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07-29-2019, 01:37 PM   #16
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I looked in the shutter box, less dust than I was thinking. What I could see of the sensor there is some dust maybe a hair. The AF sensor is not at all what I was thinking it would look like I expected to be flat. I need to look closer it looks like it has a film of smoke of something coating it. Is there a odd coating or it ?? Can I use the cleaning solution on it ?? The mirror,, on the top mirror top has a little dust on it and a very light looking finger print on it. What I did notice is that the top mirror underside is dirty and the top side of the second mirror is dirty and has a hair on it.. I guess the question is lenses cleaner or sensor cleaner, any difference ??

The penta-prism besides cleaning the eyepiece on the outside is there anything on the underside (inside shutter box) that should be cleaned ?? I'm not going to touch the focusing screen , yet is there anything like a light sensor that should be cleaned ??

I didn't get any replies about lens brushes , so I'm guessing no to lens brushes ??

Little off subject: When did what use to be called the OTF sensor in the film days, go away ?? I remember seeing it in the ist I use for parts , yet didn't see it in the K50..


TIA
-----


QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
Originally posted by dem5867*
photogem: I'm still having issue with the quoting thing I can't figure out how to just quote sections, I tried highlighting the item I want quoted yet it appears to copy the whole post.
Here you can see how it looks like when I quote your post:



Then later you can learn who to insert a previous quote into a new quote. It is actually pretty easy and straigthforward as well.
I kept that simple ,, yet you didn't explain how !! Which was the question .... Not what it looks like.. Exactly the reason for explaining things in detail..
Anyhow think I figured the quoting thing out somewhat..

QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
how bad the K50 is
I don't think I ever said "the K50 is bad !!" I think I said how bad the green solenoid was / is and how bad it is that Pentax isn't standing up of the issue. Why would I be looking for a K70 , if I didn't like the K50.. I'd go for the KP , yet it's a new body style and I am so used to the KXX bodies I just don't think I want to switch..

QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
Canned air and freon:
I know Freon been banned.. The question should have been "You found can air that's safe to use on mirrors ??" , Yet I'm betting many would have replied you can use any can of canned air on a camera, which as you know since the post Freon days most cans state do not use on mirrors in one form or another.. I didn't think the air all the way thru,, I have food quality CO2 here and I sure one of the labs would let me use any number of clean gases. Yet I like your and others suggestion to vacuum instead of blowing..

QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
Just try to keep them short and clear.
Short is good , yet most things it's in the detail !! If I say I want a fruit , what i'm I going to get ?? If I say I want a green apple, there can be no mistakes, details.

QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
"I can't get sharp pics with my K-50, am I doing something wrong or is it my K-50?"
That's good ,, how many would have wrote back ,it's OP as you yourself nicely suggested, settings (I was hoping.), or even worst that it needed a major repair ?? You are correct about the extras , keeping it short it's not something I do , like people that use there hands to explain something, it's kind of my way to give an idea of why am asking or trying to let somebody know why I'm asking so they know I checked to insure the plug is in, it's my way of trying to point a person closer to the answer for things that could have several answers or letting one know how I understood something that I read or was told.. I'm that guy who always want's to know why and how in that ordered , those who know me , know if I do not know something or if I question what you're telling me , I'm going to ask where, as in where can I go look it up, where did you hear that, etc.. Small note (One of those extra's) , Most people until they get to know me dislike it,, and bosses in the known like it, those bosses that are clueless and don't want to know ,, there loss !! It comes down to every since I was very young I've have always tried to learn as much about anything as I could , the best I could,, once again those who know me know I do facts and not BS and I don't mind calling anybody out on there BS..

QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
About a sound which beebs when focus locked (plus the green hexagon AF indicator).
It seems to me making a odd sound when AFing might just be an important fact that it's something to do with the AF system and not OP. I didn't say anything about it beeping, yet glad you broth it up , I may have not noticed the green hex, yet I remember sometimes it would beep and still not take the picture,, It pissed me off and I'm sure anybody else also. I could be wrong yet I don't remember the K-01 doing that... The di,di,di,di was the way the one person having the same issue explained the sound, so he thought it was important also..


QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
You wrote about the solenoid, the K20D and trying to fix it with a green solenoid
You're 100% right , I was trying to put a good green item in the K20 and put a known bad.. TMI. In the end I think I'm putting to much work into the K20 to chance even a new green solenoid when I have some used white ones. I don't know what I'm going to do with the to new green ones,, I just don't trust them..

