[Wheatfield]

They are a despicable corporation that bought out a fine company and ran it into the ground.

I don't know if you are serious or not, but Pentax as a company would likely not exist at this point were it not for Hoya. Pentax was well on it's way to bankruptcy, and they needed a White Knight to save them from going out of business entirely.
Hoya was, IIRC, the only company that stepped up to the plate.
When Hoya bought Pentax, Pentax was still making offshoots of the original *istD, very soon after, they started making real cameras.

[DanWeso]

I was set to order a K5 the week the stain problem really broke, and I have held off. Not even been hanging around here to see what is happening,

Stopped in yesterday and this whole forum is full of people with cameras in the repair facility, focus issues, stains showing up after some time. It's a mess.

The FanBoys can tell me how great a camera the K5 is, yada yada yada all day long, but the facts don't change a thing. Hoya killed Pentax. I hope they are proud.

It's over. Some 30 plus years of shooting Pentax and now it's finally over.

I really expected to see that the issues were worked out with the K5 when I logged in yesterday. I didn't expect to see even MORE issues have popped up.

Too bad for Hoya. The K5 could have been a real game changer. Now, for many people, it's a dust collector in some repair facility. I'm just not ready to join that crowd.

I'll send what I have to KEH on Monday or try and post it here in the market place, and see what Hunts has on the shelf today. Maybe a 5dMkII, maybe a D700. Don't know for sure, but I do know, I am through fooling around waiting on Pentax or Hoya or whoever to do something other than produce cameras in 57 different color combination's.

I actually find this post hilarious. It seems your life has come to and end over a stinking camera. Since a manufacture had a bad production run, it seems you now are unable to ever take pictures again. What are you going to do if Canon or Nikon have a bad production run?

Good-bye, good luck.

[qtopplings]

I was set to order a K5 the week the stain problem really broke, and I have held off. Not even been hanging around here to see what is happening,

Stopped in yesterday and this whole forum is full of people with cameras in the repair facility, focus issues, stains showing up after some time. It's a mess.

The FanBoys can tell me how great a camera the K5 is, yada yada yada all day long, but the facts don't change a thing. Hoya killed Pentax. I hope they are proud.

It's over. Some 30 plus years of shooting Pentax and now it's finally over.

As my grandma used to say....

"Don't let the door hit ya, where the good lord split ya!"

[philbaum]

At #24 in Top 100, Pentax is delivering K-5 to new buyers in USA.


Amazon.com Bestsellers: The most popular items in Digital SLR Cameras


Maybe Pentax USA is more concerned with new buyers getting their cameras today as opposed to replacing defective K-5 for owners who cannot get a refund now ?

Supposing you hit another car and caused $25,000 damage. Unfortunately, you also let your car insurance lapse because the renewal notice was sent to your old address. The owners of the car you hit, now insist you pay them the damages before you go back to work to earn more money.

Pentax has to keep a cash flow going, cameras selling, or they won't have the money to fix the old cameras or continue their existence as a business.

Quite simply, they need to balance both their obligations to their old customers while selling to new customers. Without a paycheck coming in, Hoya or any one of us would be feeling a pinch quite soon.

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Last edited by philbaum; 03-05-2011 at 10:16 AM.

[Michaelina2]

It's over. Some 30 plus years of shooting Pentax and now it's finally over.

Thanks for offering up some great troll bait.

Feel better now?

Bye...bye... have a great life!

M

[MRRiley]

Yeah, I know it's frustrating since I too went through the replacement process. And I know people have a right to get what they paid for, but you can't get blood out of a turnip, and complaining about it won't help or change a thing.

That's my impression as well. As magic wands have not yet been perfected, they seem to be doing everything they possible. It is also possible that as the sensors are made by Sony, the delay is completely out of Pentax's control.

