My K-5 dies when I press the shutter.

aliasant · 09-11-2011, 06:40 AM

This started yesterday.
I was shooting squirrels and suddenly the camera refused to take any pictures.
It made a strange sound as if it tried to open up the mirror but without success.... and then nothing.
I pressed again and again with the same result.

I replaced the battery with a freshly charged one but same results.
I left it resting and a couple of hours later it worked again.

Then today, after maybe 30 frames, it stopped again.
This time it shuts down when I press the shutter.
It also gives me the message: Battery Empty

The battery is not empty and I have tried with my other batteries both fully charged and almost full.

I have tried to take a picture without any lens attached.

When I turn on Liveview it sort of works but the mirror seems to stay down cause the screen is black and I can still see thru the viewfinder.

I have tried to set it to mirror lockup and it sort of works but the mirror stays down.

I have resetted it to factory but that didnt do anything either.

Started looking at other camera models but the only one I found that has built in stabilizer is the new Sony SLT a77 but it doesnt work well with adaptalls not speaking of my PK lens collection.

Frustration... Im going on a 4 days photo shoot in 3.5 weeks from now so I really hope they can fix it in time.
This is my second K-5 and I have only had it since May.

If anyone has experianced anything like this or has an idea about what could possibly be wrong that would be interesting to know.

Wheatfield · 09-11-2011, 07:08 AM

Ask ClassA.
I'm sure he'll tell you your camera is wonderful and this couldn't possibly be a problem.

Seriously though, is the battery heating up at all? It sounds to me like you have something that is operating as a very high drain on the battery, which is going to require a trip to the service center.
Or you may have a battery charger that has suddenly decided to go flakey.
Or, the shooting squirrels part is a dead giveaway and this is a troll thread.
If you are for real, you are just another unfortunate victim of Pentax's shoddy quality control.

Snots · 09-11-2011, 07:11 AM

Sounds like just another failed K5 to me. Send it in.

aliasant · 09-11-2011, 07:15 AM

hehehe

I guess Im just another victim then.
I have tried three different batteries and its the same with all of them.
When I start the camera the battery indicator says its full and the charger, if I try to chrage it again, goes green for a minute or so and then stops charging. Just as its supposed to be.
Seems like the mirror is stuck or is not getting power when it asks for it.
I tried to record some video and it worked perfect ... well. except that the mirror was down so all video is black.... Sounds seems just as poor as before so thats working fine

aliasant · 09-11-2011, 07:16 AM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

Ask ClassA.
I'm sure he'll tell you your camera is wonderful and this couldn't possibly be a problem.

btw.... I thought you would be the one telling me the camera is just fine ?

Im gonna call the support tomorrow morning and shout at them for a while just to get it out of my system.

Rupert · 09-11-2011, 07:31 AM

Send it back or send it in for service...whatever is appropriate. Or....buy another brand if it will fit your needs. Most stick with the K5, you already know why they do, it is an amazing camera, but there is no doubt it needs to work properly to be amazing.

Good Luck & I hope your problem is resolved promptly.

**davidreilly3207** · 09-11-2011, 07:34 AM

You can rent a body for your trip here.
CameraLensRentals.com - Pentax Bodies & Flashes Lens Rentals

Jim Radcliffe · 09-11-2011, 07:36 AM

I really feel sorry for Pentax because the K5, if it did not have so many issues, would be a great camera and in fact, it is a great camera, when it works properly. I love using mine but I have to admit that I probably would not have purchased it if all of these issues were happening when I was in the market for a new camera.

I did not have the stain issue.
I did not have the poor focus in low light issue.
I DID have the mirror flop issue but that has been repaired... so far.
Now we have mirror assemblies that either raise and get stuck or won't raise at all.

I would not be surprised if the mirror assembly and the associated electronics are the culprit for both the Mirror Flops and this latest variation of a mirror related problem. At some point we really do have to have a reality check and realize that there does seem to be a QC problem with the components being used in the K5. I don't know if it's the lowest bidder, a bad batch of circuit boards or poor assembly but these are not the kind of problems any camera maker or model needs.

While there are more than a few fanboys who rave about how great their K5 performs and how they have experienced zero problems the reality is that many more (as can be found here and on other forums) are having real issues with their k5.

You have to remember that the K5 is the current Pentax Flagship Camera in its class. I enjoy mine, love using it and promote it to others but honestly, the camera does have issues that Pentax or Ricoh needs to get sorted out. Whether those issues are related to the assembly line or poor design, someone at the top needs to make these negative issues go away from an otherwise great camera.

