[Soundside]

Hello friends,
I'm a newbie, and not a camera expert. Bought a K-50 for wife 1year+ ago. Having an issue with random mirror flops, lockups etc. Stupidly, did not send the camera back when it was still under warranty. I came across a thread on the K-5 from several years ago, describing the same problem. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/115-pentax-k-5/144309-k-5-bug-shutter-goi...itself-15.html Sounds like it might be a generic issue. Is there any hope of fixing this without sending the camera to Pentax for repair? Has the actual root issue ever been identified (from the discussion on the K-5 it sounded like Pentax had not really figured out the issue, and generally had to replace camera bodies to ultimately solve it). Was there perhaps a firmware upgrade that addressed it and I just missed that?
Thanks for any insights.

[Not a Number]

One of the firmware updates partially addressed the issue. Update to the latest version. Nobody seems very concerned about this problem any longer. All you hear about these days is the aperture block failure. Make sure your battery is full charged or fresh (AA) before starting the update.

[stevebrot]

Welcome to the Pentax Forums!!

Sounds like it might be a generic issue. Is there any hope of fixing this without sending the camera to Pentax for repair?

No, what you describe is not a generic issue for the K-50. It has its own problems. The K-5 is quite different and distinct with few (no?) shared systems. If your wife's K-50 is not too far out of warranty, Ricoh/Pentax may still cover the cost of repair. Likewise, if by some chance you bought at Costco, they may be willing to accept a return as defective.

Variable and intermittent symptoms such as you describe are often an indication of power problems (e.g. depleted or low-quality AA cells when using the optional adapter), main board failure, or water incursion. Which is hard to say. A non-Pentax (e.g. non-Precision Camera Repair) option may be available through your local camera repair, but be aware that most will simply send the camera on to Precision if the repair requires parts or specialized test instrumentation. There is a list of repair facilities that will service Pentax cameras at the below page here on Pentax Forums:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/189-repairs-warranty-service/316284-penta...e-listing.html

Good luck!


Steve

[Soundside]

Thanks. Maybe nobody talks about it because everybody who had the problem eventually threw away their cameras and eliminated the bad apples from the population. It sure is frustrating.

[UncleVanya]

Thanks. Maybe nobody talks about it because everybody who had the problem eventually threw away their cameras and eliminated the bad apples from the population. It sure is frustrating.

Unlikely. Those with aperture block failures are quite vocal.

[stevebrot]

Thanks for any insights.

There was a thread a few years back where the symptoms were similar to yours. The faulty component was the aperture control block (also controls the mirror), but the presentation was atypical.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/151-pentax-k-30-k-50/265278-pentax-k50-mirror-flopping.html

As noted on that thread, the camera would hang or hick-up with some combination of hung mirror, locked camera, no capture, and/or no image captured.


Steve

[stevebrot]

Thanks. Maybe nobody talks about it because everybody who had the problem eventually threw away their cameras and eliminated the bad apples from the population. It sure is frustrating.

Your frustration is valid. Having gone through the "failed aperture controller block" (the most likely cause, based on the 2014 thread)) repair experience myself, you have my full sympathy. Although the typical symptoms are different from yours, the aperture control block problem is altogether too common on the K-30/K-50 body cameras and has given a black eye to an otherwise very fine model of camera.


Steve

[Soundside]

Thanks Steve.
My problem appears to be the same thing shown in the video on that older thread, and is well described by many of the folks who posted to the K5 thread.

I just updated the firmware. It's even worse now. I can't get one shot off. Autofocus not working, camera locking up. I did have some success before by removing and remounting the lens, but that is not helping. I read in the K5 thread that the problem might also be some issue with the kit lenses themselves. Several people reported that when using other lenses the problem went away (unfortunately I don't have another lens, but I suppose I could borrow one). However, I've noted that when I remove the lens and hit the shutter button, the mirror flops twice, and does not seat back down all the way on the stop.

Others reported that the charge state of the battery somehow seemed to matter. They said the problem was always worse with fully charged battery. I'm using the original rechargeable battery. This morning, the camera worked okay, the battery was down a bit. When I went to update the firmware the camera reported that the battery was too low to update, so I went and charged it. Now, with new firmware and fresh battery it is worse than ever.

I guess I'm going to wrap the thing up in a nice long letter, put it in the box and ship it to Precision (Pentax told me that this is their only authorized repair shop - is that not true?). They've already told me that the starting point for repair is $172.50. This problem has existed well before the warranty expired, but I don't know if that will matter to them.

Thanks again for the responses.
Keith

[stevebrot]

is well described by many of the folks who posted to the K5 thread.

The K-5 is a completely different camera. Pursuing a workaround or solution on those threads will not help.

Others reported that the charge state of the battery somehow seemed to matter.

Power issues can cause problems with the K-50, but is usually due to transient low voltage from sketchy AA cells. That being said, failure at full voltage is consistent with current user theories regarding the aperture/mirror control block issue.* Whether those theories are consistent with Pentax service conclusions is anyone's guess.

I guess I'm going to wrap the thing up in a nice long letter, put it in the box and ship it to Precision (Pentax told me that this is their only authorized repair shop - is that not true?).

Yes, Precision is the only authorized warranty repair facility in the U.S. and is the shop that Ricoh/Pentax refers users to for both warranty and non-warranty service. Using their service is the path of least resistance for a speedy turn-around. It is a shame that service was not sought during the warranty period. Sadly, you are not alone in hoping that the problem would go away by itself. The base rate for repair on a K-50 is in the $175 USD range, though I would expect that the actual cost for your camera will be about $50 more.

Good luck.


Steve

* User theories on the aperture control block issue are sort of muddled at present (IMHO), but are centered around magnetization of parts in a solenoid switch that itself is part of the aperture control block. The switch is apparently used to signal process state and has poor provisions for safe failure, leaving the camera in an indeterminate state when a problem happens.

[Soundside]

I saw a very informative how-to that had to do with modification of that solenoid. I would never attempt this myself unless I knew for sure that was the issue, and the cost of repair was too high. I did hear back from one repair shop who said the problem was related to a main board issue. It's amazing how the problem can crop up in both K5 and K50 if they are completely different internally. Seems like there must be some sort of common issue (i.e. as you suggest, a poorly designed system for responding to failure modes).

[Not a Number]

Again, how long is your camera out of warranty? Ricoh has been known to give a 30-60 day grace period beyond the 1 year from sales date. All you have to do is ask.

The standard warranty covers manufacturing defects for a period of one year from the sales date. Failure after that is considered normal aging, wear and tear. Defects would include faulty design.

Since you say the problem started before the warranty expiration then it should be covered. All you have to do is ask.

Or you can get as one or two others have done and get a government agency involved to force Ricoh to give you a new camera.