[reh321]

Huh. ROW? I hadn’t ever heard of K-70 underexposure problems.

I believe that they are related to the solenoid issues - in the one case of a user who sent his in, they replaced both the solenoid and a resistor. My central point is that I believe the KP to have a more stable exposure system, and I personally would have no qualms at recommending a KP, when I will warn a new user that the K-70 is a typical beginner's camera with typical uncertainties.

[gatorguy]

My opinion is somewhat different. I am confident that I have captured and qualified most, if not all reports of aperture control issues with the K-70 on this site. How many are traceable to "same cause" as on the earlier models is open to discussion; evidence is mixed. Beyond that, a few users have had metering problems that have resulted in poor exposures, but overall, the K-70 has not been a common source of problem reports or troubleshooting requests on this site.


Steve

That's been my take as well.

[phoebus]

In an attempt to get to page 200..

Not sure aperture control block failure is pertinent to K-new, I would expect it to follow the the K7, 5, 3, 1 and KP in having a totally different actuator from the K30, 50, 70 etc.

I also would like to see all future lenses having KAF-4 mount to send the aperture control lever to the past. Yes, backward compatibility is nice to have - but the market for new DFA* lenses on film and early digital bodies must be infinitesimally small. Worst case, shoot new lenses wide open on incompatible bodies. My K-5 works a treat with the DFA*50 if used that way...

[photoptimist]

Honestly they may not be any more prevalent than are problems with any similar priced gear from any other manufacturer, but I personally don't trust them at this point, and would not want to introduce new photographers to Ricoh/Pentax through this kind of equipment when the rest of the world is aware of this issue by now.

By that standard no camera on the market can be trusted and none should be recommended. Search the internet for "problems" with any model of camera and you'll find that every model has patterns of failures(e.g., Sony A9 shutter button failures, Canon 1D X Mark II sensor oil spatters, Nikon D850 focus problems, etc.)

Today's cameras are incredibly complex bits of technology that are sold in high volume. Every model has some weakest part that might fail or underperform in some way Even the smallest 1-in-1000 rate of failure creates dozens or even thousands of disgruntled customers and raging internet threads.

The only camera that can trusted is a pinhole box camera.

[stevebrot]

Not sure aperture control block failure is pertinent to K-new, I would expect it to follow the the K7, 5, 3, 1 and KP in having a totally different actuator from the K30, 50, 70 etc.

The body bump to the side of the mount area (found on KP and K-3) would indicate such.


Steve

[monochrome]

In an attempt to get to page 200.

Not sure aperture control block failure is pertinent to K-new, I would expect it to follow the the K7, 5, 3, 1 and KP in having a totally different actuator from the K30, 50, 70 etc.

I also would like to see all future lenses having KAF-4 mount to send the aperture control lever to the past. Yes, backward compatibility is nice to have - but the market for new DFA* lenses on film and early digital bodies must be infinitesimally small. Worst case, shoot new lenses wide open on incompatible bodies. My K-5 works a treat with the DFA*50 if used that way...

Would you suggest Pentax obsolete 24,000,000 legacy lenses - including the FA Limiteds and DA Limiteds - and alienate the only loyal customer base they have?

[reh321]

By that standard no camera on the market can be trusted and none should be recommended. Search the internet for "problems" with any model of camera and you'll find that every model has patterns of failures(e.g., Sony A9 shutter button failures, Canon 1D X Mark II sensor oil spatters, Nikon D850 focus problems, etc.)

Today's cameras are incredibly complex bits of technology that are sold in high volume. Every model has some weakest part that might fail or underperform in some way Even the smallest 1-in-1000 rate of failure creates dozens or even thousands of disgruntled customers and raging internet threads.

The only camera that can trusted is a pinhole box camera.

The simple fact is that the Pentax aperture control issue is unique. Other cameras do not have nearly the failure record that cameras like the K-30 and K-50 do. I continue to assert that the stepper-motor based system of the K-7/5/3 has a much much much better record than the Chinese produced solenoid based system of the K-30 and later cameras do. The best way to put this behind themselves is for Pentax to put the solenoid based system behind themselves.

[phoebus]

Would you suggest Pentax obsolete 24,000,000 legacy lenses - and the only loyal customer base they have?

I think you misquote me...

Future LENSES, not CAMERAS

The old lenses, of which I have quite a few, will still work with the K-new if it has the same aperture control as the K-1 etc.

But, new lenses should only be KAF-4. They will work with K-50 onwards. The market share of people with pre K-50 cameras buying DFA* lenses is likely to be very small.

[monochrome]

I understand now - I thought you suggested eventually doing away with mechanical aperture control on future cameras by only issuing lenses with electronic aperture control hereforward.

I think you misquote me...

Future LENSES, not CAMERAS

The old lenses, of which I have quite a few, will still work with the K-new if it has the same aperture control as the K-1 etc.

But, new lenses should only be KAF-4. They will work with K-50 onwards. The market share of people with pre K-50 cameras buying DFA* lenses is likely to be very small.

[stevebrot]

Other cameras do not have nearly the failure record that cameras like the K-30 and K-50 do.

Those other cameras include almost* all other Pentax dSLRs and every film body capable of aperture control back to the Super Program and Program Plus. All have a solenoid as an electromechanical relay for aperture control timing. To be direct, the only models with a prevalent failure of that sort have been the K-30 and K-50 and even then, the two are essentially twins and may be considered the same model for most purposes. One may speculate about past vulnerability, current vulnerability, and future vulnerabilities, but aside from those two models, there is little by way of fact to support a caution of any sort for models other than those two.


Steve

* K-01, K-3/K-3II, K-1/K-1ii, and KP excepted

[ecostigny]

I did have a Super Program body that became a bit flaky with aperture control as it aged--something that did not happen with my ME Super body. Cleaning the camera helped somewhat, but not completely. When my daughter picked up a used Super Program body, it would occasionally exhibit the same behavior.

[Mistral75]

I understand now - I thought you suggested eventually doing away with mechanical aperture control on future cameras by only issuing lenses with electronic aperture control hereforward.

That will be the case, eventually, beginning with entry-level cameras some 5 to 10 years after the release of the last KAF3 lens.

However, considering that Ricoh are still releasing new lenses with mechanical aperture control and screw drive coupling, this won't happen tomorrow.

[ThorSanchez]

That will be the case, eventually, beginning with entry-level cameras some 5 to 10 years after the release of the last KAF3 lens.

However, considering that Ricoh are still releasing new lenses with mechanical aperture control and screw drive coupling, this won't happen tomorrow.

I think that would depend on Ricoh's willingness/ability to fill out the lineup with KAF4 lenses. At the current rate of a lens or two a year that would take a lot longer than five years. If they released a KAF4-only camera today there'd be, what... two lenses available? Or is it three?

[Mistral75]

](...) If they released a KAF4-only camera today there'd be, what... two lenses available? Or is it three?

Two: HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE and HD Pentax-D FA★ 50mm f/1.4 SDM AW.

On the other end of the spectrum there are some 20 KAF lenses that rely on screw drive to focus.

[reh321]

I think that would depend on Ricoh's willingness/ability to fill out the lineup with KAF4 lenses. At the current rate of a lens or two a year that would take a lot longer than five years. If they released a KAF4-only camera today there'd be, what... two lenses available? Or is it three?

You are both right; lens mechanics favors KAF4 - Canon went 'modern' over thirty years ago, and it took Nikon and Pentax around thirty years to catch up - but Pentax will need more lenses, and at the current rate it will be awhile, before they can retire mechanical connection from their bodies.