[Bernie_Rain]

If you got it repaired, please let us know what has caused the problem.
Maybe the "Pancakes" are more delicate, because of their flat / compact design?

[Mr Spocko]

I think you were unlucky it happens sadly. I've found the DA40mm to be reliable myself. Bad things happen with all makers lenses wise don't be too put off

[OldNoob]

That's a very rare problem.

I can't imagine what could have caused it, especially for a lens like the DA40 that is both very light and very strong (all metal), so one would think quite resistant to shock damage.

Perhaps the previous owner took it apart at one stage, and then re-assembled it incorrectly, prior to selling it to you.

indeed! ^

[antipattern]

I'm still struggling to return it to Pixmania, who have so far issued half a dozen invalid UPS pick up notices, even for products I did not order. I will let you know how it goes, and whether Pixmania adheres to the 2 years of warranty that are compulsory in the European Union. On their website they say they only give one year "guarantee", and don't mention the EU warranty at all, which is misleading at best.

I will keep you updated.

[schj]

I'm still struggling to return it to Pixmania, who have so far issued half a dozen invalid UPS pick up notices, even for products I did not order. I will let you know how it goes, and whether Pixmania adheres to the 2 years of warranty that are compulsory in the European Union. On their website they say they only give one year "guarantee", and don't mention the EU warranty at all, which is misleading at best.

I will keep you updated

Even Apple had to give in on this one and now complies with the EU 2 year warranty.

[LFLee]

So this weekend I took my DA40 limited out for a walk and took a couple of pictures. I noticed the autofocus was a bit temperamental, took the lens off to ensure it's properly connected, and then I noticed that one of the aperture blades was sitting in the middle of the lens. I thought it had just gotten stuck, so I pushed the aperture lever and let it slide back into the original position - now more blades were "floating" between the lens elements, and by the time I got home, the entire aperture set had been dismembered. A sight I have never seen before, but for those curious-and-not-afraid, have a look.

I have not idea on how this has happened. I handled the lens with care, I did not drop it, it has no dents, no nothing. I bought it second hand on Ebay a few months back, but never had a problem. Unfortunately, because of that it's also out of warranty.

Next week, I will try to go to my local Pentax dealer for an inspection and a quote, but from what I heard, Pentax charges quite hefty fees.

As I'm currently based in Germany, are there any commendable non-official repair shops? A quick google search has returned this one: kameraspezi.de

Has anyone attempted to repair the aperture blades of a DA40 ltd? I have fixed aperture blades on old Carl Zeiss lenses before, but the limiteds are an entirely different kettle of fish, no?

Google has pointed me to these, but there's little detail on which screws to unscrew to get to the aperture as painlessly as possible, e.g. RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: DA40/2.8 Limited Disassembly
and
40 Lim: Pentax DA 40 Limited to be fixed
but:
40 Lim: And again DA40


Also, HOW THE HELL COULD THAT HAPPEN?

When I use the 40mm on K5, it focus seem very fast but at the same time it appear that it hit the focus limit pretty hard too. I always thought that is not very good.

Hope the fix is not too expensive....

btw, out of curious, I would also like to see the bokeh with its current state.... can you still take some pics with it?

[antipattern]

So, as of today I can say that I am now own a DA40 again. Pixmania surely aren't the quickest to respond, nor are they organised in any way. It was quite a nightmare to communicate with them. At first they weren't able to provide a shipping label. They sent an email "Here's your shipping label", but there wasn't. So I replied "There was no shipping label, please send a shipping label", "Here's your shipping label..." almost ad infinitum. Once shipped, I had to call to check that the lens had arrived, as no one contacted me or the original owner about it. Then I was informed they would take one month to "attempt to repair" the lens. So I called back after one month and two days (Excuse my impatience), and there the lady on the other end of the line informed me that it's good that I called, the lens apparently was deemed non-repairable, and asked me whether I want a refund or a replacement, I chose the latter, gave them my new address. They mailed, asked or my address. I provided my address. They shipped to the original owner, who was kind enough to forward the package to me. A massive thanks to him for providing the contact to Pixmania and his patience in dealing with a device that was no longer his.

HOWEVER, I now have a portable standard lens again, and I'm looking forward to taking it on a stroll over the next few days. And I'm also quite jolly that I did not have to pay for the repair, it would have been much more than the shipping from the original owner to me. One of the repair shops I contacted quoted €130 for the lens if all aperture blades were intact, and an extra fee if parts were needed. This also means I can't really tell what exactly went wrong with the lens, and why it broke in the first place. No-locking paint seems like a plausible cause.

Also, I would be curious whether the replacement I received has a lower or higher serial number. It arrived in quite a shabby box, the mount had smudge on it, and there's a few signs of use on the body, so it seems like a customers return or open box. I wonder whether it may actually is my old one, and they were able to fix it? (Though I hasten to add that I sent off mine in a better condition!) I will need to check the serial number, but unfortunately my computer is broken at the moment and I can't access my files, and I have restricted internet access. Seems like I'm on a roll... ;-)

[antipattern]

(and sorry, no, I wasn't able to take any Bokeh pictures. It would have been to gruesome for me anyways, poor poor lens!)

[Lloydy]

I've heard nothing good about Pixmania. I hope your new lens serves you well.