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12-19-2013, 04:27 PM   #61
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QuoteOriginally posted by RockvilleBob Quote
I returned my Silver edition, after talking with Ricoh - probably before they were fully aware of the problem, and replaced it with the black K-3 and black grip. Got the K-3 replacement quickly from B&H but the grip has been on back order since Nov 14.Very happy with the K-3, no extremely happy with the K-3. I just hope I do not have to send it back to get a fix to enable the grip to work correctly. I am hoping the long delay in grip delivery is because of a change in the grip.
I'm confident it will get resolved eventually, but not so sure we'll ever know where the problem was. Meanwhile, like a lot of people, I'm very reluctant to be without my camera, especially right now. I'll eventually find time and send it in.
Meanwhile if the grips really are the cause of the issue, and the new ones fix it, it's much easier to send in a grip for repair than my precious K-3!

12-20-2013, 09:56 PM   #62
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I'm not sure if this is related, but the grip seems to be causing me more problem after the firmware update than before. Tonight, with the grip installed, but no battery in the grip, I was unable to shoot any video. Video mode will initiate and AF is usable, but once I press the record button, I get about 1-2 seconds of recording and then the camera locks up (display goes blank). The card access light stays on until I turn off the camera. Actually the card access light remains on for 3-4 seconds after powering down. Once I turn the camera back on again, there is a file on the card that cannot be displayed in playback. This happened EVERY time without fail. At first I didn't understand what was happening, because I had previously shot a lot of video before the firmware update, with the battery grip attached - no problem. It took me a while, but once I thought to remove the grip, the problem went away completely and video mode worked as it should.

For me, the problem is getting more annoying, but of course, I am still reluctant to send in my K-3 right now, because otherwise I am enjoying it immensely.

I'm not sure if anyone else has experienced this issue, but it is easy to test. If you are on firmware 1.01, switch to video mode with the battery grip attached and see if you can record more than 1-2 seconds before the camera locks up.
12-21-2013, 12:02 AM   #63
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QuoteOriginally posted by rskura Quote
I'm not sure if this is related, but the grip seems to be causing me more problem after the firmware update than before. Tonight, with the grip installed, but no battery in the grip, I was unable to shoot any video. Video mode will initiate and AF is usable, but once I press the record button, I get about 1-2 seconds of recording and then the camera locks up (display goes blank). The card access light stays on until I turn off the camera. Actually the card access light remains on for 3-4 seconds after powering down. Once I turn the camera back on again, there is a file on the card that cannot be displayed in playback. This happened EVERY time without fail. At first I didn't understand what was happening, because I had previously shot a lot of video before the firmware update, with the battery grip attached - no problem. It took me a while, but once I thought to remove the grip, the problem went away completely and video mode worked as it should.

For me, the problem is getting more annoying, but of course, I am still reluctant to send in my K-3 right now, because otherwise I am enjoying it immensely.

I'm not sure if anyone else has experienced this issue, but it is easy to test. If you are on firmware 1.01, switch to video mode with the battery grip attached and see if you can record more than 1-2 seconds before the camera locks up.
OK, I tried this just now. Grip attached, powered up with full batteries in both grip and body. BTW, my new work-around the power-on problem is to first release the grip battery slightly - power on the camera - power it off - push in the battery door - power up again. Works every time and lets me use both batteries. Back to the test...
Lens DA*16-50mm f2.8 SDM Built-in mic - all the defaults. (Haven't used the video recording functions before!)
Recorded 1'01" of full HD 30P onto a new Kingston 64GB Ultimate memory card without issue. Played it back right away perfectly.

Thoughts: possibly you had a bad SD card? What video mode were you trying to use? Anything else I should try to see if I can duplicate your lock-up?
12-21-2013, 08:50 AM   #64
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QuoteOriginally posted by dbh Quote
OK, I tried this just now. Grip attached, powered up with full batteries in both grip and body. BTW, my new work-around the power-on problem is to first release the grip battery slightly - power on the camera - power it off - push in the battery door - power up again. Works every time and lets me use both batteries. Back to the test...
Lens DA*16-50mm f2.8 SDM Built-in mic - all the defaults. (Haven't used the video recording functions before!)
Recorded 1'01" of full HD 30P onto a new Kingston 64GB Ultimate memory card without issue. Played it back right away perfectly.

Thoughts: possibly you had a bad SD card? What video mode were you trying to use? Anything else I should try to see if I can duplicate your lock-up?
Interesting to hear about your work-around. It's a bit of a bizarre problem, given that it's so intermittent and can be remedied by the solution you found. It seems to me like the problem is more likely to occur after the battery has been installed for a while. That is consistent with your work-around too . . . by releasing the battery and then re-engaging it, the camera will power on.

Anyway, I thought of the possibility that my new problem might be related to my SD card, so I tried re-formatting the one I was using, and when that didn't work, I tried a different card. It still didn't work. It wasn't until after I removed the grip that the video mode worked - with the same SD card. Video mode was aperture priority.

I tried it again this morning and exactly the same thing is happening. So in order to video, I have to completely remove the grip. I am doing a bit of video work for someone this morning and this will be a pain if I want to use the grip for the stills. Might be better to leave my grip off all together. That's too bad, because I like handling the camera much better with the grip on.

