Pentax K1 Autofocus Samples - Can it focus? - Pentax 150 - 450 MM 

I'm a Pro Photographer (ie its my only source of income for 20+ years and I have several degrees) I originally shot with various Canon 1Ds over the years - the AF on my K1s is excellent. If you know how to use your camera correctly, apply the right settings and understand Hyperfocal distance its as good (apart from FPS) as any Canon or Nikon system. Yeah I get snubbed at events when other photographers see my Pentax K1s and then say "yeah but the AF is too slow and unusable" - give them my K1 with Sigma 70-200mm OS HSM and they're blown away with the performance - don't know why all Canon pros believe Pentax to be too slow, it simply isn't slow

My two pence worth: Finally, a proper review of how well the auto focus works on the Pentax K-1! I have read and seen so many reviews about Pentax inferior auto focus capability, so didn't expect to get many, if any, successful photos of swifts with the K-1 and 150-450 mm. Now swifts are fast, in fact they are the fastest birds in level flight, and they certainly don't fly in straight lines, swooping from side to side, constantly changing direction. They were so fast that often they had flown out of the frame before I had a chance to press the shutter, but when I had them in the frame, the camera and lens focused and I was able to take plenty of decent photographs, perfectly focused, revealing a far higher level of detail than can be detected by any other means. Beautiful birds these swifts are - I had no idea! It's really not that difficult to catch fast moving birds in focus, coming from any direction. Get the basic menu settings right, set shutter speed and iso to avoid motion blur, point at the target as much as is possible, and press the shutter. The camera and lens take care of the rest. Thanks for posting your video, it confirms my own findings and I hope will go some way to correcting the misinformation that is put about by reviewers who do not take the time to understand how to operate the K-1 and take the photographs it is capable of.

I just bought the K1 and the 15-30 last week and I've got zero regrets. Moving up from the Canon 6D.

The main issue with Pentax AF seems to be when a subject is moving straight towards the camera. However, even with my 7 year old K-5 I do not have many issues. I believe reviewers online may not be using the most appropriate settings, and since they are often using screw-drive kit lenses, they are turned off by the autofocus system. When you use a screwdrive lens it feels as if it is focusing slower because of the loud noise it makes. On top of this lenses can affect AF performance just as much as the camera body can. Often when people make this argument they only have kit lenses on their Nikon/Canon entry-level bodies so they really aren't using their cameras to their potential anyway. Also, in crop-mode on the K-1 you can use higher FPS.

I'm a Pentax shooter as well. I have found if you have a fast focusing lens, all you have to do is use continuous focus, hold shutter down, and rapidly press and depress back button focus while tracking bird and the focus system will work more conveniently (K-3 II). I agree with you, I like to shoot moving birds for the challenge, and I shoot faster birds in flight half the size of your palm. And yes, if you can predict movement, and technique = not a problem. Thanks for the review.

Nice video man. I appreciate this joint, finally someone with my experience with this line is reflected

With the later firmware releases of the 1.4X firmwares, things have greatly improved in almost every aspect of the camera operation. BTW: gimmie that 150-450 HD D FA lens!! So much want.

Since 2004 I'm using PENTAX and since my K5iis I didn't have any problem with auto focus system. And for now I'm using the excellent k1 with the excellent 40mm ltd, it's an awesome combination.

First. Hurrah! And I am a proud Pentaxian.

Thank you for the great recommendation. I took my new DFA150-450 yesterday for a short shoot out with my K1 and what a fantastic lens this is! Took lots of picts of pelicans over the Mississippi river (side note,I agree with you on the tracking) and every shot put a big smile on my face. Keep up the good work.

As a big Pentax fan, having owned the K5II, K3II, 645z, and K1 that are okay for slow shooting, I still rent Nikons for sports editorial work. Pentax is okay for C-af, I've even shot athletes running towards the camera with the 645z and it just managed to keep up; but I have to say the Nikons/Canons are even better. Coupled with the slow read speed, buffer speed, slow burst, slow usb2.0 tether, the K-1 is just less cut out for action related work. shooting birds against a blue sky is hardly a test because there is one thing to focus on. I've worked extensively with Pentax and Nikon cameras for documenting runners, cyclists, basketball games (using the same technique) and the Nikon (even the old D3s) is just faster with more usable shots. Beyond technique, the Canon/Nikons are just slightly faster, their 24-70, 70-200 reaches 0-infinity focus faster, and that little speed gain feels even more critical when shooting at F2.8-F4. Its okay to love Pentax, as I do, but thats why I want to point out their flaws so they can work on it. Having said that, i think the average user will find the AF to be competent enough for regular movement. I actually prefer having less focus points and the multi-directional buttons on the Pentax, it allows me to move the focus points around faster.

