Pentax K1 auto-focus question

<p>Hi,<br>

I am in the market to buy a new camera and I an interested in the K1. However I keep reading online and seeing on You Tube reports that the auto-focus is terrible. I am not a sports shooter, however I do want to take pictures of my fast moving children at times. My other interests in photography are landscape and general walking around photos/street photos/architecture. <br>

My question is whether the K1 would be able to do the job. From reports it seems the image quality is amazing which is my top priority, especially since I would like to make large print.<br>

However, DP Review said that even single shot auto focus was not good and missed a fair amount. (I think I read this correctly). Has that been people's experience with this camera? Unfortunately I am living in a place where I cannot try out the camera myself before buying it. (This makes it very hard to make an informed choice!)<br>

Any advice would be appreciated.<br>

Jonathan</p>

<p>Well, in general, the best AF out there is on Canon and Sony bodies. Why? When Canon and Minolta (future Sony) went autofocus they scrapped their prior systems and developed a brand new lens mount. Nikon and Pentax kept their old mount going strong into the AF age. That garnered them a huge, loyal fan base, but it kept their performance down. Along the way, both Nikon and Pentax have "improved" their lenses by slight modifications to the mount, which lead to their newer lenses lacking capability on older bodies. Canon and Sony have had less of that, but have innovated with new lens mounts too where they felt it was time.</p>

<p>The Pentax K-1 is a good camera and they are working on firmware updates constantly. Not sure if DPReview has retested with their latest stuff. In any case the camera is a good bargain. You will certainly get better AF performance with another brand, but you won't get as much bang for the buck.</p>

<p>Note: I do not own a K-1, so my advice is theoretical at best. Trying it out is the best way to get a feel for whether or not the AF suits you - buy from someplace with a great return policy like Amazon.</p>

<p>I also do not have a K-1, but using my other, older Pentax DSLR APS-C bodies, I have been successful shooting fast-action hockey. I have long used the quick half-press/focus/full-press shoot method to selectively "nail" the shot I want rather than spray and pray burst shooting, which I do only on rare occasion. Overusing the latter also means a lot of shot frames to look through afterwards. The lens used also has much to do with AF speed and accuracy. You might consider having a smaller camera body as well as the K-1 which is more suited for landscapes, portraits, etc. It would also carry better for street shooting. The new Pentax 55-300mm PLM lens is reputed to be a much faster technology, but not designed for the full-frame K-1. The new K-70 is enabled for this technology, and its low-light higher ISO low noise performance is nearly as good as the K-1. I have seen others post good photos here of their active kids.</p>

<p>But to get the best possible AF for fast-acton professional sports shooting, Canon, Sony, and Nikon will better serve that niche. Their video clip quality is also better, if that is an interest.</p>

<p>Like Michael I have older crop bodies *ist D, K100 D, K 20 D. The odds of nailing an approaching jogger are higher with them than with my all manual rangefinders. I do dare to shoot kids kicking a can and am glad to get 20% bearable keepers. But even less spectacular Nikons like a D90 or 5000 something feel <em>much</em> faster focusing. - When I am doing indoor portraits or concert photography the Pentax might <em>be</em> in fact faster than my manual struggles but<em> feels</em> more annoying than doing those.<br>

If you have a thick skin and lots of time to spend shooting <em>your</em> kids* you might be able to do that to a somehow enjoyable extend. - I mean if you watch every soccer match they are playing through your viewfinder you should get a few pictures to show off together at the end of the year. (*= I would never promise to nail another kid with Pentax, except maybe with a K70 D and 55-300mm lens.)<br>

Street photography: There are various styles and some can be done with manual cameras. Those are open for Pentax AF too.<br>

My current bottom line is: I have a with a stretch good enough "good" camera for static subjects but nothing really well suited for action and should probably close that gap first. In general it might be the better idea to end with 2 cameras.<br>

What have you got right now? Could it do the action part for you? - Please post what you'll end getting. - I noticed you pondering OM-D E-M1 II and D500 too.<br>

