Empathy List Archives

LC

Larry Colen

Mon, Feb 3, 2025 4:55 AM

I was asked to photograph at a Milonga (tango social dance) last night and discovered the Achilles heel of the K3-III autofocus. Dim, reddish (warm, aka low color temperature) light. It wouldn't lock focus for anything.

I had also tried setting the AF button to back button AF, rather than AF lock, and that totally screwed me. There were times when focus was likely good enough, but it refused to take the photo no matter what I did. At least with AF lock, I can say "screw it, it may be blurry, but there's a chance it will turn out". Lesson learned on that point.

I'm in the middle of going through the photos right now and I realized that this whole sequence of photos that just looked amazing were ones I took with the 77. Damn, but that's some amazing pixie dust that they used on that lens.

__
Larry Colen from Lothlorien
lrc@red4est.com

I was asked to photograph at a Milonga (tango social dance) last night and discovered the Achilles heel of the K3-III autofocus. Dim, reddish (warm, aka low color temperature) light. It wouldn't lock focus for anything. I had also tried setting the AF button to back button AF, rather than AF lock, and that totally screwed me. There were times when focus was likely good enough, but it refused to take the photo no matter what I did. At least with AF lock, I can say "screw it, it may be blurry, but there's a chance it will turn out". Lesson learned on that point. I'm in the middle of going through the photos right now and I realized that this whole sequence of photos that just looked amazing were ones I took with the 77. Damn, but that's some amazing pixie dust that they used on that lens. __ Larry Colen from Lothlorien lrc@red4est.com

RR

Ralf R Radermacher

Mon, Feb 3, 2025 10:01 PM

Am 03.02.25 um 05:55 schrieb Larry Colen:

I was asked to photograph at a Milonga (tango social dance) last night and discovered the Achilles heel of the K3-III autofocus. Dim, reddish (warm, aka low color temperature) light. It wouldn't lock focus for anything.

Wasn't this a widely discussed problem with the K-5?

Ralf

--
Ralf R. Radermacher - Köln/Cologne, Germany
Blog : http://the-real-fotoralf.blogspot.com
Audio : http://aporee.org/maps/projects/fotoralf
Fotos : https://www.fotocommunity.de/user_photos/770012

Am 03.02.25 um 05:55 schrieb Larry Colen: > I was asked to photograph at a Milonga (tango social dance) last night and discovered the Achilles heel of the K3-III autofocus. Dim, reddish (warm, aka low color temperature) light. It wouldn't lock focus for anything. Wasn't this a widely discussed problem with the K-5? Ralf -- Ralf R. Radermacher - Köln/Cologne, Germany Blog : http://the-real-fotoralf.blogspot.com Audio : http://aporee.org/maps/projects/fotoralf Fotos : https://www.fotocommunity.de/user_photos/770012

L

lrc@red4est.com

Mon, Feb 3, 2025 10:27 PM

On February 3, 2025 2:01:31 PM PST, Ralf R Radermacher pdml@uebra.de wrote:

Am 03.02.25 um 05:55 schrieb Larry Colen:

I was asked to photograph at a Milonga (tango social dance) last night and discovered the Achilles heel of the K3-III autofocus. Dim, reddish (warm, aka low color temperature) light. It wouldn't lock focus for anything.

Wasn't this a widely discussed problem with the K-5?

Yeah, but back then we expected the AF to suck. Since I had the button set to af lock, I never had this much trouble

Ralf

--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

On February 3, 2025 2:01:31 PM PST, Ralf R Radermacher <pdml@uebra.de> wrote: >Am 03.02.25 um 05:55 schrieb Larry Colen: >> I was asked to photograph at a Milonga (tango social dance) last night and discovered the Achilles heel of the K3-III autofocus. Dim, reddish (warm, aka low color temperature) light. It wouldn't lock focus for anything. > >Wasn't this a widely discussed problem with the K-5? Yeah, but back then we expected the AF to suck. Since I had the button set to af lock, I never had this much trouble > >Ralf > -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

B

Bill

Mon, Feb 3, 2025 10:52 PM

With the K5 it was an overly colour sensitive AF sensor that was only
accurate in one type of light and neutral coloured subjects. The AF on
my K5 was bad enough that I pretty much stopped using AF lenses in the
studio since I couldn't depend on the AF to be accurate. It would lock,
but it would lock somewhere in space either in front of or behind the
subject.

I suspect in Larry's case, it was just too dim to AF.

bill

On 2/3/2025 4:01 PM, Ralf R Radermacher wrote:

Am 03.02.25 um 05:55 schrieb Larry Colen:

I was asked to photograph at a Milonga (tango social dance) last
night and discovered the Achilles heel of the K3-III autofocus. Dim,
reddish (warm, aka low color temperature) light. It wouldn't lock
focus for anything.

Wasn't this a widely discussed problem with the K-5?

Ralf

With the K5 it was an overly colour sensitive AF sensor that was only accurate in one type of light and neutral coloured subjects. The AF on my K5 was bad enough that I pretty much stopped using AF lenses in the studio since I couldn't depend on the AF to be accurate. It would lock, but it would lock somewhere in space either in front of or behind the subject. I suspect in Larry's case, it was just too dim to AF. bill On 2/3/2025 4:01 PM, Ralf R Radermacher wrote: > Am 03.02.25 um 05:55 schrieb Larry Colen: >> I was asked to photograph at a Milonga (tango social dance) last >> night and discovered the Achilles heel of the K3-III autofocus. Dim, >> reddish (warm, aka low color temperature) light. It wouldn't lock >> focus for anything. > > Wasn't this a widely discussed problem with the K-5? > > Ralf >

pdml@pdml.net

K3-III autofocus achilles heel