Advice on Taking Portraits with K10D

Pan Kleks · 04-05-2020, 09:01 AM

Out of about 100 shots I got 2 good ones.................................................

I tried everything that I posted in my last post. This was with one of the K10Ds and the 77 limited. I didn't have time to test the other K10D with the 77 limited.

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tibbitts · 04-05-2020, 10:26 AM - **1 Like**

Have these bodies and lenses in question ever been tested in a somewhat controlled environment?

Until recently I had been getting not-quite sharp pictures of some subjects with my K5 and 60-250. But only occasionally. Finally I took the required hundreds of test photos and determined that the lens was just not autofocusing correctly at some combinations of focal length and subject distance - and that was repeatable. My K5ii - no issues that I could find. The difference was remarkable, although the AF hardware is completely different so maybe not surprising.

With regards to the photos just posted above, I think you have to say something about each one - what it's supposed to illustrate, and what you were trying to focus on. The results don't seem out of context for the situations. Some of the situations are ones where AF is unlikely to do what you want. The last photo is confusing in that nothing seems to be in focus. And it's missing by a lot, beyond traditional focus adjustment ranges of newer bodies (without using debug mode.)

**pres589** · 04-05-2020, 12:49 PM

Pan, do you have another AF lens to substitute to do a few tests?

A picket fence and a tripod might be useful as well.

This kind of looks like what my K-5 II and Sigma 28mm EX DG will do together, only I get more hits that you're coming away with. Frustrating situation I'm sure.

Pan Kleks · 04-05-2020, 02:58 PM - **2 Likes**

Guys, good news, I think it's the K10D.

I just got back from another photo shoot, this time I took the other K10D and the 77 limited as well as the kit lens 18-55. Towards the end the photos were shot with the kit lens. These aren't the best photos, I was just trying to take as many as possible to see if there was any focus issues. You can see a huge difference in quality between the two cameras. I used the same settings on both cameras.

So does anyone know what the problem might be with the first K10D?

By the way the kits lens f/3.5-5.6 is very impressive (and sharp even wide open).

Also, I'd like to point out that these photos are even sharper on my computer. I have a basic membership so I ran out of storage to attach photos straight from my computer so I have to use flickr. Flickr degrades the quality very slightly. I can tell the difference when my photos are uploaded straight from the computer or when using a flickr link.

Last edited by Pan Kleks; 04-05-2020 at 03:09 PM.

**pres589** · 04-05-2020, 05:53 PM

I can't comment on why one camera (same make & model) would perform noticeably better inre: AF than the other. It does seem like you found a good solution; don't use the worse K10. I'm curious if anyone else has good input on what might be wrong or how to improve that camera.

If you really want a second body, maybe it's worth looking for a different camera and not worry about trying to get that specific K10 fixed.

Aaron28 · 04-05-2020, 08:18 PM

it's like night & day......do both bodies have the same firmware? would a messed up focus screen cause such trouble?

stevebrot · 04-05-2020, 09:25 PM

Originally posted by Pan Kleks

Guys, good news, I think it's the K10D.

I just got back from another photo shoot, this time I took the other K10D and the 77 limited as well as the kit lens 18-55. Towards the end the photos were shot with the kit lens. These aren't the best photos, I was just trying to take as many as possible to see if there was any focus issues. You can see a huge difference in quality between the two cameras. I used the same settings on both cameras.

So does anyone know what the problem might be with the first K10D?

By the way the kits lens f/3.5-5.6 is very impressive (and sharp even wide open).

Also, I'd like to point out that these photos are even sharper on my computer. I have a basic membership so I ran out of storage to attach photos straight from my computer so I have to use flickr. Flickr degrades the quality very slightly. I can tell the difference when my photos are uploaded straight from the computer or when using a flickr link.

Yay! I'm glad the fault was found. This latest batch of photos look more like what I would expect from the K10D. BTW...I share your assessment of the kit lens on that camera.

As for the fault with the other camera, that is hard to say. I have my suspicions, the cost to remedy might not be worth the trouble.

