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10-30-2015, 06:04 PM   #1
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Autofocus difficulties - K-x

Dear all,

I would be grateful for some advice re getting my auto focus to work -


I have a Pentax K-x. Both camera body and lens (various) have been set to AF. I am able to focus if I change camera body and lens to MF, but the auto focus does not work - ie the lens will not rotate to focus. The camera beeps when the button is pressed halfway - but only when I manually focus, not when I am trying to autofocus

Despite this, the initial screen display (which lists ISO, F stop level, exposure etc) comes up as 'MF' in the top right corner of the screen (adjacent to the AE metering and battery level icons).

On the camera menu (2), I have set AF mode to AF-C; however 'AF Mode' is coloured in grey, not white like the other options such as multi exposure, HDR capture etc - not sure whether this is relevant?

On the control panel (1) 'AE-L with AF locked' is set on 'Off' and 'Link AE to AF Point' is set as 'Off'; On the control panel (2) 'AF/AE-L Button' is set on 'Enable AF1'. Again, not sure whether any of these options are important?

Would resetting to factory settings help? Again not very clear in the K-x manual how this is done.

Appreciative of any suggestions offered.

Andrew Martin
NZ

10-30-2015, 06:58 PM   #2
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It sounds like your camera is not recognizing your lens as an AF lens. Try re-mounting the lens and cleaning the electrical contacts. Hopefully that will allow the combo to go back in to AF mode

Adam
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10-30-2015, 07:12 PM   #3
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Hi Adam,

I disconnected the lens. The AF gear was seen to project above the mount when switching between MF and AF. Strangely enough the autofocus started working again - and now the screen says 'AF-C' not 'MF'. Not sure my technique of blowing would be recommended. I read a post recommending use of isopropyl alcohol? Would you think this is a good idea?

Andrew
10-30-2015, 08:13 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by andrewmartin Quote
I read a post recommending use of isopropyl alcohol? Would you think this is a good idea?
Only in extreme cases. Best to just use a clean microfiber cloth and buff the contacts on both the lens and the camera. It sounds as if the camera does not recognize the lens which is an indication that the contacts are either dirty, or misaligned. If it is a Pentax lens misalignment should not be an issue however some third party lenses have enough slop in the mount to allow the contacts to be off just enough.

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