K-5 bug - Shutter going off by itself

darrenleow · 05-17-2011, 10:18 PM

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has experienced the same problem as me. My K-5 is on the latest 1.03 firmware right now. Using a mix of original and third-party batteries and a third-party grip from DealExtreme.

Sometimes the camera will get all buggy and the shutter will start tripping by itself or when the shutter button is half-pressed, although no photo is taken. When a photo is being taken, the mirror seems to do a loud double-slap. When I turn the camera off, the shutter cycles another 2-3 times. When I turn it back on immediately, the shutter cycles another 2-3 times again, and the aperture resets to f/8. It will work fine for a few more shots before the double-slap and the rest of the crazy behavior comes back again.

I've tried only using one battery, resetting all settings and custom functions but it's not helping. I might try using the camera without the grip and see if it glitches, although I do recall it having done this before I received my grip and on a previous firmware, though I can't be sure.

Anyone has any suggestions? Thanks!

infoomatic · 05-18-2011, 12:58 AM

Wow! I have had the same problem, and I thought no one else would have this strange error.

Send it to the repair service, hope you still have warranty

WerTicus · 05-18-2011, 01:04 AM

do you also have 3rd party batteries?

infoomatic · 05-18-2011, 01:15 AM

no, only original batteries. But for me the bug disappeared when the battery was at 50% or lower

Philip99 · 05-18-2011, 05:14 AM

I have the same problem that happening today on my K-5. Using the original battery (full-charged), the mirror will double-slap when taking the photo, and the camera acts crazy...

infoomatic · 05-18-2011, 06:36 AM

yes. my cam started slapping the mirror about 50 times when I switched it on ... and sometimes when I pushed any button (navigating in the menu etc.)

George Lama · 05-18-2011, 06:53 AM

How long have you guys had the K5? What are the first few numbers of the serial number? Just wondering as perhaps this should be documented in case others report the same issue.

qtopplings · 05-18-2011, 08:55 AM

Originally posted by darrenleow

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has experienced the same problem as me. My K-5 is on the latest 1.03 firmware right now. Using a mix of original and third-party batteries and a third-party grip from DealExtreme.

Sometimes the camera will get all buggy and the shutter will start tripping by itself or when the shutter button is half-pressed, although no photo is taken. When a photo is being taken, the mirror seems to do a loud double-slap. When I turn the camera off, the shutter cycles another 2-3 times. When I turn it back on immediately, the shutter cycles another 2-3 times again, and the aperture resets to f/8. It will work fine for a few more shots before the double-slap and the rest of the crazy behavior comes back again.

I've tried only using one battery, resetting all settings and custom functions but it's not helping. I might try using the camera without the grip and see if it glitches, although I do recall it having done this before I received my grip and on a previous firmware, though I can't be sure.

Anyone has any suggestions? Thanks!

Quit using the cheap 3rd party grip?

jcp5 · 05-18-2011, 09:33 AM

I bought my K5 in March and I have something similar, but not the same, that has happened several times. The Mirror flips but no picture. Different lens, Pentax Grip on or off, Pentax genuine batteries etc. When it happens it is a one shot event no other effect and I continue on. Firmware 1.03. Serial no. 3945xxx Manf. date 1/28/2011

Every time it happens it is exactly the same I just put light pressure on the shutter button to begin AF and it happens (AFS). Never two times in a row, never more than once per shooting session and not every session. Very random.

Read another problem discussion called "Send it back or normal". More then a few K5 owners are having this same problem. Users symptoms vary in how radical their symptoms are and in how random it is.

Francis · 05-18-2011, 10:16 AM

Starting to wonder if this is a quality control thing...

Dr_who · 05-18-2011, 12:28 PM

Originally posted by Highland

I bought my K5 in March something similar, but not the same, has happened quite a few times. The Mirror flips but no picture. Different lens, Pentax Grip on or off, Pentax genuine battery etc. When it happens it is a one shot event no other effect and I continue on. Firmware 1.03. Other than this one quirk everything else is fine.

Every time it happens it is exactly the same I just put light pressure on the shutter button to begin to AF and it happens (AFS). Never two times in a row, never more than once per shooting session and not every session.

It isn't so serious on my copy plus I have the 2-year ext. warranty so I would not send mine in now. I need to use the camera for quite a while longer to see if any early life failures happen. Also I would never send my camera into Pentax service for this unless I was confident they knew what was going on because I would most likely get it back with a note that said "could not reproduce problem" or worse it could have a new problem . Their good but stuff happens.

