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09-01-2018, 02:35 PM   #181
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QuoteOriginally posted by Tangent88 Quote
Manual, preset, auto/manual and auto and it's preset I want.
You want manual, preset, or auto with the auto/manual switch. The last type is basically a preset lens with the option for auto aperture actuation.


Steve

09-02-2018, 12:45 AM   #182
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
You want manual, preset, or auto with the auto/manual switch. The last type is basically a preset lens with the option for auto aperture actuation. Steve
There are very early manual lenses such as the early preset Takumars which don't have this auto/manual switch and yet they give the same advantage
as those with the switch.

I have here:

- Takumar 58mm f2
- Takumar 200mm f5,6

- semi-automatik Takumar 55mm f2


and I had:

Takumar 50 Macro 1:1 (the first preset version)
09-02-2018, 11:08 AM   #183
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Hi, my K30 developed this issue about 3 months ago, was able to rescue some of the initial dark shots on my laptop. A quick search revealed that this was a common and known issue, although I had my camera for about 4 years, there were reports of failure proceeding my purchase.

No luck with either Pentax/Ricoh or retailer. I was tempted to get it fixed, but decided that as the bulk of the photos I took were aperture priority, I could actually live with using manual and the green button. Tried it out with a couple of KA mount lenses but felt I wanted AF, so bought a couple of AF lenses cheaply on Ebay, a Sigma 28-70 (the one with the sticky plastic) and a Pentax 28-200. They work pretty well and will do until I decide if I will get it fixed or buy a better lens.

Only issues so far sometimes I get slight over exposure, (pity you cant use exposure compensation in manual mode , but usually get round this by metering and then adjusting shutter speed without metering again. Not having full Exif details is a pain, but I can live with that (I didn't have it with my Programme A or other film Pentax cameras).

I am annoyed that I can't use some of the K30s modes etc, but as I rarely used them I guess its not an issue.

I also started using my *istDL again (so I can use the digital lenses I have) and had forgotten how good it is, the pictures are quite decent and I have various automatic options if I need them.

Out of interest are there any digital lenses that have an aperture ring, as I sometimes find 28mm isn't quite wide enough, I haven't managed to track any down but wonder if they do exist.

Pity Pentax/Ricoh seem to have washed their hands of the issue (which they feel doesn't exist), reminds me of some of the German premium car manufacturers who won't acknowledge known issues.

Anyway I still enjoy the K30, but when I buy my next camera, I won't just rely on the reviews which tell me how wonderful it is.

Andy
09-02-2018, 12:31 PM - 1 Like   #184
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QuoteOriginally posted by andyk17 Quote
Hi, my K30 developed this issue about 3 months ago, was able to rescue some of the initial dark shots on my laptop. A quick search revealed that this was a common and known issue, although I had my camera for about 4 years, there were reports of failure proceeding my purchase.

No luck with either Pentax/Ricoh or retailer. I was tempted to get it fixed, but decided that as the bulk of the photos I took were aperture priority, I could actually live with using manual and the green button. Tried it out with a couple of KA mount lenses but felt I wanted AF, so bought a couple of AF lenses cheaply on Ebay, a Sigma 28-70 (the one with the sticky plastic) and a Pentax 28-200. They work pretty well and will do until I decide if I will get it fixed or buy a better lens.

Only issues so far sometimes I get slight over exposure, (pity you cant use exposure compensation in manual mode , but usually get round this by metering and then adjusting shutter speed without metering again. Not having full Exif details is a pain, but I can live with that (I didn't have it with my Programme A or other film Pentax cameras).

I am annoyed that I can't use some of the K30s modes etc, but as I rarely used them I guess its not an issue.

I also started using my *istDL again (so I can use the digital lenses I have) and had forgotten how good it is, the pictures are quite decent and I have various automatic options if I need them.

Out of interest are there any digital lenses that have an aperture ring, as I sometimes find 28mm isn't quite wide enough, I haven't managed to track any down but wonder if they do exist.

