K-3 reliability poll

**mattb123** · 11-21-2013, 03:27 PM

I've had a couple of lock ups. I think that is more likely to happen with a low(ish) battery. At least that's the only time my K-5 would lock up was on a battery that was getting low (but may not yet show as low, or only a little low on the display).

K David · 11-21-2013, 03:31 PM

My glitch has occurred when scrolling through photos quickly: [URL="https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/172-pentax-k-3/242887-my-first-k-3-glitch.html#post2583070"My First K-3 Glitch[/URL]

rskura · 11-21-2013, 03:56 PM

My K-3 won't power on sometimes when the D-BG5 grip is installed.

Details here: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/172-pentax-k-3/242792-k-3-power-issue.html

DaveXT · 11-21-2013, 10:07 PM

Stupid FLU Card is not recognised by the K-3, other than that I have a fine example.

normhead · 11-22-2013, 07:48 AM

Originally posted by DaveXT

Stupid FLU Card is not recognised by the K-3, other than that I have a fine example.

You got a FLUcard? How did you pull that off?

DaveXT · 11-22-2013, 03:26 PM

Originally posted by normhead

You got a FLUcard? How did you pull that off?

Standard 8 gb FLU cards were bundled with the K-3 in Australia.
These are not the FLU cards dedicated to the K-3 and are next to useless.

Paul Hunt · 11-22-2013, 03:29 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by normhead

You got a FLUcard? How did you pull that off?

The Australian Pentax distributor, CR Kennedy, bundled a generic Flucard Pro with the K-3. This card is not the proprietary Flucard, which will carry the Pentax branding.

There is some confusion about whether this card is working correctly with the K-3, as the card is not recognized in the wireless settings menu in the K-3. However, the generic Flucard does seem to work correctly, by following the operating instructions provided with the card.

The K-3 does recognize the generic Flucard as an SD card. For this reason, I believe that these cards are working as intended in the K-3, and that the menu options for the Flucard will only be applicable to the Pentax proprietary Flucard.

BlakeShellman · 11-23-2013, 08:59 AM

These issues are making me have concerns about purchasing a K-3.

normhead · 11-23-2013, 09:12 AM

If you can find something else that's perfect, go with that. I'm not sure it's going to reduce you chances of having problems. We sent our K-5 back a while ago because it locked up. Pentax reported, when they opened the box and inserted a battery, there was no issue. They tried multiple times over a number of days to lock it up again without success, then sent it back to us. Sometimes with electronics, things happen. That's just life. So unless you're thinking of buying a K-1000, I'm not sure what you're going to find that's better.

phreon · 11-23-2013, 09:22 AM

Originally posted by Winder

Mine has locked up twice while shooting a long burst and once while processing a test shot of one of the filters. Out of 2000 images that's nothing to worry about. I'm sure firmware will improve stability.

Mine did the exact same thing. Couldn't technically turn it off (screen stayed on); it required a battery pull.

normhead · 11-23-2013, 11:28 AM

Originally posted by phreon

Mine did the exact same thing. Couldn't technically turn it off (screen stayed on); it required a battery pull.

We had pulled the battery numerous times, done a reset. everything we could think of. Somewhere between our house and Ricoh Canada, it fixed itself.

ChrisJ · 11-23-2013, 12:40 PM

Originally posted by Winder

Mine has locked up twice while shooting a long burst and once while processing a test shot of one of the filters. Out of 2000 images that's nothing to worry about. I'm sure firmware will improve stability.

Was it a slow card? Once the buffer is full or close to full it can take an age to empty the buffer onto the card with slow cards.

Edit: the light next to the SD slot will flash slowly, it's the card activity lamp.

Chris

phreon · 11-23-2013, 03:07 PM

Originally posted by ChrisJ

Was it a slow card? Once the buffer is full or close to full it can take an age to empty the buffer onto the card with slow cards.

Edit: the light next to the SD slot will flash slowly, it's the card activity lamp.

Chris

In my case, I was using 32 Gig Sandisk Extreme card B&H bundled with the camera. The camera was not busy writing - the rear display stayed on displaying exposure info (not updating) regardless of power switch setting, none of the controls responded, the secondary display showed semi-random info regardless of power switch settings as well.

Doug

Jbloomerjo · 11-23-2013, 03:40 PM

Well add me to the list of people who has at least one problem with the camera.

