K-7 AF adjustment survey

K Logan · 09-28-2009, 06:30 PM

My first K-7 FF'd so badly it was practically defective. So I returned it. My 2nd K-7 FF'd badly as well but after AF adjustment, became "tolerable" but not "satisfactory" for the price. For that reason, and many others I discovered while using the camera, I returned the 2nd K-7 too and stuck with my k100d Super, on which all of my lenses focus perfectly, with no adjustments needed.

jgredline · 09-28-2009, 07:41 PM

Originally posted by juice

Pentax K7 bought ~1 month ago in Australia.

-10 on my Tamron 17-50 f2.8
-4 on my Pentax FA50
-5 on my Sigma 70-200 f2.8

believe it or not this is actually an improvement on my K20D not even the max -10 correction would bring my Sigma 70-200 to normal. The Tamron was only at -7 however on the old body... go figure?

Yea, I don't get it. Why such a discrepancy with lenses? I know it happens, but it is just odd..Yet with my K100DS it is spot on...

K Logan · 09-29-2009, 04:56 AM

Same with me. k100ds is ALWAYS spot on, regardless of lens. K-7 was a nightmare.

**StigVidar** · 09-29-2009, 08:25 AM

DA 15/4 ED AL -> 0
DA 21/3.2 1717 -> 1
FA* 24/2 AL [IF] -> 0
DA 35/2,8 Macro -> 3
FA 50/1.4 -> -10
FA 77/1.8 -> 2
FA 135/2,8 [IF] -> 0
FA* 200/4 Macro ED [IF] -> 3
FA* 400/5.6 ED [IF] -> -5

DA 10-17/3.5-4.5 ED [IF] -> 0
DA 12-24/4 ED AL [IF] -> 0
DA*16-50/2,8 ED AL [IF] -> 0
DA 18-55/3.5-5.6 AL WR -> -2
FA* 80-200/2.8 -> 0
DA 18-250 ED AL [IF] -> -5

jgredline · 09-29-2009, 08:30 AM

Perhaps a stupid question, but are you folks with the very large discrepancies using spot focus?

Rich_A · 09-29-2009, 08:53 AM

Hmmm. I really wish there were some objective criteria to play around with here... I'd be very curious to take a kit of lenses where someone has adjusted the AF and have a certified Pentax repair shop run a series of blind tests to get a handle of how much of this stuff is psychological versus practical. I have no doubt that there is some variability with lens AF but are we simply seeing the result of pixel peeping of AF variation that was basically invisible back in the 35mm film days?

I would much rather have AF accuracy at the cost of a little speed than blazing speed with a lot of variability. I know this is different from the OP topic but AF is a tricky topic and depends a lot on your shooting style. FF and BF issues can be quantified and confirmed with testing but I'd be surprised if quality control has gone out the window for all manufacturers (they are all offering this as an option nowadays). I'd say we're probably seeing a more significant variation possibly based on higher resolution sensors and possibly variability in testing procedures? Don't know, but it would be good to get some test criteria when posting these results. Data out of context is useless. Also, some comparisons between systems would be healthy as well.

alexeyga · 09-29-2009, 10:07 AM

Mine was off beyond any correction and it was even noticeable on the 12-24... Nevermind the 70-200/2.8 which was always spot-on on K10, but on K7 it seemed to FF at 70mm and BF at 200 (or vise-versa... who cares)... so after more than 1K shots of testing and adjustment, I went to the store to exchange the camera, they had no more in stock... thus as a result i'm hanging out in the OFF-brand section... And somehow, I don't regret it...

My G/F though still has my old K100ds which was right on the spot as well... It seems that Hoya did some cuts in QC department... not to mention putting some punks in charge of the marketing as I have no any idea where Pentax is heading....

Last edited by alexeyga; 09-29-2009 at 10:12 AM.

fulcrumx29 · 09-29-2009, 08:11 PM

Wow, it seems mine is not the worst case. Just cannot understand why the entry-level like ist DL and K100d is so good but top level like K10d and K-7 is so bad QC. Just because the latter has the AF adjustment funtion? That is just ridiculous.

Anyway, hope my another thread on debug AF fine tune will help some of you!
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/74897-k-7-front-focus-solved.html

Good luck,
Tony

alexeyga · 09-29-2009, 10:13 PM

Originally posted by fulcrumx29

Wow, it seems mine is not the worst case. Just cannot understand why the entry-level like ist DL and K100d is so good but top level like K10d and K-7 is so bad QC. Just because the latter has the AF adjustment funtion? That is just ridiculous.

I'd suspect that somebody has made a decision "Well, since we have the AF adjustment in every camera for every lens, lets just loosen up the QC on the AF/mirror/sensor assembly!!! We can save so much money there!!!"...

