Thread to collect easy firmware improvement suggestions (software feature requests)

**acoufap** · 09-26-2016, 09:34 PM

Originally posted by krazykat

Not necessarily...

ok, that may be possible. Didn't think about it.

Reed · 09-28-2016, 06:03 AM - **1 Like**

Extend autofocus adjustment scale to at least -20/+20, it is posible within develop mode to do more than -10/+10 adjustment but only globaly.

**interested_observer** · 09-28-2016, 10:36 AM - **1 Like**

Rather than an API for the firmware - which will never happen, what is needed is an API for the USB and WiFi interface ports. Since Ricoh purchased the EyeFi Cloud, this indicates that they are probably going to tie them together in someway. Since Ricoh is not known for their smart phone apps, having an open API to third parties, will promote this much faster. Astro capabilities like BackyardEOS and BackyardNikon could then be done for Pentax, along with better tethering applications. Let Ricoh stick to the in camera software / firmware.

krazykat · 09-28-2016, 04:41 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Reed

Extend autofocus adjustment scale to at least -20/+20, it is posible within develop mode to do more than -10/+10 adjustment but only globaly.

Good one!

**disasterfilm** · 09-28-2016, 07:53 PM

This is a wacky one...

Adding low-resolution RAW files for ultra low-light performance.

Of course we all know the pixel shift grid is a 2x2 array of RGB individual pixels that gets cycled through to form the super resolution image. What if it went backwards? As in, for a static shot each of the pixels in the 2x2 array records their value, then the pixel array is transposed to one ultra-accurate color "pixel" with a 4x area pixel pitch?

The result would be an original 36.4MP raw would turn into a 9MP raw, but the resulting extended dynamic range, color accuracy, and light-gathering ability of a wider pixel pitch group at higher ISO's would be supreme.

Then again, I got the K-1 primarily for astrophotography, so that's where this incredibly niche-y idea comes from.

No qualms about anyone replying to tell me I'm an idiot... it's ok, I already know.

**interested_observer** · 09-28-2016, 09:34 PM

There is an approach called "dithering", that is used to both randomize and reduce noise - thereby increasing the effectiveness of stacking. Pentax's movement and pixel shift are very similar. I have always wondered with the ability to move the sensor, why Pentax has not applied it previously for this purpose. For dithering you want a movement of about 12 to 15 pixels in order to pickup a different noise pattern (thus the noise will average out easier and faster). Coupling the combination of dithering and pixel shift would be excellent, especially for better color. Then combining this with Astrotracking would be tremendous. If the shift amount and direction were included within the EXIF so that stacking would be exact, that would be excellent (especially if Pentax collaborated with a software stacking utility).

mee · 09-28-2016, 10:09 PM

I would like to see an adjustable timer. Currently, we have 2 seconds and (IIRC) 12 seconds. Nothing in the middle. If we had the ability to set a time on the fly, we'd need not to have 2s and 12s settings. Just please give us a variable that we can scroll through to set the time in seconds we want the timer to use.

MJKoski · 09-29-2016, 10:00 AM

Dear Pentax/Ricoh, please add fully electronic shutter for multiexposures and interval shooting. It will significantly extend shutter life.

beholder3 · 09-29-2016, 10:08 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by mee

I would like to see an adjustable timer. Currently, we have 2 seconds and (IIRC) 12 seconds. Nothing in the middle. If we had the ability to set a time on the fly, we'd need not to have 2s and 12s settings. Just please give us a variable that we can scroll through to set the time in seconds we want the timer to use.

That has been on the list for quite a while already. See item "i" in the entry post.

Nicolas06 · 09-30-2016, 12:21 AM

Originally posted by disasterfilm

This is a wacky one...

Adding low-resolution RAW files for ultra low-light performance.

Of course we all know the pixel shift grid is a 2x2 array of RGB individual pixels that gets cycled through to form the super resolution image. What if it went backwards? As in, for a static shot each of the pixels in the 2x2 array records their value, then the pixel array is transposed to one ultra-accurate color "pixel" with a 4x area pixel pitch?

The result would be an original 36.4MP raw would turn into a 9MP raw, but the resulting extended dynamic range, color accuracy, and light-gathering ability of a wider pixel pitch group at higher ISO's would be supreme.

Then again, I got the K-1 primarily for astrophotography, so that's where this incredibly niche-y idea comes from.

No qualms about anyone replying to tell me I'm an idiot... it's ok, I already know.

