birds in flight, and landscapes - but when I get a chance to tinker, which will be after Christmas

[Class A]

Interesting side discussion, but what modes do people normally save to their user mode options?

I once had two user modes set up for being able to quickly switch between using flash and ambient light. The former established "X" mode and the latter TAv. I think I turned off shake reduction for flash usage, and influenced some other settings. It was a quick way to dynamically change between using a flash or not on location. Of particular convenience was that the camera remembered the shooting parameters, so I saved dialling them backwards and forwards every time I switched the modus operandi.

However, I haven't used any user mode in a long while. It is typically either "M" or "TAv" for me.

BTW, I cannot believe that there is a set of AF adjustment values for each user mode. You should have to do that only once. Make sure to not mix "Apply All" with single lens adjustments. Only one of the two can be effective; they are not accumulative and the global value is not a default value for any individual lens that you haven't explicitly adjusted yet. BTW, you may want to check out my "AF adjustment hints", if you haven't done so already. Lots of pitfalls to avoid. My major gripe is that a camera-based adjustment only works optimally for a single distance. It is a pain to settle for this one distance and so far only a service calibration of the lens/camera combination or the use of Sigma dock with a respective lens can avoid this limitation.

[richandfleur]

BTW, I cannot believe that there is a set of AF adjustment values for each user mode. You should have to do that only once. Make sure to not mix "Apply All" with single lens adjustments. Only one of the two can be effective; they are not accumulative and the global value is not a default value for any individual lens that you haven't explicitly adjusted yet. BTW, you may want to check out my "AF adjustment hints", if you haven't done so already. Lots of pitfalls to avoid. My major gripe is that a camera-based adjustment only works optimally for a single distance. It is a pain to settle for this one distance and so far only a service calibration of the lens/camera combination or the use of Sigma dock with a respective lens can avoid this limitation.

In hindsight it's not as bad as I thought, but it's still a bit weird. What happens is you create your user modes, by saving the settings to those modes. Then later, when you make your lens AF adjustments, you have to recreate the mode settings and re save the user mode again, to overwrite it's contents with the new AF adjustment settings.

I agree though, I can't think of a single reason why you'd want to not have lens specific AF adjustments made available to all the modes, including the user ones. It is weird, but not unworkable.

I've done mine now, and really kicking myself that I didn't do it earlier. It also showed up the significant quality differences between lenses. My Tamron 90mm is staggeringly better than any of my other lenses, and quite coincidentally required almost no adjustment on both bodies.

Agree that it's a bit odd on a zoom lens. And the other silly thing is surely you could automate this based on live view contrast detect vs phase detect, given it's for static objects and all. Can't believe this hasn't been considered yet.

[Class A]

And the other silly thing is surely you could automate this based on live view contrast detect vs phase detect, given it's for static objects and all. Can't believe this hasn't been considered yet.

Yes, very true.

There is software that provides automation support for other camera brands, but all camera manufacturers could offer this as an in-camera service.

[Transit]

User modes?
I have one called 'planes'...TAv with +1 ev...anything else is beyond me :-)

[MarkJerling]

I've long set my User Modes up as quick presets for: Sport, Landscape, Portrait and Macro. This in terms of optimal shutter speed, aperture, etc. For Sport, I have it preset to shoot .jpg only, for Landscape, .jpeg and RAW, etc. I consequently use the User Modes more than anything else.

[Arpe]

I always have a user mode I can quickly set to "dummy" mode, for when I give the camera to someone else to take a photo.

[Kiwi645hauler]

I don't think that is correct, in anything accept Manual, the lens does not stop down at any stage.
The variation is probably due to Gubs point about light leakage through the viewfinder effecting metering

Going back through a couple of Pentax Manuals, If any lens is used with an aperture ring that is set to anything other than A, the camera will default to AV mode despite any settings on the command dial unless those settings are M, B or X modes and with M lenses, the AE metering does not function, and metering will need to be set to center weighted or spot metering. (Pg81 of the K-3 Manual)

[MarkJerling]

I always have a user mode I can quickly set to "dummy" mode, for when I give the camera to someone else to take a photo.

Don't you just set it on Green Mode for that?

[richandfleur]

I always have a user mode I can quickly set to "dummy" mode, for when I give the camera to someone else to take a photo.

Most have an auto don't they? I think it's a Green line on the mode dial on the K-3 for example, or actually says auto on the mode dial consumer spec ranges.

Handing to others usually means:

Hoping the focus point is sensible, so you don't focus on the background instead of your subjects. iPhone type face detection would be really useful here, so maybe live view would be more sensible.
Then it's depth of field, so want around f8 aperture and you need a fast shutter speed to avoid motion blur, both in terms of subject movement and camera operator movement.