[photogem]

Yes it does now. I can see pictures I have taken. But still I'm unable to access the debug-menu through sd-card.

This is very strange. If both, PK Tether and Debug menu from the SD Card won't work

it seems something got corrupted. I would first try to solve this before investing in the solenoid repair.

If you could bring your K30 back to the old firmware all should normally be fine.
I have done that quite a few times just to test it and it aways worked and I could get into the debug menu.

Are you 100% certain that you do the debug menu correct, i.e. the files are not in any folder but next to the folder.
Only then can the camera recognize it.


So often that I did that (also with other Pentax) that I just wonder if something of the SD-Card slot (contacts) are bent or some dirt.
I just cannot understand why it doesn't work.

Did you try contacting ABel personally? I know he hasn't been here in this forum for a long time. No idea why.

But try!

Update 4:
Now this whole things seems to have it's own life with different stages of behaviour.
When I turned the camera on today it behaved normaly. No freezing when switching through the menus.
However what have changed since the whole thing started is that now the Solenoid has failed.
I wonder if that update and all the problems that followed it, might have triggered it or if that was just a coincidence?

Just coincidence! Has nothing to do with the SD card issue.
But test in AV Mode again and again if with lets say f22 in M Mode you get 100% correct pictres.

If it continues to behave normally then do the solenoid repair!

[Szenario]

This is very strange. If both, PK Tether and Debug menu from the SD Card won't work


Are you 100% certain that you do the debug menu correct, i.e. the files are not in any folder but next to the folder.
Only then can the camera recognize it.


So often that I did that (also with other Pentax) that I just wonder if something of the SD-Card slot (contacts) are bent or some dirt.
I just cannot understand why it doesn't work.

Thanks for you response!

First of all, PK Tether works but it is a different debug menu. There is no USR DAT CLEAR option there to choose.
The SD-Card debug menu is a different one from what I can tell from seeing pictures of it.
From the beginning I have put the files into the root of the card, but it never worked anyhow. The card does also work fine. Pictures taken can be viewed just normaly.

I will try again though. The camera has acted strange so maybe it will just work one day.

As of now the camera seems to be working ok and I use it now with a manual-aperture lens. I don't dare to repair the Solenoid (I even have a K-S2 with the same problem). Even with the tutorials I'm just too afraid to break it.
Like I should never have done this firmware update in the first place. Not because of the Solenoid of course but because I nearly lost the camera.

[photogem]

First of all, PK Tether works but it is a different debug menu. There is no USR DAT CLEAR option there to choose.
The SD-Card debug menu is a different one from what I can tell from seeing pictures of it.
From the beginning I have put the files into the root of the card, but it never worked anyhow. The card does also work fine. Pictures taken can be viewed just normally.

Just to make sure: Did you leave the SD-carddoor open when switching your K30 on with the card in the slot?

As of now the camera seems to be working ok and I use it now with a manual-aperture lens. I don't dare to repair the Solenoid (I even have a K-S2 with the same problem). Even with the tutorials I'm just too afraid to break it.
Like I should never have done this firmware update in the first place. Not because of the Solenoid of course but because I nearly lost the the camera.

I don't know what went wrong. Something must have been corrupted. I have done this firmware update lets say 20x on solenoid-repaired K30's and I know of a lot of people who have done the same.


Again: Did you try contacting ABel?

[Szenario]

Just to make sure: Did you leave the SD-carddoor open when switching your K30 on with the card in the slot?


I don't know what went wrong. Something must have been corrupted. I have done this firmware update lets say 20x on solenoid-repaired K30's and I know of a lot of people who have done the same.


Again: Did you try contacting ABel?

Yes, the SD-Card door was open and I can see that the camera is reading it but the screen just remains black.

I haven't contacted ABel yet, but will do so soon.

[Medex]

Yes, the SD-Card door was open and I can see that the camera is reading it but the screen just remains black.

I haven't contacted ABel yet, but will do so soon.

Could be that ABel will not answer. Some time ago I did write to him but still the silence.

