[Dr_who]

Mine was Manufactured January 9 2011

Serial Number 3970676176545

January 4th 2011 3970526

[Francis]

My guess is that your trigger button is broken. Seems a bit ridiculous that static electricity causes it. I can imagine it will cause it once, but after that, you're discharged ... right?

[Fl_Gulfer]

I noticed mine will act like it taking multipul shots even though it set to one at a time.

[Francis]

new feature? Something like "better frame detection"? If it thinks it can take a better frame... it will?

[jcp5]

Dam I can't find the K5 anti-static gloves in my user manual. The ones that have the PENTAX name in RED. If people see the Pentax name maybe they will think it's normal. Digital photography is way more intense then I thought it would be.

[Francis]

Just don't burn the manual. The K5 knows!

* Back to OP sorry for hijacking *

[darrenleow]

My K-5 decided to go totally crazy on me today, by far the most serious glitch episode so far. At one point every button press and dial movement would trip the mirror/shutter. Removing the battery, grip and card did nothing to solve the problem. Later on, it became fine again, but the issue came back when I attempted to do a custom WB setting.

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

A couple of minutes later, the K-5 glitched in the usual way by doing the "double slap" but this time it was far more often than before. I also confirmed that while the K-5 was glitching, the image in the viewfinder appeared very OOF, but when it stopped glitching it became sharp again. The lens did not refocus during this time, so it definitely involves some misalignment somewhere.

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

Ricehigh suggested that it might be hotter temperatures that are causing such problems, and it might be possible, since Chicago just became really hot recently, and this episode today happened after I cycled in the mid-day sunlight for about 10 minutes with the camera in a black backpack.

It might be about time to send the camera to Pentax for servicing. Pity.

[dandeluca]

started intermittently when taking a picture -- it would sound like it was taking two or three pix and only one would be taken. After a couple weeks of that, started happening when pressing the AF button -- mirror assembly would clunk clunk a few times before focusing. Then when turning on, then when turning the dials, or any other control. Seems like a circuit board kind of thing, like an electric problem, since every control on the camera started to cause this problem.

I sent mine in on 3/23, and I watched it go in and out of repair and "process hold" and parts order like four times on the CrisCam web site repair status page. Just today -- just today -- they finally decided to give me a new one. (after some follow-up on my part.) Lordy, I hope it's a good one.

[mfutrell]

After 2 months a CRIS for this exact problem mine supposedly is shipping back today. They said thet they did the following

REPLACED APERTURE CONTROL UNIT
REPLACED APERTURE CONTROL CONTACT PAD AND BRUSHES

We will see if it is fixed this time....

[jcp5]

dandeluca's repair cycle is not unusual when a service guy in any repair center starts throwing parts at this type of problem.

The good thing is he is getting a replacement camera. He did the right thing by calling and saying repair was taking too long. It's also good that Pentax Service responded well and sent him a replacement camera.

The bad part is that there is more then a few K5 mirror/shutter assy "cycling randomly" problems with varying degrees of severity. Pentax Service needs to have a plan to not touch some and send them to QC for analysis or this problem will continue for an unknown percentage of K5's. Pentax Service might get lucky or they might just keep stumbling around inconsistently. I give them credit for sending out replacement cameras when the situation warrants it.

Heat is not the root cause but will make a weak electronic component degrade more and show itself in some crazy ways until it gets too much for to long, at one time, and just dies. How long it takes to die is unpredictable.

[darrenleow]

What's taking Pentax so long to fix the cameras?

[Francis]

So, we have magnesium alloy bodies with weather sealing... and the hypothesis is that heat can cause this? Oh lord..

[Dr_who]

So, we have magnesium alloy bodies with weather sealing... and the hypothesis is that heat can cause this? Oh lord..

my issue is exactly like darrenleow's. I'm curious if Darrenleow put in a new battery if it disappeared, but putting back that battery resulted in the same issue. Thou looking back at the bideo he has a full battery. I don't think its a heat issue as in heat generated in a normal way as I've had it happen when not in use for some time. If could be from heat generated by a short or some other electrical issue however. But I'm not a camera maker and no nothing of these things.

[_phil_]

There may be more than one cause but mine has a sticky shutter button. If I push it all the way then release very slowly, after I lift off past the half press I can hear the internals of the switch release after a period of a second or less.

My K7 does not do this and feels generally more positive in its action. I reckon its a bad switch although how this might cause the mirror to flip twice I don't know but its clearly not a simple mechanism.

[jcp5]

The shutter button has multiple functions. My problem always happens when I first touch with only pressure enough to wake up camera from power save mode and its the same every time, very random.

I am thinking the cause of "my K5 problem" is the shutter button assembly since it requires such light pressure to AF. I noticed this when I started to MF more. There is no "half press", just a little more then touch. Others may have a different cause because they have more radical symptoms then I do. I have no way of knowing.

The bad part is depending on how random it is the Pentax service guys might have to wear out your camera trying to reproduce then test to see if it is fixed. This is why they need to make better decisions as when to reair/replace. For this type of problem (in any service center) there is as much variability as there are service techs. If they don't get it right the first time you should request a replacement.