Well I have tried it and it does what it says in the manual, thanks to those who advised me about the AF fine tune calibration. I had to alter the focusing to the upper value limit of +10 see images below, both of these were taken with my f2.8mm Macro lens.

Thanks for advising about the fine tuning option. I didn't have a user manual so was unaware about that option. I have now downloaded a PDF user manual and will follow the instructions and hopefully get my lenses to focus correctly.

I noticed the most recent images of wildlife was not always sharp on the eyes even though i focused on the eye (as you should) but found the other side of animals heads were in focus and not the eye closest to the camera and wondered what was the cause... now i know!

Hello,

Has anyone had any focusing issues on Pentax cameras?

I have had a Pentax K5 for some time now and have found my sharpness hit rate has dropped, even when using a tripod.

So I bought one of these Camera/lens calibrator card kits, which sit on top of a table at an angle with a flat plane of focus and a ruler and square marks along both outside edges to test the camera.

I set the camera on a tripod and tried different lenses through the aperture range and even though the auto-focus system said the focus point was on a barcode printed on the flat focal section of the card at the 0 mark the actual point of sharp focus was 1cm behind where the auto-focus system had said the focus point was.

Has anyone else had similar issues or is it just my camera?

I also own an Olympus OM-D EM-5 DSLR and the focus point on that is spot on.

Any suggestions as to what might be the cause and is there anyway I can adjust the focal point? note I have tried various lenses and they are all doing the same thing. The only time the 0 mark is sharp is when i stop the lens down to f16.

Hello,

I have a Pentax DA 55-300mm f4-5.8 ED lens and have seen the Pentax HD 55-300mm lenses available.

Is there any noticeable difference in image quality between the two lenses? is it worth upgrading for use on a Pentax K5?

Here is a cropped view of the Image after having used the Perspective control feature in paint Shop Pro X9.

I wondered about a Shift lens at one point. I looked a few years back and did see one or two but they were priced around £600-£800 used so didn't think of buying one. I use Paint Shop Pro X9 for my Image processing. That has a rather handy Perspective adjustment feature which has worked wonders so far. A Shift lens would be an ideal addition to my kit bag, but wonder if I would use it enough to warrant the expense?

Thanks for the responses so far, they are all gratefully received.

Attached you will find an image that I took with my 16-45mm lens recently which got me thinking of buying a new lens. The image has been reduced in size. The arches in the centre of the image are crisp and clear. However, the towers are the top of the image are out of focus and not sharp. The image was taken at f7.

Hello,

I would like to start taking images of Buildings and Architecture both internal and external, mainly of Churches etc using my Pentax K5 DSLR. I currently have a Pentax 16-45mm lens but have noticed in certain images that the focusing is not as sharp on the outer edges of the image as it is in the center. Maybe its my technique or settings that are incorrect and not my lens!

The images I produce will be for viewing on screen, projected and printed up to A3 size.

So my question is, which lens do you suggest would be a good purchase? I am looking to spend around £500ish on the lens.

Since the Photo Show is only a few weeks away I thought I would ask this question now and then look at the lenses suggested at the Photo Show.

So will it be Pentax, Sigma, Tamron or Samyang and which model?

Also should I be looking for a fast lens such as an f2.8 or will an f4 or f2.8/f4 lens suffice?

Best Regards,

Thanks for advising me about those images they are amazing. I think I just need to get out and practice, practice and practice some more.

I have found that with the lens I have, its best used in bright light for best results, in overcast weather or when the subject is in shade the images are not as good (clear/sharp). I will try setting the aperture to f8 and see what happens.

Regards other camera manufactures I was given an identical Sigma 150-500mm DG lens and a 100mm Sigma EX lens with a Nikon Mount by a former colleague. I have not used these on a Nikon Camera but have let two other individuals use these on a long term loan. What would be good i suppose, is for me compere the results between a Nikon mid priced DSLR and my Pentax K5.

Regards focusing am I right in assuming that lenses with screw type focusing are slower than the newer lenses?

Best Regards,

Paul

Best Regards,

Paul

Hello,

Thanks for your responses, my main interest is in Wildlife and Nature Photography and bought the new 100mm Macro Lens at the Photo Show earlier this year. I have a collection of around 5-6 lenses so swapping to another system is not what I really want to do. Would/does the D*300mm lens be a good investment or replacement for the 170-500mm lens in terms of image quality/focusing?

Would that lens be most useful on a K5 or K3/K3II?

Most of my photographs are taken using aperture Priority Mode (f/16) with an ISO of 400-800.

Best Regards,
Paul