Pity Pentax/Ricoh seem to have washed their hands of the issue (which they feel doesn't exist), reminds me of some of the German premium car manufacturers who won't acknowledge known issues.

Anyway I still enjoy the K30, but when I buy my next camera, I won't just rely on the reviews which tell me how wonderful it is.

Andy
Well, with a little bit of work you can use the white solenoid of your *ist DL and swap it with the green solenoid of your K30.
Usually this works and if not you have to manually open the pop-up flash of your *istDL or use an external flash, which will work for sure.
Yes, the old *istDL is can produce nice pics. It has that old CCD Sensor (just 6MP) and is lovely small and yet well built.


The comparison with German car-manufacturers is not up to it:

Those car manufacturers knew that they were cheating, Ricoh didn't cheat, it was their supplier who changed it without letting Ricoh know that they
now manufacture this item in China with cheaper material and different magnetic holding force.

Anyway, it was NOT just German car manufactures but as much US manufacturers such as FORD, GM, Chrysler, Citroen, Peugeot, Renault and others . That it hit the German car manufacturers first is a matter of international politics and lobbyism.

09-02-2018, 12:51 PM   #185
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QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
Well, with a little bit of work you can use the white solenoid of your *ist DL and swap it with the green solenoid of your K30.
Usually this works and if not you have to manually open the pop-up flash of your *istDL or use an external flash, which will work for sure.
Yes, the old *istDL is can produce nice pics. It has that old CCD Sensor (just 6MP) and is lovely small and yet well built.


The comparison with German car-manufacturers is not up to it:

Those car manufacturers knew that they were cheating, Ricoh didn't cheat, it was their supplier who changed it without letting Ricoh know that they
now manufacture this item in China with cheaper material and different magnetic holding force.

Anyway, it was NOT just German car manufactures but as much US manufacturers such as FORD, GM, Chrysler, Citroen, Peugeot, Renault and others . That it hit the German car manufacturers first is a matter of international politics and lobbyism.
To be honest I won't wreck the *istDL to fix the K30 (even assuming I had the skill to attempt the fix) had thought of buying an old camera on Ebay, but fairly confident I can't fix it so would rather keep the K30 partially working, rather than risk breaking it completely.

With the German car comment it wasn't really to do with diesel emissions and cheating, we all know that was a con to get us to use diesel. give me petrol any day. It was more aimed at using substandard parts and not acknowledging there is an issue. Ricoh's supplier may well have swapped raw materials etc without telling them, but that doesn't stop Ricoh providing a cheap (or free repair) to maintain their reputation and help out their loyal customers.

Andy
09-02-2018, 04:27 PM   #186
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QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
That it hit the German car manufacturers first is a matter of international politics and lobbyism.
And a subject we will not be discussing further here.
09-10-2018, 08:31 AM   #187
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Replace solenoid now or wait?

So I have a relevant question for the group: I have a replacement white solenoid from eBay (harvested off a K-x/K-p or the like). My K-30 hasn't failed yet, but is it guaranteed to fail? Should I wait to see and replace it if/when it does, or just bite the bullet and hack into it now?

I love my K-30 and don't otherwise want or need to replace it. Especially now that, thanks to this forum, I can upgrade the firmware to give me most of the functionality of a K-50. That's why I got the replacement solenoid now, in case they become scarce. So I guess the answer to my question depends mostly on expected failure rate of the stock solenoid.


Currently, aperture is working fine. When I run the latest photo through the EXIF shutter count tool here on the forums, I get this:

Results
Your photo's metadata indicates the following:
Camera PENTAX K-30
Shutter Count 1,220
Manufacture Date 2012:10:16
Lens smc PENTAX-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR



09-10-2018, 08:37 AM - 1 Like   #188
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QuoteOriginally posted by FritzCat66 Quote
So I have a relevant question for the group: I have a replacement white solenoid from eBay (harvested off a K-x/K-p or the like). My K-30 hasn't failed yet, but is it guaranteed to fail? Should I wait to see and replace it if/when it does, or just bite the bullet and hack into it now?

