Not sure about the k10d k20d AF? Check this out

reknelb · 05-31-2008, 06:10 PM

Before I go any further, I just want to clarify where I stand. I'm not a die hard Pentax fan like some on the sight. I've sent one of my k10d's in for back focusing issues, and the other k10d I bought had already been sent in before i purchased it. I've been on the fence about jumping ship to C%$#n. After last weekend I think I'll stick with Pentax for awhile longer.

I've been doing horse shows for a couple years now. Indoor arenas are one of the toughest venues to do these shots. Low light, fast moving horses,AFc, should spell disaster for a Pentax DSLR, right? Well after about 2500 shots in 3 days, I threw out about 10 shots due to out of focus. I threw out about 10 shots from shutter delay. Thats less than 1 percent from camera error. I used a Pentax power pack (6 "c" batteries), af540 flash on a bracket, da 70mm, and my K10d. I had 2 more bodies for back up, another 540 flash, a 50mm f1.4, and a 70-200mm sigma f2.8 for back -up also. They never left the bag. My original setup work great all weekend. All I had to do was change batteries and cards.

Check out the 2 samples. Judge for yourself.

Last edited by reknelb; 06-29-2008 at 07:00 PM.

brothereye · 05-31-2008, 08:07 PM

I'm not going to say that there are NEVER problems with Pentax brand gear, my guess is they have a similar track record to competing companies. I started with Canon digital about a year ago, wasn't overly delighted with the fact that everything from Canon was so expensive if you wanted something that was a step-up from the basic, entry-level gear. It was ok, but it wasn't any BETTER than the Pentax equipment I have now. I was just able to purchase more and/or "better" Pentax equipment than Canon for the same or less. The K10D was priced about $300-$400 less than the similar Canon model(30D then 40D), and except for a couple of things that weren't important to me(like high fps), the K10D seems to offer at least the same level of quality and performance. Let me put it this way, I'm happy that I switched before I got too heavily invested, and I've not ever wished I had stayed with a Canon system.

By the way, nice shots, my wife's aunt shows horsed in some of those competitions so I've seen a few of them.

reknelb · 05-31-2008, 08:22 PM

I agree with you 100 percent. The 40d would be a lateral move as far as capabilities, and quality. I was going to go to at least a 5D. Which would have cost more than my 2 k10d's combined.

The post was mainly in response to all the threads about Pentax AF not being up to par. All the scientific tests are great but, real world shooting is really all that matters in the end. Coming from a guy who almost jumped ship a couple months ago.

eric_1 · 06-01-2008, 10:15 PM

Hi Reknelb,

Thanks for the post. I am actually in a very similar situation to where you were, considering switching to some other brand. It sounds like your AF performance was outstanding, but I can't say the same for my k100d.

When I shoot people indoors with the FA50mm f1.4, or the 18-55 kit, the AF is absolutely awful. Do you know how much of a difference the IR spotbeam on the 540 made for your photos?

I was switching off with my k100d, a friend's Nikon d50, and a Sony a100 at a banquet, and both were head and shoulders better (the d50 being the best).

I would absolutely love to avoid the hassle of switching to another brand, but I hate lifting my camera to my eye to take a shot and then waiting for 2-3 seconds while the AF hunts. If you're trying to capture a person's particular expression, you only have an instant to grab it...

Anyway, sorry to rant. The k10d seems to have a really nice view finder also, with 95% fov.

raider · 06-02-2008, 04:13 AM

Interesting shots!

I am amazed that you are allowed to use flash in the event. I attended one of the FEI championship and they don't allow photographers to use flash as they claim the flash will distract the horses.

pentkon52 · 06-02-2008, 10:06 AM

Originally posted by raider

Interesting shots!

I am amazed that you are allowed to use flash in the event. I attended one of the FEI championship and they don't allow photographers to use flash as they claim the flash will distract the horses.

We use flash up here quite a bit.

Most of us could not work in winter if not.:-)

All photos taken at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto are flash.

Some horses will spook, but most don't.

My D1 and older 80-200 F2.8 G lens hunted quite a bit in low light, no worse than my K10D or istD does.
My D1h or D2H and 70-200 F2.8 VR, well thats another story.:-0

Still not sure what a C^&*&^ is. Is it the same as a Canon camera.,????

Dave

reknelb · 06-02-2008, 12:20 PM

Yes Canon was what I was considering switching to.

Not sure if the beam from the flash was helping at all seeing as how I was using a 70mm lens and I was at least 30ft away from the horses.