Basically if you ask your photo editing software to resize the photo to 9MP you get that increased dynamic range, color accurary and lower noise just as good. Each time basically you do display an image in a smaller size either the software that does it (for example full screen display) or you eyes do it. That's why high iso image look like crap at 100% crop and much better at normal viewing size. If look a 100% crop of a iso 1600 K3 shoot it look bad, but I look at the picture full screen, it look much better.

There limitation to the technique of course but as here we speak of software changes not hardware. And going further need hardware changes... Like getting a 12MP large pixel sensor instead of a high definition one... That's why A7s and A7s II can get better high iso than most other camera: It is specialized for that purpose.

But honestly, K1 is already extremely good.

MiLKMAN · 09-30-2016, 12:59 AM

Continuous Focus Peaking in video recording and different video codec - better H.264 open-source codec or maybe even H.265 codec. Objective FF/BF in-camera correction in Live View. Catch In Focus for non-K-mount lenses. Add KAF4 support for cameras with enough memory for it. Those additions would be nice for future firmware.

Ricoh/Pentax could practice Fuji Kaizen firmware update policy to squeeze out maximum from old and new cameras hardware.

p38arover · 09-30-2016, 02:06 AM

I'd like my Pentax GPS to work with my Q (and K-7) as well as my K-5.

beholder3 · 10-02-2016, 02:19 PM - **1 Like**

I have posted links to the list and survey to Pentax Japan's facebook page. They quickly sent a nice message back and have acknowledged reading the stuff.

While that means nothing definite at all, it is the best we can hope for: that they are aware of these customer requests and they can consider them.

**interested_observer** · 10-02-2016, 07:06 PM - **1 Like**

In using the GPS in Astrotracing mode, there is star tracking around the extreme edges and corners. When you eliminate/crop these tracks, you wind up loosing at least half the frame. The error increases with tracking time (from a minute to the 5 minute limit) on wide angle lenses. The only way to reduce the error is to not track beyond a minute or go to a substantially shorter focal length like 30mm.

This does not occur when using either an equatorial tracker or even a barn door tracker, with wide angle lenses (10 to 30mm). This points to an accumulating error within the system (even after a successful fine calibration). Various folks have measured errors in the electronic compass up to +/- 15 degrees. So, it appears that Pentax is simulating a barn door tracker computationally. And since there is no alignment process to the north, Pentax is using the compass to align mathematically to the north in order to then perform the planer shift of the sensor for tracking purposes. AstroTracing is too nice of a feature to be left to this type of error. This needs to be fixed. This error can be demonstrated across the K5, K5II/IIs, K3, K3II and the K1. I also assume that it is present in the K30, K50, k70, K-s1/s2.

Gimbal · 10-02-2016, 11:36 PM

Originally posted by interested_observer

In using the GPS in Astrotracing mode, there is star tracking around the extreme edges and corners. When you eliminate/crop these tracks, you wind up loosing at least half the frame. The error increases with tracking time (from a minute to the 5 minute limit) on wide angle lenses. The only way to reduce the error is to not track beyond a minute or go to a substantially shorter focal length like 30mm.

This does not occur when using either an equatorial tracker or even a barn door tracker, with wide angle lenses (10 to 30mm). This points to an accumulating error within the system (even after a successful fine calibration). Various folks have measured errors in the electronic compass up to +/- 15 degrees. So, it appears that Pentax is simulating a barn door tracker computationally. And since there is no alignment process to the north, Pentax is using the compass to align mathematically to the north in order to then perform the planer shift of the sensor for tracking purposes. AstroTracing is too nice of a feature to be left to this type of error. This needs to be fixed. This error can be demonstrated across the K5, K5II/IIs, K3, K3II and the K1. I also assume that it is present in the K30, K50, k70, K-s1/s2.

That cannot be fixed in firmware, it’s a problem that occurs due to the wide rectilinear lenses distorting the image. Objects at the corners are stretched out by the lens compared to similar objects in the center of the image. If we are shooting stars that is not a problem as long as the stars in the corner stays in the corner, as they do if you use a barn door tracker, or equatorial mount.

But if the lens and camera doesn’t rotate as when using the built in astro tracker, the stars will move from the corners into the center and then out again. And while dong so they will appear to change speed due to the distortion that enlarge them in the corners. In other words, they will appear to move faster in the corners.

You get the same thing if you do a long exposure without using the astro tracker, the trails will be longer in the corners.

09-28-2016, 10:36 AM - 1 Like	#48
interested_observer Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Tumbleweed, Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,707	Rather than an API for the firmware - which will never happen, what is needed is an API for the USB and WiFi interface ports. Since Ricoh purchased the EyeFi Cloud, this indicates that they are probably going to tie them together in someway. Since Ricoh is not known for their smart phone apps, having an open API to third parties, will promote this much faster. Astro capabilities like BackyardEOS and BackyardNikon could then be done for Pentax, along with better tethering applications. Let Ricoh stick to the in camera software / firmware. Last edited by interested_observer; 09-28-2016 at 09:29 PM.

