[Ubuntu_user]

I was comparing AF accuracy based on center point AF.

I've seen many people complain about K5's AF, but not K7's. K-5 suppose to have a slightly better AF system than K-7, but it's not so in real life shooting condition. Firmware 1.03 was suppose to fix low light AF issues, but clearly failed. At f/1.4-2.0 aperture in low light, K5 miss fires way too much.

This has not been my experience. My K-7 was much slower and inaccurate than my K-5... K-5 is like a breath of fresh air. Also, I have operated friend's Canon 50D and 5D Mk II and both of those cameras misfocused way more often than my K-5 (of course it's what you get use to, but I'm talking centerpoint selected and aiming at the same subject).

Direct link to fleebay to support LBA.

Now we're talking! I love that idea.

I would like the K-3 to have several flaws and cost $2000. It'll be easier to resist that way.

lol. That definitely is one way to look at it, and the more I think about it, the more I'm with you. Otherwise, I know what's coming...



I reecho what others have already said:

-improved AF-C (K-5 is up to par with CaNikon imho, but why not have a superior system?)
-dual card slots in camera and grip (although I still have yet to hit the buffer maximum and I do shoot sports too)
-Full frame in the size of K-5 body oops!
-60fps HD video (I don't shoot video but just for those who do)

[Snydly]

Camera menu, tab 3

Un-tick digital preview

On a k-7. Might be slightly different on other bodies.

EDIT Snydly can type quicker than me!

Yet your response is more thorough...

[cmohr]

You are in Digital Preview. You need to change the Menu option to Optical preview....

Camera menu, tab 3

Un-tick digital preview

On a k-7. Might be slightly different on other bodies.

EDIT Snydly can type quicker than me!

You can change setting to show "Optical Preview". It's in the user manual.

AAAhhhHHHhhhh.. What can I say, guys just dont read the manual

Thanks Guys, all sorted.


Must agree with the selectable SDM or screw drive preference. AF with a 2xTC would then be possible.

[JohnBee]

I would like the K-3 to have several flaws and cost $2000. It'll be easier to resist that way.

Don't worry, we've already got that covered.

I myself preemptively made copies of the top Pentax doomsday threads from the last release with blank dates and model no.'s for the next round.

[befocus]

Innovative features:
-A Fixed mirror system like Sony translucent mirror.
-A faster/simpler version of "Sensor controlled shaking shot system" like the Hasselblad one.
-Something really new...

Misc:
-Dual SD slot
-Articulating (wr compatible) screen
-Better AF performance.
-16 bit AD/C ?
-Tethering.
-K-mount Mirrorless system.
-Customizable menus.
-Selectable axys Shake Reduction.
-Live view Grid type choice.
-Built-in GPS.
-Eyepiece with built-in curtain.
-Built-in flash with tilt swivel head.
-Built-in flash manual power settings.
-Improved Built-in AF assist lamp.
-Flash synchro speed 1/300s


Video performance:
-Manual controls in movie mode
-Sensor crop digital zoom in movie mode
-24 25 30 60 fps full hd movie mode
-Live view/movie mode peaking focus assist
-Audio controls
-4k video 24p? (I read somewhere that it would already be possible on dslr)


PS
NO Touch screen, i hate it.

[Ubuntu_user]

Innovative features:
-A Fixed mirror system like Sony translucent mirror.
-A faster/simpler version of "Sensor controlled shaking shot system" like the Hasselblad one.
-Something really new...

Misc:
-Dual SD slot
-Articulating (wr compatible) screen
-Better AF performance.
-16 bit AD/C ?
-Tethering.
-K-mount Mirrorless system.
-Customizable menus.
-Selectable axys Shake Reduction.
-Live view Grid type choice.
-Built-in GPS.
-Eyepiece with built-in curtain.
-Built-in flash with tilt swivel head.
-Built-in flash manual power settings.
-Improved Built-in AF assist lamp.
-Flash synchro speed 1/300s


Video performance:
-Manual controls in movie mode
-Sensor crop digital zoom in movie mode
-24 25 30 60 fps full hd movie mode
-Live view/movie mode peaking focus assist
-Audio controls
-4k video 24p? (I read somewhere that it would already be possible on dslr)


PS
NO Touch screen, i hate it.