I've never used a k100d, but I do have a Samsung gx-1l (same as an *ist-dl), and the k10d is way faster in bright light, and in low light conditions. The faster the lens the better any camera should AF in low light. I would've thought the 50 f1.4 would do a good job, not so sure about the kit lens in a low light situation.

rmtagg · 06-02-2008, 01:54 PM

Lovely photos

Arpe · 06-02-2008, 05:20 PM

wow - an arena that has uphill and downhill!

**Lowell Goudge** · 06-02-2008, 06:55 PM

Originally posted by Arpe

wow - an arena that has uphill and downhill!

Maybe he has no auto focus problems but what about that dreaded tilting viewfinder?

Zewrak · 06-02-2008, 07:10 PM

Great shots. Just shows that people need to learn to use their equpiment before they start to nag.

.

jgredline · 06-02-2008, 07:17 PM

Great work!. Wait till you try a K20D in AF.C...You will really be impressed.

dummey · 06-02-2008, 09:11 PM

Nice to see other people adapting to Pentax AF.c. I happen to do a lot of badminton photography and I have to agree about the indoor shooting difficulties. I'm not quite getting as good of a shooting record with your 1% duds, but it is slowly improving. It's just a combination of a lot of little things that you would otherwise miss if you had a camera that did everything for you.

Maybe it's just brand pride, but it feels a lot better when you get an awesome picture because you are both a photographer and fan of the sport instead of somebody who can dial in settings and hit a button.

Tribute to all the 100D supers out there:

reknelb · 06-03-2008, 01:05 PM

Originally posted by dummey

Thats a great shot!! Good job!

reknelb · 06-03-2008, 01:09 PM

Originally posted by jgredline

Great work!. Wait till you try a K20D in AF.C...You will really be impressed.

I'm waiting to see what Pentax/Samsung has in store for the next camera. I didn't feel the k20d had enough improvements over the k10d to justify buying one. Although, the resolution looks amazing in the photos I've seen. I'm not against the idea of a loaner K20D to try out???

And BTW, the tilted crop is done purposely. Thats just something the customers have always liked. Show photographers have been doing that for years.

05-31-2008, 06:10 PM	#1
reknelb Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Buffalo, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 323	Not sure about the k10d k20d AF? Check this out Before I go any further, I just want to clarify where I stand. I'm not a die hard Pentax fan like some on the sight. I've sent one of my k10d's in for back focusing issues, and the other k10d I bought had already been sent in before i purchased it. I've been on the fence about jumping ship to C%$#n. After last weekend I think I'll stick with Pentax for awhile longer. I've been doing horse shows for a couple years now. Indoor arenas are one of the toughest venues to do these shots. Low light, fast moving horses,AFc, should spell disaster for a Pentax DSLR, right? Well after about 2500 shots in 3 days, I threw out about 10 shots due to out of focus. I threw out about 10 shots from shutter delay. Thats less than 1 percent from camera error. I used a Pentax power pack (6 "c" batteries), af540 flash on a bracket, da 70mm, and my K10d. I had 2 more bodies for back up, another 540 flash, a 50mm f1.4, and a 70-200mm sigma f2.8 for back -up also. They never left the bag. My original setup work great all weekend. All I had to do was change batteries and cards. Check out the 2 samples. Judge for yourself. Last edited by reknelb; 06-29-2008 at 07:00 PM.

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05-31-2008, 08:07 PM	#2
brothereye Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Central Kentucky, USA Posts: 142	I'm not going to say that there are NEVER problems with Pentax brand gear, my guess is they have a similar track record to competing companies. I started with Canon digital about a year ago, wasn't overly delighted with the fact that everything from Canon was so expensive if you wanted something that was a step-up from the basic, entry-level gear. It was ok, but it wasn't any BETTER than the Pentax equipment I have now. I was just able to purchase more and/or "better" Pentax equipment than Canon for the same or less. The K10D was priced about $300-$400 less than the similar Canon model(30D then 40D), and except for a couple of things that weren't important to me(like high fps), the K10D seems to offer at least the same level of quality and performance. Let me put it this way, I'm happy that I switched before I got too heavily invested, and I've not ever wished I had stayed with a Canon system. By the way, nice shots, my wife's aunt shows horsed in some of those competitions so I've seen a few of them.

05-31-2008, 08:22 PM	#3
reknelb Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Buffalo, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 323 Original Poster	I agree with you 100 percent. The 40d would be a lateral move as far as capabilities, and quality. I was going to go to at least a 5D. Which would have cost more than my 2 k10d's combined. The post was mainly in response to all the threads about Pentax AF not being up to par. All the scientific tests are great but, real world shooting is really all that matters in the end. Coming from a guy who almost jumped ship a couple months ago.

