Thank you, John and Peter, for your prompt and helpful replies. I suppose the reason I use Back Button Focusing is because I can never manage a half-press of the stutter button. My fingers must be very clumsy. Every time I try, even the lightest touch seems to cause a photo to be taken. It feels as if the camera has a hair trigger. I tried again this morning and three attempts yielded three photos. I'll amend the settings to link focus and exposure and I'll experiment with exposure compensation as you suggest.

Gerald

How should I be using my camera to meter for light and to lock the setting using AE-L?
I have recently bought a K3ii and, up to now, I seem to be getting reasonable photos without consciously metering for light. I simply set my focus area and other settings (eg AV, single shot, aperture and ISO) then use back button focusing before using the shutter. In situations with a bright sky and dark foreground I use exposure bracketing. I sort out problems in Lightroom.
However, I keep reading about metering for light from a mid-tone area using a half depression of the shutter but composing elsewhere - locking the setting with the AE-L button. Would metering doing this be over-ridden by BBF? Am I missing out on a critical skill area. The manual explains how to use the half press shutter method but doesn't say whether it is still necessary with BBF. Can I kill two birds with one stone by linking exposure with the autofocus area? Finally, does any of this change when I use Manual mode?

Thanks Peter, McGregNi and Chris but I've decided to send the KP back to Amazon. The TAV problem was really just the last straw. I've decided to replace it with a K3ii while they're still available new. The KP did have a tilting screen and this was its main selling point to me. It did have built-in flash. However, it also had weird grips - none of which was really comfortable and crowded buttons which made using it a bit of a pain. It had a plasticky feel and it was just overly complex. A K3ii will have a proper body, a top lcd, a proper battery, gps and separate AF and AE lock buttons. It will also cost less.
Thank you again for your help.

I have now checked and there are/were no limits on ISO in TAV and the only Auto Exposure adjustment that I can find relates to EV and that setting is OFF. I think that I now understand the Settings dial since its use appears to depend on the Function dial . In the Manual it is described as being the Smart Function. The dot disables the Setting Dial operation; The other positions relate to changing the specific settings for AE, HDR, continuous shooting, Image finishing tone.capture type of AA filter and. lastly, monitor brightness. You use the Function dial to choose one of these functions and the Settings dial to change the settings for that dial. Apparently I was wrong to say that the Dot was on the settings dial - it is on the Function dial so all it does is to disable the use of the Settings dial. It would have had no impact on the use of the TAV mode.
So I still don't understand why I cannot preset my choices of aperture and shutter speed within TAV (given no limits of ISO and no automatic exposure corrections).

Hi, Thanks for the replies.
Chris, I just left ISO as AUTO. I didn't check the limits. I'll check.
McGregNi, It was sunny, but I didn't check whether there were pre-set limits on AUTO. I will check that. Thank you. Also, I haven't come across thie setting for Auto Exposure adjustment. I'll look for that.
On the setting dial on the KP, the dot (.)mark seemed to me to be to do nothing with the set mode whereas the other settings are for things like HDR. Maybe my understanding is wrong. Thanks.

M

Hi,
Why does my new camera ignore my capture settings?
I took delivery of a new Pentax KP three days ago. On Saturday I took it on a field trip to test it photographing birds in flight. I set the Mode button to TAV, AF to AF.C, Continuous shooting (Low), back-button AF, first photo action Focus Priority, Shutter speed to 1/2000 and Aperture to F8, leaving ISO to AUTO. I was using the camera with my Pentax 55-300 PLM lens @ 300 mm. The button with various user settings was “.” (disable).
The camera ignored my shutter and aperture settings completely! The photos taken were all at 1/450 and f/4. Why? What use is the setting if it doesn’t allow the user to pre-set and save the desired capture settings? Have I failed to overlook some setting that demands camera override?
I tried it at home again today and I have the same problem having scoured the User Manual.
Any suggestions?

I’m selling a barely used Pentax DA* Professional grade lens. I bought this lens on 1 February this year (receipt available) but I've only used it on one occasion - to photograph the Skelligs off the West Irish coast from a distance (Derrynane/ Abbey Island). I’ve also advertised it on eBay where it is priced at £650. If I can sell it via this Pentax site where there are no eBay or PayPal fees my price would be £560.
I've never really had occasion to use it otherwise.
This is an apsc lens and comes with the front and rear caps and a lens hood all supplied with the manufacturer's original box and soft pouch.

The item price includes postage by Royal Mail Special Delivery.

I have one for sale on eBay. What kind of price are you looking for?

Gerald

Hi Adrian,
Until recently I owned a second home in Blaenau Ffestiniog where we stayed a few times a month, travelling from our main home in Merseyside. Although we loved the cottage, our neighbours there and Blaenau as a place, at 73 years old, I found the time and effort and money needed to maintain a 160 plus year old stone built cottage was becoming too much. Blaenau is a wonderful place and great as a base for walking in beautiful Snowdonia and it broke our hearts to leave. We still visit Blaenau but we are unlikely to venture further in your direction than Porthmadog. It's a shame because we enjoyed visiting Criccieth and Pwllheli. I bought the camera on the day we completed on the sale.
Thank you for asking, Adrian but it is unlikely that our paths will cross especially as my time in the fantastic Snowdonian hills is now behind me.

No, it's another camera I've never heard of but I'll have a look at the reviews. Thanks for the tip. Still, unless my kit actually sells for a reasonable sum it will have to stay in use. I won't be giving it away - it's too good for that. And I've still got my K50 which I really enjoy using.