09-28-2016, 09:34 PM	#51
interested_observer Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Tumbleweed, Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,707	There is an approach called "dithering", that is used to both randomize and reduce noise - thereby increasing the effectiveness of stacking. Pentax's movement and pixel shift are very similar. I have always wondered with the ability to move the sensor, why Pentax has not applied it previously for this purpose. For dithering you want a movement of about 12 to 15 pixels in order to pickup a different noise pattern (thus the noise will average out easier and faster). Coupling the combination of dithering and pixel shift would be excellent, especially for better color. Then combining this with Astrotracking would be tremendous. If the shift amount and direction were included within the EXIF so that stacking would be exact, that would be excellent (especially if Pentax collaborated with a software stacking utility). Dithering: a DSLR astrophotographer's best friend « Synergous.com Dithering for optimal results with DSLR astrophotography \| DSLR Astrophotography astrophotography - Methods for dithering a DSLR - Photography Stack Exchange

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09-26-2016, 09:34 PM	#46
acoufap Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Munich, Germany Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,191	Originally posted by krazykat Not necessarily... ok, that may be possible. Didn't think about it.

09-28-2016, 06:03 AM - 1 Like	#47
Reed Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Warsaw Photos: Gallery Posts: 638	Extend autofocus adjustment scale to at least -20/+20, it is posible within develop mode to do more than -10/+10 adjustment but only globaly.

09-28-2016, 04:41 PM - 1 Like	#49
krazykat Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 546	Originally posted by Reed Extend autofocus adjustment scale to at least -20/+20, it is posible within develop mode to do more than -10/+10 adjustment but only globaly. Good one!

09-28-2016, 07:53 PM	#50
disasterfilm Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Texas Posts: 406	This is a wacky one... Adding low-resolution RAW files for ultra low-light performance. Of course we all know the pixel shift grid is a 2x2 array of RGB individual pixels that gets cycled through to form the super resolution image. What if it went backwards? As in, for a static shot each of the pixels in the 2x2 array records their value, then the pixel array is transposed to one ultra-accurate color "pixel" with a 4x area pixel pitch? The result would be an original 36.4MP raw would turn into a 9MP raw, but the resulting extended dynamic range, color accuracy, and light-gathering ability of a wider pixel pitch group at higher ISO's would be supreme. Then again, I got the K-1 primarily for astrophotography, so that's where this incredibly niche-y idea comes from. No qualms about anyone replying to tell me I'm an idiot... it's ok, I already know.

09-28-2016, 10:09 PM	#52
mee Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 7,403	I would like to see an adjustable timer. Currently, we have 2 seconds and (IIRC) 12 seconds. Nothing in the middle. If we had the ability to set a time on the fly, we'd need not to have 2s and 12s settings. Just please give us a variable that we can scroll through to set the time in seconds we want the timer to use.

09-29-2016, 10:00 AM	#53
MJKoski Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 1,784	Dear Pentax/Ricoh, please add fully electronic shutter for multiexposures and interval shooting. It will significantly extend shutter life.

09-29-2016, 10:08 AM - 1 Like	#54
beholder3 Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 3,112 Original Poster	Originally posted by mee I would like to see an adjustable timer. Currently, we have 2 seconds and (IIRC) 12 seconds. Nothing in the middle. If we had the ability to set a time on the fly, we'd need not to have 2s and 12s settings. Just please give us a variable that we can scroll through to set the time in seconds we want the timer to use. That has been on the list for quite a while already. See item "i" in the entry post.

09-30-2016, 12:21 AM	#55
Nicolas06 Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 4,854	Originally posted by disasterfilm This is a wacky one... Adding low-resolution RAW files for ultra low-light performance. Of course we all know the pixel shift grid is a 2x2 array of RGB individual pixels that gets cycled through to form the super resolution image. What if it went backwards? As in, for a static shot each of the pixels in the 2x2 array records their value, then the pixel array is transposed to one ultra-accurate color "pixel" with a 4x area pixel pitch? The result would be an original 36.4MP raw would turn into a 9MP raw, but the resulting extended dynamic range, color accuracy, and light-gathering ability of a wider pixel pitch group at higher ISO's would be supreme. Then again, I got the K-1 primarily for astrophotography, so that's where this incredibly niche-y idea comes from. No qualms about anyone replying to tell me I'm an idiot... it's ok, I already know. Basically if you ask your photo editing software to resize the photo to 9MP you get that increased dynamic range, color accurary and lower noise just as good. Each time basically you do display an image in a smaller size either the software that does it (for example full screen display) or you eyes do it. That's why high iso image look like crap at 100% crop and much better at normal viewing size. If look a 100% crop of a iso 1600 K3 shoot it look bad, but I look at the picture full screen, it look much better. There limitation to the technique of course but as here we speak of software changes not hardware. And going further need hardware changes... Like getting a 12MP large pixel sensor instead of a high definition one... That's why A7s and A7s II can get better high iso than most other camera: It is specialized for that purpose. But honestly, K1 is already extremely good.

