Originally posted by kayasaman F-stop? It depends on many things. Today I tried f5.6, f/8, and f/11 by accident as my finger must have caught the e-dial and spun it from f/8.
Experimenting today with AF sensitivity settings, and found that -10 actually helps. More in-focus shots.... so instead of 1 in 1000 now it has become sort of like 1 in 100 (or something like that) - at least with the 300mm lens.
I chased a robin all day today and out of around 500 shots, I have something like 5 - 10 which actually show the feathers and plumage in some detail.
If anyone wants to see them, I can pop them up on my Gdrive....
---------- Post added 05-17-22 at 02:32 PM ----------
The D850 is an excellent camera, and I was seriously considering it before going for the K1 ii.
I haven't mentioned it because I am after something that has ultra fast AF capabilities as that is all I need. My K1 can do everything very well apart from anything that needs AF (read action ie. wildlife and fast moving targets).
The D850 is a fantastic all-round camera that can do everything, but doesn't have the lightning pace as the gripped line of bodies. For example Canon uses 2 processors for AF tracking in their pro body. Not sure about Nikon, the D500 and D5 are supposed to share the same processor but I think the D5 has overall more raw power. I didn't mention this model either as even used it is still quite expensive.
At least on paper both the D4S and D500 outperform the K1 in terms of AF capabilities, add a long lens and you have a high performance action system.
Something I have been considering for a long time is to go with the Borg system:
????
basically it's a modular telefoto/telescope lens system that you can swap the focal length around. The owner used to work for Takahashi telescopes then created his own company.
This would solve two issues for me in one. Long focal length for linear photography plus flat field for astro photography. The only thing is that these would be MF when the aperture ring module is connected. This is fine but the animals that I'm chasing appear for only a few seconds at best then disappear. I have around 2 or 3 seconds tops to get the camera to my eye, find target, focus, and shoot.
Maybe the animals in my neighborhood are just antisocial, I don't know... lol
Curious why the K3III is not a more serious consideration for your nature/wildlife use?
Its AF system is on par with the well regarded Nikon D500 you mentioned, but much smaller and more compact and with far more features, increased dynamic range, better low-light performance, and better resolution. All your existing Pentax lenses will be compatible with it so no added expense there, and the batteries can be shared between the K3III and K1. Voila, no more robins without feathers, and no investment in an additional ecosystem required!
Those two bodies are my standard kit now when out on wildlife shoots. The K3III intended for BiF, four-legged critters and general moving subjects, and usually with a 150-450 mounted, and yes the 1.4TC
may improve results over cropping in
good light. The K1 will get either a DFA50 or 15-30, both wonderful for capturing landscapes. All in the same ecosystem with the same gear, and every lens carried can be used on either body. Or travel light with just the K3III with reach, features, resolution, low-noise, dynamic range, and focus speed, and good for those less-rushed landscape images from the lenses you already have.
The K3III can be had brand-new including a battery grip for $1700. I bought my used 150-450 for $1400, and on the K3III it becomes effectively 700mm, or in good light with the Pentax 1.4TC around 1000mm. On a serious budget? My $400 Sigma 170-500 DG APO does very nicely too, very highly rated by Pentax users. Just not as crisp and clean, or fast to focus, as what I capture with my 150-450. But it is a lot lighter if that matters. Further, there's a number of DA300 owners like yourself who will claim that star lens coupled with the Pentax 1.4 TC performs just as well as the 150-450 on a crop body. Those TC's can regularly be found for less than $300 with a little patient shopping.
Building out two separate camera lines without a clear necessity to do so seems like a poor plan both budget and equipment-wise. You're already happy with your K1 for scenery and landscapes so you'll end up carrying two bodies anyway for best results on a hike or wilderness visit. At least I do, and I'll assume you have no intention of selling off your K1 and lenses.
Of course if you're like some of us you buy something just because you want it, and good enough reason to look at Canon or Nikon options. It's your money. I just bought a Rotolight I don't really need just because I wanted to, logic be damned. But I don't think those cameras you've been considering will perform better than the K3III added to the K1 you already have. IMO they'll be a downgrade in convenience and quality. None of those you are considering would be better than your K1 for slow or non-moving subjects, and none you mentioned will have better AF speed than the K3III.
Last edited by gatorguy; 05-18-2022 at 05:11 AM.