Dilemma

saxon · 2014-12-13T06:00:13+0000

I have a few family portrait shoots lined up. I'm currently using the Pentax K5 with either the Pentax 17-70 F4 or the Tamron 17-50 F2.8. I also have a Tamron 70-200 F2.8 which is a great lens. I do sometimes get frustrated with the focus accuracy on the K5 - in particular: Its tracking of moving subjects can be a little off and I find some shots are lost because it can't keep up with a running child etc. Also although I use spot focus mode and go for the eyes the camera sometimes still focuses on something else nearby. I recently did a shoot in a forest and lost quite a few otherwise brilliant pics because when there were branches or leaves in front of the subject's face I sometimes found the camera would focus on the leaves/twigs - and crucially the eyes were then just slightly off focus. The problem is that the subtle difference wasn't visible to me at the time on the rear screen (although to be fair perhaps I should have used live view but I don't really like shooting with it as I find it spoils my fluidity in a shoot and my interaction with the subject. I tend to just review pics after shooting on the rear screen. Do people here think the K3 offers a worthwhile improvement on a K5 (not a K5ii) especially with respect to focus and would it help to eliminate these issues. A friend has a Canon EOS 5D MK3 and there's no doubt his rear screen is a lot clearer for reviewing pics than mine is... My dilemma is whether to spring for one of the very attractive body only deals on the K3 at the moment or wait in case 2015 brings an affordable full frame. Part of the problem is that even if there is a full frame launch at say £1500-£2000, I've got to factor in the purchase of a grip plus some sort of decent standard zoom. It could easily be £2500 with that little lot and realistically I can't afford it at present (although if I started getting a lot more paid work I might be able to). On the other hand if the K3 offfers the prospect of a big jump in the number of 'keepers' then with a number of paid shoots coming up I could spring for one now. I could do with knowing if Pentax are going to launch something full frame at say the March NEC show - if they are it might be prudent to hold off and wait. On the other hand if it's going to be the back end of the year that's a bit long to wait. Grateful for any insights/views. Saxon

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NeilP NeilP

497 posts
17 years

Posted 14/12/2014 - 15:11 Link

Here is my opinion after using one since Feb:

Ive found the K-3 much better in terms of AF with wildlife, compared to the K5 (mk1). Visited Bempton a few times this year and got a lot more keepers of in flight birds and have found more stayed locked on with foxes moving towards me. Not perfect but a noticeable improvement, certainly locking on more often than a friends D300. The biggest problem is keeping the focus point on the creature in question as if you slip off its a bit too sluggish to lock on again, but that could be said for most if not all crop sensor cameras

The noise issue compared to the K-5 is mitigated somewhat by the higher resolution allowing more aggressive noise reduction while retaining enough detail. I occidentally put my k-3 on ISO 3200 yesterday for some shots but they have cleaned up well as I didn't have adjust the exposure. The noise seems to become more apparent more quickly when playing with exposure, especially lifting shadows than on K-5.

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Edited by NeilP: 14/12/2014 - 15:52

Chrism8 Chrism8

2128 posts
16 years
St Austell,
Cornwall

Posted 14/12/2014 - 16:03 Link

Blythman wrote:
I've made use of the "Hold AF" setting with the K3. Tracking a bird in flight which flew past a bush. The AF didn't immediately re-focus on the bush, but maintained its plane of focus.

Another thing to consider. Do, you use shutter button, or back button for AF.
Maybe won't help if you don't see the twigs. But I find back button much more adaptable.

Ive recently tried the back button focussing option and recorded my best ever keepers rate whilst shooting birds of prey in flight, even a fast moving buzzard.

If you've not tried this technique, give it a go, feels a little strange at first, but you soon adapt and if the keepers improve then.......

And I can vouch for the 645, a superb piece of kit, and it produces stunning images, although not of birds in flight

Chris

www.chrismillsphotography.co.uk

" A Hangover is something that occupies the Head you neglected to use the night before".

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K1 - Sigma 85mm F1.4, Pentax DFA 150 -450 F4.5 / 5.6, Pentax DFA* 24 - 70 F2.8

Samyang 14mm F2.8, Pentax DFA* 70-200 F2.8, Pentax A 50mm F1.2

K3iii + K3ii + K5iis converted to IR, Sigma 17 - 70 F2.8, Pentax 55 - 300 F4.5 / F5.6 PLM

saxon saxon

71 posts
20 years
West Sussex/Hampshire,
UK

Posted 16/12/2014 - 19:20 Link

Great to hear all the comments here and thanks for the kind comments. I have only today managed to start really experiementing with the K3 and I have to say I think there's a very dramatic improvement in the focussing department over a K5. I just tried tracking the cat in a very softly lit room at night and even under the Christmas tree the K3 locked on over and over again where the K5 would be hunting or in release priority mode just giving me out of focus shots. I was also very pleased to find that even in video mode the AF button will cause the camera to focus albeit slowly (presumably to minimise noise).

I need to check it on fast moving subjects such as galloping horses or cyclists and so will head down somewhere I can shoot some of that stuff soon. Suffice to say so far it is everything I hoped it would be! Still waiting for the grip to arrive and I certainly don't like using Pentax cameras without a grip attached but then I do have hands like a 300lb gorilla!

Once again many thanks to all of you for your comments. Rest assured if any of you are using the K5 or earlier generation of cameras the improvement in focus performance is genuinely startling! I'm actually going to head outside to test it on an unlit street...

Kind regards,

Saxon

www.jonathangorsephotography.com

Mike-P Mike-P

13627 posts
18 years
Hythe,
Hampshire UK

Posted 16/12/2014 - 19:46 Link

saxon wrote:
Great to hear all the comments here and thanks for the kind comments. I have only today managed to start really experiementing with the K3 and I have to say I think there's a very dramatic improvement in the focussing department over a K5. I just tried tracking the cat in a very softly lit room at night and even under the Christmas tree the K3 locked on over and over again where the K5 would be hunting or in release priority mode just giving me out of focus shots.

That's because the K-3 (and K-5II/K-5IIs) focus down to -3 EV ... the original K-5 couldn't.

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