[Morogan]

So I noticed the price of the K-3 body dropped to $800 at B&H, so I hopped on it, receiving it two days ago. Curiously, mine is serial #4859xxx, manufactured on 11/20/2013 and came with 1.0 firmware and one shutter actuation. I was really surprised to see a unit that old show up new in March, 2015. I've updated to 1.11 and have about 50 shots in with my fingers crossed that mine was part of some mysterious batch that went back to the factory for a pre-emptive strike and has now re-entered circulation at retail.

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Last edited by Morogan; 03-23-2015 at 01:20 PM. Reason: corrected spelling

[C_Jones]

Thanks for the comment. I did get the label from Ricoh, and am sending the camera off this morning.

That way you are dealing with Pentax/Ricoh directly, and both you and they know exactly what is going on and when. Smart move.

[audiobomber]

That way you are dealing with Pentax/Ricoh directly, and both you and they know exactly what is going on and when. Smart move.

I called Ricoh Pentax Canada directly and was told to contact Sun Camera.

[stevebrot]

I was really surprised to see a unit that old show up new in March, 2015.

I would be too! That is very, very strange since B&H moves through a lot of Pentax inventory.


Steve

[Nakedgun]

I would be too! That is very, very strange since B&H moves through a lot of Pentax inventory.


Steve

Could be from from a lot purchased from a "former" dealer?

[jpzk]

Can someone point to me where to find the "potential" K3 serial numbers to watch for (the Crazy Mirror Sickness) before I place the order ?

[stevebrot]

Can someone point to me where to find the "potential" K3 serial numbers to watch for (the Crazy Mirror Sickness) before I place the order ?

The Pentax serial numbers are not strictly sequential. There are huge gaps which hint that the various ranges represent individual production runs or the output from specific production lines.

There is a serial number database on this site but data related to the runaway/crazy mirror problem is very sparse. The problem has very low incidence.

Pentax K-3 Serial Numbers - Pentax Serial Number Database - PentaxForums.com

Also, the first post on this thread lists a range that takes in about 2/3 of the K-3 production.


Steve

[sjaramillovilla]

Hi, I am from Colombia, at the end of this week i will be in NY and want to buy a pentax k3 in B&H. I really really like this camera for its price-performace factor and its toughness. Wanna know if the k3 still worth it or the chance to get a Crazy mirror afected one is really high at this date. For me is not that easy to send it from Colombia like you who live in US and Canada. Colombia doens't have a warranty center inside the country.
Please help!!!

[Paul the Sunman]

Hi, I am from Colombia, at the end of this week i will be in NY and want to buy a pentax k3 in B&H. I really really like this camera for its price-performace factor and its toughness. Wanna know if the k3 still worth it or the chance to get a Crazy mirror afected one is really high at this date. For me is not that easy to send it from Colombia like you who live in US and Canada. Colombia doens't have a warranty center inside the country.
Please help!!!

Buy the K3. I had the mirror flap once in over a year. It was a minor inconvenience for 20 seconds. There have been no recurrences, and anyway, it is largely controlled by the latest firmware update (which you should apply straight away if it is not already installed). Great camera.

[Kameraten]

I don't think we know the likeliness of getting a faulty camera in NYC or elsewhere. But you might consider the K-S2 which has a few very useful features (flip screen, wifi) lacking from the K-3, and a more sensible pixel count. Seems the specs of the K-3 beats it only when it comes to focusing points and choices.

[audiobomber]

Seems the specs of the K-3 beats it only when it comes to focusing points and choices.

This isn't the place to discuss it, but what you said above is incorrect.

[Kameraten]

Let me put this way: since I myself got a very faulty K-3 only three months ago I don't think the risk is non-existent. Thus it makes sense to look for alternatives. Yes, there are some other differences between models, which can be discussed elsewhere.

[sjaramillovilla]

Buy the K3. I had the mirror flap once in over a year. It was a minor inconvenience for 20 seconds. There have been no recurrences, and anyway, it is largely controlled by the latest firmware update (which you should apply straight away if it is not already installed). Great camera.

Thanks to all for the help.

Paul the Sunman, Did you use your k3 for timelapse photography?

Do you guys thinks that use it for this type of photography increases the chance of starting the problem?

[Paul the Sunman]

Thanks to all for the help.

Paul the Sunman, Did you use your k3 for timelapse photography?

Do you guys thinks that use it for this type of photography increases the chance of starting the problem?

I haven't done any serious time-lapse, so I don't know. However, if there is a fixed (very small) probability of mirror flap on any given frame, it stands to reason that it will be more common in time-lapse where large number of frames are taken.

[stevebrot]

Let me put this way: since I myself got a very faulty K-3 only three months ago I don't think the risk is non-existent.

Let me put it this way since I myself (and many thousands of others) got a very dependable K-3 over a year ago at the peak of the reported problems, I would consider that the risk was present, but never particularly high. Since summer of 2014, the number of reported cases has dwindled to a very low level and Ricoh/Pentax has been VERY responsive in dealing with those cases.

All that aside, I understand the angst of people who don't have a local Ricoh/Pentax distributor/service presence. The risk of defect (all causes) is real and is not limited to the runaway mirror problem, nor is the risk limited to Pentax-brand cameras. The incidence of new dSLR cameras having significant defect requiring service or replacement is about 4% for Canon and Sony with Nikon at 6% ()*. Yes, at least one out of every 25 dSLRs going out the door at B&H will require replacement or warranty service. Hmmmm...not good.

Should your new K-3 (or K-S2 or whatever) fail under warranty in Columbia, your recourse would be Ricoh in Japan. Ricoh/Pentax USA only provides warranty service if the camera is physically located in the U.S.

All that being said, I personally feel confident about Pentax quality and have no problem recommending Pentax product to both family and friends.


Steve

* Per Consumer Reports polling of member purchases as of 23 March 2015