[Wheatfield]

Well, I guess since everyone is living with their K5's flaws (stains, FF, flash) Pentax has less motivation to fix them. I got a stained one with a build date of mid-January. Somone has a K5 for sale at a discount in the market place and it has been snapped up (not). The K5 is fine according to the owner (and I believe him), but the unresolved issues make people nervous to buy a used one. That is people who read the forums. The K5 with all the glowing press, will attract a large number of people who have never tried Pentax. Increased sales volume will be the result and again Pentax has less motivation to solve the K5's problems. People still bought SDM lenses even after the defects became known and we saw how motivated Pentax was to acknoledge the problem and state that it had been fixed. Raise your hand if you are completely worry free when purchasing a used lens with SDM from the marketplace today. Firmware fix version 1.03 where arrrrrrre you????

Apparently you missed the part about sending defective products back for warranty repairs.
One of the problems companies have in the age of the internet and enthusiast forums is that these forums CANNOT be trusted to give a fair assessment of their product.
People find a niggling flaw, for example, and that flaw gets blown totally out of proportion.
Or they have a basic misunderstanding about how something should work, or an unrealistic expectation and suddenly they have an issue, which gets treated precisely the same way a niggling flaw gets treated, with the host forums becoming something akin to World Wrestling Foundation style Theater of the Absurd.
So, forums are a poor place for a company to get honest feedback.
What is honest feedback is sending your flawed camera back for a warranty repair.
This sort of thing speaks much louder to a manufacturer since warranty repairs hit them in the wallet.
Is it inconvenient for the customer?
Absolutely.
Is it the end of the world?
If it is, then someone doesn't have a very good plan.

[qtopplings]

Apparently you missed the part about sending defective products back for warranty repairs.
One of the problems companies have in the age of the internet and enthusiast forums is that these forums CANNOT be trusted to give a fair assessment of their product.
People find a niggling flaw, for example, and that flaw gets blown totally out of proportion.
Or they have a basic misunderstanding about how something should work, or an unrealistic expectation and suddenly they have an issue, which gets treated precisely the same way a niggling flaw gets treated, with the host forums becoming something akin to World Wrestling Foundation style Theater of the Absurd.
So, forums are a poor place for a company to get honest feedback.
What is honest feedback is sending your flawed camera back for a warranty repair.
This sort of thing speaks much louder to a manufacturer since warranty repairs hit them in the wallet.
Is it inconvenient for the customer?
Absolutely.
Is it the end of the world?
If it is, then someone doesn't have a very good plan.

If only more people thought like you. We might actually get this forum back from the hand-wringers and the chicken littles.

[loveisageless]

So, let me make sure I understand. It is not a problem if the merchandise can be sent for warranty repair? People should pay $1500 for a camera with a good likelyhood they will have to turn around and part with it, for goodness knows how long, while it is being fixed? Would you buy a new car knowing that you needed it for work and there was a good chance that it would have to be sent to the shop for warranty repairs the first week you owned it and it would be stuck in the shop until the parts became available because there were so many other cars in the same situation? If so, one would hope the family has a second car, cab fare or a buss pass. No offense Wheatfield, but that is the most pitiful rationalization for the current situataion with the K5 that I've heard to date.

[Wheatfield]

So, let me make sure I understand. It is not a problem if the merchandise can be sent for warranty repair? People should pay $1500 for a camera with a good likelyhood they will have to turn around and part with it, for goodness knows how long, while it is being fixed? Would you buy a new car knowing that you needed it for work and there was a good chance that it would have to be sent to the shop for warranty repairs the first week you owned it and it would be stuck in the shop until the parts became available because there were so many other cars in the same situation? If so, one would hope the family has a second car, cab fare or a buss pass. No offense Wheatfield, but that is the most pitiful rationalization for the current situataion with the K5 that I've heard to date.

This is the Theater of the Absurd part that I was mentioning.
How often in the history of Pentax cameras have we had one with an operational flaw?
With the present camera, is it bad enough to demand return if the camera is required?
Stains: Generally not visible until smaller than f/11.
Easy workaround: Shoot at f/8 or larger.
Not so easy workaround, use the clone tool.
Either way, the camera is functional.
Low light AF: perhaps a bit more serious for some but....
Workaround: LiveView AF, use the focusing ring on the lens, stop down a bit, raise the light levels.
What you are discussing in car terms isn't the transmission falling out, it's the power door locks not working.
Workaround: Use the key.

If the camera is required, then one presumes professional use.
If you don't have a back up camera, what's your plan if you drop the thing? If you need the camera for income purposes and you don't have a spare, you don't have a plan.
If you need the camera for snapshots of your nephew's bowling tournament, you have been inconvenienced, but you haven't been hurt.
Sorry, I'm not buying into your argument.

[Bramela]

i think that wheatfield has put it very succinctly. Well said.
To me it is all becoming so wearisome.
It has been hashed and rehashed over and over....and over, countless times. Move on..............pleeeease.
I guess I have to just avoid reading any of it anymore.

My K5 is a top investment, works very well, and produces shots that I am very, very pleased with. To me that is the entirety of it.
End of chapter.

[awaldram]

wheatfield youre quite ignorant. I read a few of your earlier post on this forum and youre a big fan of pentax youre defending them all of the time !!! , i like pentax too but with this camera pentax k-5 is a disaster for thoose who got a stainded sensor.

I Dont like to whine becouse there is a reson why i whine and the reson is the problem.
But if you cant se that yourare to ignorant and intolerant to understand other people and theres feelings.
I saved money for two years to buy a new camera and 2 new lenses.

I have been waiting 42 days since i was sending my camera for replacement.
Dont you think i have the right to whine?


If not dont answear.

Yes whine at your retailer for not handling you complaint correctly.
It not Pentax's fault you supplier didn't do right for you.

Pentax europe are resplacing stained bodies 1 for 1 so there was no need for you to be without a camera at all.

I've had two stained bodies since my initial purchase in Oct I've not been without a camera for more than 2 minutes whilst my retailer fetched my replacment from the storeroom.

No your argument is with your supplier not Pentax or this forum.

Guessing here you brought form the cheapest non approved supplier you could find, who probably has no channel into Penatax so wasn't aware of Pentax's replacment policy.

Your supplier therfore sent you camera for repair where its sat behind all the replaced cameras form the Pentax pro dealers.

I don't think calling all those who made the correct purchasing decision stupid and ignorant will get you a camera back any quicker , Your mistake was when you chose who todo bussiness with Caveat emptor

[qtopplings]

Another person added to the ignore list. So now you are calling all Americans stupid?
Way to go, buddy.

[deadwolfbones]

Another person added to the ignore list. So now you are calling all Americans stupid?
Way to go, buddy.

Who are you talking to?

[qtopplings]

Who are you talking to?

Purusam. Looks like the offensive posts were all deleted.