[nosnoop]

M.S. Shin has posted this at dpreview:

[Usual word of caution: you can seriously screw up your camera if you fool around with the settings!]

I have big news!

If your K10D have problem with focus, you can adjust it yourself.

Someone in Korea figured it out himself.

He is not a employee of Pentax or related company.

He just found out by trial-and-error with key-set.

Of course, You yourself is responsible for doing something scribed below.

Here's How-to-adjust-focus.

1. Your K10D' firmware version must be 1.10.

2. Test shot for focus trouble.

3. Turn the camera OFF.
While pressing [PLAY]+[OK], Turn the camera ON.
You can see firmware version on LCD screen.

4. Firmware version is appeared,
then press [Fn]->[Fn]->[INFO]->[MENU] within 5 seconds.
You get service menu!!!

5. by pressing [right key]
,Make DEBUG MODE to DEBUG MODE .
then press [OK].
(save and LCD will be black out)

6. Press [MENU] and go to SETUP tab.
then, Press [Up key], you can see TEST MODE.

7. Select AF TEST menu. now you have AF correction menu.
If you have Front-focusing, reduce the value.
If you have back-focusing, increase the value.
after adjust some value, press [OK] and quit out of setup menu.

8. TEST for focus, find out that focus is correct.
(repeat this from 6 for correct focus.)
9. Go to service menu(step 3,4).
Make DEBUG MODE to DEBUG MODE .
then press [OK].(save and LCD black out)

10. Go out and enjoy nice photos!!!

And David Savage of pdml listed out the menu options:

DEBUG MODE <EN/DIS>
CARDDOOR OPEN <EN/DIS>
WRITE CARD VNDR <EN/DIS>
SCRIPT EN MODE <EN/DIS>
USR DAT CLEAR
DUMMY RELEASE
SWITCH TEST
RELEASE AGING <AUTO/MAN>
LENS COM CHECK
AF PINT DISP
DSP ADJ DAT READ
DSP ADJ DAT WRITE
EEPROM LOAD from FILE
EEPROM SAVE to FILE
EEPROM READ/WRITE
CPU ROM SAVE to FLE
DSP ROM SAVE to FILE
LENS ROM LOAD from FILE
LENS ROM SAVE to FILE
LENS ROM READ/WRITE
BOARD VER
DUST REDUCTION TEST
DSP CHIP VER

When you set the debug mode to <EN>, when you go into the setup menu
there is now a "Test Mode" section with:

- Capture/System Test
- AF Test
- Strings Disp(lay) Test

This should be very useful for those who have FF or BF problems.

[jeffkrol]

Kind of like the "af pint dsp" mode. Wonder what beer it dispenses?

[Ivan Glisin]

DS, DL, K100D instructions too! M.S. Shin posted instructions for these cameras as well.

Here is the link:

self focus adjust for dl,ds,ds2,k100d.: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

And the message, in case it suddenly "evaporates" from DPreview:

Here's come How-to-adjust dl, ds, ds2, k100d!!

I can't find exact source of this, because it is wide spreaded.

If your pentax camera scribed above have problem with focus, you can adjust it yourself.
And Of course, You yourself is responsible for doing something scribed below.

STEP
1. Power OFF
While pressing [AE-L]+[INFO], turn the camera on.
Firmware is desplayed on LCD.
Press [MENU]->[MENU]->[INFO] within 5 seconds.
You can see DEBUG mode screen.
By pressing [Right key],Make [DEBUG MODE DIS] to [DEBUG MODE EN].
Then, Press [OK].

2. Press [MENU], you can see setup menu.
By pressing [Up key], select AF TEST.
By pressing [Right key], go into AF TEST menu.
By pressing [Down key], select FOCUS CORR.
now you can adjust shift amount by pressing [right key] or [left key].
(*Don't touch AF Area Test.)
after changing the value, Press [OK] to save.
3. Test your camera that Focus is corrected.
(repeat step 2. till you satisfy the result.)
4. Power OFF
While pressing [AE-L]+[INFO], turn the camera on.
Firmware is desplayed on LCD.
Press [MENU]->[MENU]->[INFO] within 5 seconds.
You can see DEBUG mode screen.
By pressing [Right key],Make [DEBUG MODE EN] to [DEBUG MODE DIS].
Then, Press [OK].
5. Go out and enjoy!!

Again, You YOURSELF is responsible for doing this process.

My note on #2: after pressing the "Menu" button go first to the "Set-up" menu. This is not quite clear, it looks like the right menu appears right away. Once in the "Set-up" menu three new options are added after the last option ("Reset" on *istDS) as follows:

CAPTURE TEST
SYSTEM TEST
AF TEST

Inside the AF TEST menu there are two options:

- AF Area Test [values 0 to 3]
- Focus Corr. [range -120 to 120 um]

So go down to "Focus Corr." and use left/right keys to adjust value, "OK" to accept, "Menu" to exit.

Also: some diagnostics information appears on the screen all the time. This appears to be normal. After power off then back on while holding Info+AE-L DSP (Digital Signal Processor) and CPU versions appear in yellow text instead of the firmware version. At first it looks like some sort of error indication (why yellow?) but it appears to be perfectly normal - if you do not press Menu-Menu-Info within 5 seconds this information stays visible with other diagnostics information.

Tested on my *istDS with firmware version 2.00.

-= IVAN =-

[Lowell Goudge]

DS, DL, K100D instructions too! M.S. Shin posted instructions for these cameras as well.