Smart thinking.... K20-s had similar AF problems, but no to the extent on K7-s... it's just ridiculous... I still have the bill, over 1700$CAN tax in for the body, and the damn AF is gone fishing in Arizona desert... Screw that sh$#t!!!

The AF adjustment in it-self is a great thing because there always was and always will be variations in both bodies and lenses... But the introduction of this feature doesn't give Hoya any right to do a woosy assembly job on top of the line camera which was meant to help Pentax to re-gain the market...

fulcrumx29 · 09-30-2009, 01:01 PM

Agree with that. At least they should do what the debug menu could do before the camera leaves factory. Dumb...

AlmightyPentax · 10-01-2009, 01:04 PM

I'm getting ready to order mine shortly...

Is this something that's happening with everyone? Or are there a lot of them that are perfect and we're only hearing of the bad ones?

(here's hoping it's the latter)

jgredline · 10-01-2009, 01:32 PM

Guys, if it will make you feel better, my D700 has the same set up..I believe it is going to be common practice for pro cameras and yes I consider the K-7 a pro camera

alexeyga · 10-01-2009, 01:38 PM

Originally posted by jgredline

Guys, if it will make you feel better, my D700 has the same set up..I believe it is going to be common practice for pro cameras and yes I consider the K-7 a pro camera

You mean you have the same problem or the same option?

My D300s has the AF adjustment as well... but for some reason the sensor and the AF are spot-on from factory...

jgredline · 10-01-2009, 01:42 PM

Originally posted by alexeyga

You mean you have the same problem or the same option?

but for some reason the sensor and the AF are spot-on from factory...

Same option, not the same problem. Mine is spot on...My K-7 is also spot on, but I know a few other D700 owners and all are spot on but 1...I am not trying to make an excuse for pentax, because I believe it is a QC problem...Those with problems likely got one assembled on a Friday right before they clock out.

builttospill · 10-01-2009, 02:06 PM

Maybe it has something to do with the in-camera SR. The older cameras didn't have a floating, moving sensor like the newer ones do (K10D and newer).

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09-28-2009, 06:30 PM	#16
K Logan Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: North Carolina Posts: 39	My first K-7 FF'd so badly it was practically defective. So I returned it. My 2nd K-7 FF'd badly as well but after AF adjustment, became "tolerable" but not "satisfactory" for the price. For that reason, and many others I discovered while using the camera, I returned the 2nd K-7 too and stuck with my k100d Super, on which all of my lenses focus perfectly, with no adjustments needed.

09-28-2009, 07:41 PM	#17
jgredline Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: LosAngeles, Ca. Photos: Albums Posts: 10,628	Originally posted by juice Pentax K7 bought ~1 month ago in Australia. -10 on my Tamron 17-50 f2.8 -4 on my Pentax FA50 -5 on my Sigma 70-200 f2.8 believe it or not this is actually an improvement on my K20D not even the max -10 correction would bring my Sigma 70-200 to normal. The Tamron was only at -7 however on the old body... go figure? Yea, I don't get it. Why such a discrepancy with lenses? I know it happens, but it is just odd..Yet with my K100DS it is spot on...

09-29-2009, 04:56 AM	#18
K Logan Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: North Carolina Posts: 39	Same with me. k100ds is ALWAYS spot on, regardless of lens. K-7 was a nightmare.

09-29-2009, 08:25 AM	#19
StigVidar Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Norway Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 705	DA 15/4 ED AL -> 0 DA 21/3.2 1717 -> 1 FA* 24/2 AL [IF] -> 0 DA 35/2,8 Macro -> 3 FA 50/1.4 -> -10 FA 77/1.8 -> 2 FA 135/2,8 [IF] -> 0 FA* 200/4 Macro ED [IF] -> 3 FA* 400/5.6 ED [IF] -> -5 DA 10-17/3.5-4.5 ED [IF] -> 0 DA 12-24/4 ED AL [IF] -> 0 DA16-50/2,8 ED AL [IF] -> 0 DA 18-55/3.5-5.6 AL WR -> -2 FA 80-200/2.8 -> 0 DA 18-250 ED AL [IF] -> -5

09-29-2009, 08:30 AM	#20
jgredline Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: LosAngeles, Ca. Photos: Albums Posts: 10,628	Perhaps a stupid question, but are you folks with the very large discrepancies using spot focus?