Guys, I realize they are probably doing this as fast as they can.... I understand these things take time and if you think about it, my OP was partially to give folks an idea that it was going to take a long while and why. My main thing at this point is that I want them to be much more communicative. Frankly everyone who sent their camera back should have gotten a description of what the process was going to be (clean, replace sensor or replace camera) along with a realistic estimate on when they would have a camera again. Then if that estimate slipped, a simple update should be forthcoming... This is not too much to ask, in my opinion, for a $1500 camera.

They are a despicable corporation that bought out a fine company and ran it into the ground
....
And again, I agree 100% with you that complaining about it wont help. On the other hand, I'm not ready to just sit on my hands and suck it up like a good fanboy either.

I wouldn't call Hoya despicable either. They did pull Pentax's butt out of likely bankruptcy so if it wasnt for them we would all probably be CaNikonians already.

I disagree that complaining wont help. Customer complaints are a powerful force on any manufacturer and you better know that Pentax keeps up with this forum at least to some degree. Our voiced displeasure is surely known and recognized.

Mike

[dadipentak]

Frankly everyone who sent their camera back should have gotten a description of what the process was going to be (clean, replace sensor or replace camera) along with a realistic estimate on when they would have a camera again.

Agree.

[Parallax]

Guys, I realize they are probably doing this as fast as they can.... I understand these things take time and if you think about it, my OP was partially to give folks an idea that it was going to take a long while and why. My main thing at this point is that I want them to be much more communicative. Frankly everyone who sent their camera back should have gotten a description of what the process was going to be (clean, replace sensor or replace camera) along with a realistic estimate on when they would have a camera again. Then if that estimate slipped, a simple update should be forthcoming... This is not too much to ask, in my opinion, for a $1500 camera...........

I agree completely, Mike. Communication would help their image substantially. I wasn't dismissing your premise, just pointing out that they may be doing everything they can from a logistics standpoint, even though their Information Officer seems to be either on leave or TDY.

[AGWoodard]

Just curious...........

I disagree that complaining wont help. Customer complaints are a powerful force on any manufacturer and you better know that Pentax keeps up with this forum at least to some degree. Our voiced displeasure is surely known and recognized.

How did that work out with the SDM issue???

But let's talk current events shall we? In the midst of all the hoopla concerning the sensors and the focus issues, does Hoya get every engineer in the place hot on trying to fix the K5 and KR? Nope. Instead, they announce............

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-news-rumors/135215-another-pentax-...rilakkuma.html

I sure wish I hadn't run out of the KoolAide

Pretty sad when the answer to a problem is paint

[philippe]

Needless to say, my Nikon and Canon friends are doing their best to convince me to join their ranks. I'm doing my best to hold the line until I feel a bit more confident that stock being shipped is stain free. Question is - how will I know that? I live in the middle of nowhere and rely on internet shopping.

Are these friends not experiencing the same problem with their D7000, having the same sensor?

[30v iPentax]

Sitähän voi ostaa vaikka koko tunkion, jos on paljon peltoa.

[MRRiley]

Are these friends not experiencing the same problem with their D7000, having the same sensor?

phillipe,

I don't believe it is the sensor itself as it comes from Sony. There is certain evidence that the stains seem to have been created during the installation of the Low-Pass filter (which is mounted over the sensor) at Pentax.

Mike

[Rondec]

phillipe,

I don't believe it is the sensor itself as it comes from Sony. There is certain evidence that the stains seem to have been created during the installation of the Low-Pass filter (which is mounted over the sensor) at Pentax.

Mike

Falconeye thought that Sony was the culprit and that they did the mounting, but they mounted something separate for Nikon -- same sensor, but different preparation.

[30v iPentax]

Uskon että sony valmistaa hyviä leikkikaluja, mutta ei kennoja kameraan. Tulevaan lippulaiva Pentax tarvitsee paremman kennon, kun Sony.

[WerTicus]

was there a huge rush to send in your stained sensor right away? I've still got mine stained and it is not affecting photos - I'll send it back when there is 1 month left on warranty and skip the waiting.