Here is the link:

self focus adjust for dl,ds,ds2,k100d.: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

And the message, in case it suddenly "evaporates" from DPreview:



My note on #2: after pressing the "Menu" button go first to the "Set-up" menu. This is not quite clear, it looks like the right menu appears right away. Once in the "Set-up" menu three new options are added after the last option ("Reset" on *istDS) as follows:

CAPTURE TEST
SYSTEM TEST
AF TEST

Inside the AF TEST menu there are two options:

- AF Area Test [values 0 to 3]
- Focus Corr. [range -120 to 120 um]

So go down to "Focus Corr." and use left/right keys to adjust value, "OK" to accept, "Menu" to exit.

Also: some diagnostics information appears on the screen all the time. This appears to be normal. After power off then back on while holding Info+AE-L DSP (Digital Signal Processor) and CPU versions appear in yellow text instead of the firmware version. At first it looks like some sort of error indication (why yellow?) but it appears to be perfectly normal - if you do not press Menu-Menu-Info within 5 seconds this information stays visible with other diagnostics information.

Tested on my *istDS with firmware version 2.00.

-= IVAN =-

Great, anyone have this for the *istD?

[RiceHigh]

My K100D has DSP and CPU version of both 1.02.00.06

All AF test for area numbered 0, 1, 2 and 3 are at 0 um, so I won't adjust these despite my fast prime FF at tungsten light. I will leave them at there as it would be impractical for me to enter the service mode to change the parameter each time when I shoot under different lighting situations. I do believe for my K100D, mechanically it has been calibrated correctly already, but just for daylight.

It is very interesting to note that if the "Menu" button is pressed under the first appeared service menu, it will enter into another sub-service menu, under which there is an item "AF PINT DISP(LAY)". Press OK to enter to see the stored parameters. Here they are for my K100D:-

AF PINT OFFSET:

ICCD PINT: 18 um
OBJ 2m: 29mm
PINT SHIFT: 0 um

So, what are yours??

WARNING: You should check yours provided that you have the total confidence to enter the service engineering mode. Of course, I dare coz I'm an engineer ;-D

DS, DL, K100D instructions too! M.S. Shin posted instructions for these cameras as well.
-= IVAN =-

[jeffkrol]

Great, anyone have this for the *istD?

D is the same as DS, you just need to be fast..... Just went in for a quick peak.
Enter at your own risk

[Ivan Glisin]

AF PINT OFFSET:

ICCD PINT: 18 um
OBJ 2m: 29mm
PINT SHIFT: 0 um

So, what are yours??

ICCD PINT: -3 um
OBJ 2m: -4 mm
PINT SHIFT: 50 um

What does all that mean?

*istDS
Firmware: 2.00
DSP VER: 2.00.00.03
CPU VER: 2.00.00.03

-= IVAN =-

[sklathill]

My K10D is currently at Pentax for hot pixel service...

and I'm looking at that eeprom save/read/write option...

I bet there's a hot pixel table in there somewhere...

[RiceHigh]

> AF PINT OFFSET:

> ICCD PINT: 18 um
> OBJ 2m: 29mm
> PINT SHIFT: 0 um

> So, what are yours??

ICCD PINT: -3 um
OBJ 2m: -4 mm
PINT SHIFT: 50 um

What does all that mean?
-= IVAN =-

I guess the first one is the relative position of the CCD plane, so yours seem to be more accurate than mine for this.

I don't know what is meant exactly for the second "Object at 2m". But I guess it is about a standard calibration prodecures with a fixed setup and then the value is obtained. I have no idea what this value is about, though. Especially considering that the unit is in mm and the variation is so large (for the difference between yours and mine)

For the "PINT Shift", I wildly guess that it is about an offset of the AF module, for where it is positioned. Well, this time, mine is perfect here :-)

It would be very interesting to see more results to see how these will differ, btw. Any more inputs from others?

[RiceHigh]

My K10D is currently at Pentax for hot pixel service...

and I'm looking at that eeprom save/read/write option...

I bet there's a hot pixel table in there somewhere...

My humble advice is don't try to enter into those options with read/write functions as you cannot read the contents anyway without a special toolkit. But the high risk if you select the wrong thing by pressing the OK button, all the stored data or calibration figures or settings etc. will be erased!

It's very dangerous afterall. So, pls don't try. I don't think you can read and change anything there nor you can know what/where should be changed and what value you can input as nothing can be decoded/interpreted without the development tools.

[sklathill]

I'm always going to be ranting about hot pixels because that's the kind of guy I am. Olympus, Sony/Minolta are good with hot pixels, no one else is, blah blah blah...!

I personally would rather have a camera destroyed by my own hands rather than a camera that I can't use because it's not even in my hands...

[RiceHigh]

I personally would rather have a camera destroyed by my own hands rather than a camera that I can't use because it's not even in my hands...

:-O LOL!

(but if its still under warranty, do give yourself and Pentax a chance!)

[sklathill]

I did. My camera has been Pentax for a while now.

In any case, I'm pretty certain once I get the camera back that I will go exploring through the menu. That's my idea of fun...

[jeffkrol]

ICCD PINT: -3 um
OBJ 2m: -4 mm
PINT SHIFT: 50 um

What does all that mean?

*istDS
Firmware: 2.00
DSP VER: 2.00.00.03
CPU VER: 2.00.00.03

-= IVAN =-

Pretty sure these ar not duplicates... seems others are intrigued by this criptic series of numbers...........
Now they list the units as all uM but you have the center set as mm.. I assume a typo
.................................
ICCD PINT: 9[UM]
OBJ 2M : 14[UM]
PINT SHIFT: 0[UM]
..................................
ICCD PINT: -2[UM]
OBJ 2M : -3[UM]
PINT SHIFT: 0[UM]
...........
Both had board # is 40 and my DSP chip # is 0000.

[Richard3550]

*istDL ver 1.00
ICCD PINT -4um
OBJ 2M -6mm
PINT SHIFT 0um