Steve

**pres589** · 04-06-2020, 05:47 AM

The "bad" K10 might be a good candidate for a split prism focusing screen swap for use with manual focusing glass. A newer body with Live View that's easy to use (early implementations seem kind of constrained) would be a nice step forward if there's interest & funding for such a thing (like a K-5 II).

ChristianRock · 04-06-2020, 06:41 AM

Mirror mechanisms can get out of whack - and that can be the fault of a dirty mirror, dirty focusing screen, or worse - I think this is what Steve is thinking - the motors themselves might be out of alignment or just plain failing, which would probably cost more to repair than to just get another K10D at the going price of around 100 dollars.

I guess this camera could still be sold to someone who likes to focus manual lenses for about 50 dollars to recoup part of the money that could go towards another camera.

**mikesbike** · 04-06-2020, 12:59 PM

Who knows what fiddling with which the previous owner engaged that K10D? Maybe going through a reset to factory spec would be productive. I figured it was probably that camera copy and not the lens. Glad you got the problem isolated.

The FA 77mm Limited is one beautiful lens, and great for portrait use. Wonderful bokeh for one thing.

Glad you got a good copy of the 18-55mm kit lens- is it the WR version? Then you have a very compact, lightweight well-performing useful zoom lens with some weather protection to boot. This advantage in a modest-priced lens is unique in the industry. Its AF is not among the most reliable, however.

Pan Kleks · 04-08-2020, 06:28 PM

Originally posted by mikesbike

Who knows what fiddling with which the previous owner engaged that K10D? Maybe going through a reset to factory spec would be productive. I figured it was probably that camera copy and not the lens. Glad you got the problem isolated.

The FA 77mm Limited is one beautiful lens, and great for portrait use. Wonderful bokeh for one thing.

Glad you got a good copy of the 18-55mm kit lens- is it the WR version? Then you have a very compact, lightweight well-performing useful zoom lens with some weather protection to boot. This advantage in a modest-priced lens is unique in the industry. Its AF is not among the most reliable, however.

Hi, the lens is the smc pentax da pentax 18-55 ii. Great "kit" lens!

04-05-2020, 10:26 AM - 1 Like	#17
tibbitts Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Oklahoma USA Posts: 2,193	Have these bodies and lenses in question ever been tested in a somewhat controlled environment? Until recently I had been getting not-quite sharp pictures of some subjects with my K5 and 60-250. But only occasionally. Finally I took the required hundreds of test photos and determined that the lens was just not autofocusing correctly at some combinations of focal length and subject distance - and that was repeatable. My K5ii - no issues that I could find. The difference was remarkable, although the AF hardware is completely different so maybe not surprising. With regards to the photos just posted above, I think you have to say something about each one - what it's supposed to illustrate, and what you were trying to focus on. The results don't seem out of context for the situations. Some of the situations are ones where AF is unlikely to do what you want. The last photo is confusing in that nothing seems to be in focus. And it's missing by a lot, beyond traditional focus adjustment ranges of newer bodies (without using debug mode.) Last edited by tibbitts; 04-05-2020 at 10:51 AM.

04-06-2020, 12:59 PM	#25
mikesbike Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Southeastern Michigan Posts: 4,549	Who knows what fiddling with which the previous owner engaged that K10D? Maybe going through a reset to factory spec would be productive. I figured it was probably that camera copy and not the lens. Glad you got the problem isolated. The FA 77mm Limited is one beautiful lens, and great for portrait use. Wonderful bokeh for one thing. Glad you got a good copy of the 18-55mm kit lens- is it the WR version? Then you have a very compact, lightweight well-performing useful zoom lens with some weather protection to boot. This advantage in a modest-priced lens is unique in the industry. Its AF is not among the most reliable, however. Last edited by mikesbike; 04-06-2020 at 01:10 PM.

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04-05-2020, 12:49 PM	#18
pres589 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Wichita, KS Photos: Albums Posts: 4,529	Pan, do you have another AF lens to substitute to do a few tests? A picket fence and a tripod might be useful as well. This kind of looks like what my K-5 II and Sigma 28mm EX DG will do together, only I get more hits that you're coming away with. Frustrating situation I'm sure.