I just saw this video and I want to give you a big thank you. I've had my K1 for a few years now, and have heard (and read) the comments about slow AF. I'm not a professional and I ususally shoot landscapes and portraits. I tried shooting birds with limited success because of (I thought)the "slow" AF. HOWEVER, now that I took that deep dive into the menu and adjusted Hold AF Status, and made a few minor tweaks to my technique, I'm quite pleased with the results. I didn't even know about this setting until now. Again, thanks

Thank you for the thoughtful and informative video. I am a long-time, non-pro, Pentax user. First, I prefer the Pentax K-1 and K-3 image quality over Nikon. I went on a photo safari to Africa a few years ago with the K-3 and da* 300 f/4 and got wonderful images of wildlife, cheetahs, leopards, river crossings, etc. and unique colorful African birds. Large prints look excellent. Then I got the K-1 when it was first introduced and love the image quality even more. I agree that some high quality Pentax lenses are available. Now I want to shoot my grandson playing football. There is so much talk on the internet (e.g. by DPReview) criticizing Pentax auto-focus that I caved in and bought a Nikon D750. In my experience, for landscape photography, it is clearly inferior to Pentax K-1. I think the K-1 36 megapixel sensor is the sweet spot in full frame for image quality / dynamic range. I know from professional experience that the Sony 45 MP- BSI sensor is much more difficult and expensive to manufacture. Sony has done an impressive job squeezing out good image quality and advanced auto-focusing (and video) capabilities. Good for them, but it is not necessary for me. The biggest advantage Pentax has over Nikon DSLRs is the in-body-image stabilization including pixel shift (well done only by Pentax so far) and horizon correction. The K-1 has so many useful features that Nikon is only now catching up with (built-in GPS, control illumination, etc.). Pentax did such an amazingly good job designing their first full frame digital camera. It is unfortunate they have such a small market share and, therefore, limited resources. It would be so easy technically just to add a co-processor to speed up subject tracking. Pentax seems to be limited to the standard image processor manufactured by Socionext Milbeaut which does not seem to be developing new, more advanced models available to Pentax. Nikon must pay the non-recurring engineering to get proprietary custom models developed for their latest cameras. I wish Pentax would update the K-1 with a co-processor for faster auto-focus tracking and data storage and leave everything else the same. Doing so would extend their business life. Additional success is so near yet seems so elusive. The co-processor for high ISO noise reduction in the K-1 II was unnecessary.

I´m a Pentax user since they lunched the K7... after I switch to K5 - K5IIs and then the K3- K3 II, shooting wild live with a Sigma 50-500 and a Sigma 70-200 HSM (k7-k5-k5IIs) and with the K3-K3II I bring the beast DFA 150-450mm... always getting very good results with my Pentax gear. The improvement with the couple K3 II + DFA 150-450 in terms of IQ ad AF speed is very noticeable... I can't wait to put my hands on a K1... Thanks for the great work!

Very very helpful. Thanks a bunch!!!

Will done once again!

I think the Pentax KP is so good, there is basically no need to own a K1. I am blown away by how beautiful the pictures are when taken by the KP.

I watch your videos all the time and enjoy them. I wish however, that for this video you would show how to set up your camera to achieve these kind of shots. Keep up with the videos!

The owl shots were spot on.

Finally some perspective. Most of the negative reviews have been about Pentax's poor subject tracking, not tracking but subject tracking, the ability to follow a subject around the frame. That's amazing technology but something I've never had in any of my Canon cameras to date and don't know if I'd ever trust it anyway. I don't know why the preference is to identify what focusing modes a camera isn't good at and obsess about that rather than identify what modes do work and develop a technique around those.

Do a video on your technique! Great video as always!

Good video. Many of these youtubers are just commercials and far removed from being an actual experience photographer who knows how to command a situation.

Once you get to know the camera the auto focus is not a problem at all. It's certainly not the fastest burst rate out there, my other camera shoot at 15 fps mechanical which is of no use to me anyway. My keeper rate is no different than any other camera I had before and the accuracy is really good.

Hi! Congrats for your channel:) I have a technical question to ask you, if possible: I shoot constantly using back button focus and continuous af, all the time, also for stills and portraits; does Pentax k1 work well with that? Thanks:)

I fellow K-1 shooter here. I think the problem with the auto focus is mostly that the default settings in camera are not ideal, and if someone gets a K-1 for testing, the default settings don't work well, thus people think it can't work well. Once you play with the settings, things improve dramatically.

Are you shooting single point CAF? Or 9 point zone? What settings do you use? I shot some sports with K-1 and Tamron 70-200 with mostly success. I turned the hold focus setting off, someone suggests it increases processing speed hence af speed.