I love my K-30 and don't otherwise want or need to replace it. Especially now that, thanks to this forum, I can upgrade the firmware to give me most of the functionality of a K-50. That's why I got the replacement solenoid now, in case they become scarce. So I guess the answer to my question depends mostly on expected failure rate of the stock solenoid.


Currently, aperture is working fine. When I run the latest photo through the EXIF shutter count tool here on the forums, I get this:

Results
Your photo's metadata indicates the following:
Camera PENTAX K-30
Shutter Count 1,220
Manufacture Date 2012:10:16
Lens smc PENTAX-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR

If it hasn't failed leave it alone.

09-10-2018, 06:07 PM - 1 Like   #189
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QuoteOriginally posted by slartibartfast01 Quote
If it hasn't failed leave it alone.
fully agree, leave it alone.
09-10-2018, 08:15 PM - 1 Like   #190
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QuoteOriginally posted by Cee Cee Quote
fully agree, leave it alone.
I'll second that. (Or is that 'third' that!)

If it ain't broke - don't fix it.
09-11-2018, 03:50 AM - 1 Like   #191
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QuoteOriginally posted by FritzCat66 Quote
So I have a relevant question for the group: I have a replacement white solenoid from eBay (harvested off a K-x/K-p or the like). My K-30 hasn't failed yet, but is it guaranteed to fail? Should I wait to see and replace it if/when it does, or just bite the bullet and hack into it now?

I love my K-30 and don't otherwise want or need to replace it. Especially now that, thanks to this forum, I can upgrade the firmware to give me most of the functionality of a K-50. That's why I got the replacement solenoid now, in case they become scarce. So I guess the answer to my question depends mostly on expected failure rate of the stock solenoid.


Currently, aperture is working fine. When I run the latest photo through the EXIF shutter count tool here on the forums, I get this:

Results
Your photo's metadata indicates the following:
Camera PENTAX K-30
Shutter Count 1,220
Manufacture Date 2012:10:16
Lens smc PENTAX-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR

Failure rate is unknown. Without knowing how many cameras are in use and how many of these have failed it is hard to predict a failure rate. Judging from the number of people reporting failure on various forums or blogs is not representative and is a skewed or biased population. People whose cameras that have not failed may not even participate on these forums, let alone speak up.

Any component can fail, given enough time and use. Some parts will age and deteriorate even without use. Your camera is just shy of six years old. How long do you expect a consumer level camera to last?

As state above: "If it ain't broke don't fix it".

There's always the possibility that you might break something while replacing the part. It has happened before.
09-11-2018, 09:20 AM   #192
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QuoteOriginally posted by Not a Number Quote
our camera is just shy of six years old. How long do you expect a consumer level camera to last?
I have consumer film cameras that are decades old that still function fine today...so definitely longer than 6 years.
09-11-2018, 09:26 AM   #193
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QuoteOriginally posted by stillshot2 Quote
I have consumer film cameras that are decades old that still function fine today...so definitely longer than 6 years.
and, yet, my Canon Rebel died after six years {of processor failure}. and people here seemed to think that was fine .... until I mentioned that the shutter count was 3552 {I'm a low volume shooter}
09-11-2018, 02:47 PM   #194
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QuoteOriginally posted by Cee Cee Quote
fully agree, leave it alone.
But don't leave it alone.

Using it regularly seems to be the best way to keep it working properly.

My K-50 got the problem after I didn't use it for a few months, only 2500 shots on it.
09-11-2018, 04:38 PM   #195
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QuoteOriginally posted by Tangent88 Quote
But don't leave it alone.

Using it regularly seems to be the best way to keep it working properly.

My K-50 got the problem after I didn't use it for a few months, only 2500 shots on it.
yes, I fully agree again, leave the insides alone but use the camera often
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