06-01-2008, 10:15 PM	#4
eric_1 New Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: California Posts: 12	Hi Reknelb, Thanks for the post. I am actually in a very similar situation to where you were, considering switching to some other brand. It sounds like your AF performance was outstanding, but I can't say the same for my k100d. When I shoot people indoors with the FA50mm f1.4, or the 18-55 kit, the AF is absolutely awful. Do you know how much of a difference the IR spotbeam on the 540 made for your photos? I was switching off with my k100d, a friend's Nikon d50, and a Sony a100 at a banquet, and both were head and shoulders better (the d50 being the best). I would absolutely love to avoid the hassle of switching to another brand, but I hate lifting my camera to my eye to take a shot and then waiting for 2-3 seconds while the AF hunts. If you're trying to capture a person's particular expression, you only have an instant to grab it... Anyway, sorry to rant. The k10d seems to have a really nice view finder also, with 95% fov.

06-02-2008, 04:13 AM	#5
raider Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Perth, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,989	Interesting shots! I am amazed that you are allowed to use flash in the event. I attended one of the FEI championship and they don't allow photographers to use flash as they claim the flash will distract the horses.

06-02-2008, 10:06 AM	#6
pentkon52 Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: York Region Canada Posts: 641	Originally posted by raider Interesting shots! I am amazed that you are allowed to use flash in the event. I attended one of the FEI championship and they don't allow photographers to use flash as they claim the flash will distract the horses. We use flash up here quite a bit. Most of us could not work in winter if not.:-) All photos taken at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto are flash. Some horses will spook, but most don't. My D1 and older 80-200 F2.8 G lens hunted quite a bit in low light, no worse than my K10D or istD does. My D1h or D2H and 70-200 F2.8 VR, well thats another story.:-0 Still not sure what a C^&*&^ is. Is it the same as a Canon camera.,???? Dave

06-02-2008, 12:20 PM	#7
reknelb Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Buffalo, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 323 Original Poster	Yes Canon was what I was considering switching to. Not sure if the beam from the flash was helping at all seeing as how I was using a 70mm lens and I was at least 30ft away from the horses. I've never used a k100d, but I do have a Samsung gx-1l (same as an *ist-dl), and the k10d is way faster in bright light, and in low light conditions. The faster the lens the better any camera should AF in low light. I would've thought the 50 f1.4 would do a good job, not so sure about the kit lens in a low light situation.

06-02-2008, 01:54 PM	#8
rmtagg Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Warrington, PA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,271	Lovely photos

06-02-2008, 05:20 PM	#9
Arpe Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,452	wow - an arena that has uphill and downhill!

06-02-2008, 06:55 PM	#10
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,888	Originally posted by Arpe wow - an arena that has uphill and downhill! Maybe he has no auto focus problems but what about that dreaded tilting viewfinder?

06-02-2008, 07:10 PM	#11
Zewrak Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Nowhere, Sweden Photos: Gallery Posts: 654	Great shots. Just shows that people need to learn to use their equpiment before they start to nag. .

06-02-2008, 07:17 PM	#12
jgredline Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: LosAngeles, Ca. Photos: Albums Posts: 10,628	Great work!. Wait till you try a K20D in AF.C...You will really be impressed.

06-02-2008, 09:11 PM	#13
dummey Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: San Diego, California/ Bay Area, California Posts: 31	Nice to see other people adapting to Pentax AF.c. I happen to do a lot of badminton photography and I have to agree about the indoor shooting difficulties. I'm not quite getting as good of a shooting record with your 1% duds, but it is slowly improving. It's just a combination of a lot of little things that you would otherwise miss if you had a camera that did everything for you. Maybe it's just brand pride, but it feels a lot better when you get an awesome picture because you are both a photographer and fan of the sport instead of somebody who can dial in settings and hit a button. Tribute to all the 100D supers out there:

06-03-2008, 01:05 PM	#14
reknelb Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Buffalo, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 323 Original Poster	Originally posted by dummey Thats a great shot!! Good job!

06-03-2008, 01:09 PM	#15
reknelb Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Buffalo, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 323 Original Poster	Originally posted by jgredline Great work!. Wait till you try a K20D in AF.C...You will really be impressed. I'm waiting to see what Pentax/Samsung has in store for the next camera. I didn't feel the k20d had enough improvements over the k10d to justify buying one. Although, the resolution looks amazing in the photos I've seen. I'm not against the idea of a loaner K20D to try out??? And BTW, the tilted crop is done purposely. Thats just something the customers have always liked. Show photographers have been doing that for years.