09-30-2016, 12:59 AM	#56
MiLKMAN Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Tallinn Photos: Gallery Posts: 146	Continuous Focus Peaking in video recording and different video codec - better H.264 open-source codec or maybe even H.265 codec. Objective FF/BF in-camera correction in Live View. Catch In Focus for non-K-mount lenses. Add KAF4 support for cameras with enough memory for it. Those additions would be nice for future firmware. Ricoh/Pentax could practice Fuji Kaizen firmware update policy to squeeze out maximum from old and new cameras hardware.

09-30-2016, 02:06 AM	#57
p38arover Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Western Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,084	I'd like my Pentax GPS to work with my Q (and K-7) as well as my K-5.

10-02-2016, 02:19 PM - 1 Like	#58
beholder3 Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 3,112 Original Poster	I have posted links to the list and survey to Pentax Japan's facebook page. They quickly sent a nice message back and have acknowledged reading the stuff. While that means nothing definite at all, it is the best we can hope for: that they are aware of these customer requests and they can consider them.

10-02-2016, 07:06 PM - 1 Like	#59
interested_observer Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Tumbleweed, Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,707	In using the GPS in Astrotracing mode, there is star tracking around the extreme edges and corners. When you eliminate/crop these tracks, you wind up loosing at least half the frame. The error increases with tracking time (from a minute to the 5 minute limit) on wide angle lenses. The only way to reduce the error is to not track beyond a minute or go to a substantially shorter focal length like 30mm. This does not occur when using either an equatorial tracker or even a barn door tracker, with wide angle lenses (10 to 30mm). This points to an accumulating error within the system (even after a successful fine calibration). Various folks have measured errors in the electronic compass up to +/- 15 degrees. So, it appears that Pentax is simulating a barn door tracker computationally. And since there is no alignment process to the north, Pentax is using the compass to align mathematically to the north in order to then perform the planer shift of the sensor for tracking purposes. AstroTracing is too nice of a feature to be left to this type of error. This needs to be fixed. This error can be demonstrated across the K5, K5II/IIs, K3, K3II and the K1. I also assume that it is present in the K30, K50, k70, K-s1/s2.

10-02-2016, 11:36 PM	#60
Gimbal Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 2,106	Originally posted by interested_observer In using the GPS in Astrotracing mode, there is star tracking around the extreme edges and corners. When you eliminate/crop these tracks, you wind up loosing at least half the frame. The error increases with tracking time (from a minute to the 5 minute limit) on wide angle lenses. The only way to reduce the error is to not track beyond a minute or go to a substantially shorter focal length like 30mm. This does not occur when using either an equatorial tracker or even a barn door tracker, with wide angle lenses (10 to 30mm). This points to an accumulating error within the system (even after a successful fine calibration). Various folks have measured errors in the electronic compass up to +/- 15 degrees. So, it appears that Pentax is simulating a barn door tracker computationally. And since there is no alignment process to the north, Pentax is using the compass to align mathematically to the north in order to then perform the planer shift of the sensor for tracking purposes. AstroTracing is too nice of a feature to be left to this type of error. This needs to be fixed. This error can be demonstrated across the K5, K5II/IIs, K3, K3II and the K1. I also assume that it is present in the K30, K50, k70, K-s1/s2. That cannot be fixed in firmware, it’s a problem that occurs due to the wide rectilinear lenses distorting the image. Objects at the corners are stretched out by the lens compared to similar objects in the center of the image. If we are shooting stars that is not a problem as long as the stars in the corner stays in the corner, as they do if you use a barn door tracker, or equatorial mount. But if the lens and camera doesn’t rotate as when using the built in astro tracker, the stars will move from the corners into the center and then out again. And while dong so they will appear to change speed due to the distortion that enlarge them in the corners. In other words, they will appear to move faster in the corners. You get the same thing if you do a long exposure without using the astro tracker, the trails will be longer in the corners.