If you are not sure about what I am talking about, look at the following diagrams. Left is the main status menu, upon the press of the Ok button, it should change to the selection menu as in the right:-
I then safely concluded that it was just a firmware bug! To verify it, I picked out my K-x to check but there was not the same problem found!!
I just couldn't believe there would be such an obvious bug in the "production" firmware. I thought that this trivial bug should have been removed "silently" with the latest firmware. So, I immediately downloaded the latest K-r firmware 1.01, which has just been officially released, at the Pentax Japanese support site. But it doesn't work out at all, i.e., the bug is still there! >:-(
I think I shall soon write an email to Hoya via their Japanese email contact to report this bug. Otherwise, I am afraid that this annoying bug will never be cured, just like what happened to the K-m for its sensor cleaning bug, which is indeed a serious one (which erases all user settings) and in fact affects every K-m user!
At the end of the day, K-r is an "improved" version of the K-x with the AF red dot indication which is all about the selection of the AF point. But now that direct and quick access to the AF point mode is jeopardised and the Ok button has NO function against what is indicated in the status screen! So? :-o
Nevertheless, I bet that Hoya Japan will continue to ignore me all in all even I once contact them again. So, if you are a K-r user, DO report this bug to your local Pentax and hopefully when more users have reported, Hoya Japan would be pushed to debug the firmware and give us a new update - Yes, hopefully! Let's ACT NOW!!
Update (1-29):-
I checked last night against my K-x for the existing differences and think about the root cause of them. It was found that it is just all about the way how the cameras (K-r and K-x) are differed when they are used to choose the AF point *manually* under the "Select" mode.
Anyhow, it is confirmed that it is not a bug. But it is really way misleading to show the icons and layout (of the four-way plus Ok buttons) but which the Ok button now has no function of any except in the Select mode and it cannot be used to change the AF point mode, unlike it used to be in the K-x.
My suggestion is even now the Select mode is using the Ok button, why not re-activate the Ok button again for other modes, namely, single central AF point, Auto 5 points and Auto 11 points. Just in case if the "Select" focus point mode is entered, the user could still enter the Info or main menu to change back the setting, as of it is now - end of story. If the user does not use the Select mode usually, this will improve the operation a lot!
And, as for Hoya, they have not responded so far, and I bet they never will! >:-| This is against what most other companies I have ever sent in an enquiry, suggestion or bug report. They usually responded and appreciated much the valuable feedback from the customer, and politely! Pentax/Hoya is the rare company that I have ever seen who had such a poor attitude, and it has never been changed! >>:-\
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Dendome P. · 739 weeks ago
Describe in page 129 in user manual.
RiceHigh 110p · 739 weeks ago
Dendome P. · 739 weeks ago
K-x has that function... but K-r doesn't.
RiceHigh 110p · 739 weeks ago
If NOT, WHAT is that focus point symbol amongst the five way switches in the status screen indicating for?!
Dendome P. · 739 weeks ago
For K-r, when you want to choose "Focusing Area" you must press INFO button first.
For K-x, you can press OK button from start.
But... If you choose Focusing Area as "Select"
For K-r, you can choose focus point by press and hold OK button and then you can press 4 ways button to choose focus point that you want.
For K-x, you can choose focus point only when you select focusing area to "Select"
I compare it from operation manual K-r(129-131), K-x(117-118).
For focus point symbol that appear in status screen, I think it only make you know current focusing area mode
that you used.
RiceHigh 110p · 739 weeks ago
There is not a single reason why the Ok button should be disabled for direct selection of AF point mode, as there is no other function assigned to it!
Besides, there is no big difference between the K-r and K-x. Under the "Select, the K-r let the user to magnify the 11 points, or to show the four way button. It is just an option for quicker access to the four-way buttons.
Lurker · 739 weeks ago
You press and hold the Ok button to do that. That way you can *always* be in the AF selection mode without having to press the Ok button to set it.
There are few buttons in the K-r for the functionalities it has. It's not a bug, it's a decision they had to make.
RiceHigh 110p · 739 weeks ago
Tudor · 739 weeks ago
;-)
regards,
tudor
RiceHigh 110p · 739 weeks ago
Japanese · 739 weeks ago
RiceHigh 110p · 739 weeks ago
Japanese · 739 weeks ago
RiceHigh 110p · 739 weeks ago
Japanese · 739 weeks ago
D0n · 739 weeks ago
I saw your post with the new gold kr and the first I said to my wife is "Bet you he finds something to b*ch about it by next week" this was even faster than expected.
If I were Pentax, I'd send you a new Nikon. (There is always that one customer you wind up wishing would go to your competition...).
lol!
I'd follow it up with a cease and desist order...
But that is me.
Ying · 739 weeks ago
When I saw his gold K-r I thought, You did it again didn't you RH, you bought this to torture yourself , cetainly I think he has sadomasochism tendencies...
RH, Pentax is NOT making their cameras specific to YOUR needs, despite what you think.
An operation change between 2 generations of machines is nothing out of ordinary.
pete-s · 739 weeks ago
The suggestion by the way was for the green hand icon to be shown as red if SR is on but the user took the picture before SR had stabilised and therefore is not operational.