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03-13-2013, 09:33 AM   #1
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Why not a recall??

Since Pentax has so many issues with the hsm, and told us in an interview that the design was the cause, why don't they do the right thing and recall them not only to be fixed, but have the newest SDM installed as well?
We pay top dollar for the brand, that would be the least they can offer?
I love my da*50 -135mm f2.8 and only bought it for portraits knowing the focus would be slow, but I didn't expect my wife's kit lens to be in competition with it

Anyone else having this thought?
Not a rant, just wondering out loud

The

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03-13-2013, 09:39 AM   #2
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Other lens manufacturers have had similar issues, probably in far greater numbers (although percentages may be the same) due to selling more copies, yet they haven't recalled their lenses. Nevertheless, recalls aren't often made for non-life threatening items.

As a side note, I suspect most of us did not pay "Top Dollar" since many bought from retailers who discounted the price, bought used at discounted prices, or bought when the item went on sale.
03-13-2013, 09:55 AM   #3
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Probably the cost of repairing the ones that broke and lost in sale and negativity is probably less then recalling all lenses and upgrading them.

The slow focus is very different thing all together, just look at the focus throw of your DA*50-135 and compare it with the kit lenses, there is a huge difference there.
03-13-2013, 10:03 AM   #4
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They leave recalls to the likes of Toyota, who've become experts at it lately.

03-13-2013, 10:11 AM   #5
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The problem is in your opening line...
QuoteQuote:
Since Pentax has so many issues with the hsm,
We have one recorded issue with an SDM failure on a DA*60-250. So it would seem the issue was largely an early adopter issue in the 16-150 and 50-135. The first year cars come out their frequency of repair is never as good as it is the 3rd or fourth year of the run. Auto companies don't recall items for that reason. The later adopters get the advantage of tested model that has been improved over the original release. It's the same every where. Apparently the SDM problems have been resolved. The original product may have had a high failure rate, for Pentax product, but there is absolutely no evidence to support the notion that the SDM failure rate was higher than what you could expect from other manufacturers. As long as Pentax can say, ya it was bad, but everyone else is worse, you aren't going to see a recall.

Maybe you should be blaming Canon and Nikon for having standards so lax that Pentax can get away with claiming they are better than industry averages in this regard.

Last edited by normhead; 03-13-2013 at 10:16 AM.
03-13-2013, 11:22 AM   #6
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I don't see that a recall is needed, but I think that they should extend the warranty, for this specific issue, to at least 5 years to compensate.
03-13-2013, 12:11 PM   #7
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That would be the decent thing to do, agreed.

03-13-2013, 12:46 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
Maybe you should be blaming Canon and Nikon for having standards so lax that Pentax can get away with claiming they are better than industry averages in this regard.
This is only too true. Pentax frequency of defect/repair has consistently been a little better than average for the industry according to Consumer Reports. That being said, the industry average (driven by Nikon and Canon) is getting close to 5%*.


Steve


* The last time I looked...
03-13-2013, 02:39 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
This is only too true. Pentax frequency of defect/repair has consistently been a little better than average for the industry according to Consumer Reports. That being said, the industry average (driven by Nikon and Canon) is getting close to 5%*.
According to lens rental all the fast zooms have reliability problems, they all run into 10+% annual defect rate 20+% even for some (Sony...).
LensRentals.com - Lensrentals Repair Data: January – July 2012
03-13-2013, 03:03 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Anvh Quote
According to lens rental all the fast zooms have reliability problems, they all run into 10+% annual defect rate 20+% even for some (Sony...).
LensRentals.com - Lensrentals Repair Data: January – July 2012
Also Klaus from Photozone calls Sony's QC "abysmal", Pentax gets away with a "slight tradition of decentering". Nikon has huge problems with for example a weak bending tripod foot and misaligned AF-sensors. Canon looks to cheat a bit with some mechanics for and and similar instead. Heck, not even Leica is even close to fault free with cameras needing fixes and even filters to function properly at times.
03-13-2013, 03:33 PM   #11
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I thought HSM was from Sigma? Anyway, SDM is cursed and people have been warned since the beginning. The argument of QC issue from other manufacturers is just silly IMHO because C/N 2.8 zooms can AF far faster than anything SDM. They fail because of either defective motors or wear and tear, not substandard designs like SDM. If high performance 2.8 zooms are that important, why not just pick what are available on the market now instead of dreaming Pentax might address the damn SDM on day which may not come?
03-13-2013, 03:48 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by kerrowdown Quote
They leave recalls to the likes of Toyota, who've become experts at it lately.
Yeah, my Toyota is now being recalled for a possibly sticky door window switch (it works fine). Really scary

I'm wondering, how reliable were the very first Canon USM lenses? Of course, that happened before the Internet explosive usage, people back then would simply send them to being serviced - without complaining loudly on some forum.
03-13-2013, 05:22 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by wlachan Quote
I thought HSM was from Sigma? Anyway, SDM is cursed and people have been warned since the beginning. The argument of QC issue from other manufacturers is just silly IMHO because C/N 2.8 zooms can AF far faster than anything SDM. They fail because of either defective motors or wear and tear, not substandard designs like SDM. If high performance 2.8 zooms are that important, why not just pick what are available on the market now instead of dreaming Pentax might address the damn SDM on day which may not come?
I keep getting SDM,hsm, etc mixed up. My fault
I just think when in an interview pentax said it was a failure of the design, people should a right to be corrected in some way, even if the name is Pentax, Cannon, Nikon, etc.

Thanks

Randy
03-13-2013, 05:44 PM   #14
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I think Pentax should fix the lenses that fail regardless of warranty status, at least for, say, 5 years.
03-13-2013, 06:20 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by wlachan Quote
I thought HSM was from Sigma? Anyway, SDM is cursed and people have been warned since the beginning. The argument of QC issue from other manufacturers is just silly IMHO because C/N 2.8 zooms can AF far faster than anything SDM. They fail because of either defective motors or wear and tear, not substandard designs like SDM. If high performance 2.8 zooms are that important, why not just pick what are available on the market now instead of dreaming Pentax might address the damn SDM on day which may not come?
Pentax addressed SDM before christmas, saying they had improved the design. So you're about 3 months late.

No one really cares what you think is silly. No one cares why the lenses fail, you can make up all the reasons you want why one type of failure is OK and the other isn't. Stick to the math. A horrendous failure rate is a horrendous failure rate. The lowest failure rate is not worse than the highest failure rate, because you make up some bogus reason why it might be true.

The SDM issue has been addressed...everyone on the forum who has followed the issue knows it. People have even been checking serial numbers to make sure they get the new ones. But even the old ones were within standard Canikon failure rates. The new ones will be back up to Pentax's usual standards. They'll go from better than Canikon's, too way better than Canikon's.
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