Clunk noise

CJC · 09-06-2011, 03:09 PM

I know this issue has been addressed previously.
I just received my new K5.
I don't get a clunk noise BUT whenever the camera is rotated above or below horizontal, the innards of the camera move what seems to be a half an inch or so inside the body to the left or right depending on which way the camera is moved. You can feel the movement.
DOES THIS SEEM NORMAL TO ANY OF YOU K5 OWNERS? Or, should I return this body?
Also, do the SD cards seem to stick when you try to remove them?
Thanks for any help.

**blackcloudbrew** · 09-06-2011, 03:24 PM

Clunk normal it's the SR system, and sticking is normal. If you do the cards just right, you can get them to shoot across the room a bit.

**rod_grant** · 09-06-2011, 03:28 PM

There is stuff that moves inside! I wouldn't say that I can feel it, but maybe My fingers are not sensitive enough! It is certainly audible, but not what I would call a 'clunk'.
The SD card removal has also had a fair bit of comment on this forum. Yes it can be very hard to get out for some. I have a Sandisk card that comes out relatively easy, and a lesser brand that is much harder but is getting easier (either with practice on my part, of because something is loosening up). If the card slot door was hinged a bit further back it wouldn't be such a problem.

CJC · 09-06-2011, 04:55 PM

Thanks for your input. The term clunk noise was the term used in previous threads.
In my case it is not so much a noise as it is that the inside does not seem to be bolted to the frame.
You hear and almost FEEL the parts sliding back and forth as you move the camera?
Does that appear to be NORMAL?

Last edited by CJC; 09-06-2011 at 05:02 PM.

lammie200 · 09-06-2011, 05:07 PM

Originally posted by CJC

Thanks for your input. The term clunk noise was the term used in previous threads.
In my case it is not so much a noise as it is that the inside does not seem to be bolted to the frame.
You hear and almost FEEL the parts sliding back and forth as you move the camera?
Does that appear to be NORMAL?

I don't know all the technical aspects of why these cameras have that characteristic, but I do believe that it is perfectly normal. I don't think that you should be worried. I am sure that someone here will chime in and describe the reasons.

**jerm1386** · 09-06-2011, 07:34 PM

well the sensor assembly and anything else that moves with the SR system is technically, you're right, not bolted to the frame so it would clunk around a bit when you move it. i can feel it as well when i move or jostle my camera. This is perfectly normal and to be honest if it weren't that way then the SR system would probably not be able to work properly. just don't go around trying to see how loud you can make it clunk :-)

octavmandru · 09-06-2011, 11:27 PM

The amount of "clunk" depends on the focal length.
Try this: take off the lens, put the body cover on.
start the camera. it will ask you the focal length (allow the usage of aperture ring Menu/C/27).
set the focal length to a very high value. 400+

Turn on LV. Move the camera, turn it around. Then tell us what did that feel like.

Octav

Gimbal · 09-07-2011, 12:12 AM

Originally posted by CJC

I don't get a clunk noise BUT whenever the camera is rotated above or below horizontal, the innards of the camera move what seems to be a half an inch or so inside the body to the left or right depending on which way the camera is moved. You can feel the movement.
DOES THIS SEEM NORMAL TO ANY OF YOU K5 OWNERS? Or, should I return this body?

Yes, that is normal, and so is the question.
The sensor sliding around inside the camera normally generates the "clunk" or "something is loose in my camera"- type of questions. It's weird at first, but it's normal.

**jerm1386** · 09-07-2011, 03:12 AM

Originally posted by octavmandru

The amount of "clunk" depends on the focal length.
Try this: take off the lens, put the body cover on.
start the camera. it will ask you the focal length (allow the usage of aperture ring Menu/C/27).
set the focal length to a very high value. 400+
Octav

This makes perfect sense if you think about how the SR system has to work to compensate for shake. if, during an exposure, you accidentally rotate the camera one degree around the vertical axis with an ultrawide lens that has a 90° field of view on our sensor, then the SR system has to compensate by moving the sensor 1/90th of the width of the sensor so it can still see what it was looking at before. if you're at 500mm that has a ~3° field of view on our sensor, the SR system has to move the sensor 1/3rd the width of the sensor for that same 1° of shake, possibly hitting the limits of its range of motion. I'm not sure how far the sensor can be moved for SR purposes but I can't imagine it would be more than about 20% of the sensor dimension in any direction.

octavmandru · 09-07-2011, 08:16 AM

I think Falk Lumo has measured the shutter size (it has to be bigger than the sensor because of the OS), and he found it about 1 mm bigger on each side of the sensor.

Octav

CJC · 09-08-2011, 12:36 PM

Thank you for spending so much time on your thoughtful answer.
I did what you requested, but it did not ask for a focal length. Should it have?
On Live View, there is no noise!
Why is that so???

octavmandru · 09-08-2011, 10:53 PM

Originally posted by CJC

Thank you for spending so much time on your thoughtful answer.
I did what you requested, but it did not ask for a focal length. Should it have?
On Live View, there is no noise!
Why is that so???

