[ManuH]

I thought my K7 level was a bit out, so I tested it somewhat more rigorously and found that it was my initial test procedure that was at fault.
I'm betting that virtually every problem people have with the in camera level is related to trusting a piece of testing equipment that is not designed for testing cameras.
And then, they spew their crap results all over the internet and all of a sudden it's a big QC problem for Pentax.

You're betting wrong, it's easy to see. A bit off maybe difficult to assess but for example in my case, it was not "a bit" and easy to see on pictures. I'm just surprised and disappointed that this issue still plagues new cameras like the K-5. Not funny to have to wait almost 1 month to have this simple issue fixed.

[creampuff]

Another QC slip. Just the general problem with Pentax; lowend or highend, they all received the same QC, or lack of.

Your statement is too sweeping to be of any credence. But then again you appear to have a history of negativity about Pentax. Is there nothing they haven't done right? Oh, but I see you mainly shoot with Canon... that explains it...

[Mr Hyde]

If you would like to check your camera's electronic level you can just do the following. You will need a flat surface. The surface does not have to be perfectly level but it must be flat.

Place the camera on the flat surface and activate the level. Make a note of the position of the level indicator. You can count the number of segments it is biased to one side or the other. Now turn the camera around 180 degrees (or 200 grads for you grad people) and put it in the same spot on your level surface. If your level is operating properly the amount of bias toward one side should be the opposite of what it was before you rotated it.

Here is an example. Camera is set on the kitchen countertop, lens facing me. Level is biased 3 segments toward the shutter button side. Camera is rotated 180 degrees so lens now faces away from me. Level is biased 3 segments toward the mode dial side. Camera level is calibrated correctly. If one side or the other is the high side both times then your level is out of adjustment. How far out of adjustment? If the same side is high both times then just add the two together and devide by two.

I have an electronic carpenters level and this is how you check to see if the level is calibrated properly. This method is also used to recalibrate the carpenters level.

[Nass]

Well I for one do think it's a pretty rookie error of Pentax not to make this level adjustable. If it were a 2 or 3 day thing to fix it it'd be fine, but weeks away isn't acceptable for a QC issue that shouldn't even be there on devices that cost many hundreds of dollars and pounds.

For what it's worth, on my K-7 the level has been a crock since day 1. On a perfectly level surface measured with a level it shows 5 yellows to the left on LV and 3 black to the left on the top LCD. Complete waste of time.

[bsimon]

My K5 level is definitely off by 2 bars on the back and 1 bar on the top (=1 degree). It's consistently off using Mr Hyde's procedure, carpenters level, camera level, and the K7. My K7 is correct. I'm not surprised this happens given how sensitive the accelerometers are and the shipping involved in getting a camera to market from overseas. I don't hold Pentax to blame--for all I know it was fine when it left the factory (would be an easy thing to check). I do however think they should have a simple firmware fix or at least explain why that isn't feasible. In any case I will send it back to Amazon in the next 30 days (hopefully they'll have a replacement available then) and enjoy it in the meantime...

[bsimon]

I just received my replacement K5 from Amazon...and the level is still off, this time by 1 degree in the other direction. Sad...Maybe they'll fix it in the firmware.