...NO, I didn't drop it... I just picked it up to go out and try some night shots and, "what the hell was that?!". Something is seriously loose and sliding back and forth inside the body of the camera. Either when moving the body side to side (gently shaking it) or when I move it from horizontal to vertical, as one would when switching from landscape to portrait. What ever part it is, it slides back and forth at least a 1/16" - 1/8" when rotating the camera... funny thing is though, it still is taking pictures fine as far as I can tell... what could be so loose inside that wouldn't effect the operation of the camera ???
As you can imagine I am a little dismayed and will be returning the camera tomorrow (the reseller says they have a 30 day money back), in hopes that they have a replacement and that this is just a VERY RARE problem.
I just received the camera Monday and have taken all of 400 shots testing it... I didn't even get to go out in any extreme weather yet!
For me, this is an upgrade from the Kx as I wanted a more pro-featured camera. And because I had been enjoying what Pentax has to offer, since buying the Kx (my first DSLR), I thought I would stick with Pentax for my first serious camera and potentially for some time to come (lots of great lenses to buy)... I am now wondering if that is such a good idea given this problem.
Has anyone else out there had any parts come loose suddenly? Perhaps in a K7 if not a K5? (same body right?)
For the past hour I have been examining the camera trying to determine what it might be. It sounds as if it is somewhere under the viewfinder and above the mirror mechanism, yet when I put it in 'mirror up' or 'live view' mode, it stops whatever it is from sliding around but starts making a hesitant, grinding sound that I know cannot be normal, so, I guess it has something to do with the image stabilization motors.
I write this (my first post) in hopes of hearing any ideas or thoughts and to caution anyone considering a K5 at this point. Hopefully, this is just an isolated case and I am the only one experiencing this issue, I will keep the forum posted.
A thought just came to me... I will make a video clip of the problem camera (I think it will show up in the audio) with my Kx and make another post here including the clip. Perhaps that will be helpful to those more familiar with the construction of these cameras in making a guess as to what the problem might be.
Thanks for any input, and sorry to all those looking for yet another positive report about the K5.
I am sure after this is resolved, I will love the camera. That is, if the past several days of shooting are any indication. It has been a real pleasure getting to know this camera. After all, the K5 is much more capable than the Kx and the image quality is noticeably better (not by leaps and bounds though, the Kx does a rather nice job), so in the end I imagine I will stick with Pentax... I am not quite ready to jump ship yet and swim for Canikon shores
Last edited by oddshot; 11-11-2010 at 03:43 AM.