Yesterday when I first received my camera, I immediately went to test it indoors. Everything was fine until I decided to test the 8.3 fps burst. I followed what the manual stated (shutter speed is dependant on continuous shooting). So I went for the high shutter speed numbers, at least starting from 100, and went my way up to see if it gets any faster. I was curious about the shutter speeds at 3000 with continuous shooting, it was lovely to say the least. Then when I lowered the shutter to 200-400 instantly and pressed the shutter, it went beserk. It shot continuous frames for 10 seconds and it was still going mad with the shooting! I couldn't control the camera in any way, no button interaction, no LCD interaction, not even the power switch worked. So I had to resort to remove the battery and try again. It hasn't done that again after testing it outside with wildlife, but I am still a bit fearful of my new pentax product. Should I contact B&H and possibly get a replacement? Or should I just let it be and hope for a firmware stability update?

Adam · 11-23-2013, 03:43 PM

Originally posted by Jbloomerjo

Well add me to the list of people who has at least one problem with the camera.

Yesterday when I first received my camera, I immediately went to test it indoors. Everything was fine until I decided to test the 8.3 fps burst. I followed what the manual stated (shutter speed is dependant on continuous shooting). So I went for the high shutter speed numbers, at least starting from 100, and went my way up to see if it gets any faster. I was curious about the shutter speeds at 3000 with continuous shooting, it was lovely to say the least. Then when I lowered the shutter to 200-400 instantly and pressed the shutter, it went beserk. It shot continuous frames for 10 seconds and it was still going mad with the shooting! I couldn't control the camera in any way, no button interaction, no LCD interaction, not even the power switch worked. So I had to resort to remove the battery and try again. It hasn't done that again after testing it outside with wildlife, but I am still a bit fearful of my new pentax product. Should I contact B&H and possibly get a replacement? Or should I just let it be and hope for a firmware stability update?

Sounds like a firmware fix might be what you need. Others have reported something similar to this too.

View Poll Results: Have you experienced any problems with your K-3?
My K-3 has never had any problems	59	63.44%
My K-3 has or have had minor problems that do not render it unusable	30	32.26%
My K-3 has or have had major problems that render it unusable	4	4.30%
Voters: 93. You may not vote on this poll

11-21-2013, 03:56 PM	#48
rskura Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Edmonton, AB Photos: Gallery Posts: 50	K-3 doesn't always power on when grip is installed My K-3 won't power on sometimes when the D-BG5 grip is installed. Details here: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/172-pentax-k-3/242792-k-3-power-issue.html

11-23-2013, 03:43 PM	#60
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,595	Originally posted by Jbloomerjo Well add me to the list of people who has at least one problem with the camera. Yesterday when I first received my camera, I immediately went to test it indoors. Everything was fine until I decided to test the 8.3 fps burst. I followed what the manual stated (shutter speed is dependant on continuous shooting). So I went for the high shutter speed numbers, at least starting from 100, and went my way up to see if it gets any faster. I was curious about the shutter speeds at 3000 with continuous shooting, it was lovely to say the least. Then when I lowered the shutter to 200-400 instantly and pressed the shutter, it went beserk. It shot continuous frames for 10 seconds and it was still going mad with the shooting! I couldn't control the camera in any way, no button interaction, no LCD interaction, not even the power switch worked. So I had to resort to remove the battery and try again. It hasn't done that again after testing it outside with wildlife, but I am still a bit fearful of my new pentax product. Should I contact B&H and possibly get a replacement? Or should I just let it be and hope for a firmware stability update? Sounds like a firmware fix might be what you need. Others have reported something similar to this too. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

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11-21-2013, 03:27 PM	#46
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,872	I've had a couple of lock ups. I think that is more likely to happen with a low(ish) battery. At least that's the only time my K-5 would lock up was on a battery that was getting low (but may not yet show as low, or only a little low on the display).

11-21-2013, 03:31 PM	#47
K David Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Colorado Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,437	My glitch has occurred when scrolling through photos quickly: [URL="https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/172-pentax-k-3/242887-my-first-k-3-glitch.html#post2583070"My First K-3 Glitch[/URL]

11-21-2013, 10:07 PM	#49
DaveXT Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Melbourne Outer East Photos: Albums Posts: 94	Stupid FLU Card is not recognised by the K-3, other than that I have a fine example.

11-22-2013, 07:48 AM	#50
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Originally posted by DaveXT Stupid FLU Card is not recognised by the K-3, other than that I have a fine example. You got a FLUcard? How did you pull that off?