[StigVidar]

FYI: A K-30 with the latest K-50 firmware work great with the new HD DA*16-50/2.8 PLM lens

[reh321]

FYI: A K-30 with the latest K-50 firmware work great with the new HD DA*16-50/2.8 PLM lens

Yes, I’ve been saying for some time that Pentax needs a KAF4 1n-50mm lens at a ‘reasonable’ price - but I don’t believe the “HD DA* 16-50/2.8” is that lens; typically someone won’t pay ‘star lens’ prices for something to mount on a K-30/50.

[StigVidar]

Yes, I’ve been saying for some time that Pentax needs a KAF4 1n-50mm lens at a ‘reasonable’ price - but I don’t believe the “HD DA* 16-50/2.8” is that lens; typically someone won’t pay ‘star lens’ prices for something to mount on a K-30/50.

No, you probably don't buy that lens if all you have is an old K-30. But I have several cameras and it is nice to be able to use this lens with my K-30. It still is a very capable one.

[photogem]

Yes, I’ve been saying for some time that Pentax needs a KAF4 1n-50mm lens at a ‘reasonable’ price - but I don’t believe the “HD DA* 16-50/2.8” is that lens; typically someone won’t pay ‘star lens’ prices for something to mount on a K-30/50.

Who knows, maybe the combination of this lens with a K30 in the right hands betters a K3III with the old DA*16-50/2,8-ED SDM?
But I think a K-S1 without the anti-aliasing-filter would even do it better.

Cameras go, lenses stay

[reh321]

Cameras go, lenses stay

Yes and no.
A KAF3 lens needs the solenoid to work correctly in a lower tier camera.
A KAF4 lens will work correctly in a lower tier camera regardless of how the solenoid works, or even if it has a solenoid.

My K-30 no longer can control the aperture, but works fine with an old film-era lens that has an aperture lens.

[photogem]

A KAF4 lens will work correctly in a lower tier camera regardless of how the solenoid works, or even if it has a solenoid.

Not quite. Not on the excellent K5-Series, particular K5IIs.
Nor on the K200D or K10D, which I see with the K5series as higher tier Pentax DSLR.

[reh321]

Not quite. Not on the excellent K5-Series, particular K5IIs.
Nor on the K200D or K10D, which I see with the K5series as higher tier Pentax DSLR.

I don’t understand your response.

My post simply said that a KAF4 lens will work correctly on any low-tier camera body which can provide a KAF4 interface - regardless of status of the solenoid {so having an inexpensive standard lens would be another way of dealing with the solenoid situation}

Your response focused on high-tier bodies.

[photogem]

I don’t understand your response.

My post simply said that a KAF4 lens will work correctly on any low-tier camera body which can provide a KAF4 interface - regardless of status of the solenoid {so having an inexpensive standard lens would be another way of dealing with the solenoid situation}

Your response focused on high-tier bodies.

Not quite, but possibly you forgot to mention exactly this in your previous answer:

A KAF4 lens will work correctly in a lower tier camera (which can provide a KAF4 interface) regardless of how the solenoid works, or even if it has a solenoid.

what I now added in green.

Any of those: *istD-series, K100/110/200D, Km, Kx and Kr use solenoids but won't provide KAF4 and are low-tier cameras.

Also any "normal" K30-user not knowing about ABel's firmware modification of the K50 for the K30 could not use KAF4 lenses.

[BBK]

Hi everybody,
1st of all thank you all for all the questions and contributions in this forum, and in paricular to Abel, I hope you are fine in these strange times. I just registered in pentaxforums. 100% amateur, I seldom use my K-30. I started with a Canon AE-1 + Tokina 35-105 (wonderful manual lens) 40 years ago, and after several jumps I got the K-30 with a 18-135 WR lens. I like this camera but the autofocus was not great. I was thinking of buying a 55-300 PLM and all the info that I had was that it would not fit. Then I got to this forum, read it all and decided to try updating the firmware to Able's K-30 version. The firmware in my camera was 1.0 (yes, not 1.06 but the very first officially released firmware version). I installed it today, tried a couple of shots: The focusing was very fast and very precise. The choice of aperture/time appeared much better (more light exactly where I needed it). Maybe too early to confirm this. I will report here again once I use it for a good time.
Again, thank you all!

[Mark Littlewood]

Thanks so much for this! just K50'd my K30 and all looking good so far....