Photogem,, As I hope you can see I do care about your suggestions and I am trying to improve my style of posting, this is only the second forum I've posted in and the other forum get's and requires a lot for detail sometimes, most times the details have already been posted and the return detail posting are detailed questions on things that were tried or suggestions to try. Solutions in that group a lot of times deals with family members and others , so a lot of times one needs to go into the exact detail of what's going on to find the answer.. A long time ago that forum have users like yourself and others that policed the posts , as well as the forum owner (A company.), good or bad there was censorship , at one time it was suggested that some for the censored items , were important to the user base of the project at that time the company basically took the attitude it's are web site we will censor what we want,, they quickly rethought that and decided it was really the users forum. No more censorship the good is the fact that now what ever is posted is posted,, the bad is posts that get cluttered like this with with useless back and fourths like this never get cleaned out,, yet saying that most people on that forum don't do back and fourths on anything about spelling , style , content , etc..They understand that everybody has a different styles , they know we all can't be writers !! Yes I did jump the K30/K50 asking about the K70.. I might have been PM for that but unlikely. There a highly technical group that realizes that the answers to the question are more important than the content.. So they ether answer or not and don't complain about style or spelling in a post, they understand that the post stops when there's back and fourth BS about spelling or anything else not related to the post and that helps nobody !!

07-30-2019, 01:28 AM   #17
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QuoteOriginally posted by dem5867 Quote
I looked in the shutter box....
good
QuoteOriginally posted by dem5867 Quote
less dust than I was thinking.
not important
QuoteOriginally posted by dem5867 Quote
What I could see of the sensor there is some dust maybe a hair.
That's important!
QuoteOriginally posted by dem5867 Quote
The AF sensor is not at all what I was thinking it would look like I expected to be flat.
not important

QuoteOriginally posted by dem5867 Quote
I need to look closer it looks like it has a film of smoke of something coating it. Is there a odd coating or it ??
No, there is no odd coating on it, it just looks like this.
QuoteOriginally posted by dem5867 Quote
Can I use the cleaning solution on it ??
I have never done so, it was never needed. Blowing is one possibility, sucking air out even better because blowing can spread dust even more.
But if a hair is stuck, you can use some tape and carefully try to touch the hair with that side of the tape which has the glue on it.

QuoteOriginally posted by dem5867 Quote
The top mirror top has a little dust on it and a very light looking finger print on it. What I did notice is that the top mirror underside is dirty and the top side of the second mirror is dirty and has a hair on it.. I guess the question is lenses cleaner or sensor cleaner, any difference ??
You went further than most do, hopefully with enough sensitivity, i.e. gentleness:
Lifting the top-mirror (VF-Mirror = ViewFinder-Mirror) up needs a carefull touch because the mechanism is very sensitive, as are the coatings!

The VF-mirror is half-silvered and has a semi-transparent window so that the light/object seen by the lens moves through this window to be reflected in 90degrees from the AF-mirror downwards to the AF-sensors
This is the second small or sub-mirror, which cannot be seen when one uses the "menu-position" mirror up because this AF-mirror folds into the backside of the VF-mirror.


If there is dirt as you describe it: Could be pollen, could be even salt residues from salty-air, could be from smoke/tar. I have seen cameras from heavy smokers, the worst was the inside of a K-01: All covered with a film of tar. Beyond repair.


QuoteOriginally posted by dem5867 Quote
The penta-prism besides cleaning the eyepiece on the outside is there anything on the underside (inside shutter box) that should be cleaned ?? I'm not going to touch the focusing screen , yet is there anything like a light sensor that should be cleaned ??
If you want to get in there you have to open the focusing screen, carefully remove just touching the nose on the side. I use some clean unwrapped clingfilm, place the screen on it and fold part of it over it to protect it against dust. Before later inserting it grap it using latex-rubber-gloves with a real tight grip only on two sides and clean it with a vacuum cleaner. This usually is all that is needed, but Ballistol canned-air does the trick as well. But really, the grip has to be tight, otherwise the strong power of the vacuum-cleaner (Miele of course) is going to suck it in.

Here you now have access to the bottom of the penta-prism. I never have wet-cleaned it but again, with a tiny tube (with antistatic-ESD-protection!) connected via adapter to my vaccum-cleaner I suck air out.

