[Fila]

Hi,

I have seen quite some posts for other models mirror flopping, but none for K50?

I have purchased it end of January 2014.
It exhibited mirror flopping problem, quite soon after the purchase, but only once and it was resolved after power off/on cycle.
I attributed it to cold February weather and happily used camera till last Saturday
when, well on quite warm, but not really hot weather, started with mirror flopping problem that does not stop

I can shoot in live view, but otherwise it is unusable, the viewfinder is dimmed, and it even does not autofocus, and sometimes does not power off.

Anybody else with K50 mirror flopping?

Tx
Rgds
Fila

PS Still under warranty it goes for reparation ASAP

[totsmuyco]

You're the first one that I know who has experienced it. I suggest that you document it properly and report the issue to your dealer.

[k0og]

I bought my daughter a K-50 in December - she is shooting pro now and wanted an upgrade to her K200D. In the last month or two, she started experiencing mirror flop/sticking. It happens with several different lenses that work fine on her K200D. I cleaned the contacts on body and lenses and upgraded her firmware, but it's still happening. She found that if she quickly dismounts and remounts the lens, she can continue shooting for a few more shots, then it sticks again. Powering it off and back on does not fix the problem. Only dismounting/remounting the lens seems to fix it.

I'm afraid she will have to send it back for repair/replacement. She LOVES her K-50, but the problem is interfering with her work. She does a lot of photos of little babies and kids, and in that fast-moving environment I'm sure she is missing some shots. At least she has a K200D for backup.

-Joe-

[Fila]

You're the first one that I know who has experienced it. I suggest that you document it properly and report the issue to your dealer.

What would constitute proper documentation?
Is the following video OK:

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

?

---------- Post added 06-09-14 at 08:52 PM ----------

I bought my daughter bought a K-50 in December - she is shooting pro now and wanted an upgrade to her K200D. In the last month or two, she started experiencing mirror flop/sticking. It happens with several different lenses that work fine on her K200D. I cleaned the contacts on body and lenses and upgraded her firmware, but it's still happening. She found that if she quickly dismounts and remounts the lens, she can continue shooting for a few more shots, then it sticks again. Powering it off and back on does not fix the problem. Only dismounting/remounting the lens seems to fix it.

I am itching to try to "solve" it somehow, but keeping in this state should allow proper diagnostic, so I do not try anything.

I'm afraid she will have to send it back for repair/replacement. She LOVES her K-50, but the problem is interfering with her work. She does a lot of photos of little babies and kids, and in that fast-moving environment I'm sure she is missing some shots. At least she has a K200D for backup.

It is very annoying, even if she has a backup. It surely has to go back to service

Tx
Rgds
Fila

[k0og]

Fila,

Your video is exactly the problem hers experiences. However, it is erratic. The problem is a little different than the "mirror flop" problem I think the K5 and K3 have in that they repeatedly cycle the mirror many times per second. In this case, as your video demonstrates, the mirror and shutter seem to just get "stuck" and prevent taking a picture.

She had a photo shoot yesterday and told me she had no problems with it. She has one this afternoon, so we'll see if it is still good. I suggested that she send it in immediately since it is still under warranty. I have grandpa duty with her kids while she is doing the photo shoot, so I will see her and ask how it went when I take the grandkids back home to her later.

Try the following to see if it temporarily solves your problem:

Turn off the camera (remove the battery if you must). Then remove the lens (she does not even have to completely remove it, but just releases the latch and rotates it in the mount, then latches it back in position). Then turn the camera back on and it will probably work normally - at least for a while.

-Joe-

What would constitute proper documentation?
Is the following video OK:...

---------- Post added 06-09-14 at 08:52 PM ----------

[totsmuyco]

For documentation purposes, I would suggest that you document your complaints with your dealer. Mark or copy your camera's serial number since there may be a trend in the manufacturing batch which may have some troublesome parts or may need some software upgrade. To prevent further damage, it would also be wise not to use your camera. As some K-3 owners said, they had some debris on there sensor.

