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mikem · 02-19-2017, 09:35 PM

I've had my K3-ii for a little over a year and have been shooting Pentax for around 10 years.

Today I had some shots come out about 2 stops overexposed with no clear explanation. Any ideas?

I tried program, Tv, Av, TAv, and green modes with the same result. I switched between all 3 metering modes with the same result. I double checked exposure compensation and ISO settings. I verified that AE-L was not on and that link AE to AF was disabled as well as auto exposure compensation. I also reset the camera to factory settings. I was using a new rented lens at the time so I switched to another lens to ensure it wasn't a problem with stuck aperture blades. These were all in single shot modes so no exposure bracketing or anything.

Interestingly it meters just fine in live view shooting the exact same scene. Switching back to any other mode will again lead to an overexposed shot by about 2 stops. Dialing in about -2 EV exposure compensation gives a normal image.

Anything else I'm missing or do I need to send this in for servicing? Thanks for looking.

enoeske · 02-19-2017, 10:08 PM - **1 Like**

Can you post an example with all the exif intact so we can look it over? Sounds like a tricky problem considering all the troubleshooting you already went through.

pschlute · 02-19-2017, 11:12 PM

Originally posted by mikem

Interestingly it meters just fine in live view shooting the exact same scene. Switching back to any other mode will again lead to an overexposed shot by about 2 stops.

Anything else I'm missing or do I need to send this in for servicing? Thanks for looking.

Using a tripod ? Eye not pressed to eyecup during metering ? Perhaps light entering through the viewfinder is your problem. Although this should lead to underexposure, not over.

Audi 5 cyl · 02-20-2017, 02:44 AM

It is a rather common problem I think, it happened to me once or twice but I've read about it several times as well. Try to take the batteries and card out for a while (20-30s), put them back in and then test the camera again. For me this worked every time on k-30. If this does not work, try reset and new batteries.

**mattt** · 02-20-2017, 04:51 AM

You might check for slow or sticky aperture blades...

photoptimist · 02-20-2017, 06:34 AM

OK, it sounds like you already tried swapping lenses. You can also confirm it's not an aperture control issue by: 1) checking that the selectable aperture range in Av mode corresponds to that of the lens (a test for dirty/defective lens contacts); 2) testing for over-exposure with the lens wide-open.

That the problem does not occur in live view does seem to point toward an issue with the light meter in the prism. If the light meter sensor were knocked out of position, the meter won't see as much light as it should and the camera will over-expose the image.

**Odinz** · 02-20-2017, 09:57 AM

Odd, the same thing happened to me just yesterday with my K3.

I was shooting birds using my A* 600 lens using a tripod and things were exposing just fine. I switched over to live view to see if I could increase the number of 'keepers' slightly, and again exposure was just fine but the light was such that the screen was difficult to see so after a half dozen shots or so I switched back over to the viewfinder (which I prefer anyway). When I did my shots started coming out over exposed by about 1 1/2 stops. I switched back and forth between live view and the viewfinder and the camera would expose just fine in live view but over expose without it. I tried removing the lens, putting on the 1.4X, etc but nothing helped and I didn't have another lens with me at the time to try. I ended up having to dial in exposure compensation for the rest of the afternoon.

mikem · 02-20-2017, 03:50 PM

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I fired it up again today and it now it has gotten even worse overexposing by about 5 stops. Images are coming out essentially white. Again, it works fine in live view and logically might be a problem with the light meter in the prism though I don't know what to do about that other than send it in. Same thing happens wide open and I tested it on a third lens too. Time for a visit to the repair shop I think.

**Odinz** · 02-20-2017, 08:10 PM

Originally posted by Audi 5 cyl

It is a rather common problem I think, it happened to me once or twice but I've read about it several times as well. Try to take the batteries and card out for a while (20-30s), put them back in and then test the camera again. For me this worked every time on k-30. If this does not work, try reset and new batteries.

Thanks! That worked for me, the A*600 is still off but only by about 1/4 of a stop and now in the underexposed direction through the viewvinder. I tried several other lenses and now the exposure is the same in both live view and through the viewfinder.

mikem · 02-28-2017, 08:01 PM

So some terrible news. I took the camera to a local repair shop and it had irrecoverable corrosion damage, presumably from salt water exposure. In retrospect there was some white material coming out from some connections recently. The camera cannot be repaired and is a total loss!

