K3 glitches - anyone else?

Tukalook · 01-07-2015, 10:16 AM

This weekend took a few photos at a wedding , using Sigma 17-35mm , and Pentax DA 60-250 , the quality of the results and auto focus were to say the least horrible , ------- Very seldom have shoot indoors , outdoors I am quite pleased with camera ------ was just curious if others had issues with poor results while shooting in doors .

RobG · 01-07-2015, 02:31 PM

Originally posted by Tukalook

This weekend took a few photos at a wedding , using Sigma 17-35mm , and Pentax DA 60-250 , the quality of the results and auto focus were to say the least horrible , ------- Very seldom have shoot indoors , outdoors I am quite pleased with camera ------ was just curious if others had issues with poor results while shooting in doors .

What AF mode did you use? Is it possible that the camera was picking focus points other than the subject? Otherwise I can't comment much because I have yet to take many photos indoors with the K3.

stevebrot · 01-07-2015, 04:24 PM

Indoor AF works great for me and the low light performance is in a class all its own.

Steve

RollsUp · 01-08-2015, 11:29 AM

My K3 just went and did a machine gun mode for no apparent reason. Manual mode, AF.S, Single Frame, back AF button depressed while I tried to take a photo. No image was recorded when it happened. The photos taken after were recorded fine.

RobG · 01-08-2015, 02:26 PM

Originally posted by RollsUp

My K3 just went and did a machine gun mode for no apparent reason. Manual mode, AF.S, Single Frame, back AF button depressed while I tried to take a photo. No image was recorded when it happened. The photos taken after were recorded fine.

Interesting. Do you have the current firmware installed?

RollsUp · 01-08-2015, 02:55 PM

Originally posted by RobG

Interesting. Do you have the current firmware installed?

v1.11
I forgot to add that it has a grip and I switched the battery over to the one in the body after the grip battery was a bit low during a cold outing the other day. The battery in the grip is showing 3/4 green now.

RobG · 01-08-2015, 03:45 PM

Originally posted by RollsUp

v1.11
I forgot to add that it has a grip and I switched the battery over to the one in the body after the grip battery was a bit low during a cold outing the other day. The battery in the grip is showing 3/4 green now.

Interesting - maybe there's more work to be done on the firmware.

I've run the internal battery on mine down to the point where it showed no bars at all and didn't have a problem, although cold isn't an issue for me in summer.

stevebrot · 01-08-2015, 04:07 PM

Originally posted by RollsUp

My K3 just went and did a machine gun mode for no apparent reason.

Current firmware or no, contact Pentax for warranty service.

The v1.11 firmware does not fix the runaway mirror problem, it only stops the behavior once it starts to prevent damage to the mechanism. There is still one or more blank frames.

Steve

RollsUp · 01-08-2015, 07:33 PM

Originally posted by stevebrot

Current firmware or no, contact Pentax for warranty service.

The v1.11 firmware does not fix the runaway mirror problem, it only stops the behavior once it starts to prevent damage to the mechanism. There is still one or more blank frames.

Steve

Ugh.. Just when my son's sophomore basketball season is about to start. I read that some others with this problem used a grip with their K3 and I held off on using mine until about a week or so ago. I've had my K3 since Oct. of last year. I think I'll use it without the grip to see if it doesn't show up again. I do have the Pentax extended warranty for my K3.

an you elaborate more on "There is still one or more blank frames." I don't understand what you mean by it.

stevebrot · 01-09-2015, 09:26 AM

Originally posted by RollsUp

an you elaborate more on "There is still one or more blank frames." I don't understand what you mean by it.

This behavior has been reported by several users on this site.

With firmware v1.11, the runaway mirror issue is mitigated, but no image is recorded either for the affected frame when the fault occurs. The sequence possibly goes something like this:

Shutter button pressed
Mirror lifts, but with fault state present
Fault is detected and exposure sequence aborts with no image recorded and no message to user

The result is a graceful recovery, but with a side-effect (no image). The fix is to have Ricoh re-flash the offending controller, but doing so requires the service center.

Steve

RollsUp · 01-13-2015, 08:10 PM

Originally posted by stevebrot

This behavior has been reported by several users on this site.

With firmware v1.11, the runaway mirror issue is mitigated, but no image is recorded either for the affected frame when the fault occurs. The sequence possibly goes something like this:

Shutter button pressed
Mirror lifts, but with fault state present
Fault is detected and exposure sequence aborts with no image recorded and no message to user

The result is a graceful recovery, but with a side-effect (no image). The fix is to have Ricoh re-flash the offending controller, but doing so requires the service center.