Then you must have done something wrong

I have tried on my camera, and I found that if you have SR turned off, it will not ask for focal length.
Therefore, you have the SR Off.
Make sure when you do the test to be in the Single Frame Shooting mode, so the SR doesn't auto cancel.

Octav

austin.design · 10-20-2012, 01:28 AM

Originally posted by jerm1386

well the sensor assembly and anything else that moves with the SR system is technically, you're right, not bolted to the frame so it would clunk around a bit when you move it. i can feel it as well when i move or jostle my camera. This is perfectly normal and to be honest if it weren't that way then the SR system would probably not be able to work properly. just don't go around trying to see how loud you can make it clunk :-)

Thus described, we would experience the same so-called "clunking" (although I think the OP has described it better as both an audible and palpable sliding of something) in a Sony Alpha-series DSLR, which also has in-body shake reduction (and, of course, a "sensor assembly" and mirrors and so-forth), and yet...we don't.

I'm wondering if some of the SR systems are, in fact, too loose on, say, a small portion of Pentax bodies (say, from rough shipment or poor assembly), but whenever the (very real) problem is described, the vast majority of Pentax owners chime in, assuming the "clunk" is no more dramatic than what's occurring in their bodies and wrongly assure the complaining minority that the phenomenon's normal and not to be worried about.

Gimbal · 10-20-2012, 06:13 AM

Originally posted by austin.design

Thus described, we would experience the same so-called "clunking" (although I think the OP has described it better as both an audible and palpable sliding of something) in a Sony Alpha-series DSLR, which also has in-body shake reduction (and, of course, a "sensor assembly" and mirrors and so-forth), and yet...we don't.

No we don't, because in Sonys cameras the sensors are moved around using ultrasonic motors which work by a combination of vibration and friction. And the friction part is there even when there is no power applied and thus there is no clunking.

eastbankflowers · 10-24-2012, 01:07 PM

Got my K5 yesterday and Yes mine has exactly the same peculiarities.

09-06-2011, 03:09 PM	#1
CJC New Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 24	Clunk noise I know this issue has been addressed previously. I just received my new K5. I don't get a clunk noise BUT whenever the camera is rotated above or below horizontal, the innards of the camera move what seems to be a half an inch or so inside the body to the left or right depending on which way the camera is moved. You can feel the movement. DOES THIS SEEM NORMAL TO ANY OF YOU K5 OWNERS? Or, should I return this body? Also, do the SD cards seem to stick when you try to remove them? Thanks for any help.

09-06-2011, 05:07 PM	#5
lammie200 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: San Francisco Photos: Albums Posts: 1,033	I don't know... Originally posted by CJC Thanks for your input. The term clunk noise was the term used in previous threads. In my case it is not so much a noise as it is that the inside does not seem to be bolted to the frame. You hear and almost FEEL the parts sliding back and forth as you move the camera? Does that appear to be NORMAL? I don't know all the technical aspects of why these cameras have that characteristic, but I do believe that it is perfectly normal. I don't think that you should be worried. I am sure that someone here will chime in and describe the reasons.

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09-06-2011, 03:24 PM	#2
blackcloudbrew Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cotati, California USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,461	Clunk normal it's the SR system, and sticking is normal. If you do the cards just right, you can get them to shoot across the room a bit.

09-06-2011, 03:28 PM	#3
rod_grant Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Wangaratta, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,951	There is stuff that moves inside! I wouldn't say that I can feel it, but maybe My fingers are not sensitive enough! It is certainly audible, but not what I would call a 'clunk'. The SD card removal has also had a fair bit of comment on this forum. Yes it can be very hard to get out for some. I have a Sandisk card that comes out relatively easy, and a lesser brand that is much harder but is getting easier (either with practice on my part, of because something is loosening up). If the card slot door was hinged a bit further back it wouldn't be such a problem.

09-06-2011, 04:55 PM	#4
CJC New Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 24 Original Poster	Thanks for your input. The term clunk noise was the term used in previous threads. In my case it is not so much a noise as it is that the inside does not seem to be bolted to the frame. You hear and almost FEEL the parts sliding back and forth as you move the camera? Does that appear to be NORMAL? Last edited by CJC; 09-06-2011 at 05:02 PM.