Some of the things you are wanting would spell a larger camera. For the top-end APS-C I wouldn't want it any bigger; however, if they released a FF then I'd definitely be all for some of your wants.

[RonHendriks1966]

APS-H size sensor, IF DA lenses work sufficiently well with it. Would like larger sensor, not necessarily FF. I've been wondering if H size sensor would fit in the existing Pentax k7/k5 body without major mods

+1 I'm on this APS-H sensor size too!

There is a thread about K-5 firmware suggestions and a lot of nice things are stated there that are stil not in our camera.

What I would like is the option we have for ISO-settings to give it top/bottom settings in auto-iso mode to expand to shuttertime and apperture. This trio mixed with sportsprogram or MTF or alike will give some nice oppertunity's.

For instand with sport I like to change things, or when a cloud is messing up your light. Then up the iso, or opening apperture, but my shuttertime can vary a little, but not to much. I would state that from 1/500th to 1/1250th to vary for instance.

[sandilands]

1. Don't spend big R&D bucks on frills. Sorry articulating LCD is a frill, Dual SDs are a frill, GPS is a frill and available as aftermarket anyway. If you feel you need full frame, the 645 is available now. If you want to shoot video, buy a proper video camera.

2. Don't mess with the body design. Ya got it right, it ain't broke, don't fix it.

3. Real needs:
- Pentax authored tethering. PK tether is OK but come on Pentax/Ricoh get with the program.
- ISO 25. Yes!
- Redirect any R&D spending from FF (if there is any) to an industry leading APS-C sensor project.
- Better low light AF. Essential! Better AF generally, but again I have a K7.
- A decent flash system. The 360 and 540 are an embarassment. I pine for a pair of SB900s.
- Industry leading noise avoidance (as opposed to "fix it after" reduction methods)
- An 18 - 270 lens (OK I know this is about the next gen K, but I can't resist this one)
- Did I say a decent flash system? That includes the ability to use HSS and rear curtain sync off camera (and without requiring expensive, and may I say impractical, 1 or 3 metre cords).
- Ability to turn off NR for long exposures in Bulb. (I have a K7, maybe the K5 fixed this)

3. Nice to haves? Maybes?
- 16 bit pixels. Not sure about this. 2^14 already eats up all my post processing power.
- Mirrorless a la Sony? Probably. It's just hard for us old timers to get used to this idea.
- Customizable Menus? OK, but I would prefer 3 or 4 selectable USER modes.
- Dump PEF RAW. Lead the industry with fully commited support for DNG

..... Hanging in with my K7, biting my lip to not buy a K5, praying for a K3 in 2012 ....

[sandilands]

Sorry. I said 2^14. See I already have K5 envy. 2^12 already eats up all my processing power.

[LaurenOE]

My $.02
1)Dual SD Cards
2) Bluetooth integration to automatically send images to a Bluetooth device (Like WiFi Cards)
Movable LCD screen with replaceable protector
3) Basic FW/Bios that is non-volatile and able to reset the FW/Bios via a combination of button holding etc. to a basic version to re-flash incase something goes wrong.
4) A software FW/Bios self check program with the ability to send to Pentax a debug statement
5) Make more things on the camera "programmatic"
6) Instead of the info button making the video magnify, give us another button.
7) Give us an easy utility to fine tune the focus to lenses
8) Headphone jack / audio out
9) Give us two buttons to manually operate the focus while in movie mode so we don't have to buy a focus follower system or put the ability to focus on a LANC kind of thing with a dedicated jack/plug
10) Give us a mini-USB power capability or in camera charge capability.

[RonHendriks1966]

The Short List - Limited to suggestions that are simple, popular and ideally both. Complete List below.

RAW
- 12bit RAW setting
- True RAW histogram

Movie Mode
- 1080p 24fps, 720p 24fps and 60fps
- AF during movie capture
- More manual control (ISO, shutter speed, sound options)
- Improved sound quality

Flash
- HSS Flash ability
- Allow full P-TTL with manual lenses by firing the metering flash after the lens was stop-down (it works with m42s!).
- second curtain synch with manual lenses
- Ability to do trailing curtain sync with any flash / wireless trigger.

