Severely underwhelming K-3ii

I dont have the DA 16-85 nor the new PLM 55-300, I shoot with K3 and mostly DA 18-135, DA 55-300 (the screwdriven AF which is said to be so-so in AF), DA 17-70 and primes 15-21-35-40-50-70.

I have a tripod but I almost always shoot handheld. IMO that is what DSLR are designed for, whereas when using a tripod, the TTL OVF is almost useless, and the liveview implementation lags behind mirrorless ILC.

And I dont understand your sharpness issue.

K3 AF-S is very good and straightforward, but I admit there sure has been a learning curve with K3 AF-C.

IMO, AF-SEL9 or SEL25/SEL27 are very poor at tracking a moving target when the scene is busy. I tried them when I first got my K3 and I came to the conclusion it was not the easiest way to get the best action shots.

AF-C is quite good and reactive in the Z axis.

What works in almost every situation is back-button single point AF-C: first select via the 4-ways controller any of the 25 cross points so that it suits your framing, and then pann the camera to track the target.

A few samples from my DPR gallery, first with DA 18-135 fully open, at close distance and thus rather fast moving scenes (I set the camera to T-Av, so that it holds the maximum aperture for subject separation, and a high shutter speed, AE being adjusted via auto-ISO:

A few more with DA 55-300, an entry level lens with old fashioned screwdriven AF, from my african safari last september, all handheld of course:

DA 55-300, the elephants were about 1/4 mile away

DA 55-300, the birds were very close

DA 55-300, this little bird was rather far away

DA 55-300, the lions were rather close

More on my flickr gallery below.

Now, a sample of what my son Nicolas gets, using the same technique but mostly with large aperture limited lenses (he is more skilled than i am):

First in bright daylight at the same Carnaval parade in Menton, French riviera:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolasbousquet/33197023016/in/datetaken/

Other samples at night at the Carnaval parade in Nice, French riviera:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolasbousquet/32181408563/in/datetaken/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolasbousquet/32152747994/in/album-72157678690814991/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolasbousquet/32997120685/in/album-72157678690814991/

And two landscapes for sharpness evaluation:

first with DA35 macro limited at the Mont Saint Michel:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolasbousquet/18747996871/in/album-72157654464836441/

and this one with UWA DA15 limited:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolasbousquet/21818208573/in/album-72157659862067660/