I've been trying to figure out where the saltwater came from. I took a 4 day trip to the coast about 6 months ago but certainly didn't drop it in the ocean or anything. Not all my lenses are weather sealed. I often carry the camera on the shoulder strap of my backpack with a Capture Clip. I don't know if salt from sweat might get in the camera.

Mostly I'm flabbergasted and devastated that my camera is toast. I don't even know how I could prevent this from happening again. This is my third Pentax body in 10 years and I've never had troubles. This makes me want to only buy and use weather sealed lenses.

Outis · 02-28-2017, 08:14 PM

Oh yeah, I had this problem with my K-3. Metering was shot and so was autofocus. It was OK if I used it with manual focus and on manual mode. I sent it in for repairs and they cleaned the contacts, and this fixed it temporarily, but the problem came back and they replaced most of the electronics. Works fine now.

---------- Post added 02-28-17 at 10:16 PM ----------

Originally posted by Outis

Oh yeah, I had this problem with my K-3. Metering was shot and so was autofocus. It was OK if I used it with manual focus and on manual mode. I sent it in for repairs and they cleaned the contacts, and this fixed it temporarily, but the problem came back and they replaced most of the electronics. Works fine now.

Oops, sorry, missed the update. So sorry to hear about your camera!

---------- Post added 02-28-17 at 10:16 PM ----------

Originally posted by Outis

Oh yeah, I had this problem with my K-3. Metering was shot and so was autofocus. It was OK if I used it with manual focus and on manual mode. I sent it in for repairs and they cleaned the contacts, and this fixed it temporarily, but the problem came back and they replaced most of the electronics. Works fine now.

Oops, sorry, missed the update. So sorry to hear about your camera!

02-19-2017, 09:35 PM	#1
mikem Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 101	K3-II Severe Overexposure I've had my K3-ii for a little over a year and have been shooting Pentax for around 10 years. Today I had some shots come out about 2 stops overexposed with no clear explanation. Any ideas? I tried program, Tv, Av, TAv, and green modes with the same result. I switched between all 3 metering modes with the same result. I double checked exposure compensation and ISO settings. I verified that AE-L was not on and that link AE to AF was disabled as well as auto exposure compensation. I also reset the camera to factory settings. I was using a new rented lens at the time so I switched to another lens to ensure it wasn't a problem with stuck aperture blades. These were all in single shot modes so no exposure bracketing or anything. Interestingly it meters just fine in live view shooting the exact same scene. Switching back to any other mode will again lead to an overexposed shot by about 2 stops. Dialing in about -2 EV exposure compensation gives a normal image. Anything else I'm missing or do I need to send this in for servicing? Thanks for looking.

02-19-2017, 11:12 PM	#3
pschlute Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Surrey, UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,216	Originally posted by mikem Interestingly it meters just fine in live view shooting the exact same scene. Switching back to any other mode will again lead to an overexposed shot by about 2 stops. Anything else I'm missing or do I need to send this in for servicing? Thanks for looking. Using a tripod ? Eye not pressed to eyecup during metering ? Perhaps light entering through the viewfinder is your problem. Although this should lead to underexposure, not over. Last edited by pschlute; 02-19-2017 at 11:27 PM.

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02-19-2017, 10:08 PM - 1 Like	#2
enoeske Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Surprise, Az Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,136	Can you post an example with all the exif intact so we can look it over? Sounds like a tricky problem considering all the troubleshooting you already went through.

02-20-2017, 02:44 AM	#4
Audi 5 cyl Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: France Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 363	It is a rather common problem I think, it happened to me once or twice but I've read about it several times as well. Try to take the batteries and card out for a while (20-30s), put them back in and then test the camera again. For me this worked every time on k-30. If this does not work, try reset and new batteries.

02-20-2017, 04:51 AM	#5
mattt Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Niagara Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,907	You might check for slow or sticky aperture blades...