09-29-2009, 08:53 AM	#21
Rich_A Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Montana Photos: Gallery Posts: 213	Hmmm. I really wish there were some objective criteria to play around with here... I'd be very curious to take a kit of lenses where someone has adjusted the AF and have a certified Pentax repair shop run a series of blind tests to get a handle of how much of this stuff is psychological versus practical. I have no doubt that there is some variability with lens AF but are we simply seeing the result of pixel peeping of AF variation that was basically invisible back in the 35mm film days? I would much rather have AF accuracy at the cost of a little speed than blazing speed with a lot of variability. I know this is different from the OP topic but AF is a tricky topic and depends a lot on your shooting style. FF and BF issues can be quantified and confirmed with testing but I'd be surprised if quality control has gone out the window for all manufacturers (they are all offering this as an option nowadays). I'd say we're probably seeing a more significant variation possibly based on higher resolution sensors and possibly variability in testing procedures? Don't know, but it would be good to get some test criteria when posting these results. Data out of context is useless. Also, some comparisons between systems would be healthy as well.

09-29-2009, 10:07 AM	#22
alexeyga Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 838	Mine was off beyond any correction and it was even noticeable on the 12-24... Nevermind the 70-200/2.8 which was always spot-on on K10, but on K7 it seemed to FF at 70mm and BF at 200 (or vise-versa... who cares)... so after more than 1K shots of testing and adjustment, I went to the store to exchange the camera, they had no more in stock... thus as a result i'm hanging out in the OFF-brand section... And somehow, I don't regret it... My G/F though still has my old K100ds which was right on the spot as well... It seems that Hoya did some cuts in QC department... not to mention putting some punks in charge of the marketing as I have no any idea where Pentax is heading.... Last edited by alexeyga; 09-29-2009 at 10:12 AM.

09-29-2009, 08:11 PM	#23
fulcrumx29 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Hawaii Photos: Gallery Posts: 117 Original Poster	Wow, it seems mine is not the worst case. Just cannot understand why the entry-level like ist DL and K100d is so good but top level like K10d and K-7 is so bad QC. Just because the latter has the AF adjustment funtion? That is just ridiculous. Anyway, hope my another thread on debug AF fine tune will help some of you! https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/74897-k-7-front-focus-solved.html Good luck, Tony

09-29-2009, 10:13 PM	#24
alexeyga Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 838	Originally posted by fulcrumx29 Wow, it seems mine is not the worst case. Just cannot understand why the entry-level like ist DL and K100d is so good but top level like K10d and K-7 is so bad QC. Just because the latter has the AF adjustment funtion? That is just ridiculous. I'd suspect that somebody has made a decision "Well, since we have the AF adjustment in every camera for every lens, lets just loosen up the QC on the AF/mirror/sensor assembly!!! We can save so much money there!!!"... Smart thinking.... K20-s had similar AF problems, but no to the extent on K7-s... it's just ridiculous... I still have the bill, over 1700$CAN tax in for the body, and the damn AF is gone fishing in Arizona desert... Screw that sh$#t!!! The AF adjustment in it-self is a great thing because there always was and always will be variations in both bodies and lenses... But the introduction of this feature doesn't give Hoya any right to do a woosy assembly job on top of the line camera which was meant to help Pentax to re-gain the market...

09-30-2009, 01:01 PM	#25
fulcrumx29 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Hawaii Photos: Gallery Posts: 117 Original Poster	Agree with that. At least they should do what the debug menu could do before the camera leaves factory. Dumb...

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10-01-2009, 01:04 PM	#26
AlmightyPentax Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 31	I'm getting ready to order mine shortly... Is this something that's happening with everyone? Or are there a lot of them that are perfect and we're only hearing of the bad ones? (here's hoping it's the latter)

10-01-2009, 01:32 PM	#27
jgredline Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: LosAngeles, Ca. Photos: Albums Posts: 10,628	Guys, if it will make you feel better, my D700 has the same set up..I believe it is going to be common practice for pro cameras and yes I consider the K-7 a pro camera

10-01-2009, 01:38 PM	#28
alexeyga Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 838	Originally posted by jgredline Guys, if it will make you feel better, my D700 has the same set up..I believe it is going to be common practice for pro cameras and yes I consider the K-7 a pro camera You mean you have the same problem or the same option? My D300s has the AF adjustment as well... but for some reason the sensor and the AF are spot-on from factory...

10-01-2009, 01:42 PM	#29
jgredline Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: LosAngeles, Ca. Photos: Albums Posts: 10,628	Originally posted by alexeyga You mean you have the same problem or the same option? but for some reason the sensor and the AF are spot-on from factory... Same option, not the same problem. Mine is spot on...My K-7 is also spot on, but I know a few other D700 owners and all are spot on but 1...I am not trying to make an excuse for pentax, because I believe it is a QC problem...Those with problems likely got one assembled on a Friday right before they clock out.

10-01-2009, 02:06 PM	#30
builttospill Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Utah, Idaho Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,398	Maybe it has something to do with the in-camera SR. The older cameras didn't have a floating, moving sensor like the newer ones do (K10D and newer).