Sorry guys, Pentax's QC issues are back on the table. Now this one I haven't even heard of before. I bought a K5 four and a half months ago, and have been really enjoying it. The sensor, the low noise, the fast frame rate, the quiet shutter, everything. Then suddenly two weeks ago on a vacation through Glacier national park--wah wah. The camera failed to turn on. I removed the battery and put another one in, removed the memory card, then removed the lens and to my dismay four quarter moon metal peices fell out of the camera. DOA.
I am furious. I still had a week's vacation left and without my new camera. I emailed Pentax and sent them the picture above and got a canned response, of course. I just sent it off to CRIS, and called them. Thier estimate is a month. So I have no camera, and for a month while they have it the warranty is expiring. They will not warranty thier work past the original warranty period either. I feel like I've been screwed. On the flip side I had my four year old K200D as a back-up camera, was able to continue taking photos for the rest of the trip. That K200D is built like a tank, I never had any problems with it- a true QC dream. I have no idea how a camera that cost three times the K200D can just fall to pieces in a blink of an eye. I've had cheap Chinese clockwork last longer than that K5. Makes me sick.