[Unregistered User 8]

Doesn't seem like SR is saved as user setting?

Hi Zafar. I just tried saving SR on in USER 1, and off in USER 2 and it saved fine in both. I also have a K-3. Just check that you " saving " correctly.

[pepperberry farm]

I set U1 up for use with my Tamron 72B; U2 I have set up for moon shots with my Tamron 55BB..... haven't figured out a need for the U3 yet....

[Zafar Iqbal]

Hi Zafar. I just tried saving SR on in USER 1, and off in USER 2 and it saved fine in both. I also have a K-3. Just check that you " saving " correctly.

Weird, no idea what the heck I was doing - just checked again (without changing anything) and SR enables/disables across the different user settings, as it should ... must have been a brain-fart

[OJGoreng]

U1 1000 shutter, F8, TAV mode, +.3 EV, Spot focus and metering
Moderate bird flight (seagull)

U2 250 shutter, F10, TAV mode, +.3 EV, Spot focus and metering
Bird on branch, ducks in water

U3. 1250 shutter, F7, TAV mode, +.3 EV, Spot focus and metering
Moderate to fast bird flight (Kingfisher, Osprey fishing)

I change the settings slightly per the situation, but having them available, for example switching to U1 to catch an Eagle flying by in an instant really helps.

That's interesting. I use at least the first two for similar purposes, but with somewhat different settings (typically with the DFA 150-450 @450mm)

U1: 1/2000 F8 TAv, auto AF point selection from full grid, AF-C, high frame rate continuous shooting, SR off.
U2: 1/400, F8 TAv, centre AF point, AF-S, low frame rate continuous shooting, SR on. (Shutter speed used to be 1/1000, until I realised the keeper rate went up when I lowered it, due to the SR being less effective in the 1/800 - 1/1250 range)
U3: like U1, but with centre-point AF only. On my K3-II that is, which often struggles with getting a proper AF-C lock in some light (bright sunlight, mostly). My K-3 is much better at that for some reason, so on that one it's like U1, but with +1 EV exposure compensation.

If time allows, I adjust aperture and shutter speed with the two control wheels (with SR on/off toggle under the RAW/Fx button), but if I have to act on the spot because something unexpectedly darts by, just blindly turning the mode dial while bringing the camera to my face is often enough to get a semi-decent record shot. Of course, occasionally I forget I had already turned it, so at times I take shots in completely inappropriate modes, like X synch .

[MarkJerling]

My K-5 has 5 user pre-sets:
I use these for a sports setting (jpeg, fast shutter speed, etc), a landscape setting (max depth of field, RAW+, etc), an HDR setting a screw-mount lens pre-set for macro work (spot metering, centre point focus, shake reduction off - ofr on tripod) and a portrait setting.

The User Mode setting saves time - very useful.

[Pete82]

U1 for catch in focus. Haven't really used that as there's some dust inside my old Tokina SD 70-210.
U2 for tripod presets.

[normhead]

BiF (tracking) , 5 stop single button bracketing, and empty.

[biz-engineer]

As I found annoying to change AF settings via the little button above the 4 ways controller, I used all 5 Users modes for directly setting AF.s, AF.c settings and burst rate, in one operation.
U1 fast shutter speed / AF.s / TAv . Long lens, wildlife, static subject, ES enabled when switching On LV.
U2 fast shutter speed / AF.c / TAv, H burst mode. Long lens, wildlife, slow moving subject.
U3 same as U2 but 9 points AF.c , H busrt mode an fast shutter speed, AF hold medium, BiF
U4 same as U3 but 25 AF points and AF hold high.
U5 same as U4 with all AF points and AF hold high.

Default camera setup: Av -> Landscape.
Switch to wildlife / long lens: turn the dial to U1,U2,U3,U4 or U5.

[hawaza]

So glad i found this thread, I'd completely ignored these settings on the K-50 and only came around to wondering how to use them as I've just moved up to the K-70.

I thought having a setting for birds in flight would be very useful so thought id set up U3 for that purpose (since U3 is closer to Av and TAv which I use most). Even on the first outing with U3 set, and only the 3rd outing with the camera itself, I found this incredibly useful and wishing i'd bothered to use these much sooner. Not quite sure what to use U1 and U2 for yet (perhaps a macro setting for use with the Pentax 100mm f2.8 WR???) but will set them up as and when i find a use for them.

Aware this is an old thread but thought i'd comment on the off chance it helps someone who has yet to use these.

Also FYI - for those interested, U3 is set to shutter 1250, F7, TAv mode with spot focus, centre weighted and ISO ranged between 100 - 3200.

[SKYGZR]

Could go into more details, yet "simplified"

K3ii
U1-Standard-RAW+L-M
U2-Sport-RAW+L-M
U3-ASTRO-RAW-B

K5ii
U1-Astro(Scope) RAW-B
U2-Sport-JPG16M-TAv
U3-Standard-RAW-P
U4-Astro(Lens) RAW-B
U5-HDR-JPG16M-TAv

[microlight]

Update on mine:
U1 - tele setting, ISO800, Tv, landscape profile, 1/1250 sec
U2 - 'normal' shooting, ISO200, hyper-P, landscape profile
U3 - pixel-shift, ISO100, Av, landscape profile, 2-second delay

I have the 'muted' profile set for the other dial settings, because then the video mode defaults to the 'muted' profile which is my preferred video mode, without having to remember to re-set it. Then, back to U2 for normal landscape profile.

[mlag]

Hi, I've been using Pentax for a while but never set the U1 U2 U3 on my K3, what do you guys set those settings ?
Please share your settings here :-)
Thanks a lot !!!

One for manual lenses like pentax-k and pentax-m , reassigning some buttons to use stopdown metering more easily, catch-in focus etc... (there is a thread on stopdown metering & manual lenses ..)
And
one for mirror lenses - which are also manual but with fixed f8 aperture - where I use ISO on rear dial to set exposure and keep the shutter to 1/400 typically...

Otherwise when changing lenses I should run through 7ish menus each time, now it is a flip of a button (dial actually).