Steve

Thank you.

Tukalook · 01-14-2015, 12:29 AM

Pentax K-3 , what you describe as mirror roll up , I definitely experienced the exact same issue mirror roll up , no image , a few times the hang up was so extended that I actually shut power off camera and restarted. I only had the issue happen at a recent wedding but occurred several times over a short duration , it was during this same event that ,I was so disa
ppointed with the images taken and the poor focusing of the camera.

btnapa · 01-15-2015, 03:07 AM

Originally posted by Tukalook

This weekend took a few photos at a wedding , using Sigma 17-35mm , and Pentax DA 60-250 , the quality of the results and auto focus were to say the least horrible , ------- Very seldom have shoot indoors , outdoors I am quite pleased with camera ------ was just curious if others had issues with poor results while shooting in doors .

I brought up this issue in another thread. I used to do weddings regularly with my Canon system. I am no longer in that world. However, I decide to do some pix at my cousin's wedding with my K3 and FA limited lenses. The low light tracking church pix were better than 90% out of focus. There is no way I could do pro work with this set up. I tried every focusing mode possible. User error is out. I have been shooting for too long for user error. When we went out where it was sunny and bright, the results were spectacular.

BTW, I finally tried the 60-250 at CES with my K3. Slow motion focusing is an understatement. Canon and Nikon are miles ahead in the fast focusing department. What is the deal with SDM? I tried the 50-135 last year and it was slooooow too. I thought the 60-250 might be better but it was not. The 60-250 was not as sharp as the reviews suggest either. Overall, I was not impressed at all. I was really looking forward to getting the 60-250 but I am now having serious second thoughts.

RobG · 01-21-2015, 06:41 PM

FWIW I have been using the K3 with a pair of identical SD cards and so far no problems with the unformatted card error message.

**jbinpg** · 01-21-2015, 09:34 PM

Did those experiencing poor AF do any in-camera focus adjustments before their shoots? There is a reason this feature was added to Pentax DSLRs.

01-07-2015, 10:16 AM	#16
Tukalook New Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 3	K3 , in door auto focus issue This weekend took a few photos at a wedding , using Sigma 17-35mm , and Pentax DA 60-250 , the quality of the results and auto focus were to say the least horrible , ------- Very seldom have shoot indoors , outdoors I am quite pleased with camera ------ was just curious if others had issues with poor results while shooting in doors .

01-09-2015, 09:26 AM	#25
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by RollsUp an you elaborate more on "There is still one or more blank frames." I don't understand what you mean by it. This behavior has been reported by several users on this site. With firmware v1.11, the runaway mirror issue is mitigated, but no image is recorded either for the affected frame when the fault occurs. The sequence possibly goes something like this: Shutter button pressed Mirror lifts, but with fault state present Fault is detected and exposure sequence aborts with no image recorded and no message to user The result is a graceful recovery, but with a side-effect (no image). The fix is to have Ricoh re-flash the offending controller, but doing so requires the service center. Steve

01-13-2015, 08:10 PM	#26
RollsUp Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: AK USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,766	Originally posted by stevebrot This behavior has been reported by several users on this site. With firmware v1.11, the runaway mirror issue is mitigated, but no image is recorded either for the affected frame when the fault occurs. The sequence possibly goes something like this: Shutter button pressed Mirror lifts, but with fault state present Fault is detected and exposure sequence aborts with no image recorded and no message to user The result is a graceful recovery, but with a side-effect (no image). The fix is to have Ricoh re-flash the offending controller, but doing so requires the service center. Steve Thank you.

01-15-2015, 03:07 AM	#28
btnapa Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 1,614	Originally posted by Tukalook This weekend took a few photos at a wedding , using Sigma 17-35mm , and Pentax DA 60-250 , the quality of the results and auto focus were to say the least horrible , ------- Very seldom have shoot indoors , outdoors I am quite pleased with camera ------ was just curious if others had issues with poor results while shooting in doors . I brought up this issue in another thread. I used to do weddings regularly with my Canon system. I am no longer in that world. However, I decide to do some pix at my cousin's wedding with my K3 and FA limited lenses. The low light tracking church pix were better than 90% out of focus. There is no way I could do pro work with this set up. I tried every focusing mode possible. User error is out. I have been shooting for too long for user error. When we went out where it was sunny and bright, the results were spectacular. BTW, I finally tried the 60-250 at CES with my K3. Slow motion focusing is an understatement. Canon and Nikon are miles ahead in the fast focusing department. What is the deal with SDM? I tried the 50-135 last year and it was slooooow too. I thought the 60-250 might be better but it was not. The 60-250 was not as sharp as the reviews suggest either. Overall, I was not impressed at all. I was really looking forward to getting the 60-250 but I am now having serious second thoughts. Last edited by btnapa; 01-15-2015 at 03:13 AM. Reason: Adding

