Hello everybody!
i have a rather sad story to tell and the right place to do so, is here at the pentaxforums! Everything starts in november when I decide to follow a photographer's career. So I invested in pentax equipment. A k5, a few lenses and here we go! Last February I was in Holland (my girlfriend is Dutch) and at a point we were passing with the car next to a big park in Amsterdam.I decided to take some pics.The weather was misty, ideal for winter shots. We park, go to the trunk take my k5(with grip), which at that point had the 50-135 on it, put it around my shoulder(I had the sun-sniper pro strap) walk 10 steps and, then I hear the the sound my k5 with the 50-135 made when it hit the asphalt street from 60cm height! I look down I see my k5 on the ground and I freeze! The seconds to bend and pick it up felt like minutes!The camera hit the ground with the grip first, at the corner where the AE-L button is.The 50-135 was opened in 2 places.Not fully open, but the rubber sealing rings where hanging out at 2 points.The sun sniper strap still hanging from my shoulder. I saw that it had somehow unscrewed from the grip.The k5 looked intact. Anyway, I brought it straight to a photo store I knew.I decided to leave the k5 for a check up and the lens with the grip for repair, because I knew that in my country there is no support or service. They also send it abroad (France).The employee said that it had to be sent to Belgium, where a pentax repair center is, and he will have a reply in two weeks(!) about the cost.
Two weeks later I get the costs. 818euro(!)(1063$) for the k5
145euro(188$) for the grip and the lens had to be sent to Germany because they are qualified for this. So I would get those costs from Germany. I have to mention here that I payed 880euro(1144$) for the kit(18-55) brand new! Why 818e? Because the sensor had to be replaced!! I decided to request my gear to be returned to me, because that was simply ridiculous. It took two weeks(!) for the stuff to return to the Dutch store. I didn't get the cost for the lens because I was already furious with the whole thing, so i just told them to send it back. I called the Belgian repair centre, which is actually an authorized repair centre called "De Beukelaer" and they informed me: 'yes the sensor needs to be replaced and costs 500e(650$) plus fine tune.The charge per working hour is 70e(91$)without tax'!! They also told me that if one wants to replace everything on a k5, the costs are three times the value of the camera! Also that the lense will be very expensive to be repaired....
So here I am now, thinking what I am going to do. Already 980e(1274$), which I payed for the lens, down the drain.
Shall I sell everything and quit the photo career before I even start? Buy again the k5? Is it worth it, because I'm really disappointed by the pentax support.
And now with the prices increased? Maybe it is worth it to send to Canada where the costs are lower?
I dont know guys...
Ps. I will include some photos from the damaged lens next week when I get my hands on it
09/04/12
Ok! Now this is really weird!! I got my gear back from Holland today, along with the new k5 body. So first I started testing my damaged body. Well it's working! The only thing I noticed, is compared to the new one, in start up the "damaged" one makes a more squeaky noise. It takes photos like it use to do..perfect! Now this is confusing!Why they said they had to replace the sensor? Do they see something that the rest of us can't see??Really weird stuff!!When the camera fell I took one photo fast and rushed to the store.That moment I wasn't thinking straight, I admit.I left the body for a "just in case"check up!Now I have two body's.Well not bad because especially for wedding shooting I need a back up.I post some pics tomorrow from both body's.I also have to add that the grip is working perfect too!!!
Last edited by dinos; 04-09-2012 at 09:06 PM.
Reason: UPDATE