No camera is perfect but the K5 has the potential to be closer than most... if they just get the bugs out of it.

aliasant · 09-11-2011, 07:37 AM

Originally posted by Rupert

Send it back or send it in for service...whatever is appropriate. Or....buy another brand if it will fit your needs. Most stick with the K5, you already know why they do, it is an amazing camera, but there is no doubt it needs to work properly to be amazing.

Good Luck & I hope your problem is resolved promptly.

TY Rupert ( and Otis?? )

I will most likely stick with the K5 since theres no real option for me.
I like using old lenses and Adaptalls with the PK/A mount.
Cant really do that with Canon or Nikon and also have Image Stabilisation in the house.
Sonys and Olympus has IS but they dont have the nice compabillity with Adaptalls.

Its hard though. Knowing I have to live without it for many weeks + all the hassle explaining to the support why I need it fixed asap and preferably a new K5 sent to me. The one I have has a big blueish dot when I shoot video and no pixelmapping can fix it. Video is unusable for me.

Wheatfield · 09-11-2011, 07:39 AM

Originally posted by aliasant

btw.... I thought you would be the one telling me the camera is just fine ?

Im gonna call the support tomorrow morning and shout at them for a while just to get it out of my system.

I've heard one horror story too many (well two now with yours).
It's not that the K5 has a problem, it is that it has such a wide variety of them, and they are appearing one after another after another.
Most cameras will have a quirk or two, something that the manufacturer overlooked, or maybe a design flaw that affects performance, but generally, this is limited to perhaps one or two flaws, whether major or otherwise.
The K5 seems to come up with a new way to fail it's users on a weekly basis.

Tony3d · 09-11-2011, 07:40 AM

Sent mine back to B/H because of obvious QC issues. I'm giving them one more go around. It is a great camera when it's working properly.

aliasant · 09-11-2011, 08:11 AM

Originally posted by Tony3d

Sent mine back to B/H because of obvious QC issues. I'm giving them one more go around. It is a great camera when it's working properly.

Good luck! It really is a great camera when its not being repaired...

Originally posted by Wheatfield

I've heard one horror story too many (well two now with yours).
It's not that the K5 has a problem, it is that it has such a wide variety of them, and they are appearing one after another after another.
Most cameras will have a quirk or two, something that the manufacturer overlooked, or maybe a design flaw that affects performance, but generally, this is limited to perhaps one or two flaws, whether major or otherwise.
The K5 seems to come up with a new way to fail it's users on a weekly basis.

Lol
Indeed a new kind of failure each week..

Im going on a bird trip with a friend and he's a die hard Cano% user and will bring along a 7D for me to try incase my K5 hasnt returned.
Nice to know I dont have to worry to much about not having a camera for the trip.
Also weird not using my K5 but someone elses "off brand" camera. I wont be able to use my 2 PK lenses but I guess I would be ok using his Canon 500mm f4.0 instead

Wheatfield · 09-11-2011, 08:19 AM

Originally posted by Tony3d

Sent mine back to B/H because of obvious QC issues. I'm giving them one more go around. It is a great camera when it's working properly.

I'm reminded of my long ago sold for parts 1972 Triumph Trident motorcycle. A prettier bike, I have not seen, and it's handling and road manners were second to none.
Unfortunately, it rarely actually ran. I could only ride it on weekends because that was the only time I could spend enough time with a set of spanners to get the thing to start, and once started, I didn't dare shut it off for fear that I would be left stranded.
It was a great bike, provided I didn't take it farther from home than I was willing to push it back to the garage where it spent most of it's lamentable life.
Tony, I truly do hope the Pentax works out for you, and I do sincerely apologize for giving you such a rough ride, both here and on DPReview. I was clinging to the hope that this wasn't yet another failure of the camera, that somehow it could be blamed on a user error.
I'm sorry, I was wrong about you, and I am sorry because I was wrong about your camera.

Tony3d · 09-11-2011, 08:57 AM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

I'm reminded of my long ago sold for parts 1972 Triumph Trident motorcycle. A prettier bike, I have not seen, and it's handling and road manners were second to none.
Unfortunately, it rarely actually ran. I could only ride it on weekends because that was the only time I could spend enough time with a set of spanners to get the thing to start, and once started, I didn't dare shut it off for fear that I would be left stranded.
It was a great bike, provided I didn't take it farther from home than I was willing to push it back to the garage where it spent most of it's lamentable life.
Tony, I truly do hope the Pentax works out for you, and I do sincerely apologize for giving you such a rough ride, both here and on DPReview. I was clinging to the hope that this wasn't yet another failure of the camera, that somehow it could be blamed on a user error.
I'm sorry, I was wrong about you, and I am sorry because I was wrong about your camera.

