--- Iren & Henry Chu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Pål wrote: > > >>Are we expecting a ground breaking price for the > coming D-SLR too? > > > >I am, at least, expecting a groundbreaking camera. > Everything known to me > >indicate a true generation shift in Pentax SLR's > with the new DSLR. It may > >be very different from the current Pentax SLR in > most respects. > > I have learnt that the coming Pentax D-SLR will > feature a new focusing > system with IR distance measurement to assist in low > light performance and > accuracy. Ground-breaking from MZ series point of > view....
The reason why the MZ series don't use IR is because, all Pentax SLR cameras use a SAFOX autofocus system that is based on a passive "phase matching" sensor. Therefore, the system is of passive nature, but don't work too well in low light. For low-light AF assist, the camera either projects a beam of light, which consists of a projected AF target chart on the IQ Zoom 140, 160 and SF 1 or a series of high speed flashes from the RTF of the MZ-7 and MZ-6. There is no need for any IR distance measurement at all for low light assist on the newer MZ-6 and MZ-7s. The IR distance measurement technology is not new. It's actually a very very old technology used in the PC 35AFM and consequently the IQ Zoom, IQ Zoom 70 and 90. This technology basically projects an IR beam, while the receiver unit measures the return beam to determine the subject's distance. In fact, you can see this IR beam just by looking straight into the AF window of an old Pentax IQZoom, IQZoom 70 or 90 while depressing the release button half way. This technology, however, is not entirely without its flaws. One is, you can't shoot through a window, since any reflective object will reflect the beam, fooling the camera to focus on the window rather than what's outside the window. Opaque objects like a human hair can sometimes not reflect the beam well at all. That's why, I would be interested to see if they marry the two technologies (passive and active) together in a digital! If that's the case, that would be truly a ground breaking technology with no AF light assist needed and AF, which works well in any situations. Rick.. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com