If dust or a hair remains, I use a (absolut clean or new!) microfiber-cloth for glasses which I grip with tweezers in such a way that the tweezers can never touch but only the cloth. The same way with the mirrow, I never used any wet cleaning on the mirror nor submirror. For the submirror, as you anyway have to hold open the main-mirror I use Q-tips (earsticks which won't lose particles) and dryclean it very gently. This is only for those feeling absolutly home with this. Same for the AF sensors. But I guess one could wet-clean the AF-Sensors with clean alcool such as isopropyl)


QuoteOriginally posted by dem5867 Quote
I didn't get any replies about lens brushes , so I'm guessing no to lens brushes ??!
Well, that's why you need to keep things short, clear and in order.
To read your postings (and it bettered, you managed the quoting...) is still a task, I still need my 1055 carbon steel machete to get through this jungle of yours. And if there is to much thicket or maze, I stop reading.

I marked red of what I still see as unnecessary (ballast) or useless.


That's why I only answer this part of your post. The rest I would mark almost all red.

Now it's up to you, i.e. processing the work that is in front of you.
Take photos prior and after the process of cleaning.
Compare.

Last edited by photogem; 07-30-2019 at 01:36 AM.
07-30-2019, 01:02 PM   #18
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Photogem

Sorry, not able to figure out how to quote on IPad ,, doing the same thing as the PC brings up the apple copy paste box.. not a big deal..

Looked like smoke, dust, and hair on both the AF sensor lens and between the mirrors. In addition the AF lens had something black that the swab picked up, looked like ink.

I didn’t pull the focusing screen , yet somehow in the process of cleaning I got an eyelash on it, I got the lash off by lightly tapping the top of the camera. The lash appears to have left some oil or something on the screen. You really have to look for it , so I’m not going to touch it...

Better ? Much, I will post a couple of the pictures later.

I’m still a little concerned that it still seems to “hunt” more than I thing it should. I wish I had another K50 to compare it to.. It seems most times it doesn’t get the focus 1st shot even sometimes outside in sun light. Saying that it’s better most times making small steps until focus lock, before if it didn’t focus on something most times I could release the shutter button and press it again and most times it wouldn’t focus , yet now it appears to focus most times on a second release..

I know the K-01 AFs differently, yet most times it AF locks 1st shot, sometimes it does hunt, as you might know it moves slowly to fine focus which is different than the pulse fine tuning of the K50.. Do you remember if your K50 does that ?

I did look at the K30 service manual, if there’s still an issue with the AF system, I will have to send it to somebody, I don’t have the equipment here to calibrate the AF system.. For now I’m going to use it and see how it goes.. There is not doubt it’s working much better, maybe I’m just expecting too much !!

I will open a new post, I have questions on the AF assist led..
07-31-2019, 12:30 AM   #19
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Why hunting might appear:

The AF-sensors of the K-30/50 are f/5,6 so at low light there can sure be focushunting.
Actually it is even a bit worse than 5,6 because there has to be reserve for the sensors not being in the middle!

It is only from the K5II, K-3 and K-S2 onwards that Pentax cameras got a f/2,8 sensor which sits in the middle (so no cross-sensor).

You use Phase-AF if you look throught the viewfinder. Phase-AF needs a good contrast, otherwise it will search/hunt.

Your K-01 uses Contrast-AF. If it finds contrast-edges, it will sit. But Contrast-AF has other problems.


Another possible source for hunting would be misalignement, because due to factory-fault, shock or whatever the AF sensor and the main sensor aren't exact on the same level, are misaligned. For this you best check with a good prime lens such as the DA50 or a similar good prime at about f5,6 (not higher but also not open) how exact the AF works.

Then you find out how much back-or front focus you have and you set this in your K50.
If adjustment up to the maximum of +/- 10 is not possible, then you have to send you favourite lens plus camera to be adjusted

But it looks as if your K-50 was badly treated.

So I would sell it and mention, that it got the white solenoid. You know now how to replace the solenoid, get a used solenoid-faulty K30 and do it again.
I would not invest too much into this K-50.

The chance of finding a K-70 with a faulty solenoid is dim, forget it.


Another possibility is the K5II/s which now is easier to find. A super robust camera, but no PLM lenses possible! This and maybe the lack of focus-peaking can be disadvantages which are not acceptable to some, if of no importance, thats the way I would go. The K5II or s is that much superior, I myself would rather sacrifice the use of a PLM and focus-peaking because
I think it was one of the greatest bodies Pentax ever produced.

