The K-x has a 11-point SAFOX VIII, but it has no focus point indication of any kind in the viewfinder, neither the overlaid red illumination on focusing screen nor any indication/information to be displayed in the status/info area at the bottom of the finder. Just read this latest hands-on report and follow on the discussions along the thread:-
http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-news-rumors/73789-hands-pentax-event-last-night.html
The design is that the focus point must be selected with the display and indication on the back LCD but there still will be no indication of any kind on which focus point(s) that the camera selects nor the user can have any idea about it *during* shooting, when he/she has been looking at/through the finder.
Well, whilst I don't think this indication is very important for bodies like the *ist DL or the K-m, of which all focus points are more or less close to the centre of the frame (3 points and 5 points respectively), this time I think it is not much acceptable for a wide 11-point AF covered area to have no indication at all in the finder, which will surely create much inconvenience and problems.
In fact, DPR criticised much in their K-m review about the lack of focus point indication (which I didn't agree that it was a major problem, mainly because of that all the five points are close to the frame centre), but now the problem has been even made to be more serious by Pentax and could be a *real* issue this time. From the commercial point of view, why Pentax could not respect the DPR by considering their point of concern as raised and re-include the focus illumination, just like what is available in the K100D and the *ist D/DS? How much cost they can save in eliminating this facility? Not much, I'm afraid. But one thing is for sure, DPR will give adverse comment again in their upcoming K-x review, if any, possibly in an even more strong tone for the problem and more marks will be deducted in their review. So, why Pentax/Hoya didn't listen?
Even they didn't, won't and don't listen, I think they should think at least themselves if such a handicapped design is practically usable for the users, or not.
Friday, September 18, 2009
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Ivanko · 808 weeks ago
It's rather silly.
chillgreg · 808 weeks ago
This is a VERY VERY serious oversight - absolutely inexcusable in fact.
Pentax have crippled this potentially fabulous camera, in fact no pro will EVER buy this camera as a backup body, and I can just hear salespeople trying to explain to potential Pentax customers how to determine focus when they have just tried another brand. Gosh even the CHEAPEST crappiest P&S tells you what it's focussing on!!!
This and the (far less serious) decision to restrict those wonderful colour combinations to Japan only, really makes me scratch my head. Why do you think that the iPod Nano holds the record for the fastest selling electronic device in history - 100 MILLION sold in 3 years? Out of the 220 million total iPods sold since 2001. It is universally acknowledged that the beautiful colours (obviously in addition to the other wonderful design and features) have had a major and direct impact on these sales.
Pentax - Ned - are you listening to the REAL WORLD ??? Do you WANT to be a minow for years to come? Do you think Coca Cola and McDonalds got to global supremacy through product quality? NO it is clever, consistent and MASSIVE marketing.
We, the photographers of all walks of life are screaming in the many thousands of forum posts because WE CARE AND WANT TO LOVE PENTAX and BUY Pentax!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RiceHigh 110p · 808 weeks ago
Ivanko · 808 weeks ago
Prognathous · 808 weeks ago
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=...
Will they do it? Now that's an entirely different issue...
Prog.
kadajawi · 807 weeks ago
There is another major downer though. AA batteries. Pentax, stop it. Please. I've just played with the K20D, and its AF seems to be at least twice as fast as the one on my *istDs. Then I plugged in the power supply of my Pentax, and guess what: The AF was almost as fast as the one on the K20D (though not as precise perhaps). I had rechargeable NiMHs in my camera.
RiceHigh 110p · 807 weeks ago
Btw, I think you may be interested in my this previous measurebation test and the relationship of different voltage and AF speed + system time lag for the K-m are tested:-
http://ricehigh.blogspot.com/2009/07/k-m-battery-...
kadajawi · 807 weeks ago
chillgreg · 808 weeks ago
Why not use the LCD? Include an option that shows a nice graphic diagram of the focussing screen for a few seconds when the shutter is half-pressed? I'm not talking about Live-View, just an attractive representation.
Thoughts?
Johnny · 808 weeks ago
I can think of a couple situations, but when really thinkign about them, I wouldn't care for them:
If the subject is moving or hard to track like a jet or RF plane and there is nothing that can come in the foreground, then you can use full AF because it can go from one AF point to the other and its pretty unlikely you will miss focus, unless there are multiple planes, but all the indicator will do is tell you which one is in focus. If it tells you the wrong one is, you can wait then snap a picture. Without the indicator, you just take the picture and maybe it turns out better than you wanted.
If there are things coming in-front of the object you are trying to focus on that is moving (sports with lots of people) then you would never want to use full AF because it will focus on other people, and you want to specify the exact point (or maybe a set of points), otherwise it will focus on completely random people that I dont want to focus on. if you did you'd have half the shots missfocused (although it would tell you where it missfocused) where selecting the focus point would give you 100% and you wouldn't need indicators.
However it is a feature that when I first got into DSLRs I thought was cool and expected every camera to have it. In that sense, I guarantee it will turn off buyers, for a very small practical reason.
RiceHigh 110p · 807 weeks ago
Ivanko · 807 weeks ago
Ivanko · 807 weeks ago
Johnny · 807 weeks ago
Johnny · 807 weeks ago
Johnny · 807 weeks ago
kadajawi · 807 weeks ago