Buttons
- Addition of SR on/off option to Fx button functionality.
- Addition of HDR Capture option to Fx button functionality.
- Addition of turn on/off catch in focus to Fx button functionality.
- When viewing images, the Fx button or green button temporarily shows dark/bright areas or histogram.
- Ability to assign the green button/fx button/preview dial to instantly record a movie.
- Top screen illumination activated by pressing the exposure compensation button (as on the K10D).
- In playback mode, holding the Exp.Comp. button shows detailed image information and a histogram.

Auto-Focus
- Allow Catch-In-Focus with all AF lenses when in MF mode by pressing the AF button (unused in MF)
- Option to enable that, in SEL AF mode, the four-way controller reverts to focus point selection on shutter half-press.
- AF-SR priority. Just like AF-S with focus priority, but only shoot when the shaking has reached a level where the camera thinks it can handle it.
- Add a new option to C14 : Superimpose AF Area: 1. On; 2. Off; 3. On selection only.
- Wider range of AF adjustment.

Menu's and the like
- Ability to save an initial setting for User modes. Eg: If the mode is Tv, an initial shutter speed can be saved.
- USER menu where one can assign frequently used menu items.
- Option to enable autorotation during playback (that is seperated from the option to record rotation data).
- Ability for the camera to count past 9999.
- An option to let the user pick 2 or 3 things that could be added to the Control panel.

Shooting options
- Option to set Continuous Shooting Lo speed
- Larger bracketing interval, ideally 9 shots instead of five
- Mirror lock-up for bracketing shots.
- Display a timer on the top LCD during Bulb mode
- Remove 30s limit in modes other than Bulb mode
- For manual lenses, use the focal length value for auto-iso handling.
- More then 999 interval shots.

Other
- Tethering.
- Add an option to turn raw-level NR off or, make it kick in at a configurable ISO level.




Original Post
With the K-5 Pentax has shown to listen to their users. So let's help them by making a list of suggested firmware updates. Hopefully we'll be getting at least one more update beyond the one that's going to released soon.

I personally have 3 things I wish my K-5 could do:

- Option to set Continuous Shooting Lo (to, for example, 4fps)
- When reviewing images, the RAW/Fx button or green button temporarily shows dark/bright areas or histogram.
- Top screen illumination activated by pressing the exposure compensation button (as on the K10D)

Please suggest your own, but keep it limited to things that are actually firmware related. If possible I will update this post with a complete list of suggestions.




The Complete List

RAW
- Ability to save a RAW file with less MP
- 12bit RAW setting (3x)
- true RAW histogram (4x)
- HDR images saved as RAW or TIFF (2x)

Movie Mode
- 1080p 24fps, 720p 24fps and 60fps (6x)
- AF during filming (5x)
- More manual control (8x)
- Allow the movie mode in the USER menu (2x)
- Allow movie recording in all modes (except X and B, of course), by a long press on LV. Controls could then be compliant with whatever mode you're in... (2x)
- In movie mode, memorize two (or more) focus distances and allow instant change by pushing the AF button. (3x)
- HDR Video Mode (2x)
- Improved sound quality. (3x)
- HDMI output to fill entire screen.
- Higher resolution HDMI output.

Flash
- HSS Flash ability (4x)
- Allow full P-TTL with manual lenses by firing the metering flash after the lens was stop-down (it works with m42s!). (2x)
- second curtain synch with manual lenses (2x)
- fine adjustment of synch time
- Ability to do trailing curtain sync with any flash / wireless trigger. (2x)
- Adapt the flash to the current ambient level in wireless controller mode.