12-22-2013, 04:37 AM   #65
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QuoteOriginally posted by aaalegre Quote
disappointed SILVER hoping it would work I have not tried it yet but I will keep you posted.....
Still having the same problems with the camera not turning on with the second battery installed. I've been turning the camera on with the grip battery disengaged turning the camera on / off / and re-engaging the grip so I have the grip first in my settings seems to work for now.
12-22-2013, 11:12 AM   #66
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QuoteOriginally posted by aaalegre Quote
Still having the same problems with the camera not turning on with the second battery installed. I've been turning the camera on with the grip battery disengaged turning the camera on / off / and re-engaging the grip so I have the grip first in my settings seems to work for now.
Same with my K-3.
12-22-2013, 04:09 PM   #67
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QuoteOriginally posted by rawr Quote
People posting their problem reports here kind of assume that Ricoh is listening, and using all their feedback to help improve the product, eg via firmware adjustments (after bug testing and verification by Ricoh labs). Doesn't sound like that assumption is justified.
Post it here and it is a rumor. Ask your dealer for a RMA and it becomes an action item.


Steve

12-27-2013, 09:53 AM   #68
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I have just visited Pentar office (Russian Pentax). The bug is "under investigation". We have found a temporary workaround: fast turn the camera ON and OFF few times. On the fifth or sixth time the camera will be turned ON.
12-27-2013, 11:58 AM   #69
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QuoteOriginally posted by Grokh Quote
I have just visited Pentar office (Russian Pentax). The bug is "under investigation". We have found a temporary workaround: fast turn the camera ON and OFF few times. On the fifth or sixth time the camera will be turned ON.
"under investigation" I think they are trying to think how much this is going to cost them. Hope its only the grip
12-27-2013, 03:21 PM   #70
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Has anyone tried using the new grip from bhphoto, that was back in stock last week, with their k3 yet? I ordered my k3 with grip deal on bhphoto last week and came across this thread. It's getting me worried that this problem might happen to me too. I was a Nikon guy who finally decided to switch to pentax. With the k3 being my first pentax camera, I hope this issue will not become my first experience with pentax, because it could be disappointing.
12-30-2013, 09:53 AM   #71
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To repeat the GRIP / Battery error in movie mode.

1. Put both battery in K-3
2. Turn on the camera
3. menu select grip battery use first (it is normal setting in my other pentax camera with grip)
4. shoot movie

Result = it work fine.

Pretend your grip battery is empty
5. Turn off the camera
6. Take the battery from the grip
7. Turn on the camera
8. Shoot movie

Result = capture 1-2s and K-3 hang

* The hang will not happen if camera menu set to use body battery first or auto.

Lets see any guy can repeat that... then it is a confirmed issue.
12-30-2013, 01:33 PM   #72
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Repeat that. No problem - 20 seconds of normally recording.
12-30-2013, 02:24 PM   #73
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QuoteOriginally posted by konquerian Quote
Has anyone tried using the new grip from bhphoto, that was back in stock last week, with their k3 yet? I ordered my k3 with grip deal on bhphoto last week and came across this thread. It's getting me worried that this problem might happen to me too. I was a Nikon guy who finally decided to switch to pentax. With the k3 being my first pentax camera, I hope this issue will not become my first experience with pentax, because it could be disappointing.
Just got the grip from B&H today, it was on back order for 6 weeks. Put it on and turned the K-3 on a few times - working OK. I also changed the battery menu to grip first from auto, I have no idea what auto does. Time will tell but so far so good. I did return the Silver Edition because of the grip/power problem and replaced it with the standard black camera/grip.
I hope I did not jinx it by posting this note!
12-30-2013, 02:30 PM   #74
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QuoteOriginally posted by RockvilleBob Quote
Just got the grip from B&H today, it was on back order for 6 weeks. Put it on and turned the K-3 on a few times - working OK. I also changed the battery menu to grip first from auto, I have no idea what auto does. Time will tell but so far so good. I did return the Silver Edition because of the grip/power problem and replaced it with the standard black camera/grip.
I hope I did not jinx it by posting this note!
Hopefully this will work and if it a hardware issue in the grip it may be fixed I'm still holding on to my SILVER
01-17-2014, 07:52 AM   #75
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Could this be a battery issue?

Hello all, hopefully folks are still following this thread. I am new to the forum but, I may have information that will help. Prior to obtaining my K3, I purchased a DBG-5 grip and two third party batteries. I charged up the batteries so I could start shooting when my camera arrived. I had no startup problems at all. After a few hundred shots I switched-in the freshly charged Ricoh-Pentax battery and went birding. I immediately experienced the switch-on startup problems already described by others in this discussion: 2-4 switch actuations to get the camera to boot. After finding and reading this thread, I started testing battery combinations. I have 2- Hoya-Pentax Li90 batteries from my K7, 2- third party Li90s and the Ricoh-Pentax battery that came with the camera. Long story short, any time the Ricoh-Pentax battery was in the camera or grip in combination with either of the other two battery types, I had from 0% to 25% success with first-switch-on startup. With any combination of the Hoya or third party batteries I had 100% success with first-switch-on startup. The camera was set to automatic battery selection. I have sidelined the Ricoh-Pentax battery as a work-around. The one combination I could not test was two Ricoh-Pentax batteries in the camera at the same time. This is of course a limited test with only one camera but, I was wondering if anyone else could confirm my findings?
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