Maybe its the shutter button or maybe something else. I have no idea. I thought I read a thread kind of like this already?

This more describes my experience with this issue as well. It never takes a 2nd picture, just the mirror slaps twice very randomly.

darrenleow · 05-18-2011, 12:42 PM

Originally posted by qtopplings

Quit using the cheap 3rd party grip?

Sure I could, but I shoot a lot with a 70-200 which makes a grip almost necessary for me. Wanted to check if anyone had a similar problem before experimenting with taking off the grip.

My SN is 398XXX, bought around Jan 2011.

Good to hear that I'm not the only one with this problem. Now to wait for someone who has found a DIY fix.

mfutrell · 05-19-2011, 05:35 AM

This sounds like the problem that my K5 has. In my case, the mirror assembly would
intermittently make this abnormal "clunking" sound when I would take a picture. This would then be followed by the mirror flipping on its own. This is with the original Pentax
battery, no grip. It didn't matter what lens was on the body. Didn't appear to be affected
by the level of charge in the battery.

Mine is on it's second trip back to pentax for this problem. After a 1 month wait for parts.
it is finally back "In Repair". Hopefully this time it will be fixed.

jcp5 · 05-19-2011, 11:05 AM

"mftutrell' - Hope they fix it right this this time. If you get any useful detail of what they replaced please let us know.

darrenleow · 05-19-2011, 03:08 PM

Reply from Pentax:

It sounds like there may be a problem in your K-5 camera. I recommend you return your camera directly to PENTAX Imaging Company at the address listed below for examination.

05-17-2011, 10:18 PM	#1
darrenleow Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chicago Photos: Gallery Posts: 541	K-5 bug - Shutter going off by itself Hi all, just wondering if anyone has experienced the same problem as me. My K-5 is on the latest 1.03 firmware right now. Using a mix of original and third-party batteries and a third-party grip from DealExtreme. Sometimes the camera will get all buggy and the shutter will start tripping by itself or when the shutter button is half-pressed, although no photo is taken. When a photo is being taken, the mirror seems to do a loud double-slap. When I turn the camera off, the shutter cycles another 2-3 times. When I turn it back on immediately, the shutter cycles another 2-3 times again, and the aperture resets to f/8. It will work fine for a few more shots before the double-slap and the rest of the crazy behavior comes back again. I've tried only using one battery, resetting all settings and custom functions but it's not helping. I might try using the camera without the grip and see if it glitches, although I do recall it having done this before I received my grip and on a previous firmware, though I can't be sure. Anyone has any suggestions? Thanks!

05-18-2011, 09:33 AM	#9
jcp5 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Bristol, NY - Finger Lakes Region Posts: 131	I bought my K5 in March and I have something similar, but not the same, that has happened several times. The Mirror flips but no picture. Different lens, Pentax Grip on or off, Pentax genuine batteries etc. When it happens it is a one shot event no other effect and I continue on. Firmware 1.03. Serial no. 3945xxx Manf. date 1/28/2011 Every time it happens it is exactly the same I just put light pressure on the shutter button to begin AF and it happens (AFS). Never two times in a row, never more than once per shooting session and not every session. Very random. Read another problem discussion called "Send it back or normal". More then a few K5 owners are having this same problem. Users symptoms vary in how radical their symptoms are and in how random it is. Last edited by jcp5; 06-14-2011 at 12:22 PM.

05-19-2011, 11:05 AM	#14
jcp5 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Bristol, NY - Finger Lakes Region Posts: 131	"mftutrell' - Hope they fix it right this this time. If you get any useful detail of what they replaced please let us know. Last edited by jcp5; 05-25-2011 at 02:08 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Pentax KX Shutter starting to stuck at slow shutter speed.	Spirit722	Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras	7	03-03-2011 09:49 PM
Running Water: Slow Shutter and Fast Shutter Comparison	Mike Cash	Post Your Photos!	2	02-03-2009 01:25 AM
P30T, shutter will not reliably stay open on bulb with cable shutter control.	skid2964	Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras	6	06-09-2008 08:04 AM

05-18-2011, 12:58 AM	#2
infoomatic Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Austria Photos: Gallery Posts: 255	Wow! I have had the same problem, and I thought no one else would have this strange error. Send it to the repair service, hope you still have warranty

05-18-2011, 01:04 AM	#3
WerTicus Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Perth Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 1,514	do you also have 3rd party batteries?