As I have commented in the other thread, the K-5 had this problem. Lately others have said that other older models had the same problem though not as serious as the K-3. Now, the current models are experiencing the same problem. I wonder why they never addressed this. If you can have your unit replaced with a new one I recommend you do so. I really hope Pentax/Ricoh will put an end to this problem. This is really disappointing.

[ofer4]

Hi, Fila. Sorry to hear about this. The issue seems to be affecting several models, although you're the first K-50 owner I've seen post about it. As far as I know, no DIY solution is available. (The aperture mechanism had to be replaced on mine last year because of this issue.) I'd definitely recommend submitting it for a warranty repair. Also, please check it carefully when you get it back. I tested mine in the dealer's shop after they got it back from CRIS (the US repair facility), and the mirror flopped--quite literally--on the first shutter press. Back it went...

In my case, the problem was exacerbated by M42 (i.e., contact-free) lenses, as well as shooting with no lens attached. You might try suggesting this approach to the repair folks as a means of diagnosis. In any case, good luck!

[k0og]

I just saw my daughter, and her shoot (a set of 3-month-old twin boys) went perfectly with no hangups or mirror-flops from her K-50. I suggested that she always wipe the contacts on the lens and camera whenever she changes lenses and send it in for repair immediately if it happens again. I'll let you know here if she learns any more about her problem.

-Joe-

[Fila]

Thanks everybody,
I contacted the service and it will be there tomorrow,
but then it goes to France for reparation (I live in Belgium)

I let you know how it goes ...

Rgds
Fila

---------- Post added 06-10-14 at 01:26 PM ----------

I really hope Pentax/Ricoh will put an end to this problem. This is really disappointing.

Indeed very

[k0og]

Fila,

Please let us know what the ticket says was done to your camera when it is returned. I'm very curious about what parts they service or replace.

Thanks.
-Joe-

Thanks everybody,
I contacted the service and it will be there tomorrow,
but then it goes to France for reparation (I live in Belgium)

I let you know how it goes ...

Rgds
Fila

---------- Post added 06-10-14 at 01:26 PM ----------



Indeed very

[Fila]

Fila,

Please let us know what the ticket says was done to your camera when it is returned. I'm very curious about what parts they service or replace.

Thanks.
-Joe-

Sure
Tx
Rgds
Fila

[stevebrot]

You're the first one that I know who has experienced it.

My thoughts as well. Sorry that both the OP and kOog's daughter are having this problem. As noted above, this problem is dissimilar to both the mirror issues on the K-3 and previous mirror-flop issues on K-5 series and K-30. Hopefully this is something that is both rare and addressable by a firmware patch.


Steve

[Fila]

I contacted the service and it will be there tomorrow,

Camera delivered to the service center, and as Murphy says, it started working as soon as it got there
It will still go to France to have mirror checked, but who know what, if anything, will be done.
Very friendly people at Belgian service were sympathetic to my problem, but they said that such endemic problems can be difficult to repair
I let you know what happens.
Tx
Rgds
Fila

[k0og]

Steve,

I upgraded her K-50 to the latest firmware but that did not fix it as I got it to hang up after the update. So, at least the latest firmware does not fix the problem with my daughter's camera. However, it recently started working properly and it's been good the last few days. It was an erratic problem before I upgraded the firmware, and unfortunately I expect her to have the problem again. I'm hoping that Fila will get a definite answer from the repair service about what they did to repair it, and I can tell my daughter to include that information when she sends hers in for warranty repair.

One thing I did NOT try that I just thought of is to reset the settings to factory defaults. I'll suggest that my daughter try that next time she has a problem.

-Joe-

My thoughts as well. Sorry that both the OP and kOog's daughter are having this problem. As noted above, this problem is dissimilar to both the mirror issues on the K-3 and previous mirror-flop issues on K-5 series and K-30. Hopefully this is something that is both rare and addressable by a firmware patch.


Steve

[Fila]

I upgraded her K-50 to the latest firmware but that did not fix it as I got it to hang up after the update.

For the record I was not on the latest firmware V1.02 (PENTAX REAR CONVERTER), but on the previous V1.01.
Fila