09-06-2011, 07:34 PM	#6
jerm1386 Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Baltimore, MD Photos: Albums Posts: 45	well the sensor assembly and anything else that moves with the SR system is technically, you're right, not bolted to the frame so it would clunk around a bit when you move it. i can feel it as well when i move or jostle my camera. This is perfectly normal and to be honest if it weren't that way then the SR system would probably not be able to work properly. just don't go around trying to see how loud you can make it clunk :-)

09-06-2011, 11:27 PM	#7
octavmandru Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: somewhere around Posts: 615	The amount of "clunk" depends on the focal length. Try this: take off the lens, put the body cover on. start the camera. it will ask you the focal length (allow the usage of aperture ring Menu/C/27). set the focal length to a very high value. 400+ Turn on LV. Move the camera, turn it around. Then tell us what did that feel like. Octav

09-07-2011, 12:12 AM	#8
Gimbal Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 2,106	Originally posted by CJC I don't get a clunk noise BUT whenever the camera is rotated above or below horizontal, the innards of the camera move what seems to be a half an inch or so inside the body to the left or right depending on which way the camera is moved. You can feel the movement. DOES THIS SEEM NORMAL TO ANY OF YOU K5 OWNERS? Or, should I return this body? Yes, that is normal, and so is the question. The sensor sliding around inside the camera normally generates the "clunk" or "something is loose in my camera"- type of questions. It's weird at first, but it's normal.

09-07-2011, 03:12 AM	#9
jerm1386 Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Baltimore, MD Photos: Albums Posts: 45	Originally posted by octavmandru The amount of "clunk" depends on the focal length. Try this: take off the lens, put the body cover on. start the camera. it will ask you the focal length (allow the usage of aperture ring Menu/C/27). set the focal length to a very high value. 400+ Octav This makes perfect sense if you think about how the SR system has to work to compensate for shake. if, during an exposure, you accidentally rotate the camera one degree around the vertical axis with an ultrawide lens that has a 90° field of view on our sensor, then the SR system has to compensate by moving the sensor 1/90th of the width of the sensor so it can still see what it was looking at before. if you're at 500mm that has a ~3° field of view on our sensor, the SR system has to move the sensor 1/3rd the width of the sensor for that same 1° of shake, possibly hitting the limits of its range of motion. I'm not sure how far the sensor can be moved for SR purposes but I can't imagine it would be more than about 20% of the sensor dimension in any direction.

09-07-2011, 08:16 AM	#10
octavmandru Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: somewhere around Posts: 615	I think Falk Lumo has measured the shutter size (it has to be bigger than the sensor because of the OS), and he found it about 1 mm bigger on each side of the sensor. Octav

09-08-2011, 12:36 PM	#11
CJC New Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 24 Original Poster	Thank you for spending so much time on your thoughtful answer. I did what you requested, but it did not ask for a focal length. Should it have? On Live View, there is no noise! Why is that so???

09-08-2011, 10:53 PM	#12
octavmandru Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: somewhere around Posts: 615	Originally posted by CJC Thank you for spending so much time on your thoughtful answer. I did what you requested, but it did not ask for a focal length. Should it have? On Live View, there is no noise! Why is that so??? Then you must have done something wrong I have tried on my camera, and I found that if you have SR turned off, it will not ask for focal length. Therefore, you have the SR Off. Make sure when you do the test to be in the Single Frame Shooting mode, so the SR doesn't auto cancel. Octav

10-20-2012, 01:28 AM	#13
austin.design Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 5	Originally posted by jerm1386 well the sensor assembly and anything else that moves with the SR system is technically, you're right, not bolted to the frame so it would clunk around a bit when you move it. i can feel it as well when i move or jostle my camera. This is perfectly normal and to be honest if it weren't that way then the SR system would probably not be able to work properly. just don't go around trying to see how loud you can make it clunk :-) Thus described, we would experience the same so-called "clunking" (although I think the OP has described it better as both an audible and palpable sliding of something) in a Sony Alpha-series DSLR, which also has in-body shake reduction (and, of course, a "sensor assembly" and mirrors and so-forth), and yet...we don't. I'm wondering if some of the SR systems are, in fact, too loose on, say, a small portion of Pentax bodies (say, from rough shipment or poor assembly), but whenever the (very real) problem is described, the vast majority of Pentax owners chime in, assuming the "clunk" is no more dramatic than what's occurring in their bodies and wrongly assure the complaining minority that the phenomenon's normal and not to be worried about.

10-20-2012, 06:13 AM	#14
Gimbal Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 2,106	Originally posted by austin.design Thus described, we would experience the same so-called "clunking" (although I think the OP has described it better as both an audible and palpable sliding of something) in a Sony Alpha-series DSLR, which also has in-body shake reduction (and, of course, a "sensor assembly" and mirrors and so-forth), and yet...we don't. No we don't, because in Sonys cameras the sensors are moved around using ultrasonic motors which work by a combination of vibration and friction. And the friction part is there even when there is no power applied and thus there is no clunking.

10-24-2012, 01:07 PM	#15
eastbankflowers New Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Regents Park Queensland Photos: Gallery Posts: 13	Got my K5 yesterday and Yes mine has exactly the same peculiarities.