Do you have a question for the Pentax team of experts?

I am the ONLY one using PENTAX for professional Press work here in Essex -- now I find a fault with my 2007 K10D which is embarassing when people are kept standing there while I fiddle -- sometimes the shutter will not release -- I press and press and nothing happens so I take lens OFF 'Auto-Focus' and use manual focus and it will work -- also I am getting fed up with 'back-focus' on important jobs -- the Mayor is OUT but the wall about 30 feet behind is IN focus !! None of the other local Press photographers have any of these troubles.

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been a member of Pentax Club since the Ron Spillman era! Got COMPUTERISED at last - DIGITISED? Taken the PLUNGE - BUT FILM STILL RULES !!!

Models newer than the K10D have much improved focussing systems Peter. I'm sure Pentax would suggest you upgrade to a newer model whilst your journalist colleagues might suggest you change to a different manufacturer.

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Peter E Smith

My flickr Photostream

A feature that would be useful would be bracketed shots with mirror-up. K-3, K-5 ...

This is likely to be a firmware possibility that would allow bracketed shots at slow shutter, without any risk of mirror vibrations. It's always seemed odd that it isn't offered ...

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I would add to that. Frankly my 300mm DA* effectively can't track in continuous mode. Tried all sorts of the available options. Is the lens faulty, the camera faulty (K3) or is in truth just the way it is?

Is Pentax aware of the variation in sharpness between different copies of the new DA 20-40 Ltd?
Potentially a gem of a lens and a joy to handle and use but the edge sharpness even stopped down falls short of being satisfactory especially for landscapes where it shows particularly at the front of the image. I returned mine and tried 3 other copies, all of which were the same. On the other hand ephotozine reports sharpness across the frame at f5.6 and another review which I saw said f4 -mine was not sharp at the edges even at f8. I have come across a number of very satisfied users on this and another forum, so I am inclined to think that some of these lenses are being correctly assembled and some not! My expectation was that this lens could replace and come close to the quality of the DA 21 and DA 35 and help me to avoid a lot of lens changing. I am so glad that I did not part with the latter before seeing the results of the DA 20-40 Ltd - if I could find a good copy, however, I would not hesitate to buy it again.

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Miles

Would it be possible to have AE-L (exposure lock) on MF (manual focus) by half-pressing the shutter on the k-5/5II/5IIs and k-3 (on a future firmware update)?

Thanks,
Ricardo

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http://ricardofranca.tumblr.com

This would be very nice.

R

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http://ricardofranca.tumblr.com

Seen as p-ttl been improved in the K-3 i.e it works can the p-ttl be fixed on the k-5 variants via a firmware update?

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PPG Wedding photography Flickr
Concert photography

Currently on a Pentax hiatus until an FF Pentax is released

My understanding is that the K-3 and indeed the K-30 and K-01 are built on entirely different hardware /software architecture to the K-5 series and this is why the K-3, K-01 and K-30 have focus peaking and the K-5 series does not. It may be that the same approach cannot be applied to the K-5's to fix the p-ttl issue, due to the different hardware / software setup.

Regards
David

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Flickr

Nicola's Apartments, Kassiopi, Corfu

Some cameras, some lenses, some bits 'n' bobs

There's no reason why a focus peaking algorithm couldn't be written for the K-5 series. Whether the K-5 series has enough processing power to run one as accurate is another matter. however I can't see why not as I'm sure the K-01 hasn't got a processor any more powerful than the K-5's.

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[i]Bodies: 1x K-5IIs, 2x K-5, Sony TX-5, Nokia 808
Lenses: Pentax DA 10-17mm ED(IF) Fish Eye, Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8, Pentax-A 28mm f/2.8, Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.2, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7, Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8, Sigma 135-400mm APO DG, and more ..
Flash: AF-540FGZ, Vivitar 283

Would Pentax consider making all future DSLRs available in Olive (drab) as a standard colour option? For a camera manufacturer that prides itself on its WR model range and given that many users are into wildlife/landscapes, 'black' as the only option is a bit uninspiring. I've got an 'Olive' K-x and would love to be able to buy a K-50 or K5II in Olive as standard. I can get the K50 in Olive but it seems to take weeks and
costs substantially more. I could understand it if I was requesting pink and mustard yellow as a standard option but come on...Olive is the 'new' black.

A second question which is loosely linked to my question above this one.

Why have Pentax decided not to include the superior DA 18-55 WR with hood as a kit lens with the K50? The supplied lightweight DAL 18-55WR just isn't as attractive an option. To buy the body only K50 (in black!) and then have to stump up about £90-£100
to buy a new copy of the DA 18-55 WR doesn't make financial sense for me (it might benefit Pentax!).

If I could buy the K50 in Olive with the superior 18-55 for £449...i'd order one tomorrow from SRS!!

I was considering investing in a otherwise very impressive K-3 until I read about mirror flapping problems on US websites. I also looked up Youtube video illustrating the fault - quite worrying.

Because of this I have decided to stick with my K-5 until I am assured the problem has been solved at source and that future K-3s will not have this problem. I do not want to buy one and risk the possibility of later having to return it for repairs irrespective of guarantee cover, and I certainly would not like to have the fault occur after guarantee runs out.

Can you offer us reassurance that would offset my concerns. For example is there a serial number which might indicate the design fault has been rectified in future batches?

Forgive me for sounding negative; I should add my K-5 has and still gives excellent service, the limited lenses are fantastic, I receive so many expressions of admiration from women when I take out my Q, and I am saving up so that some day before I retire I might be able to purchase the magnificent 645z. Keep up the good work.

There is apparantly a fix available for the K-3 mirror flop problem.

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Peter E Smith

My flickr Photostream

I want to switch on Catch in Focus at any time and with any lens

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My Flickr link

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" (John Lennon)