K20D - Night Shooting issue

thomps6s · 01-09-2009, 01:44 PM

Hi,
I have been having issues when shooting with my K20D in the cold. Sometimes I get a purple Band across the top third of the image and the rest of the image is terribly noisy. Doesn't seem to matter if the exposure is 20 seconds or 20 minutes.
Doesn't matter what ISO files are. I have only noticed it in the cold, but I never had an issue with my K10D like this.
Any ideas?
I will post a sample image later today.

Last edited by thomps6s; 01-10-2009 at 11:27 AM.

thomps6s · 01-10-2009, 11:18 AM

This is happening in the daytime too. It happens sporadically.
Weird, Inconsistent Noise and Banding.

thomps6s · 01-10-2009, 11:19 AM

At least it happened on crappy images.

rverhag · 01-10-2009, 02:08 PM

Last monday, i sent my K20D back for repair under warranty.

(The green picture is the same from the thread https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/43634-k20d-vertica...tml#post439175)

vievetrick · 01-10-2009, 02:18 PM

That looks like an issue with the card not the camera. I could be wrong but try a different on.

rverhag · 01-10-2009, 02:26 PM

Originally posted by vievetrick

That looks like an issue with the card not the camera. I could be wrong but try a different on.

Tried SD 512 MB, SDHC 4GB, SDHC 8GB Extreme III. All the same (at least on mine K20D. I cannot speak for thomps6s ofcourse)

vievetrick · 01-10-2009, 02:30 PM

Bummer that is not a good sign. Maybe time to send it in for repair.

thomps6s · 01-11-2009, 10:34 PM

Well, I took the suspect card out of rotation. Hopefully that is the issue.
Thanks for the replies!
I will keep you posted.

stewart_photo · 01-12-2009, 04:47 AM

Originally posted by thomps6s

I have been having issues when shooting with my K20D in the cold. (snip)

You didn't say exactly how cold, so just consider this general advice...

K20D owners manual, page 4: The temperature range for camera use is 0° C to 40° C (32° F to 104° F). Probably the same with K10D and other Pentax cameras.

If you want to use the camera in even cooler temperatures, place the camera under your jacket (next to your warm body) until needed, with it returned to the jacket immediately afterwards. Another option is a battery-operated thermo sock or bag wrapped around the camera body to keep it warm (been there, done that, works pretty good).

However, I now just leave whichever camera I'm using in the camera bag, with a chemical-based pocket warmer (HotHands-2 Hand Warmers - about $1 each, good for 6-8 hours) draped over it, with the flap unzipped (but snapped) to allow moisture to equalize, until I'm ready to take a picture. Of course, I also use hand warmers in a jacket pocket to keep my own hands warm as well.

stewart

Vylen · 01-12-2009, 04:57 AM

Originally posted by stewart_photo

You didn't say exactly how cold, so just consider this general advice...

K20D owners manual, page 4: The temperature range for camera use is 0° C to 40° C (32° F to 104° F). Probably the same with K10D and other Pentax cameras.

If you want to use the camera in even cooler temperatures, place the camera under your jacket (next to your warm body) until needed, with it returned to the jacket immediately afterwards. Another option is a battery-operated thermo sock or bag wrapped around the camera body to keep it warm (been there, done that, works pretty good).

However, I now just leave whichever camera I'm using in the camera bag, with a chemical-based pocket warmer (HotHands-2 Hand Warmers - about $1 each, good for 6-8 hours) draped over it, with the flap unzipped (but snapped) to allow moisture to equalize, until I'm ready to take a picture. Of course, I also use hand warmers in a jacket pocket to keep my own hands warm as well.

stewart

finally someone other than myself points that out...

there's a reason why there's a temperature range... heh

**Douglas_of_Sweden** · 01-12-2009, 05:16 AM

Originally posted by stewart_photo

K20D owners manual, page 4: The temperature range for camera use is 0° C to 40° C (32° F to 104° F). Probably the same with K10D and other Pentax cameras.

I never read that part of the manual, so I've shot as far down as -18C with the K20D without problems. Here are some reasent shots at about -10C: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/post-your-photos/45982-fifty-minus-10-below-freezing.html

I did get some strange bands in the transfer from the camera to the laptop on one occasion, but that turned out to be the card reader that was so old that it could not handle cards bigger than 1GB or 2GB or something like that. Since I changed card reader I have had no troubles.

thomps6s · 01-12-2009, 07:24 AM

Originally posted by Vylen

finally someone other than myself points that out...

there's a reason why there's a temperature range... heh

I am sure almost every camera manual says that.
Being from Northern, MN I know several people that shoot in -0 conditions without issue. I shot in frigid conditions for hours on many occasions with my k10D without issue.
Of course it could be the cold, but I am hoping it is just a faulty card as I rely on my camera to shoot in cold conditions.

kenyee · 01-12-2009, 08:36 AM

For another data point, I did 20F testing this weekend for about an hour w/o problems on my new K20D. There was quite a bit of condensation on the outside after I got back in, but no issues.

thomps6s · 01-12-2009, 08:51 AM

Originally posted by kenyee

For another data point, I did 20F testing this weekend for about an hour w/o problems on my new K20D. There was quite a bit of condensation on the outside after I got back in, but no issues.

Make sure you keep it in a plastic bag until it comes back up to room temperature.

MJ² · 01-12-2009, 08:59 AM

This day was 3°F (-16°C) with the *istDL. Camera was in my hand the whole time out in the "elements" with no issues except the expected quick battery life. I have yet to take the K20D out in sub-freezing yet.