I owned the K-1 before switching to the D850. The AF is worse than whats being portrayed here especially for subjects moving towards the camera at higher speeds. It's still completely serviceable. I shot a triathalon and a few other sports events with the K-1 but my keeper rate was around 50% and that's being generous with marginally out of focus shots. I did notice the the K-1 is pretty good at left to right focusing and also is significantly better at nailing birds with a blue background than it is for other situations. The D850 is seriously light years ahead in terms of autofocus (as expected and I know he's not comparing the two in this video) and that's why I switched but i prefer the image quality of the K-1 and wish I had in body stabilization. I would NOT buy the K-1 if you're planning to shoot sporting events though I think you can do that in a pinch or as a hobby.

That zoom lens rules, imo! Does the MK2 keep up? Assuming a “yes.”

I’ve been using k3 and k1 with pro lenses for wildlife and getting great results…. Add to that experience and knowing your gear…..

Excellent video, music was annoying though. What Nikon camera is comparable to the Pentax K1?

I have a k5iis and k3. I know autofocus systems on these are not as advanced as what’s on the k1. However when using my Pentax cameras and comparing them with a Nikon d 7100 and it’s supposed bettor autofocus system I have that Pentax holds its own very well. Sometimes I found they more accurate than Nikon.

I have a k50, and it’s been a great camera. Sometimes, it struggles in low light, but only when I have the wrong lens for the situation. Lenses, settings, and knowledge/ability make a difference. DSLR cameras are not point and shoot cameras for a reason.

Do you recommend it for weddings? Dark Venue, walking down the aisle kind of use case

Your dog is cute af 😍

I shoot micro four thirds for the last 10 years sence I hurt my back How does the x-t3 compare in dynamic range and low light To the pentax I feel wide angle is Easier on a full frame camera Which wide angle lenses are best for k1 K1 or get the k1 mark ii

Hey, i dig your videos......and I’m trying to see if Pentax is in my future. But, your shot of the bird seems to be to be a lateral, pan, so focus distance didn’t change much. How does it do tracking subjects coming towards or going away from the camera?

Pentaxxx !!! Hardcore

Good video. What settings do you use for wildlife? Sorry if you said and I missed it.

I'm also a K-1 shooter. I'm interested to know what autofocus mode you used for your dog, and which lens.

I got the same response the autofocus is no good when posting a comment on another channel. Oh yeah also there are not enough lens and Pentax don't even make their own lens or something along those lines. It is dreadful how people just make assumptions.

wow, those owl shots

Hi, is it possible to make a tutorial video about how to adjust the AF on the K-1? I shoot mostly live music events and the focusing on the microphone instead of the singer is really disturbing! Thank you!

I think that was the last stone into my decision garden :-) I used to be a petaxian - as my first DSLR I bought K10D with a grip. It was pleasure to use it. I swapped it for canon 50D hoping for better low light performance - the improvment was not that big. Now my main workhorse is the oldie 1DsmkII - that's a fenomenal tank!!! At low ISO pictures are awesome with more analog feeling. I love this gear. Yet, it lacks desperately high ISO - frankly, ISO640 well lit is still fine but at ISO800 with poor lightning - picture start falling apart. It's an oldie and I'm preparing to change it. I was long thinking what should I take? After the tank-build experiance of the 1Ds camera taking 6D would or even 5DIII would be disappointing :D Long I was tempted to come back to Pentax and K-1 seems the way to go for me - I don' need huge burst rate - 1Ds mkII is simillar in this regard with tiny buffer, only 33AF points? Men, now I use just 7AF points selected mannually so I don't care much. Lenses - I use mostly Sigma 35/1.4 A and Canon 85/1.8 - with K-1 I'll replace 85/1.8 with the limited 77mm and I'll have Sigma to change bayonet from canon to pentax (about $240 for swapping the mount at sigma). I think I finally set my mind :D

I have had nothing but trouble with the AF system on my Pentax K1. I wonder though, how much of the issue is caused by the particular lens? I find my 28-80 focuses most of the time, but my 35-70 that it replaced always had missed focus points or an entirely blurry image, or I would miss the shot completely because it was hunting focus. I haven't had the 28-80 long enough to say yes that definitely the problem but it may be part of the issue.

Cool video. I use both my K-3 and K-1 to shoot sports all the time, from lacrosse to football to basketball. Just need a little patience to find the right technique. A lot of reviewer as you say are used to shooting Nikon or Canon, and if another system doesn't act like those two, they automatically think something is wrong.

Hi 李先生，could you tell me which lens you did use for thoses beautiful birds shots?

