[JGB]

Basically out of nowhere, my K-5 on switch/depth of field preview switch has gotten stiff. I really mean nowhere, I turned it on, shot a few shots, turned it off, then 2 minutes later, camera still in hand turned it on again, and it wouldn't rotate properly, I have to hold the camera in my left hand and forcibly rotate it with my right. I'm guessing the seal has gone and screwed up somehow? London drugs won't exchange it, even though I'm within the exchange period due to a scratch on the screen(not related to my issue with a brand new camera.
Should've bought it at Henry's 150$ less and a decent warranty.


Any suggestions on how I can fix this, I can't afford the month of downtime for Pentax to fix it, I'm a photography student and need to be shooting for class, I just picked up a lens and the other stuff I needed for that, I can't afford a 2nd body.

First time I've ever bought new, and it's turning into a bad experience.

[Adam]

If it's stiff all of a sudden, it might be on the verge of breaking. I would just leave it in the ON position if you need to use the camera in the immediate future, and then send it in under warranty when you're on break.

[JGB]

The problem with that though is that the turn around time from Pentax is longer than the break time I have I believe. and I also can't find my receipt, though I could just send a copy of my bank statement I suppose. Very frustrating on a camera I've only had time to shoot a few shots through! What causes it to get stiff like that? It feels to me like it's trying to force its way around on a rubber seal that is out of its groove.
Is it possible to pay for a rush job with Pentax, or would I be better off getting a local shop to do it?

[Wheatfield]

Is this a new way that the K5 has found to let it's users down?

[JGB]

I think it's more of a way for Pentax/London Drugs to let me down. Should have bought it from Henry's for the free 90 day warranty, and less expense. But hindsight or new issues doesn't help to resolve my issue. I am infuriated. Pentax turn around is now 6 to 8 weeks. This is ****ing ridiculous. I love Pentax, but having just spent over 3000$, which I will be unable to spend again on camera equipment within the next several years, I am a student, I rely on this equipment. Six weeks to TWO MONTHS to repair a simple switch, when the user has spent that kind of money less than 30 days before is insane, this should be a straight exchange IMO, or at least a reasonable level of service. They are also demanding the original receipt which I don't have, and am trying to get from London Drugs, while I would accept that if they at least had a decent level of service, with this poor level of repair service, and lack of help, I will never buy camera equipment from London Drugs again, and I'm seriously regretting my decision to stick with Pentax at the moment. I guess the warnings about trying to use anything but Canon and rely on it are reasonable, if unfortunate.
If anyone has any advice on how I could get this sorted out in an actually reasonable time frame for a very expensive, new piece of equipment I would really appreciate it.

[jbinpg]

Sorry to hear of your bad experience with London Drugs. I bought my K5 from them here in town and I have a great rapport with the camera department. I am one of the ones with a flawless K5 so I have not had to exercise any warranty/exchange issue but I bought the extended warranty anyway in case I had to. I echo Adam's advice - just leave the switch in the ON position. You can enable a timed shutdown in the Menu which will cause it to go to sleep after a while which should save your batteries from being depleted quickly. Sorry you can't find your sales receipt. From previous bad experiences of not saving them, the first thing I do is take it to my insurance company so they can add it to my rider, and then I put it in my file cabinet.

Jack

[Jeremy Brown]

I'm the OP, but in too much of a hurry to sort my incorrect password issue at the moment.

The camera seems to have fixed itself, it rotates easily enough again, though not quite as light as my K-r and the depth of field preview works again.

However I notice that the center and top button of the 4-way controller in the back are stiff if you let them sit for more than a day or two without pressing them. I'm worried that the seals in this camera are not in place properly, and even though the on switch works that I may have lost a key waterproof seal. If I send it in to be checked out, will Pentax charge me for it? I don't want them to just play with the buttons and pronounce it ok, I want them to check and confirm the seals are in place and the switches are ok, since there are recurring issues with buttons etc, if it works but they are not, then I am no better off with Pentax than with Canikon in that regard.

[RonHendriks1966]

My suggestion is to use the on/off switch intensively or maybe even blow it with some clean air from a cann. There may just be some dust or sand under it wich will find it's way out by using it. If it is going to break, that will also happen sooner then.

[RonHendriks1966]

However I notice that the center and top button of the 4-way controller in the back are stiff if you let them sit for more than a day or two without pressing them. I'm worried that the seals in this camera are not in place properly, and even though the on switch works that I may have lost a key waterproof seal.

Well there is absolutely no relation between the on/off switch and the 4-way controller. So don't seek for a correlation or something that maybe both can have the same. If your sealing is not in place, that is not something that can be checked by Pentax without taking your camera in parts.

Try to relax and enjoy your camera. Put a DA* lens on it and take a walk in the rain. You will see that there will be no trouble.

K-5 with DA*60-250mm

[JohnBee]

Wow all these K-5 QC problems really remind me of how I should appreciate my problem free K-5!

[Class A]

Let me summarize

• You choose a shop which is not only more expensive than others but also has a worse return policy.
• You lose your receipt.
• You think that buying one camera is a solution to the challenge of requiring a camera with minimal downtime. (Apparently you also have a K-r but for some reason it cannot be used as a backup?)

