I suspect that the problem that we all face is that the user interface was designed for someone else.
On Oct 3, 2011, at 10:27 AM, Dario Bonazza wrote: >>> >> >> There were some things I liked better about the K20 UI. > > I like the Fn thing better than the OK variation pentax has implmented on > later bodies. That's not a matter of using either button, but the slightly > different logic and the different ergonomics affecting the whole operation. > With the K20D, I keep changing the AF point all the time according to my > needs, with the eye in the viewfinder. That's rather difficult with the > K-7/K-5 interface, enough to limit my use of that function. I'm going to > explain better below. Yeah, I understand. That setup works OK on the K-x where you don't adjust the autofocus points. Also, on the K20 and K100 the autofocus was usually pretty much useless for me, so I had a katzeye and just manually focused. With the K-5 I've gotten a bit more used to holding OK to switch in and out of autofocus point select, the I'm much more likely to just leave it on the center point, focus, hold, recompose, then wait for the moment. I just don't trust shutter lag when I'm shooting action, especially in low-light. Somehow I think you can empathize. > >> I find that metering and focus on the K-x is better. Unfortunately with the >> K-x you don't know what it focuses on. > > About metering, I cannot comment on the K-x because I didn't use it enough. I > had the feeling they are the same, but you must be right because you have > more mileage on it. > About AF, the lack of communication is the reason because I don't find the > whole K-x system better than the K20D setup. A friend of mine using the K-x > kept complaining the pictures were focused randomly (often on the background). Yeah, I just don't trust autofocus to get what I want. > >> I think that the body that felt the best in my hands was the K100, which I >> believe is very similar to the IST bodies. I *like* small camera bodies, I >> can always make it bigger with a battery grip if I want. > > I liked small camera bodies when they had fewer controls (e.g., I love the MX > and the ME Super). With DSLR's, I cannot use well cameras which are too > cluttered and without enough tactile differentiation on controls. IMO, the > weak point of the K-7/K-5 interface is not just the smaller body in itself, > but the combination of the following features: > 1 - Smaller body, with too many buttons so close each other, including the > damn LV button (much better apart on the K10D/K20D); I often wish I could reprogram the LV button. Even being able to swap the LV and the display buttons would help. Also, it's frustrating that the fx/raw button is set up in such away that it is useless. It would be so simple for it to be a toggle, press it once it goes into the special mode, press it again it goes back to what it was before. But no, if you press it, it goes into some mode that is occasionally useful, but to put it back in my default mode, I have to take my eye from the display, go through the menu and press half a dozen buttons. It boils down to the UI was designed for someone else and their default modes all suck. > 2 - All buttons feel the same under your thumb (better differentiation > between regular buttons and 'ring' for operating the arrow keys on the > K10D/K20D); It still takes my thumb a little bit to relearn button position. > 3 - The button for 2nd function is the OK button (again, almost 'lost' within > other keys) on the K-7/K-5, while it is Fn on the K10D/K20D (separate from > arrow keys and well recognizable by thumb). > > To prevent misoperation, above design features 'suggest' you (me) to look at > the back of the camera prior to do something (such as changing AF point) and > then most of the concentration and the magic of shooting at eye level is lost. It's a bit tougher to learn, but I've mostly overcome those challenges, most of the time. But yeah. > > Dario > > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- Larry Colen [email protected] sent from i4est -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
