Originally posted by *isteve Thomas, reasonable as always....
Thank you Steve, Not quite as fun to read as the some of the more colourfull replies, but I like it that way.
Originally posted by *isteve I think Safox viii is actually OK from a mechanical POV, 11 AF points and 9 cross sensors is more than any Canon, Sony or Olympus short of a 1D series camera yet noone complains about e3 or A700 AF. (Canon users are however all complaining about the ancient but not always reliable system on the X0D series and the 5Dx, which is long in the tooth now).
I think you are right in the way that the Safox VIII may be good in terms of hardware.
I have however notised that the huge amount of AF sensors is a help in terms of tracking, but I think you are right overall.
Originally posted by *isteve It seems to be the AF processor on Pentax that is the issue. It needs beefing up and reprogramming. It also needs its own dedicated chip (I have noticed that AFC slows when writing to the card which knackers it in 3fps mode).
Nikon pulled one out of the hat with the D300/3/700/D3X but the speed of the processor in each is obviously worlds apart. The D3/D3X are much faster than the D300/700. I suspect this is simply a matter of using dedicated processors and memory.
I think you are right that processing power and programming plays a large part of the performance game, it corresponds to my experience with the nikon system.
And the K10D to K20D experiences seems to support it as well.
However dedicated processors will require room and more power and that means more room needed in the body, so there is a trade off and an explanation why the single digit series are so large.
Originally posted by *isteve However at least one Nikon user I know actually preferred the system on the D2X and D200 (and now D90) because its also pretty quick and a lot simpler
This is encouraging because even with Safox viii hardware, we could potentially see quite an improvement if they upgrade the processors and firmware.
Another point we agree on, as much as i love the Speed of the D3, one has to bear in mind the amount of work it is to get it tailored to perform optimally for a given situation.
It acutally requires quite a lot of work to make it perform to its best, given ones shooting style. So I can understand where the guy you talk about is comming from.
But sometimes simple is good
And indeed it gives room for improvement with the current AF system and that is great news for those needing it and helps to keep the cost somewhat down.
Originally posted by *isteve However, I dont think a lot of current Pentax lenses are optimised for fast AF either.
The lenses. a point I forgot completely.
AF is highly lens dependant and screwdrive vs. in lens moters are not cut in stone either.
A pentax example would be the FA77 and DA70.
A more extreme example are currently present on the nikkor side with their 50mm lenses.
The old 50/1.4D (scredriven) is a lot faster focusing than the new 50/1.4G (ring USM), however the latter tracks better once having achieved focus.
Funny thing is that the new sigma is actually the fastest focusing 50mm available in F-mount. So nothing is cut in stone.
Personally though, I just pray to see the K-7 before setting out on my 10 day summer assignment up North in mid july. it would be a dream to run such a body through its paces side by side with the D3s on that assignment.
Anyone know how to talk Ned into sending one to Greenland before that