[bwDraco]

For some absolutely bizarre reason, the pop-up flash on my K-5 just burned out on me today.

I was trying out my DA 50mm lens today, and when I tried to use the pop-up flash, I noticed that the camera was somehow refusing to fire. I examined the flash, wondering what was going on, and I found myself dealing with a strong burn smell. I also noticed a burn mark on the top of the camera body where the flash sits, indicating that the flash had fired while it was closed. Fortunately, the camera still functions otherwise.

I see no indication that the flashtube itself has failed, so it seems the high-voltage flash circuitry is what broke. The camera is out of warranty (the extended warranty expired just one month ago).

I'm a bit hesitant to continue using the camera even without the flash as it did try to fire closed. Has anyone else had this happen to their camera? Can I safely use it without the flash? I can live without a pop-up flash (and the K-3 II won't have one), but this incident really freaked me out. I don't want to fall back to my K-r as the battery on it isn't in great shape at this point.

—DragonLord

---

Last edited by bwDraco; 04-21-2015 at 04:28 PM.

[Na Horuk]

well, you are a red dragon..

btw, did you use any other flash earlier? On one of my cameras an old flash on the hotshoe ruined the onboard flash.

[bwDraco]

No, I haven't used my shoe-mounted flash recently. The pop-up flash had fired normally just a couple of days ago.

Edit: Just tested my Metz 58 AF-2 flashgun and it still triggers properly on my K-5. I've taped the pop-up flash down for safety purposes—it won't try to charge if it isn't popped up.

—DragonLord