08-01-2019, 10:24 AM   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
he AF-sensors of the K-30/50 are f/5,6 so at low light there can sure be focushunting.
Are you saying that if it could go to like f/3.5 it would focus better ?

I have to use it for a little time , I took a picture at a friends house last night in dim lighting (I don't think he be happy if I post it.) and it focused 1st. time without hunting it all which a location I've shot before without it locking at all, so it's much better.

QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
But it looks as if your K-50 was badly treated.
Not any more than my others cameras saying that , one of the bodies took a ~7' fall in a neoprene skin like case which toasted the lenses that was on it , yet that was a very long time ago , so long I not sure which camera it was ?? Most of a the hard damage was from others not myself , I have a habit of wracking camera into things when turn or walking in tight areas most times it's in the neoprene case. For the most part the camera all most looks new {now that I cleaned the outside, white body,, note to self try not to buy white bodies !!}

I've take less then ~12 shots with it since cleaning, it's great , now maybe better than the K-01 and that doesn't have a mirror to clean (I need to take the K-01 out and confirm, I think the K-01 was the camera that took the fall stated above.) .

Note: in other post this been talk about the sealing on the weather sealed bodies, well the K50 had about a 1/4" flood of coke , which I quick cleaned up,, I have to tell you I expected there would be coke inside the bottom cover of the camera when I opened it for service,, not a drop went passed the gaskets,, to my surprise !!!

I have to think everybody here with extra thanks to Photogem, Thanks everybody so have it's been a joy to work with a clean camera !!!

Posting two pictures:

I'm not sure how to upload the extra data...
Attached Images
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PENTAX K-50  Photo 
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PENTAX K-50  Photo 
08-02-2019, 12:27 AM   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by dem5867 Quote
Are you saying that if it could go to like f/3.5 it would focus better ?
Yes, I also think this is the main reason why people have problems and give negative feedback on low-light lenses such as the FA50/f1,4 or the older f1.4

QuoteOriginally posted by dem5867 Quote
I've take less then ~12 shots with it since cleaning, it's great
Well, that's not really enough to really get a new "picture"
08-02-2019, 04:59 PM   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
Yes, I also think this is the main reason why people have problems and give negative feedback on low-light lenses such as the FA50/f1,4 or the older f1.4
I'm betting you're right, it's easier to point to the camera or a lens, than a limitation, I didn't know that and it makes sense, that's why the camera is full open during focusing thru the VF.. I'm thinking we humans (I think.) most times want to believe that because it's automatic it's better, yet in this case it could still be limited more so than humans..

QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
Well, that's not really enough to really get a new "picture"
I should have elaborated, it's more than just the clear pictures, it just sounds better (It now "clicks") ! Before fixing the aperture issue {Now that you can put xxxx+ on a card instead for just xx (film days) I bracket most all my shots, have been for a long time..) , nobody ever commented about the bracketing, yet now I get comments on it all the time now, I used to get with the K20. Funny I purchased the K50 and K-01 within days of each other , the plan was to use the K-01 around people and the K50 taking the pictures I like to take
, no people, yet the K50 was so quiet I didn't need to !! The other good thing is now that the K50 is "loud" (It's really not loud it's the bracketing, it catches people off guard there expecting 1 sound not 3 ..) , I'm going to use the K-01 more as was the plan..

I should note that I also cleaned the lens and fitter , the lens was somewhat clean already, yet the filter needed to be cleaned, normally I clean the filter if it gets, finger prints on it, rain or ocean salt spray on it , toasted a filter by leaving salt spray on it..

It's real a joy to use now. It still does "hunt", yet it's much better , it like takes bigger steps , It's only done the baby steps once so far to fine tune and shoot where as before it would do baby steps back and fourth and just give up and most times, thru the VF it looked close to focus to me, yet it wouldn't fire..

The other big thing is before at most it would light one maybe two (I don't ever think I saw 3 or more..) of the red focus boxes , now sometimes it lights most of them when focusing it going to take sometime to get used too. One other thing I should clear up is at least with the K50 it appears that the red focus boxes turn off when the green focus hex comes on..

The bummer is I just got back a project I started with a team some 10+ years ago,, the good news is I got back the project and it's now done the way another engine and I told them to do it, so it should be fun,, only took 10+ years , so I'm not going to be shooting for at least a couple of weeks while I setting up..

