[jersey]

Hello,

I own K-50 and there is one thing that drives me crazy about this camera and frankly it's dust gatherer now, I rather take old analog Canon AE-1 or even a smartphone then this cam with me. My main target are trains/trainstations and some animals that are running around my garden. And the issue name is: autofocus. Dont know how Pentax did it but my Xperia is more accurate at tracking trains or birds/cats then this camera and K-50 screw me over so much, that around 90% of shots are misses. Heck, I'm better with manual focusing incoming train on AE-1 then K-50 so I think I'm not that bad with camera handling


I decided to sell K-50 and buy new camera, but I do not want to hit same wall again. Is there any Pentax APS-C camera with decent tracking autofocus that will suit my needs? I have few lenses so I'd rather stay with Pentax.

[selfnoise]

I think the KP has the most up to date AF system but its tracking is still mostly unusable for me. Part of the issue is screwdrive AF lenses: if you have any of these, the way in which they interact with the motor just doesn't allow for the kind of random, rapid adjustments needed for AF subject tracking. I have more luck with moving objects by just aiming, then instead of half-pressing just do a total press so that the camera immediately focuses and fires.

You might have more luck with modern lenses with internal motors, but then again maybe not. I've found my m43 camera to have vastly better tracking AF than any DSLR I've used, and even that (Panasonic G85) isn't nearly as good as say, Sony A6100/6400 etc. Tracking has advanced a ton in the last 5-10 years.

[TER-OR]

The K3 series with 18-135 does really well. Some of it is managing your focus mode, I usually use center point but if at the dog park will activate the center points mode. KP is probably better, but I have no experience.

[The Squirrel Mafia]

If you want an APS-C camera, the current KP & discontinued K-3II offer the "best" AF performance. You'll need a fast focusing lens like the DA 55-300mm PLM to make the most out of it. They're better than the K-50, but still lag behind most competitors.

The upcoming APS-C flagship camera might finally have very good AF. The clue is the joystick behind the camera, but no one knows yet how much better it is. It's expected sometime near the end of this year, provided that the "supply chains" are good. Expect it to come with a hefty price tag, though.

That an Xperia does it better is probably because it uses centerpoint, as most smartphones do. Of course you could use the K-50 as a stand in for your AE-1 and use manual focus. Maybe the catch-in-focus option might do the trick. But probably you just have to adjust the af-mode to centerpoint instead of the standard AF mode with several points. I own a K-3II and the problem is rather that animals just keep on running or flying and trains keep on rolling. I did a lot of pictures with my Samsung GX-10 with the 18-55 or 50-200, yes they are K10d and the lenses siblings. It uses screwdrive and a lot of pictures were fine. It all depends on light and a high shutterspeed as well. If you care for a new camera, wait till the end of the year because you have more Ricoh/Pentax options to choose from.

[jersey]

It is not that i really care about the new camera, I'm pretty happy with K50 image quality. It's just the autofocus that drives me crazy. I don't have many pictures uploaded to Internet, but for example at the day I shot this little guy i did few dozens shots and lots were misses when bird was flying. Had to sit and wait for it to be still. Then image was OK.

I am also not that much focused on APS-C, but my budget is rather limited and most of my lenses are APS-C ones, not FF.

[TER-OR]

Are you using center-point. You'll need to for precise shots like this. Even so, it can get confused with branches etc. It takes patience and often a few exposures.

[ChristianRock]

Pentax never really implemented predictive AF, so I hate to say it, but I think that for that particular use case - a train coming fast in your direction - I think even the K-1 or K-P might always be slightly "late" by the time you press the shutter - meaning, the focus will be slightly behind the front of the train. The exception might be the use of the DA 55-300 PLM lens, which focuses so fast that the focus is pretty much instantaneous. And the PLM lenses work with your K-50 by the way...

