From a recent walk, very poor results focus wise (if you've seen Troubleshooter section you know).
If life gives you lemons, make bad lemonade:


IMGP6014 by eduardodourado, on Flickr

Mailed Pentax explaining the situation and they said to send it to repair...
Does anyone have and idea of how much that might cost? Its not in warranty

Gartmore, I have made the hack. Then I had the problem of huge deviations for different focal lengths.

I don't believe its any of that because my camera has had its failed focus and not so sharp images before. Not like these though.

When, as evidenced by the shot of the horses with the stone in the foreground and of the tower with the gorse and footpath in the foreground, the focus point is dozens or hundreds of meters away, but in the shot the plane most in focus is in the foreground, the answer cannot be haze, or camera movement, there must be something wrong with AF or the sensor position.

BTW, I've emailed Pentax Technical and am waiting to hear their suggestions. I'd be happy to hear its my fault and how I can fix it.

The 18-135mm is great, the problem is value for money. Original price really put ppl off. Also the competition from sigma is very strong.

This is not a camera shake issue. I have reset the camera through in camera software, is there another way?

Maybe these will help elucidate the problem (click for original size):
BTW, I typical point the center square between a contrast line (colour divide, skyline, etc):
Focused on the top of the faraway hills


IMGP5992 by eduardodourado, on Flickr
Focused on the tower and reframed (finger not lifted from button)


IMGP5998 by eduardodourado, on Flickr
Focused on the top of the hill just right of center


IMGP5997 by eduardodourado, on Flickr
Focused on the little hill in the center.


IMGP5994 by eduardodourado, on Flickr

During this trip I had not fiddled with focus correction but when I did I found it to be set at -20um, I had messed with it a long time before, most have left it that way.

On the other forum, some pointed to the mirror having been bumped.
My observations on that:
It is possible, but I doubt that is the issue.
No inclination is evident in the mirror and as I understand it a small one would skew the plane of focus from horizontal (as projected onto the screen) into oblique. That isn't perceptible either.

I still would not rule it out. However, in the optical viewfinder both at 55mm and 18mm the image seems to be in focus at the same distance of focus approximately. Meaning, when the object is ~1m away it appears to be in focus when the scale on the lens is at ~1m. With the correction I have dialled in right now, AF seems to work and match the physics from the scales at 55mm, but the AF sets a focus different focus distance for 18mm.
So I don't think there is anything clearly wrong with the physical path through the lens, mirror, focus screen and focus detector.

My K10D has developed focusing problems. They just seemed to become more and more common, and right now its completely off.

At first I thought it just focused on the wrong place, but then I realized it seems to be horrible front focusing.
These are consecutive images, both focused on the horse, both focused positively a second apart.


IMGP6026 by eduardodourado, on Flickr



IMGP6027 by eduardodourado, on Flickr

The sharpest photo from the day (only about 1.5m)... Testing out the new boots.


IMGP6039 by eduardodourado, on Flickr
This was focused on the lettering is actually isn't too bad, also focused at a distance


IMGP6046 by eduardodourado, on Flickr

No image from this walk is really sharp were it was focused.

I've tried another lens, cleaned the contacts, removed and replaced the focus screen, reset the camera and installed latest firmware.

I've tried to use focus correction in debug mode.
I've managed to get good results for 55mm focusing near and far, as well as with a 70-300mm, by using -450um as correction.

However, with this at 18mm, the lens will only focus very close and does not focus beyond ~3m (it also does not focus well).
In fact, looking at the focus scale of the lens, while at 55mm, the camera can focus on a spot at about 50cm distance and you'll read ~50cm. At 18mm focusing on the same spot at the same distance you'll read ~1m. It focused (beep, hexagon pops up) but its out of focus.
Here are pics from the tests (18mm pics are croped):
-100 um
18mm


IMGP6273 by eduardodourado, on Flickr
55mm


IMGP6274 by eduardodourado, on Flickr

-200 um
18mm


IMGP6275 by eduardodourado, on Flickr
55mm


IMGP6276 by eduardodourado, on Flickr

-300 um
18mm


IMGP6277 by eduardodourado, on Flickr
55mm


IMGP6278 by eduardodourado, on Flickr

-400 um
18mm


IMGP6279 by eduardodourado, on Flickr
55mm


IMGP6280 by eduardodourado, on Flickr

I don't know what I did to the camera, but if it is a FF issue I created, its unlike what other people experienced because when the compensate its ok for that lens... Mine doesn't even work within the whole range of the lens. Maybe because the compensation required is so large...?

As anyone have any ideas?

Need don't enter into it.
You don't need to look at a lovely lady in the street, but you want to.

I wouldn't say panos gone bad. Its panos gone f... mental!

I never had an issue with SRS, but I have found items not in stock that were still advertised.
I can understand this in relatively small companies, but just now my friend is waiting on a pack of K-x plus lenses from Jacobs. A good deal which they advertised but now cannot say when they'll be able to supply it. I had the same issue with Warehouse Express and ended cancelling the order.

Its more common than I'd wish, it does get me peeved.

BTW, of course I suggested SRS, but atm, the offers were really not comparable.

Ola!

dnumb is a friend of mine.

Still trying to find a camera for him. He's thinking of white k-x