Lastly, I'm going to look before I open another post,, I think I saw something set to +1 someplace, so it may not be an issue, yet it appears that the 1st shot of 3 (bracketed) is washed out , and the 2nd is great, I have it set to 0 -1 +1, I'll open a new post if it is an issue.

08-04-2019, 04:32 PM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by dem5867 Quote
I'm betting you're right, it's easier to point to the camera or a lens, than a limitation, I didn't know that and it makes sense, that's why the camera is full open during focusing thru the VF.. I'm thinking we humans (I think.) most times want to believe that because it's automatic it's better, yet in this case it could still be limited more so than humans..



I should have elaborated, it's more than just the clear pictures, it just sounds better (It now "clicks") ! Before fixing the aperture issue {Now that you can put xxxx+ on a card instead for just xx (film days) I bracket most all my shots, have been for a long time..) , nobody ever commented about the bracketing, yet now I get comments on it all the time now, I used to get with the K20. Funny I purchased the K50 and K-01 within days of each other , the plan was to use the K-01 around people and the K50 taking the pictures I like to take
, no people, yet the K50 was so quiet I didn't need to !! The other good thing is now that the K50 is "loud" (It's really not loud it's the bracketing, it catches people off guard there expecting 1 sound not 3 ..) , I'm going to use the K-01 more as was the plan..

I should note that I also cleaned the lens and fitter , the lens was somewhat clean already, yet the filter needed to be cleaned, normally I clean the filter if it gets, finger prints on it, rain or ocean salt spray on it , toasted a filter by leaving salt spray on it..

It's real a joy to use now. It still does "hunt", yet it's much better , it like takes bigger steps , It's only done the baby steps once so far to fine tune and shoot where as before it would do baby steps back and fourth and just give up and most times, thru the VF it looked close to focus to me, yet it wouldn't fire..

The other big thing is before at most it would light one maybe two (I don't ever think I saw 3 or more..) of the red focus boxes , now sometimes it lights most of them when focusing it going to take sometime to get used too. One other thing I should clear up is at least with the K50 it appears that the red focus boxes turn off when the green focus hex comes on..

The bummer is I just got back a project I started with a team some 10+ years ago,, the good news is I got back the project and it's now done the way another engine and I told them to do it, so it should be fun,, only took 10+ years , so I'm not going to be shooting for at least a couple of weeks while I setting up..

Lastly, I'm going to look before I open another post,, I think I saw something set to +1 someplace, so it may not be an issue, yet it appears that the 1st shot of 3 (bracketed) is washed out , and the 2nd is great, I have it set to 0 -1 +1, I'll open a new post if it is an issue.
Well,, it's tons better,, it only got lost maybe 2 times, it missed focus once (totally unfocused.), and it did hunt a little, saying that the hunt most times was maybe 1 or 2 steps, not the quick back & fourth it used to do.. With most of the failures a release and repress of the shutter and it did it's thing, only once did it fight with me it just wouldn't the shutter, even with 3 R&Rs.

It still (appears much less. maybe 6 times out of 600) refuses to fire once in a while, I can clearly see that it's focus lock (Green hex lit.), yet it will not fire. It seemed to be more troublesome the darker it got, it must be a setting someplace , I know in the menu the AF / AE lock linkage is set to not, yet I'm not sure if any of the modes override that setting, if not than is there a setting that will lock out the shutter if the exposure setting cannot be achieved ?? Is it possible to out shake the SR system so much it will lock the shutter out ?
I'm thinking it's an exposure setting only because a couple of times it stopped shooting at the second shot of a 0 -1 +1 bracket...

All and all it's now a joy to shoot with, even the low light performance seems to be great also.. 2 pictures posted..
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10-19-2019, 05:47 AM   #24
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Good to know your K50 has improved a lot. My K50 generally does not focus well at low light conditions. I think it helps a lot if only the center point focus is used, single point focus on AF-S. Even the focus assist seems less effective than the K5ii/K5iis I have that focuses like a champ even in very low light conditions.
10-19-2019, 06:08 AM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by ghosteclipse Quote
Good to know your K50 has improved a lot. My K50 generally does not focus well at low light conditions. I think it helps a lot if only the center point focus is used, single point focus on AF-S. Even the focus assist seems less effective than the K5ii/K5iis I have that focuses like a champ even in very low light conditions.
I found a big improvement in my KP over my K-30; KP is a great camera for AF as well as high ISO setting.
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