Buttons
- Addition of SR on/off option to Fx button functionality. (6x)
- Addition of HDR Capture option to Fx button functionality. (4x)
- When viewing images, the RAW/Fx button or green button temporarily shows dark/bright areas or histogram. (4x)
- Two options for the Fx button for exposure bracketing. (2x)
- Addition of turn on/off catch in focus to Fx button functionality.
- Ability to swap RAW/Fx and AF button functionality. (2x)
- Ability to assign the green button/fx button/preview dial to instantly record a movie (3x)
- Top screen illumination activated by pressing the exposure compensation button (as on the K10D) (5x)
- In playback mode, holding the EC buttons shows detailed image information and a histogram. (2x)
- Custom button mappings should revert back to what it was prior to entering a user mode

Auto-Focus
- Allow Catch-In-Focus with all AF lenses when in MF mode by pressing the AF button (unused in MF!) (2x)
- Selectable af points with manual focus lenses
- in SEL AF mode, revert to focus point selection on half-press (3x)
- Do an automatic lens AF setting by comparing Contrast and Phase detect AF results. If the camera moved during the process, ditch the results... (2x)
- AF-SR priority. Just like AF-S with focus priority, but only shoot when the shaking has reached a level where the camera thinks it can handle it. (3x)
- Add a new option to C14 : Superimpose AF Area: 1. On; 2. Off; 3. On selection only. (2x)
- Wider range of AF adjustment. (2x)

Menu's and the like
- Ability to save an initial setting for User modes. Eg: If the mode is Tv, an initial shutter speed can be saved. (3x)
- USER menu where one can assign frequently used menu items. (4x)
- Option to enable autorotation during playback (that is seperated from the option to record rotation data) (4x)
- Ability for the camera to count past 9999. (2x)
- Addition of white balance to the control panel (2x)-
- An option to let the user pick 2 or 3 things that could be added to the Control panel. (2x)
- Improved file naming options.
- Info Screen color scheme saved with USER modes to aid recognition of which USER mode the camera is in.

Shooting options
- Option to set Continuous Shooting Lo speed (4x)
- Lower ISO (25, 50) (3x)
- Larger bracketing interval, ideally 9 shots instead of five (3x)
- Exposure bracketing with bigger EV steps (~4EV)
- Option to avoid the '0' shot during bracketing (Eg, ability to photograph -2 and +2 only)
- the possibility of bracketing only the shutter speed when in M mode, leaving the aperture untouched. This is only possible at the moment with non-DA lenses that have aperture rings. (2x)
- Mirror lock-up for bracketing shots. (2x)
- Provide metering-line options to control the behavior of multi-segment metering (average, preserve-highlights, maximize-shadow-details). (2x)
- When shooting long exposures in Bulb Mode display a timer (counter) on the LCD screen to let you know how many seconds have passed (5x)
- Remove 30s limit in modes other than Bulb. (4x)
- For manual lenses, use the focal length value for auto-iso handling. (3x)
- More then 999 interval shots. (2x)
- ISO 80 as part of default ISO range instead of extended (particularly because of the amazing DR at this setting!)

Other
- Tethering (7x)
- Allow reset values to be specified for parameters reset at power-off.
- Additional option to turn off the status screen automatically after 3 or 10 seconds.
- Eye-Fi SD card compatibility. (2x)
- Add an option to turn raw-level NR off or, make it kick in at a configurable ISO level. (3x)
- In liveview, stop the SR when reviewing the shot Currently, you can hear the SR still whirring while you review the shot just taken (auto-review, not Play). (2x)
- The option to develop the JPG to the right, whatever be the degree of underexposure, with highlight compression as applied in D-Range mode.
- low-battery freeze-up fixed
- ability to create and save a Dark Frame (shutter closed), which can then be used to do subtraction in PP.

And then maybe some new hardware things Like a massive viewfinder with a big rocksized prism.

Thank you Ricoh

[cbaytan]

I don't have any expectations more than K-5 if they fix the K-5 issues like stain issue, AF crap, other QC issues etc. One thing though, 50 ISO would be nice..

[kthung]

Better manual video control.
More lenses.

[EsBee]

...I hope the K-3 (or whatever it will be called) is so much better than the K-5, it should make the current K-5 owners to start dumping them like how K-7s are being dumped these days!

So I can then go and buy myself a K-5. Or two.

[Ubuntu_user]

So I can then go and buy myself a K-5. Or two.

But you wouldn't really be satisfied with a K-5 if there's a land-blasting K-3! Errrr, unless we were selling our K-5s for dirt cheap!