Apology accepted. It really is a shame because the camera is wonderful! Unfortunately if they don't nip this QC thing in the butt quicky, it will affect their reputation. The camera has so much going for it, that it would be a terrible thing. I would rather Pentax raise the price of the K5, and enforce a strict QC program structure, than let this happen. After all it is their flagship DSLR, it needs to be treated as such. I will give it one more try, but after that with this trip right around the corner, I may have to turn to the dark side.

Rupert · 09-11-2011, 09:11 AM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

I'm reminded of my long ago sold for parts 1972 Triumph Trident motorcycle. A prettier bike, I have not seen, and it's handling and road manners were second to none.
Unfortunately, it rarely actually ran. I could only ride it on weekends because that was the only time I could spend enough time with a set of spanners to get the thing to start, and once started, I didn't dare shut it off for fear that I would be left stranded.
It was a great bike, provided I didn't take it farther from home than I was willing to push it back to the garage where it spent most of it's lamentable life.
Tony, I truly do hope the Pentax works out for you, and I do sincerely apologize for giving you such a rough ride, both here and on DPReview. I was clinging to the hope that this wasn't yet another failure of the camera, that somehow it could be blamed on a user error.
I'm sorry, I was wrong about you, and I am sorry because I was wrong about your camera.

My '73 Hurricane was another bike of new innovations and technical marvels for the times. Rode it over 200K miles with only routine maintenance and one broken shift lever....I broke trying to keep from being run over by a bus in the interior of Mexico. Would I buy one today? For the joys it brought, in a heartbeat.....but if I bought it today I would need a truckload of cash!

Selling it was the one thing I will hold against Mrs Rupert forever.......

There are few "things" in life that I will hold dear to my heart for as long as I live....I think my K5 is going to be one more of them.
Regards!

Name: Triumph.jpg
Views: 847
Size: 12.8 KB

09-11-2011, 06:40 AM	#1
aliasant Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Stockholm Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 634	My K-5 dies when I press the shutter. This started yesterday. I was shooting squirrels and suddenly the camera refused to take any pictures. It made a strange sound as if it tried to open up the mirror but without success.... and then nothing. I pressed again and again with the same result. I replaced the battery with a freshly charged one but same results. I left it resting and a couple of hours later it worked again. Then today, after maybe 30 frames, it stopped again. This time it shuts down when I press the shutter. It also gives me the message: Battery Empty The battery is not empty and I have tried with my other batteries both fully charged and almost full. I have tried to take a picture without any lens attached. When I turn on Liveview it sort of works but the mirror seems to stay down cause the screen is black and I can still see thru the viewfinder. I have tried to set it to mirror lockup and it sort of works but the mirror stays down. I have resetted it to factory but that didnt do anything either. Started looking at other camera models but the only one I found that has built in stabilizer is the new Sony SLT a77 but it doesnt work well with adaptalls not speaking of my PK lens collection. Frustration... Im going on a 4 days photo shoot in 3.5 weeks from now so I really hope they can fix it in time. This is my second K-5 and I have only had it since May. If anyone has experianced anything like this or has an idea about what could possibly be wrong that would be interesting to know.

09-11-2011, 07:36 AM	#8
Jim Radcliffe Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Dallas, Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 171	Man, what else can go wrong with that camera? I really feel sorry for Pentax because the K5, if it did not have so many issues, would be a great camera and in fact, it is a great camera, when it works properly. I love using mine but I have to admit that I probably would not have purchased it if all of these issues were happening when I was in the market for a new camera. I did not have the stain issue. I did not have the poor focus in low light issue. I DID have the mirror flop issue but that has been repaired... so far. Now we have mirror assemblies that either raise and get stuck or won't raise at all. I would not be surprised if the mirror assembly and the associated electronics are the culprit for both the Mirror Flops and this latest variation of a mirror related problem. At some point we really do have to have a reality check and realize that there does seem to be a QC problem with the components being used in the K5. I don't know if it's the lowest bidder, a bad batch of circuit boards or poor assembly but these are not the kind of problems any camera maker or model needs. While there are more than a few fanboys who rave about how great their K5 performs and how they have experienced zero problems the reality is that many more (as can be found here and on other forums) are having real issues with their k5. You have to remember that the K5 is the current Pentax Flagship Camera in its class. I enjoy mine, love using it and promote it to others but honestly, the camera does have issues that Pentax or Ricoh needs to get sorted out. Whether those issues are related to the assembly line or poor design, someone at the top needs to make these negative issues go away from an otherwise great camera. No camera is perfect but the K5 has the potential to be closer than most... if they just get the bugs out of it.

