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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
04-17-2016, 09:44 AM
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I got a K-50 a few weeks ago. A few thoughts from my admittedly limited experience:
Steve has 2 issues: lag and blurry focus.
Let's assume that we've eliminated an accidentally set timer as the lag culprit, i.e. the viewfinder does not turn black after the shutter release has been pressed, the shutter just doesn't release.
The problem could be related to focus priority or catch in focus being enabled. As other posters have pointed out, the focal length is a bit long for this subject. The lens he is using is the 50 - 200mm. I've often seen it packaged with the camera body and the 18 - 55mm lens. If this is what he bought, I'd recommend trying with the shorter lens. I think it would improve his chances of getting the correct subject in correct focus in full auto mode at the distance the subject is likely at from him.
The green hexagon at the bottom of the viewfinder should be solid, not blinking. Test whether focus priority is causing the shutter lag - it won't shoot because the subject - in its opinion - is not in focus. Use the switch on the front left of the camera to change into manual focus mode and take a couple of shots. It doesn't matter if they're in focus; we're trying to troubleshoot the lag. If the camera shoots without delay in manual focus mode, then the lag is likely due to focus priority not allowing shutter release because the focus wasn't good. (Please note: I'm not recommending Steve actually shoot in manual mode just yet, merely use it to try to figure out his lag issue.)
I read the settings recommendation Steve linked to. It recommends setting catch in focus when using manual focus lenses with moving subjects. That doesn't apply here so make sure it's set to off. Also, the settings article recommends turning off the various jpeg corrections. I'd leave them turned on for now. I don't notice them creating any lag when shooting single flower snapshots. Since we don't know what if any photo processing software or skills Steve has, they could be helpful.
The exif says that the pictures were taken around 9AM. A glossy white flower petal in bright flat mid-morning sunlight can be somewhat tricky for a camera to grab. Assuming the camera is in AF.S on the switch on the front and Auto mode, I'd recommend using AE Metering spot light metering and metering on the brightest whitest part of the flower. Since he wants multiple flowers in focus, I'd use the AF Active Area five or eleven focus point setting. Try using the shorter lens at a shorter focal length if that's possible. If not, use the 50 - 200mm (starting at 50mm), but take a step or two or three back. Half press for focus and metering, make sure the green hexagon at the bottom of the viewfinder screen is solid green, hold the half press and recompose the shot slightly to your taste if necessary, then press the shutter release all the way down. Keep trying different combinations of focal length - zoom - and distance from the subject until you get pictures that match what you were trying to get. The pixels are free and reusable and the delete key is our friend.
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