Your conclusion is that a) the blame lies with Pentax and b) you should have followed the advice to buy nothing but Canon.

This doesn't make sense. Canon cameras break as well (a friend recently had a mirror problem and a lot of hassle with the shop and Canon to get it repaired under warranty) and unless you get a professional deal which you could never afford as a student, you'll have to wait for repairs as well.

To the respective posters: With the OP's particular problem I don't think one can point at Pentax QC as it is not a frequent problem at all and something similar could have happened wit any brand.

[Jeremy Brown]

Well there is absolutely no relation between the on/off switch and the 4-way controller. So don't seek for a correlation or something that maybe both can have the same. If your sealing is not in place, that is not something that can be checked by Pentax without taking your camera in parts.

Try to relax and enjoy your camera. Put a DA* lens on it and take a walk in the rain. You will see that there will be no trouble.

K-5 with DA*60-250mm

I know there is no direct relation, but I thought I'd mention it as well. If the seals in more than one place are causing problems, I am concerned. I don't think it is caused by the same problem, but having it taken to bits and checked is exactly what I would like Pentax to do, will they do that without charge, when there is a recurring issue like this?

If I do that, and it does die, then I have no warranty coverage at all(k-5 isn't covered for liquid damage despite the seals) and I'm up the creek. I want it taken to pieces, checked and put back together, that behavior from a camera is NOT normal, and should be checked. If my car starts making grinding noises, and then they subside mostly, I would still like the shop to get to the bottom of the issue, rather than waiting until the warranty period is up to discover what was wrong and why it can't be fixed.

This switch issue lasted for 3 weeks, one day I turned it on and off for several hours, without any indication the switch was loosening up in the slightest. Left alone on a shelf and the stiffness lessened, to the point I can actually use the preview mode again(albeit slowly, it doesn't immediately return to position like a normal one)

Let me summarize

• You choose a shop which is not only more expensive than others but also has a worse return policy.
• You lose your receipt.
• You think that buying one camera is a solution to the challenge of requiring a camera with minimal downtime. (Apparently you also have a K-r but for some reason it cannot be used as a backup?)

Your conclusion is that a) the blame lies with Pentax and b) you should have followed the advice to buy nothing but Canon.

This doesn't make sense. Canon cameras break as well (a friend recently had a mirror problem and a lot of hassle with the shop and Canon to get it repaired under warranty) and unless you get a professional deal which you could never afford as a student, you'll have to wait for repairs as well.

With your particular problem I don't think one can point at Pentax QC as it is not a frequent problem at all and something similar could have happened wit any brand.

Let me summarize for you, since clearly my posting was not well worded for you, and I left off some information which I didn't believe directly relevant to the issue at hand.

a) the blame for return policies lies with the seller, something I observed so that other people might make a better choice on sellers than I did, a 15 day return policy sucks when your camera acts up on day 16.
b) the only blame I was laying with with Pentax is for the turn around time. If you google Canon's turn around time it seems to range between a few days up to about three weeks. That is a perfectly acceptable time frame to me. Double or more is not.


c) I can't find where I expressed displeasure at Pentax QC in relation to this issue, I just re-read all my posts, perhaps you could point out to me where I did as I can't find it. The camera did not come that way from the factory, so I would not expect them to have caught that, that's silly. I do however expect a reasonable time-frame for repairs. If my laptop breaks, I send it in, the company will fix it and send it back within 14 days. That's reasonable. 6 weeks+ is not reasonable on what is supposed to be a premium product with premium price tag to match.


d) I bought Pentax because I have in the past found them to be durable, and reliable, negating the need to buy more than one body, space for two bodies is a luxury I don't have traveling. I bought a used K-R this week to get me through not having a camera, an expensive addition, something I can't really afford(two bodies) but it's that or start failing classes, and reneging on shoots I agreed to do, so I bit the bullet, 3 days later the switch started working again almost normally, at least well enough to allow me to finish my semester with it before sending it in.

My last post was inquiring as to whether or not Pentax would charge for a request to have it taken apart and checked, not just have the switch flipped back and forth and since it seems to work fine(for now) having it sent back after sitting in the shop, for me to discover unpleasant surprises down the road, or discover a failed seal through water damage which isn't covered etc.
If you have any insight on that part of their process, I would appreciate it, and it would be much more constructive. Thanks

[d4vr0s]

I know I'm reviving an old thread, but my K5 just presented this problem. I plan to send it to CRIS but wanted to know if anyone knows what causes it and/or experiences with warranty repair of this issue.

[David]

Hi d4vr0s, you aren't the only one. My K-5 has had the problem for a few months and it's out of warranty. I have tried repeated operations, hard blowing and brushing. I'm not game enough to try a fine blade under the switch. Now I just leave it on 24/7.

I am traveling the Oz outback and won't be able to do send it to the Oz distributor for repair until about March next year. I don't know how much dis-assembly is required to get at the switch but that is not something I would be confident in tackling.

Good Luck

David

[sb in ak]

Mine got kind of stiff awhile back. I assumed I must have gotten some dirt in there somehow on an outing. I tried sliding a fingernail underneath and flipping it off and on a bunch of times (it was not so stiff it felt like it would break). Ultimately, the problem went away. I think some folks have tried floss but I don't know if I'd recommend that.