09-11-2011, 08:57 AM	#14
Tony3d Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Orlando Florida Posts: 487	Originally posted by Wheatfield I'm reminded of my long ago sold for parts 1972 Triumph Trident motorcycle. A prettier bike, I have not seen, and it's handling and road manners were second to none. Unfortunately, it rarely actually ran. I could only ride it on weekends because that was the only time I could spend enough time with a set of spanners to get the thing to start, and once started, I didn't dare shut it off for fear that I would be left stranded. It was a great bike, provided I didn't take it farther from home than I was willing to push it back to the garage where it spent most of it's lamentable life. Tony, I truly do hope the Pentax works out for you, and I do sincerely apologize for giving you such a rough ride, both here and on DPReview. I was clinging to the hope that this wasn't yet another failure of the camera, that somehow it could be blamed on a user error. I'm sorry, I was wrong about you, and I am sorry because I was wrong about your camera. Apology accepted. It really is a shame because the camera is wonderful! Unfortunately if they don't nip this QC thing in the butt quicky, it will affect their reputation. The camera has so much going for it, that it would be a terrible thing. I would rather Pentax raise the price of the K5, and enforce a strict QC program structure, than let this happen. After all it is their flagship DSLR, it needs to be treated as such. I will give it one more try, but after that with this trip right around the corner, I may have to turn to the dark side. Last edited by Tony3d; 09-11-2011 at 10:09 AM.

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09-11-2011, 07:08 AM	#2
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,981	Ask ClassA. I'm sure he'll tell you your camera is wonderful and this couldn't possibly be a problem. Seriously though, is the battery heating up at all? It sounds to me like you have something that is operating as a very high drain on the battery, which is going to require a trip to the service center. Or you may have a battery charger that has suddenly decided to go flakey. Or, the shooting squirrels part is a dead giveaway and this is a troll thread. If you are for real, you are just another unfortunate victim of Pentax's shoddy quality control.

09-11-2011, 07:11 AM	#3
Snots New Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Chicago Posts: 6	Sounds like just another failed K5 to me. Send it in.

09-11-2011, 07:15 AM	#4
aliasant Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Stockholm Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 634 Original Poster	hehehe I guess Im just another victim then. I have tried three different batteries and its the same with all of them. When I start the camera the battery indicator says its full and the charger, if I try to chrage it again, goes green for a minute or so and then stops charging. Just as its supposed to be. Seems like the mirror is stuck or is not getting power when it asks for it. I tried to record some video and it worked perfect ... well. except that the mirror was down so all video is black.... Sounds seems just as poor as before so thats working fine

09-11-2011, 07:16 AM	#5
aliasant Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Stockholm Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 634 Original Poster	Originally posted by Wheatfield Ask ClassA. I'm sure he'll tell you your camera is wonderful and this couldn't possibly be a problem. btw.... I thought you would be the one telling me the camera is just fine ? Im gonna call the support tomorrow morning and shout at them for a while just to get it out of my system.

09-11-2011, 07:31 AM	#6
Rupert Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 25,123	Send it back or send it in for service...whatever is appropriate. Or....buy another brand if it will fit your needs. Most stick with the K5, you already know why they do, it is an amazing camera, but there is no doubt it needs to work properly to be amazing. Good Luck & I hope your problem is resolved promptly.

09-11-2011, 07:34 AM	#7
davidreilly3207 Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: South Jersey Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 720	You can rent a body for your trip here. CameraLensRentals.com - Pentax Bodies & Flashes Lens Rentals

09-11-2011, 07:37 AM	#9
aliasant Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Stockholm Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 634 Original Poster	Originally posted by Rupert Send it back or send it in for service...whatever is appropriate. Or....buy another brand if it will fit your needs. Most stick with the K5, you already know why they do, it is an amazing camera, but there is no doubt it needs to work properly to be amazing. Good Luck & I hope your problem is resolved promptly. TY Rupert ( and Otis?? ) I will most likely stick with the K5 since theres no real option for me. I like using old lenses and Adaptalls with the PK/A mount. Cant really do that with Canon or Nikon and also have Image Stabilisation in the house. Sonys and Olympus has IS but they dont have the nice compabillity with Adaptalls. Its hard though. Knowing I have to live without it for many weeks + all the hassle explaining to the support why I need it fixed asap and preferably a new K5 sent to me. The one I have has a big blueish dot when I shoot video and no pixelmapping can fix it. Video is unusable for me.