@4:14 appears to be it didn't pick up your dog's legs, looks like he has no legs at all, just a pudgeball floating over the grass. J/k, very cute. Thanks for posting, considering this camera as an upgrade from a Canon 6D. 📸

Thanks for video - please share your af settings for the dog towards you shots. I was trying to do the same with my dog at the beach - dFA 70-200 CAF centre point, back button focus - couldnt nail it, time after time - in the end I had to prefocus to set point - was going to fine tune af adjust lens so it forward focuses to the max as my focus point ended up being halfway down dog each shot. Thanks, Merry Christmas - Happy New Year!

Not bad. Sony A9 and Sony A7III would be the way to go nowadays. Weddings, portraits, sports and panoramic shots all covered.

Excellent videos like this make me wonder how many other fine products are squashed by OTHER reviewers who are ultra critical (anal) pixel peeping head cases who demonstrate with methods that show a low level of relativity to real work use . This reviewer clearly applied real-world skills, the type of skills that a genuine professional photographer use when he used the camera.....KUDOS ! .....THANKS for a balanced and realistic review ! (I am a real world working photographer with over 25 years of professional experience)

What focus options are you using?

Technique

For real photographers who makes a living selling their created images, will usually never quibble over AF points or burst rates etc... As they are more into composing the scene rather then spray and pray. As for the newer generation of "Faux to graphers" AKA "Gear to graphers" the kind of folks who does not have a body of work to show neither can they make a penny selling their art. I suppose to compensate for their lack of achievements or skill set as a photographer. These are the type of people making all the fuss and noise about camera features. Fanboys who gets suckered into the marketing hype camera manufacturers throw at them.

啥时候配上中文字幕啊！！！？？？

By the way, if you are on Facebook, join us over at Pentax Photojournalists/Professional Pentaxians...

who has forgotten to switch off the kitchen radio?

Lets see it with a 1.4 lens.

I love Pentax for few reasons; 1-awesome WR 2-limited lenses 3-good ergonomics I still have two Pentax bodies (analogue and digital), but lets be honest and objective. Pentax' AF system is on the bottom among all camera brands (even worse than mirrorless Oly-Pana). Pentax K1's AF system is far behind what Canikon offer. In terms of AF, K1 is worse than 10 years old Nikon D700. Does this mean, you can't nail the focus on a fast moving subjects? of course you can, but you will miss more. And more importantly, Pentax also have some focus issues on STILL subjects. Because, Pentax is using HUGE AF points (they are cheating to track better). Try yourself to focus on eye using a 77mm 1.8 limited lens or 85mm 1.4 A* Come on worse than 10 years old or even 13 years old D200! If you really love and want Pentax to improve itself, talk the truths. Try to track your dog at 200mm f2.8, not at 150mm f5.6!

I take photos with a K 5, K3 and a K 1, but this camera is definitely not bought. I prefer to wait for a K1 MK3 when it comes one day. That is not the way of current marketing. The Pentax management misjudges the development of the market. This APC tool with a development status from 2015 will fail with normal buyers and only inspire pentax hardcore users. The price is sure to fall very quickly.

Dude

I have a Pentax K5 2s and a K3. Both are good cameras but auto focus sux big time. I don't use these cams any more because of that. Too unreliable and hesitant focussing creates irritation and guess work. Even manual focussing with that confirmation beep hardly ever works accurately. I have 5 ltd. prime lenses from Pentax but focussing is problematic on all lenses. I get good shots but too many bad ones. I also shoot with Nikon, Samsung NX 500 and Leica CL and they are much better when it comes to AF. There are better AF systems around. Much better. I have never shot the K1 though.

That's why many told me to master MF and then AF will be walking a park. Work on your skill and don't relay to much on the camera. Maybe i'm wrong,but i was told that many times.

Too much hand in one video

Please turn that f*cking horrible music off.

Isn't this a bad test? Yeah. Pentax AF.C might be okay when you are tracking clear subjects like birds. Other brands do it better. For me the issues with AF always come up when I have a detailed background and the subject standing close to it. AF.S. These things only show up when you are putting your camera through all kinds of different scenarios. A wedding would be a good test... or a party.(if you don't want to ruin someones special day) Also, the AF precision is awful. Constant erratic jumping in and out. But hey... I'm using a dirt cheap K50 so I'm not expecting much. I'm already used to the fact my camera will miss focus on 80% of the shots with calibrated lenses. I also clean my AF sensor and the secondary mirror. Nothing helps. The AF just sucks on my camera. --- I can't really find any good reviews on Pentax AF performance. No one seems to use the K1 for anything but landscapes. I want a general "do it all" camera. Sony/Nikon are the clear winners, but damn... the jump will be an expensive one. I'm hoping the K3-III will be good, but there's no way they'll bring their AF up to D500/A7-III level. *I think Canon is getting overrun unless they start moving soon. 5D IV really isn't worth the money anymore. 6D II was a disaster. But taking down an empire takes time :D