Originally posted by pjsaure I would first try to solve the issue with the camera that you have.
I had a K-5 IIs that was far from perfect and overall quite frustrating when it came to AF on moving or small subjects, but when it actually focused on a target, the result was very sharp. I am a bit surprised that your more advanced K-1 II doesn’t produce better results than that.
I suspect 2 things:
- your lenses need AF fine adjustments
- you need to practice placing your focus point right on your target and minimize shaking, which can be more difficult than we imagine with long lenses.
Maybe try shooting some static subjects filling at least a quarter to a third of the frame, on a sturdy tripod to eliminate some variables. Be mindful of the depth of field. Focus accuracy should be very good. If it is not, you probably need to do some AF adjustments. If it is, you may need to practice your stability and ability to keep a focus point on target.
Buying a new camera may prove costly and frustrating if you are not 100% sure that your poor results are only because of the camera.
I would agree with this and hence the reason why the K3 iii might be the best choice if AF was on par with other systems.
I can shoot static subjects just fine, they are in focus with no issues.
I do shake a lot in general but I have SR turned on and also the shutter speeds I've been using are around between 1/1000 to 1/4000. I doubt with the shutter setting this high, the image should come out blurred from motion. On larger bodies such as planes in the range of Boeing 777 or 787 models at a distance but enough to fill a few focus points using my 300mm, they are still coming out a little soft. I had the same issue with a Squirrel recently too which was at around 20 meters (60 ft) away.
If the subject is large and covers around 2/3 of the frame, then the AF works well. Tested on a few pigeons walking infront of me.
Most likely the problem is with distant and small subjects. I had a few attempts at shooting a crow perched on top of a tree in front of me. The crow probably covered about 1/4 if the frame. It came out soft each time and I had Continuous shooting mode on and set to H.
Going for a Nikon D4S or D500 (as suggested) with a Tamron 150-600mm lens will cost about the same amount as the DFA150-450mm.
Another example is a robbin which was purched around 4 or 5 meters (around 15ft) in front me. There was no detail in any of the feathers or plumage at all.
The best I could do with the AF are these:
_IMG0257.jpg - Google Drive Update your browser to use Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Sites, Slides, and Forms - Google Drive Help
Eventually I got so fedup that I switched to my Irix 150mm and manually focused. This is cropped but what I would expect to see:
_IMG0649.jpg - Google Drive
---------- Post added 05-15-22 at 04:17 PM ----------
Originally posted by luftfluss Those are some amazing images!! I could not get anywhere near that level of clarity unless I used MF.