05-18-2011, 01:15 AM	#4
infoomatic Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Austria Photos: Gallery Posts: 255	no, only original batteries. But for me the bug disappeared when the battery was at 50% or lower

05-18-2011, 05:14 AM	#5
Philip99 New Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 17	I have the same problem that happening today on my K-5. Using the original battery (full-charged), the mirror will double-slap when taking the photo, and the camera acts crazy...

05-18-2011, 06:36 AM	#6
infoomatic Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Austria Photos: Gallery Posts: 255	yes. my cam started slapping the mirror about 50 times when I switched it on ... and sometimes when I pushed any button (navigating in the menu etc.)

05-18-2011, 06:53 AM	#7
George Lama Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Buffalo/Rochester, NY Photos: Albums Posts: 1,133	How long have you guys had the K5? What are the first few numbers of the serial number? Just wondering as perhaps this should be documented in case others report the same issue.

05-18-2011, 08:55 AM	#8
qtopplings Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Marin, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 282	Originally posted by darrenleow Hi all, just wondering if anyone has experienced the same problem as me. My K-5 is on the latest 1.03 firmware right now. Using a mix of original and third-party batteries and a third-party grip from DealExtreme. Sometimes the camera will get all buggy and the shutter will start tripping by itself or when the shutter button is half-pressed, although no photo is taken. When a photo is being taken, the mirror seems to do a loud double-slap. When I turn the camera off, the shutter cycles another 2-3 times. When I turn it back on immediately, the shutter cycles another 2-3 times again, and the aperture resets to f/8. It will work fine for a few more shots before the double-slap and the rest of the crazy behavior comes back again. I've tried only using one battery, resetting all settings and custom functions but it's not helping. I might try using the camera without the grip and see if it glitches, although I do recall it having done this before I received my grip and on a previous firmware, though I can't be sure. Anyone has any suggestions? Thanks! Quit using the cheap 3rd party grip?

05-18-2011, 10:16 AM	#10
Francis Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Hilversum Photos: Gallery Posts: 215	Starting to wonder if this is a quality control thing...

05-18-2011, 12:28 PM	#11
Dr_who Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 777	Originally posted by Highland I bought my K5 in March something similar, but not the same, has happened quite a few times. The Mirror flips but no picture. Different lens, Pentax Grip on or off, Pentax genuine battery etc. When it happens it is a one shot event no other effect and I continue on. Firmware 1.03. Other than this one quirk everything else is fine. Every time it happens it is exactly the same I just put light pressure on the shutter button to begin to AF and it happens (AFS). Never two times in a row, never more than once per shooting session and not every session. It isn't so serious on my copy plus I have the 2-year ext. warranty so I would not send mine in now. I need to use the camera for quite a while longer to see if any early life failures happen. Also I would never send my camera into Pentax service for this unless I was confident they knew what was going on because I would most likely get it back with a note that said "could not reproduce problem" or worse it could have a new problem . Their good but stuff happens. Maybe its the shutter button or maybe something else. I have no idea. I thought I read a thread kind of like this already? This more describes my experience with this issue as well. It never takes a 2nd picture, just the mirror slaps twice very randomly.

05-18-2011, 12:42 PM	#12
darrenleow Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chicago Photos: Gallery Posts: 541 Original Poster	Originally posted by qtopplings Quit using the cheap 3rd party grip? Sure I could, but I shoot a lot with a 70-200 which makes a grip almost necessary for me. Wanted to check if anyone had a similar problem before experimenting with taking off the grip. My SN is 398XXX, bought around Jan 2011. Good to hear that I'm not the only one with this problem. Now to wait for someone who has found a DIY fix.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

05-19-2011, 05:35 AM	#13
mfutrell New Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Alabama Posts: 7	This sounds like the problem that my K5 has. In my case, the mirror assembly would intermittently make this abnormal "clunking" sound when I would take a picture. This would then be followed by the mirror flipping on its own. This is with the original Pentax battery, no grip. It didn't matter what lens was on the body. Didn't appear to be affected by the level of charge in the battery. Mine is on it's second trip back to pentax for this problem. After a 1 month wait for parts. it is finally back "In Repair". Hopefully this time it will be fixed.

05-19-2011, 03:08 PM	#15
darrenleow Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chicago Photos: Gallery Posts: 541 Original Poster	Reply from Pentax: It sounds like there may be a problem in your K-5 camera. I recommend you return your camera directly to PENTAX Imaging Company at the address listed below for examination.