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Sunday, June 28, 2015

New K-3II Review (and its focusing performance)

@ The PB: http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/pentax_k3_ii_review/

Whilst PB has been positive about the AF performance of the K-3II, our respectful PF, on the other hand, has found something opposite, see:

http://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/hd-pentax-d-fa-150-450mm-prelim/focusing.html

Quoted, "Although on paper, the Pentax K-3 II promises to bring undisclosed improvements to AF-C performance, we did not observe any evidence of faster focusing, lower latency, or quicker target re-acquisition with the K-3 II."

So, whom should we believe after all? ;-p
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Aspa's avatar

Aspa · 510 weeks ago

AF system performance is always dependent on the camera AND the lens combination used. Two people with the same camera body but different lenses will find out that AF performance may be different. Wth 150-450mm zoom K-3II may work as K-3, but with 200mm f/2.8 it may be faster or more accurate. Or not.
We have wait until reliable testers with standarized testing procedures will check K-3II against they own previous tests of first generation of the model.
2 replies · active 510 weeks ago
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ToetSFX's avatar

ToetSFX · 510 weeks ago

I have no AF-problems when using my K5IIS both with 200 2.8 and 150-450. Last year I tried K3, I did not feel the AF was better (BIF shooting). I decided not to buy the K3, maybe the K3II is (much) better now? Honestly I don't believe it but I am not sure and have not tried yet.
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Aspa's avatar

Aspa · 510 weeks ago

Well, I am a digital Pentax user since K-10D. With every new body they 'improved the AF system' but difference between generation were not such big - I was disappointed so often. But I still have my K-20D and check t recently. And guess what - between it and K-5II or K-3 is a huge gap on AF performance. So, they did good progress but with so small steps between models...
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Mauro's avatar

Mauro · 510 weeks ago

I found a noticeable improvment on latency and re-acquisition with the DA*300
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zosX's avatar

zosX · 510 weeks ago

They needed to work on z-axis tracking more. Whether that is possible with current hardware is unknown. I would wait for further reports. The K-3 already has pretty accurate focusing in a lot of situations if you know how to use it right.
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joergens.mi's avatar

joergens.mi · 510 weeks ago

Quoted, "Although on paper, the Pentax K-3 II promises to bring undisclosed improvements to AF-C performance, we did not observe any evidence of faster focusing, lower latency, or quicker target re-acquisition with the K-3 II."

As far as I know there are setting how hard the camera will glue the af-c to the object, maybe that the got the wrong settings. There have serveral threads in the foren how to configure the AF-C system optimal.

See english handbook page 43 HOLD AF STatus, Menu C3, Off (default), low, medium, high

I assume the tester didn't read the manual!
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Mick's avatar

Mick · 509 weeks ago

Come on joergens or other fanboys, that's bullsh*t. I'm sure that there's no setting to tell the camera to mis-focus, esp. by means not triggering fine-adjustments frequently enough for moving subjects.

This is just the general, common unability of the Pentax AF-C, which obviously hasn't been fixed since the last decade on any model due to a lack of skills. This review is now yet another proof of evidence.

Since that last decade, Pentax promised with every model, the AF would be good now, and it always turned out to be yet another lie in a long row.

Therefore, I place my bets that the entry-level AF will kill the full frame as well. The full-frame market is just too mature and saturarated, to appreciate any new camera with a sub-standard AF.

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