02-20-2017, 06:34 AM	#6
photoptimist Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2016 Photos: Albums Posts: 5,128	OK, it sounds like you already tried swapping lenses. You can also confirm it's not an aperture control issue by: 1) checking that the selectable aperture range in Av mode corresponds to that of the lens (a test for dirty/defective lens contacts); 2) testing for over-exposure with the lens wide-open. That the problem does not occur in live view does seem to point toward an issue with the light meter in the prism. If the light meter sensor were knocked out of position, the meter won't see as much light as it should and the camera will over-expose the image.

02-20-2017, 09:57 AM	#7
Odinz Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Virginia, USA Photos: Albums Posts: 259	Odd, the same thing happened to me just yesterday with my K3. I was shooting birds using my A* 600 lens using a tripod and things were exposing just fine. I switched over to live view to see if I could increase the number of 'keepers' slightly, and again exposure was just fine but the light was such that the screen was difficult to see so after a half dozen shots or so I switched back over to the viewfinder (which I prefer anyway). When I did my shots started coming out over exposed by about 1 1/2 stops. I switched back and forth between live view and the viewfinder and the camera would expose just fine in live view but over expose without it. I tried removing the lens, putting on the 1.4X, etc but nothing helped and I didn't have another lens with me at the time to try. I ended up having to dial in exposure compensation for the rest of the afternoon.

02-20-2017, 03:50 PM	#8
mikem Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 101 Original Poster	Thanks for the replies everyone. I fired it up again today and it now it has gotten even worse overexposing by about 5 stops. Images are coming out essentially white. Again, it works fine in live view and logically might be a problem with the light meter in the prism though I don't know what to do about that other than send it in. Same thing happens wide open and I tested it on a third lens too. Time for a visit to the repair shop I think.

02-20-2017, 08:10 PM	#9
Odinz Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Virginia, USA Photos: Albums Posts: 259	Originally posted by Audi 5 cyl It is a rather common problem I think, it happened to me once or twice but I've read about it several times as well. Try to take the batteries and card out for a while (20-30s), put them back in and then test the camera again. For me this worked every time on k-30. If this does not work, try reset and new batteries. Thanks! That worked for me, the A*600 is still off but only by about 1/4 of a stop and now in the underexposed direction through the viewvinder. I tried several other lenses and now the exposure is the same in both live view and through the viewfinder.

02-28-2017, 08:01 PM	#10
mikem Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 101 Original Poster	So some terrible news. I took the camera to a local repair shop and it had irrecoverable corrosion damage, presumably from salt water exposure. In retrospect there was some white material coming out from some connections recently. The camera cannot be repaired and is a total loss! I've been trying to figure out where the saltwater came from. I took a 4 day trip to the coast about 6 months ago but certainly didn't drop it in the ocean or anything. Not all my lenses are weather sealed. I often carry the camera on the shoulder strap of my backpack with a Capture Clip. I don't know if salt from sweat might get in the camera. Mostly I'm flabbergasted and devastated that my camera is toast. I don't even know how I could prevent this from happening again. This is my third Pentax body in 10 years and I've never had troubles. This makes me want to only buy and use weather sealed lenses.

02-28-2017, 08:14 PM	#11
Outis Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Cambridge, MA Posts: 935	Oh yeah, I had this problem with my K-3. Metering was shot and so was autofocus. It was OK if I used it with manual focus and on manual mode. I sent it in for repairs and they cleaned the contacts, and this fixed it temporarily, but the problem came back and they replaced most of the electronics. Works fine now. ---------- Post added 02-28-17 at 10:16 PM ---------- Originally posted by Outis Oh yeah, I had this problem with my K-3. Metering was shot and so was autofocus. It was OK if I used it with manual focus and on manual mode. I sent it in for repairs and they cleaned the contacts, and this fixed it temporarily, but the problem came back and they replaced most of the electronics. Works fine now. Oops, sorry, missed the update. So sorry to hear about your camera! ---------- Post added 02-28-17 at 10:16 PM ---------- Originally posted by Outis Oh yeah, I had this problem with my K-3. Metering was shot and so was autofocus. It was OK if I used it with manual focus and on manual mode. I sent it in for repairs and they cleaned the contacts, and this fixed it temporarily, but the problem came back and they replaced most of the electronics. Works fine now. Oops, sorry, missed the update. So sorry to hear about your camera!

K3-II Severe Overexposure

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