Of course I'd love for someone to correct me if I'm wrong, but that kind of predictive AF is something others have implemented by Pentax hasn't. (they might with the new APSC flagship, if the rumors are true that Pentax is licencing AF technology from Nikon).

[jersey]

Yes, I am using centrepoint. I ,now that patients is important. It just drives me crazy when I am at sea, try to shoot a landing gull for example and camera misses focus. Again, and again, and again.

[TER-OR]

Yeah, using that 9-point or whatever could help with that. I have to use center when trying to focus on warblers in trees, and they don't tend to pose in place. I will say the focus is far better on the K3II than the K5, there's no comparison. A couple generations makes a big difference.

[Kozlok]

If tracking auto-focus is important to you, it is quite possible Pentax is not the best brand for you. Nikon and Sony are both supposed to be miles ahead in this specific regard, but you will want to go to a higher-end model. I don't think their cameras which are at the K-50's price-point are any better. Maybe a D500 Nikon would fit your needs best?

Yes, I am using centrepoint. I ,now that patients is important. It just drives me crazy when I am at sea, try to shoot a landing gull for example and camera misses focus. Again, and again, and again.

What you did not tell us is the lens you use. To be honest, I do not have any problem with Ricoh/Pentaxes AF speed. They are fast when using IF. That is in my experience. The DC version AF-motor in the lenses is very fast. And shooting birds is very, very difficult. Perhaps a bird in action is almost impossible, but that explains why you have to take so many exposures. That Ricoh/Pentax AF is slow is a myth told by reviewers. So you make remarks on something that can almost not be measured by us the photographing public. My first AF camera was a film Pentax camera and AF-speed is so much better with new camera's. Even the old F and FA lenses achieve better than they did on the film camera's. I read somewhere, or saw on the BBC channel, that a photographer explained that it took him almost a year to make a satisfying picture of a particular kind of bird. So I think you should blame the birds and not your tools...

[jersey]

That makes me sad Pentax was, well, is my first DSLR and second digital camera. Besides I like niche brands but if Pentax does not have what I need I will consider switching. For now I think I can wait till new Pentax comes out and will wait for some tests and reviews. If it's not what I need I'll switch.


For now I try this PLM lens, I have 70-300 Tamron, but if it helps with my issues I think I can live with replacement


Thanks guys, I go for the lens and share results

@AfterPentax: I'm using Tamron 70-300mm F4-5.6 AF Di LD Macro mainly if I'm going out for shooting. For everyday I was using (as I'm rarely taking this camera with me anymore) SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL or in kit SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL WR.

[The Squirrel Mafia]

It is not that i really care about the new camera, I'm pretty happy with K50 image quality. It's just the autofocus that drives me crazy. I don't have many pictures uploaded to Internet, but for example at the day I shot this little guy i did few dozens shots and lots were misses when bird was flying. Had to sit and wait for it to be still. Then image was OK.

I am also not that much focused on APS-C, but my budget is rather limited and most of my lenses are APS-C ones, not FF.

Yeah. I love everything about my K-50 except for the AF performance & the aperture issue that I had to fix on my own. I will have to resort to manual focusing at times 'cause the AF can be hopeless, even when using center point back-button focus & recomposing. I have no qualms with anything else. The IQ is great for being an "older" camera.

I have used a K-3II with the DA 55-300 PLM & the AF is better, but when it comes to tracking, it's still not at the level of the "old" Nikon D7200, another camera that I use on occasion. Single AF with the K-3II is pretty good. Definitely better than the K-50 & about the same as the D7200. The KP has the same AF as the K-3II, but it might be a hair better. I haven't really played with a KP thoroughly, though.

I'm waiting to see what that upcoming APS-C flagship brings to the AF table.

[paulh]

Centerpoint and back button AF should help. I use the old manual-focus lens techniques, such as pre-focusing - finding a focus point ahead of where the train, bicycle, child, etc will be, and waiting for the subject to arrive there. It's pretty effective.