04-05-2020, 02:58 PM - 2 Likes	#19
Pan Kleks Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2020 Posts: 45 Original Poster	Guys, good news, I think it's the K10D. I just got back from another photo shoot, this time I took the other K10D and the 77 limited as well as the kit lens 18-55. Towards the end the photos were shot with the kit lens. These aren't the best photos, I was just trying to take as many as possible to see if there was any focus issues. You can see a huge difference in quality between the two cameras. I used the same settings on both cameras. So does anyone know what the problem might be with the first K10D? By the way the kits lens f/3.5-5.6 is very impressive (and sharp even wide open). Also, I'd like to point out that these photos are even sharper on my computer. I have a basic membership so I ran out of storage to attach photos straight from my computer so I have to use flickr. Flickr degrades the quality very slightly. I can tell the difference when my photos are uploaded straight from the computer or when using a flickr link. Last edited by Pan Kleks; 04-05-2020 at 03:09 PM.

04-05-2020, 05:53 PM	#20
pres589 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Wichita, KS Photos: Albums Posts: 4,529	I can't comment on why one camera (same make & model) would perform noticeably better inre: AF than the other. It does seem like you found a good solution; don't use the worse K10. I'm curious if anyone else has good input on what might be wrong or how to improve that camera. If you really want a second body, maybe it's worth looking for a different camera and not worry about trying to get that specific K10 fixed.

04-05-2020, 08:18 PM	#21
Aaron28 Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Huntsville, Al Posts: 7,131	it's like night & day......do both bodies have the same firmware? would a messed up focus screen cause such trouble?

04-05-2020, 09:25 PM	#22
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by Pan Kleks Guys, good news, I think it's the K10D. I just got back from another photo shoot, this time I took the other K10D and the 77 limited as well as the kit lens 18-55. Towards the end the photos were shot with the kit lens. These aren't the best photos, I was just trying to take as many as possible to see if there was any focus issues. You can see a huge difference in quality between the two cameras. I used the same settings on both cameras. So does anyone know what the problem might be with the first K10D? By the way the kits lens f/3.5-5.6 is very impressive (and sharp even wide open). Also, I'd like to point out that these photos are even sharper on my computer. I have a basic membership so I ran out of storage to attach photos straight from my computer so I have to use flickr. Flickr degrades the quality very slightly. I can tell the difference when my photos are uploaded straight from the computer or when using a flickr link. Yay! I'm glad the fault was found. This latest batch of photos look more like what I would expect from the K10D. BTW...I share your assessment of the kit lens on that camera. As for the fault with the other camera, that is hard to say. I have my suspicions, the cost to remedy might not be worth the trouble. Steve

04-06-2020, 05:47 AM	#23
pres589 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Wichita, KS Photos: Albums Posts: 4,529	The "bad" K10 might be a good candidate for a split prism focusing screen swap for use with manual focusing glass. A newer body with Live View that's easy to use (early implementations seem kind of constrained) would be a nice step forward if there's interest & funding for such a thing (like a K-5 II).

04-06-2020, 06:41 AM	#24
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910	Mirror mechanisms can get out of whack - and that can be the fault of a dirty mirror, dirty focusing screen, or worse - I think this is what Steve is thinking - the motors themselves might be out of alignment or just plain failing, which would probably cost more to repair than to just get another K10D at the going price of around 100 dollars. I guess this camera could still be sold to someone who likes to focus manual lenses for about 50 dollars to recoup part of the money that could go towards another camera.

04-08-2020, 06:28 PM	#26
Pan Kleks Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2020 Posts: 45 Original Poster	Originally posted by mikesbike Who knows what fiddling with which the previous owner engaged that K10D? Maybe going through a reset to factory spec would be productive. I figured it was probably that camera copy and not the lens. Glad you got the problem isolated. The FA 77mm Limited is one beautiful lens, and great for portrait use. Wonderful bokeh for one thing. Glad you got a good copy of the 18-55mm kit lens- is it the WR version? Then you have a very compact, lightweight well-performing useful zoom lens with some weather protection to boot. This advantage in a modest-priced lens is unique in the industry. Its AF is not among the most reliable, however. Hi, the lens is the smc pentax da pentax 18-55 ii. Great "kit" lens!

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