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01-07-2015, 02:31 PM	#17
RobG Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Canberra Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,886 Original Poster	Originally posted by Tukalook This weekend took a few photos at a wedding , using Sigma 17-35mm , and Pentax DA 60-250 , the quality of the results and auto focus were to say the least horrible , ------- Very seldom have shoot indoors , outdoors I am quite pleased with camera ------ was just curious if others had issues with poor results while shooting in doors . What AF mode did you use? Is it possible that the camera was picking focus points other than the subject? Otherwise I can't comment much because I have yet to take many photos indoors with the K3.

01-07-2015, 04:24 PM	#18
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Indoor AF works great for me and the low light performance is in a class all its own. Steve

01-08-2015, 11:29 AM	#19
RollsUp Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: AK USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,766	My K3 just went and did a machine gun mode for no apparent reason. Manual mode, AF.S, Single Frame, back AF button depressed while I tried to take a photo. No image was recorded when it happened. The photos taken after were recorded fine.

01-08-2015, 02:26 PM	#20
RobG Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Canberra Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,886 Original Poster	Originally posted by RollsUp My K3 just went and did a machine gun mode for no apparent reason. Manual mode, AF.S, Single Frame, back AF button depressed while I tried to take a photo. No image was recorded when it happened. The photos taken after were recorded fine. Interesting. Do you have the current firmware installed?

01-08-2015, 02:55 PM	#21
RollsUp Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: AK USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,766	Originally posted by RobG Interesting. Do you have the current firmware installed? v1.11 I forgot to add that it has a grip and I switched the battery over to the one in the body after the grip battery was a bit low during a cold outing the other day. The battery in the grip is showing 3/4 green now.

01-08-2015, 03:45 PM	#22
RobG Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Canberra Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,886 Original Poster	Originally posted by RollsUp v1.11 I forgot to add that it has a grip and I switched the battery over to the one in the body after the grip battery was a bit low during a cold outing the other day. The battery in the grip is showing 3/4 green now. Interesting - maybe there's more work to be done on the firmware. I've run the internal battery on mine down to the point where it showed no bars at all and didn't have a problem, although cold isn't an issue for me in summer.

01-08-2015, 04:07 PM	#23
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by RollsUp My K3 just went and did a machine gun mode for no apparent reason. Current firmware or no, contact Pentax for warranty service. The v1.11 firmware does not fix the runaway mirror problem, it only stops the behavior once it starts to prevent damage to the mechanism. There is still one or more blank frames. Steve

01-08-2015, 07:33 PM	#24
RollsUp Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: AK USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,766	Originally posted by stevebrot Current firmware or no, contact Pentax for warranty service. The v1.11 firmware does not fix the runaway mirror problem, it only stops the behavior once it starts to prevent damage to the mechanism. There is still one or more blank frames. Steve Ugh.. Just when my son's sophomore basketball season is about to start. I read that some others with this problem used a grip with their K3 and I held off on using mine until about a week or so ago. I've had my K3 since Oct. of last year. I think I'll use it without the grip to see if it doesn't show up again. I do have the Pentax extended warranty for my K3. an you elaborate more on "There is still one or more blank frames." I don't understand what you mean by it.

01-14-2015, 12:29 AM	#27
Tukalook New Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 3	Pentax K-3 , what you describe as mirror roll up , I definitely experienced the exact same issue mirror roll up , no image , a few times the hang up was so extended that I actually shut power off camera and restarted. I only had the issue happen at a recent wedding but occurred several times over a short duration , it was during this same event that ,I was so disa ppointed with the images taken and the poor focusing of the camera.

01-21-2015, 06:41 PM	#29
RobG Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Canberra Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,886 Original Poster	FWIW I have been using the K3 with a pair of identical SD cards and so far no problems with the unformatted card error message.

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01-21-2015, 09:34 PM	#30
jbinpg Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Prince George, BC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,546	Did those experiencing poor AF do any in-camera focus adjustments before their shoots? There is a reason this feature was added to Pentax DSLRs.