YAY!!! I have got a 1.10 debug, 1.30 revert hack and 1.30 original which means I don't need to send it back to Pentax for servicing!!! AF fix is in progress with a test chart, tripod, flash and remote release on timer.

Yep, that is what I am trying to do. Hopefully then the focusing will be fine and I can then not have to send it off to Pentax to have them do exactly that and waste a month.

No, it is not the same problem.

This:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1036&thread=24649119&am...

Seems to be what I am experiencing because of a badly calibrated K10D.

I tried reverting the firmware but that didn't work and I can't get my K10D to focus correctly.

As I have said the new one works with any lens absolutely perfectly.

My K10D suffers from AF misalignment and will not focus correctly with any lens. I thought it was my 50-200 which was at fault originally. Then I got the Tamron 90mm macro and it was even worse. Finally with the 16-50 it was the last straw. I couldn't possibly have all defective lenses. Placed them all on the new K10D and no problems at all! Focus is quick and accurate every time with no miss focusing.

I am glad it is not the lenses but am very irritated that is is the camera as it means being without it for a good long time. I wish I could just get an other K10D to replace this one but that just isn't viable (I don't think many people could do that). It is a manufacturing fault which should have never been there and has caused me all sorts of trouble.

I need to know the quickest way to get my camera repaired or replaced. I know going through Pentax will take a month as will going through the place I purchased the camera (Warehouse Express) as the insist they will just collect it and send it to Pentax. So it would take longer than me just sending my camera to Pentax.

Any suggestions would be welcome as I really need this camera from the 22nd of Dec to the 2nd of Jan.

What a lens... Not very discreet and not very portable. Very very very HUGE and very very very EXPENSIVE ($20000).

No the Sigma sensor is a three layered 3.4MP sensor or something of the like. It works differently and isn't really 14MP... It is hard to compare with a bayer pattern CCD or CMOS.

Well, better get mine shot into the fray. Not had much of a chance to shoot anything recently so I set up a still life.

Altar to the Dragons




K10D
DA* 16-50 F2.8
Metz 58 AF-1 (Celling Bounce)
2 Halogen Desk Lamps
Aperture F2.8
Shutter 1/180s

Processed in Lightroom.

PS. Laptops make a good place to set up as you can hang fabric over the screen and keyboard

PPS. It is meant to be kind of dark. Detail is fine on my scree but if anyone has trouble I can brighten back up a little. This is the biggest problem with displaying on the web. You'd never have this trouble with a print in a gallery.

Wooohoo!!! I got home to a lovely package from SRS. It was so light though I was worried the box was empty.

Once I had the lens in my hand though it is a different story. Solid, heavy and well built.

First impressions:

SDM works really well, the motor is barely audible (to my young ears which can still hear quite high frequencies) and my head is next to it.

Zoom ring is too small and focusing ring is too big. There isn't much room to hold the lens from to lock on and off the camera mount. Not like the DA18-55 and 50-200 which have a nice grip area. Zoom ring is a little stiffer when it gets to moving both extension elements around 28mm.

It is rather large, especially the front element. I need to do a little shooting with it to see its real qualities. Taken a few shots at varying apertures quickly just to gauge bokeh and sharpness. I live the soft skin look that it gives wide open. Enough fine detail on eyelashes, etc. but keeping the skin smooth and soft. Quite a nice lens for shooting portraits. Can't tell you much about the wide angle abilities as it is hard to shoot landscapes in the dark.

I am definitely going to have to get out and do some shooting this weekend.

Bah... Mine should arrive tomorrow, all things going well...

Same here, I got the last one they received on Friday. Should be with me on Thursday next week They didn't have very many in their delivery.