Originally posted by MD Optofonik Its always the same. A review will give high praise to a particular Pentax DSLR for innovative features, handling, IQ, etc, but never, never, not once have I seen a Pentax DSLR's autofocus speed rate as high or higher than just about every DSLR made over the past 10 years. Surely Pentax engineers are aware of this, they have to know; they can't possibly be proud of their autofocus design work. Can they?
MD, you're really going to have to explain yourself here, because that doesn't tally with the facts.
The Imaging Resource review of autofocus actually times shots, and of the K-1 they reported:
"The Pentax K-1's full autofocus shutter lag when shooting the same target multiple times was very fast for a pro-level DSLR. The K-1 required only 0.090 second for full AF using the Pentax 55mm f/1.4 SDM DA* lens. Manual focus shutter lag was just a touch faster at 0.087 second. When prefocused, shutter lag dropped only slightly to 0.086 second, which is a little slower than average for a pro DSLR."
The review on this forum for the KP says:
"Assuming you're shooting in good light, the lens you choose has a much larger effect on focusing speed than the camera itself. The fastest-focusing Pentax lens (by a large margin) is the DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 PLM. With its new pulse motor, this lens focuses nearly instantly, many times faster than even the latest DC silent-focusing lenses. It is thus an excellent choice for sports or any sort of action.
Screwdrive lenses with a short throw (such as DA Limiteds) are typically also very fast to focus, as are DC lenses such as the DA 18-135mm or DA 16-85mm with their rear-mounted focusing rings. Slower-focusing lenses include screwdrive lenses with a long throw, such as the D FA 100mm macro or the DA 55-300mm F4-5.8, as well as DA* lenses with first-generation SDM silent AF. f you are upgrading from the K-50 or older, you will notice much faster screwdrive AF speed, as the KP has a new generation screwdrive motor.
Everyday focusing speed is quite good for both viewfinder and live view shooting. Gone are the days of hunting or slow live view AF, and only the most demanding action shooters will see the KP's AF performance as a shortcoming."
And as for continuous focus/"tracking", below for example was the K-3 II compared by a German academic with a controlled setup a few years back:.
That you let hearsay or your own shooting technique cause you to say something that isn't true, is interesting.
But as Totsmuyco found, your own keeper rate rises when you learn to how use your camera.