09-11-2011, 07:39 AM	#10
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,981	Originally posted by aliasant btw.... I thought you would be the one telling me the camera is just fine ? Im gonna call the support tomorrow morning and shout at them for a while just to get it out of my system. I've heard one horror story too many (well two now with yours). It's not that the K5 has a problem, it is that it has such a wide variety of them, and they are appearing one after another after another. Most cameras will have a quirk or two, something that the manufacturer overlooked, or maybe a design flaw that affects performance, but generally, this is limited to perhaps one or two flaws, whether major or otherwise. The K5 seems to come up with a new way to fail it's users on a weekly basis.

09-11-2011, 07:40 AM	#11
Tony3d Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Orlando Florida Posts: 487	Sent mine back to B/H because of obvious QC issues. I'm giving them one more go around. It is a great camera when it's working properly.

09-11-2011, 08:11 AM	#12
aliasant Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Stockholm Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 634 Original Poster	Originally posted by Tony3d Sent mine back to B/H because of obvious QC issues. I'm giving them one more go around. It is a great camera when it's working properly. Good luck! It really is a great camera when its not being repaired... Originally posted by Wheatfield I've heard one horror story too many (well two now with yours). It's not that the K5 has a problem, it is that it has such a wide variety of them, and they are appearing one after another after another. Most cameras will have a quirk or two, something that the manufacturer overlooked, or maybe a design flaw that affects performance, but generally, this is limited to perhaps one or two flaws, whether major or otherwise. The K5 seems to come up with a new way to fail it's users on a weekly basis. Lol Indeed a new kind of failure each week.. Im going on a bird trip with a friend and he's a die hard Cano% user and will bring along a 7D for me to try incase my K5 hasnt returned. Nice to know I dont have to worry to much about not having a camera for the trip. Also weird not using my K5 but someone elses "off brand" camera. I wont be able to use my 2 PK lenses but I guess I would be ok using his Canon 500mm f4.0 instead

09-11-2011, 08:19 AM	#13
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,981	Originally posted by Tony3d Sent mine back to B/H because of obvious QC issues. I'm giving them one more go around. It is a great camera when it's working properly. I'm reminded of my long ago sold for parts 1972 Triumph Trident motorcycle. A prettier bike, I have not seen, and it's handling and road manners were second to none. Unfortunately, it rarely actually ran. I could only ride it on weekends because that was the only time I could spend enough time with a set of spanners to get the thing to start, and once started, I didn't dare shut it off for fear that I would be left stranded. It was a great bike, provided I didn't take it farther from home than I was willing to push it back to the garage where it spent most of it's lamentable life. Tony, I truly do hope the Pentax works out for you, and I do sincerely apologize for giving you such a rough ride, both here and on DPReview. I was clinging to the hope that this wasn't yet another failure of the camera, that somehow it could be blamed on a user error. I'm sorry, I was wrong about you, and I am sorry because I was wrong about your camera.

09-11-2011, 09:11 AM	#15
Rupert Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 25,123	Originally posted by Wheatfield I'm reminded of my long ago sold for parts 1972 Triumph Trident motorcycle. A prettier bike, I have not seen, and it's handling and road manners were second to none. Unfortunately, it rarely actually ran. I could only ride it on weekends because that was the only time I could spend enough time with a set of spanners to get the thing to start, and once started, I didn't dare shut it off for fear that I would be left stranded. It was a great bike, provided I didn't take it farther from home than I was willing to push it back to the garage where it spent most of it's lamentable life. Tony, I truly do hope the Pentax works out for you, and I do sincerely apologize for giving you such a rough ride, both here and on DPReview. I was clinging to the hope that this wasn't yet another failure of the camera, that somehow it could be blamed on a user error. I'm sorry, I was wrong about you, and I am sorry because I was wrong about your camera. My '73 Hurricane was another bike of new innovations and technical marvels for the times. Rode it over 200K miles with only routine maintenance and one broken shift lever....I broke trying to keep from being run over by a bus in the interior of Mexico. Would I buy one today? For the joys it brought, in a heartbeat.....but if I bought it today I would need a truckload of cash! Selling it was the one thing I will hold against Mrs Rupert forever....... There are few "things" in life that I will hold dear to my heart for as long as I live....I think my K5 is going to be one more of them. Regards!