01-09-2009, 01:44 PM	#1
thomps6s Guest	K20D - Night Shooting issue Hi, I have been having issues when shooting with my K20D in the cold. Sometimes I get a purple Band across the top third of the image and the rest of the image is terribly noisy. Doesn't seem to matter if the exposure is 20 seconds or 20 minutes. Doesn't matter what ISO files are. I have only noticed it in the cold, but I never had an issue with my K10D like this. Any ideas? I will post a sample image later today. Last edited by thomps6s; 01-10-2009 at 11:27 AM.

01-10-2009, 02:26 PM	#6
rverhag New Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 7	Originally posted by vievetrick That looks like an issue with the card not the camera. I could be wrong but try a different on. Tried SD 512 MB, SDHC 4GB, SDHC 8GB Extreme III. All the same (at least on mine K20D. I cannot speak for thomps6s ofcourse) Last edited by rverhag; 01-10-2009 at 02:38 PM.

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01-10-2009, 11:18 AM	#2
thomps6s Guest	This is happening in the daytime too. It happens sporadically. Weird, Inconsistent Noise and Banding.

01-10-2009, 11:19 AM	#3
thomps6s Guest	At least it happened on crappy images.

01-10-2009, 02:08 PM	#4
rverhag New Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 7	Last monday, i sent my K20D back for repair under warranty. (The green picture is the same from the thread https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/43634-k20d-vertica...tml#post439175)

01-10-2009, 02:18 PM	#5
vievetrick Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Easthampton - Massachusetts - USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,183	That looks like an issue with the card not the camera. I could be wrong but try a different on.

01-10-2009, 02:30 PM	#7
vievetrick Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Easthampton - Massachusetts - USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,183	Bummer that is not a good sign. Maybe time to send it in for repair.

01-11-2009, 10:34 PM	#8
thomps6s Guest	Well, I took the suspect card out of rotation. Hopefully that is the issue. Thanks for the replies! I will keep you posted.

01-12-2009, 04:47 AM	#9
stewart_photo Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Heidelberg, Germany Posts: 1,864	Originally posted by thomps6s I have been having issues when shooting with my K20D in the cold. (snip) You didn't say exactly how cold, so just consider this general advice... K20D owners manual, page 4: The temperature range for camera use is 0° C to 40° C (32° F to 104° F). Probably the same with K10D and other Pentax cameras. If you want to use the camera in even cooler temperatures, place the camera under your jacket (next to your warm body) until needed, with it returned to the jacket immediately afterwards. Another option is a battery-operated thermo sock or bag wrapped around the camera body to keep it warm (been there, done that, works pretty good). However, I now just leave whichever camera I'm using in the camera bag, with a chemical-based pocket warmer (HotHands-2 Hand Warmers - about $1 each, good for 6-8 hours) draped over it, with the flap unzipped (but snapped) to allow moisture to equalize, until I'm ready to take a picture. Of course, I also use hand warmers in a jacket pocket to keep my own hands warm as well. stewart

01-12-2009, 04:57 AM	#10
Vylen Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,262	Originally posted by stewart_photo You didn't say exactly how cold, so just consider this general advice... K20D owners manual, page 4: The temperature range for camera use is 0° C to 40° C (32° F to 104° F). Probably the same with K10D and other Pentax cameras. If you want to use the camera in even cooler temperatures, place the camera under your jacket (next to your warm body) until needed, with it returned to the jacket immediately afterwards. Another option is a battery-operated thermo sock or bag wrapped around the camera body to keep it warm (been there, done that, works pretty good). However, I now just leave whichever camera I'm using in the camera bag, with a chemical-based pocket warmer (HotHands-2 Hand Warmers - about $1 each, good for 6-8 hours) draped over it, with the flap unzipped (but snapped) to allow moisture to equalize, until I'm ready to take a picture. Of course, I also use hand warmers in a jacket pocket to keep my own hands warm as well. stewart finally someone other than myself points that out... there's a reason why there's a temperature range... heh

01-12-2009, 05:16 AM	#11
Douglas_of_Sweden Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Stockholm Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,374	Originally posted by stewart_photo K20D owners manual, page 4: The temperature range for camera use is 0° C to 40° C (32° F to 104° F). Probably the same with K10D and other Pentax cameras. I never read that part of the manual, so I've shot as far down as -18C with the K20D without problems. Here are some reasent shots at about -10C: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/post-your-photos/45982-fifty-minus-10-below-freezing.html I did get some strange bands in the transfer from the camera to the laptop on one occasion, but that turned out to be the card reader that was so old that it could not handle cards bigger than 1GB or 2GB or something like that. Since I changed card reader I have had no troubles.

01-12-2009, 07:24 AM	#12
thomps6s Guest	Originally posted by Vylen finally someone other than myself points that out... there's a reason why there's a temperature range... heh I am sure almost every camera manual says that. Being from Northern, MN I know several people that shoot in -0 conditions without issue. I shot in frigid conditions for hours on many occasions with my k10D without issue. Of course it could be the cold, but I am hoping it is just a faulty card as I rely on my camera to shoot in cold conditions.

01-12-2009, 08:36 AM	#13
kenyee Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Boston, PRofMA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,026	For another data point, I did 20F testing this weekend for about an hour w/o problems on my new K20D. There was quite a bit of condensation on the outside after I got back in, but no issues.

01-12-2009, 08:51 AM	#14
thomps6s Guest	Originally posted by kenyee For another data point, I did 20F testing this weekend for about an hour w/o problems on my new K20D. There was quite a bit of condensation on the outside after I got back in, but no issues. Make sure you keep it in a plastic bag until it comes back up to room temperature.

01-12-2009, 08:59 AM	#15
MJ² Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Lockport NY Posts: 54	This day was 3°F (-16°C) with the *istDL. Camera was in my hand the whole time out in the "elements" with no issues except the expected quick battery life. I have yet to take the K20D out in sub-freezing yet.