11-22-2013, 03:26 PM	#51
DaveXT Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Melbourne Outer East Photos: Albums Posts: 94	Originally posted by normhead You got a FLUcard? How did you pull that off? Standard 8 gb FLU cards were bundled with the K-3 in Australia. These are not the FLU cards dedicated to the K-3 and are next to useless.

11-22-2013, 03:29 PM - 1 Like	#52
Paul Hunt Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 81	Originally posted by normhead You got a FLUcard? How did you pull that off? The Australian Pentax distributor, CR Kennedy, bundled a *generic* Flucard Pro with the K-3. This card is not the proprietary Flucard, which will carry the Pentax branding. There is some confusion about whether this card is working correctly with the K-3, as the card is not recognized in the wireless settings menu in the K-3. However, the generic Flucard does seem to work correctly, by following the operating instructions provided with the card. The K-3 does recognize the generic Flucard as an SD card. For this reason, I believe that these cards are working as intended in the K-3, and that the menu options for the Flucard will only be applicable to the Pentax proprietary Flucard.

11-23-2013, 08:59 AM	#53
BlakeShellman Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 224	These issues are making me have concerns about purchasing a K-3.

11-23-2013, 09:12 AM	#54
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	If you can find something else that's perfect, go with that. I'm not sure it's going to reduce you chances of having problems. We sent our K-5 back a while ago because it locked up. Pentax reported, when they opened the box and inserted a battery, there was no issue. They tried multiple times over a number of days to lock it up again without success, then sent it back to us. Sometimes with electronics, things happen. That's just life. So unless you're thinking of buying a K-1000, I'm not sure what you're going to find that's better.

11-23-2013, 09:22 AM	#55
phreon Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 72	Originally posted by Winder Mine has locked up twice while shooting a long burst and once while processing a test shot of one of the filters. Out of 2000 images that's nothing to worry about. I'm sure firmware will improve stability. Mine did the exact same thing. Couldn't technically turn it off (screen stayed on); it required a battery pull.

11-23-2013, 11:28 AM	#56
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Originally posted by phreon Mine did the exact same thing. Couldn't technically turn it off (screen stayed on); it required a battery pull. We had pulled the battery numerous times, done a reset. everything we could think of. Somewhere between our house and Ricoh Canada, it fixed itself.

11-23-2013, 12:40 PM	#57
ChrisJ Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Eckington, Derbyshire UK Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 316	Originally posted by Winder Mine has locked up twice while shooting a long burst and once while processing a test shot of one of the filters. Out of 2000 images that's nothing to worry about. I'm sure firmware will improve stability. Was it a slow card? Once the buffer is full or close to full it can take an age to empty the buffer onto the card with slow cards. Edit: the light next to the SD slot will flash slowly, it's the card activity lamp. Chris

11-23-2013, 03:07 PM	#58
phreon Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 72	Originally posted by ChrisJ Was it a slow card? Once the buffer is full or close to full it can take an age to empty the buffer onto the card with slow cards. Edit: the light next to the SD slot will flash slowly, it's the card activity lamp. Chris In my case, I was using 32 Gig Sandisk Extreme card B&H bundled with the camera. The camera was not busy writing - the rear display stayed on displaying exposure info (not updating) regardless of power switch setting, none of the controls responded, the secondary display showed semi-random info regardless of power switch settings as well. Doug

11-23-2013, 03:40 PM	#59
Jbloomerjo New Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 10	Well add me to the list of people who has at least one problem with the camera. Yesterday when I first received my camera, I immediately went to test it indoors. Everything was fine until I decided to test the 8.3 fps burst. I followed what the manual stated (shutter speed is dependant on continuous shooting). So I went for the high shutter speed numbers, at least starting from 100, and went my way up to see if it gets any faster. I was curious about the shutter speeds at 3000 with continuous shooting, it was lovely to say the least. Then when I lowered the shutter to 200-400 instantly and pressed the shutter, it went beserk. It shot continuous frames for 10 seconds and it was still going mad with the shooting! I couldn't control the camera in any way, no button interaction, no LCD interaction, not even the power switch worked. So I had to resort to remove the battery and try again. It hasn't done that again after testing it outside with wildlife, but I am still a bit fearful of my new pentax product. Should I contact B&H and possibly get a replacement? Or should I just let it be and hope for a firmware stability update?