K10 Focussing Issues

Cam someone explain why this camera will no longer focus properly. I have wasted a lot of time and been VERY disappointed at the accuracy of focussing-and this seems to occur with ANY lens, even the 16-50DA.Images often appear soft/blurred. This is NOT a problem with my technique or camera shake. Even manual focus is proving inaccurate-results have been awful. The dioptre adjustment is correct for my eyesight!

I have just had the camera serviced so I do not want to have to send it back again at more expense!

Obviously a camera which CANNOT focus is of no use. I will now have to consider ditching the K10 and try and save up for the K20 or invest in another system completely, just to get sharp pictures. Any help to remedy this would be appreciated. Meanwhile I have given up taking any pictures.

Hi there, welcome to the forum.
Sorry to hear about your focussing problem. When you say you get inaccurate results when manually focussing, have you tried using a tripod to do manual verses auto focus? I have done this in the past and used a target like news print taped to a wall. Also use a timer shutter release. I find that it can help determine where the problem lies. Then if you can establish that you have an issue with a lens front or back focussing, you can use a focus chart to enable you to calibrate out the error. I understand that the K10D also has this capability like the K20D.
You may have tried all this already of course.
Best of luck

If the problem only occurred immediately after the service, I would suspect that the service engineer has made an AF adjustment via the Debug menu. This could be put right.

This would also affect manual focusing, because there would be a discrepency between what you see through the viewfinder and what ends up on the photograph. However, sharp focus would be possible with a manual focus adjustment. You could try "focus bracketing" (multiple small focus adjustments) to help identify the problem.

Sorry I can't think what the problem could be if it is unrelated to the service and the camera did focus properly originally, and it happens with all lenses.

Did the camera focus fine before the service? If so then why are you not sending it back to have the focussing issue looked at ?

What was the service for anyway ?

The camera was sent for servicing mainly to have both the sensor and the focussing screen cleaned and to ensure that the camera was generally in good working order. I would have thought they would have at least checked the focussing!! I won't be wasting any more money doing this in future!

The focussing hasn't been great since I had the camera in November 2007, but I assumed that this was just inefficiency of the autofocus system. However it does appear worse after servicing. Depending on the cost of this, I may well get another camera-I think I'm entitled to get sharp pictures when I've paid several hundred pounds for a camera like this, especially when its not my technique thats at fault.

Perhaps a firmware update? I have tried to install one but the instructions just don't work! The file will not install. Present version is 1.0. Any advice on this would be appreciated.

Master48,
Would you please fill in your location details then any helpers now where you are Thanks.

I'd be interested to know who serviced it since I had a camera 'serviced' and then couldn't even mount a lens let alone focus! I know this is cold comfort but it isn't really difficult to clean the sensor yourself, this forum is full of sage advice on the subject. Could you show us some examples?

Whoever did the service may have checked the focusing... and made it worse! That's the only explanation I can think of if you really are using the camera properly.

Perhaps you could post an example picture here to get opinions on how sharp it is and what the problem might be. I suggest one full image resized to 800x600, along with a "100% crop" of part of it.

A firmware update won't help with any focusing problem*, but will give certain other benefits. The instructions will work if you follow them properly. Make sure you have the correct files on the memory card and a freshly charged battery.

* EDIT: Exept for SDM function.

After completely reviewing the problem, it appears that I jumped to the wrong conclusion-the fault is with the DA16-50 lens. A couple of quick shots of the same subject with a 70-300 sigma (70mm) and 18-250 tamron (50mm) showed that the same picture from the Pentax DA16-50 was myopic! I don't have time now to upload the images but suffice to say that I am more than angry at having wasted so much money (which I can ill afford and worked extremely hard for!!) on this lens which I now realise has affected hundreds of pictures-the hours I've spent trying to get sharp pictures in Elements from this lens and all the time there was a fault. I will be loyal to Tamron and Sigma in future. I am forced to revert to the original 18-55 lens for now, as finances do not allow purchase of any more lenses.

Mark

Mark, Ignore my pre edit comment. I would hazard a guess that your problem may well be that you need to update to V1.3 firmware. Take a look here http://www.pentax.jp/english/support/digital/k10d_s.html

Changes to V1.30
1. Correspond to PENTAX DA lens which built-in supersonic motor (SDM System)

In other words your DA* 16-50

Hope that helps.

Best advice is to update to 1.30. If it doesn't work for you, you could be doing it incorrectly.

The procedure is very simple.

1: Download the firmware update from here, then expand it by double clicking it. You'll end up with 2 files, 1 is a readme, the other is the file you need.
2: Format a memory card in the camera.
3: Power off the camera
4: Copy the firmware file (not the readme) to the root folder of the card. Do this either by connecting your camera to your PC via its USB cable or, more easily, place the card in a card reader attached to your PC.
5: Insert the card with the firmware into the camera
6: Press and hold the menu button and power on the camera
7: The current firmware version, and the new version will be displayed on the rear screen
8: Choose the option to update and wait for completion, indicated by a flashing memory light after any display activity has stopped.
9: Power off the camera, power on the camera and format the card again, power off the camera.
10: Press and hold the menu button and power on the camera, now the new firmware version should be displayed as V1.30
11: Job done.

Go try your 16-50 lens again.

BTW: If we knew where you were located, a local member might be able to help. Update your location in your profile please.

If, having updated your firmware, there is still a problem, return the lens assuming it is under warranty still? There were problems with early versions of this lens and one or two people had to return them but later versions are usually very good.

Best wishes, Kris.

Any luck with your K10D and 16-50 focussing Mark?