@Patrick: Minolta introduced sluggish screwdriver AF in the 80s with their new mount. Maybe my memory of doing 3 rolls or less with a loaner is fading but Pentax heritage digital seems on par with that, if not even a tad better.<br>

Does it matter to a new Nikon user who can get quite a lot of cheap contemporary 3rd party glass for their screwdriverless budged body that a few heritage AF primes won't work?<br>

I think 3rd parties no longer offering much in k-mount hurts worse, especially if you got a K1 or such.</p>

<p>sordid like Pentax can be not your idea to explore " market" - produce no even level to compare to third party manufacturing in optical and electronics , long story short get nikon to walk like man</p>

 

<p>If fast action sports is a main interest, Pentax does not offer the best AF tracking compared to Nikon, Canon, or Sony. Or if interested in acquiring a great variety of specialized lenses from numerous manufacturers, as some professional photographers and enthusiasts are, Nikon or Canon have the greatest selection of lenses available. It is also true, however, that some professional photographers do use Pentax equipment, with which their specific needs are met. The lineup of available lenses for Pentax is more than adequate for most purposes, which includes some of professional design, and includes many that are very unique as well, and having the highest-quality optics and build. You do not get a weather-sealed setup at anywhere near the price Pentax has available. You do not likewise get a full-frame model of such high quality at the price-point of the K-1 either.</p>

<p>Take medium-format photography, for instance. Pentax has a long history in this field, for the most part used by professionals, semi pros, and advanced enthusiasts. Medium-format is not suited for supplying a need for fast AF performance, regardless of the brand. The lenses are larger, heavier, and do not lend themselves well to fast AF performance. Likewise not best suited for street photography, due to the carrying bulk. Nikon and Canon do not even make medium-format designs. This very expensive field is best suited for other photographic interests such as landscape and portraiture. There are many professionals using medium-format only, who would never consider Nikon, Canon, or any other smaller format brand for their needs. But that is because their needs are very specific.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>As a Pentax user (K-5II, K-3 and now K-1) I can tell you that most of the people continuing the rumour of the Pentax auto-focus problems have not hold the latest Pentax cameras in their hands or taken any shots with them. Every camera brand has their own strong and not so strong points. If you are interested having unbiased user opinnions of the Pentax gears, there is a good user driven forum of the Pentaxians. www.pentaxforums.com The forum athmosphere is friendly for the non Pentaxians too. <br>

However, talking about the serious action or sports shooting, I would not choose K-1. But I use it in shooting my fast moving dogs without any problems. Auto focusing is a lens related question too.<br>

Shooting action with K-1 you can swich the camera on crop-mode. It gives you a better framerate and the focusing holding on working more accurate in fast moving objects.<br>

I uploaded some examples of my low light shooting situations in my account gallery. Because I am on mobile at the moment I am not able to give better example or exif info. But in case of interest, I will.</p>

<p>I am not comparing the Pentax K1 with Nikon d5, or Canon 1D in auto focusing. But in my experience, with any camera, the AF accuracy depends a lot on the quality and condition of the lenses themselves. </p>

<p>I used a K-1 for a while the other day.<br>

AF seemed fast and sure... and better than my K5ii-s which is saying something.<br>

The day before I had been getting a high strike rate with the AF on the K5ii-s at motorcycle races.<br>

It is technique and lens as John Tran said.<br>

But if action is your AF need then those other makes mentioned above might please.<br>

Overall, the K-1 was fantastic. My lenses took on a superb new image quality.<br>

The body surprised me being 'just right' in size, compact and very solid.<br>

Things like control from smart phone is nice...stick the thing by the kids feeding table and blast away from the next room :)<br>

have fun<br>

Pete</p>

 

<p>I own a K1 along with a number of Pentax K and 645 mount (with adapter) lens, including the Pentax 28-105mm lens. Trust me, the K1 with the 28-105 AF will keep up with your kids as long as you have some skills with tracking fast moving objects. The myth of Pentax AF continues to be perpetuated.</p>