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11-21-2015, 01:03 PM   #1
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k3ii "mirror flap" when battery is low

This happened twice now when my battery was almost dead. I had to remove the battery to make it stop. I have had the camera for 3 weeks.

Is this normal or should I return it, while it is still under warranty? Everything else works great.

11-21-2015, 05:05 PM   #2
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Blimey, they still haven't fixed that!? Return it.
11-21-2015, 05:10 PM   #3
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Here we go again! Yes, return it while it is under warranty.
11-21-2015, 05:46 PM   #4
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No, it is not normal and no this is not a commonly reported problem. Contact the seller and arrange for an exchange.


Steve

11-21-2015, 08:16 PM   #5
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So familiar... i remember reading about this issue with the K3. I myself experienced it once. Looks like the bug still lingers in the core firmware and the fix may not been baked in to the baseline release - they need to fix it with a firmware update.
11-21-2015, 10:24 PM   #6
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Thx. Im sending it back and look forward to a new one...

Im bummed because I was really enjoying the K3Il. Hopefully it wont happen again..
11-21-2015, 11:54 PM   #7
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Let's hope this is a fluke problem with this particular K-3II.

Seems like the K-7 and K-5II/IIs are the only K-7/K-5/K-3 series models that generally don't suffer from this problem. I've never read about mirror flap/flop in these. Can it really be that hard to fix?

Please God that mirror flap doesn't afflict the K-1. Pentax needs to get the K-1 FF series off to a perfect start.

11-22-2015, 06:03 AM   #8
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I can see this happening on an almost dead battery. Once the battery voltage drops to the point where where it affects the logic circuit voltage all sorts of weird things can happen on any logic controlled device. How many images are you getting before this happens?

I would examine the battery and camera contacts to see if there is any dirt on them. Also, have you tried another battery?
11-22-2015, 10:04 AM   #9
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This happened with an off brand battery from ebay. I will try my Pentax battery and see if it happens again..
12-02-2015, 08:23 AM   #10
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Did you track the cause of the problem? Mine made a mirror flop 3 times since i got it in september. First time it happened I ignorred the issue. But last two times it happened was today and on sunday. I shot timelapse the both times. First time I used cameras internal intervalometer and second time i used a yongnuo mc-36 itervalometer. I had a grip attached and sigma 17-50 lens. Cards in camera on sunday were 2x sandisk extreme 32GB and today i had adata premiere 64GB in slot 1 and sandisk in slot 2. Batteries were fully charged the both times. Original one in camera and off brand but not a cheap chinese copy in grip. Battery select was on auto. When it happens, mirror flips at possibly double the speed of hi burst around 5-8 times ( not sure). It immediately stops and camera continues to function normally and continues to shoot in interval of yongnuo mc-36 like nothing has happened. Only the aperture changes to f4 for some reason. It is a rare occurence and i am not prepared to hand it over for servicing and loose 2 weeks possibly for nothing since i cant recreate the issue on its own. Its a really stupid problem.
12-02-2015, 08:32 AM   #11
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I've ran my batteries down several times on my K3II and have not experienced the mirror flap.
12-02-2015, 07:44 PM   #12
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I returned it to b and h, who promply replaced it with a new one. No flap issues with the new one, but I am sticking to Pentax batteries. Exchange with b and h was very painless..

QuoteOriginally posted by zvon Quote
Did you track the cause of the problem? Mine made a mirror flop 3 times since i got it in september. First time it happened I ignorred the issue. But last two times it happened was today and on sunday. I shot timelapse the both times. First time I used cameras internal intervalometer and second time i used a yongnuo mc-36 itervalometer. I had a grip attached and sigma 17-50 lens. Cards in camera on sunday were 2x sandisk extreme 32GB and today i had adata premiere 64GB in slot 1 and sandisk in slot 2. Batteries were fully charged the both times. Original one in camera and off brand but not a cheap chinese copy in grip. Battery select was on auto. When it happens, mirror flips at possibly double the speed of hi burst around 5-8 times ( not sure). It immediately stops and camera continues to function normally and continues to shoot in interval of yongnuo mc-36 like nothing has happened. Only the aperture changes to f4 for some reason. It is a rare occurence and i am not prepared to hand it over for servicing and loose 2 weeks possibly for nothing since i cant recreate the issue on its own. Its a really stupid problem.

Last edited by TroutHunterJohn; 12-02-2015 at 10:49 PM.
12-02-2015, 10:58 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by TroutHunterJohn Quote
I returned it to b and h, who promply replaced it with a new one. No flap issues with the new one, but I am sticking to Pentax batteries. Exchange with b and h was very painless..
Cool!

Cameras sent back through the dealers are more likely to make their way back into Ricoh's quality assurance loop. The camera should shut down in a low voltage situation, not flap its mirror!


Steve
12-03-2015, 04:26 AM   #14
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I pray this doesn't happen to me. I thought this issue was fixed when it came to the k-3II.
12-16-2015, 03:10 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Cool!

Cameras sent back through the dealers are more likely to make their way back into Ricoh's quality assurance loop. The camera should shut down in a low voltage situation, not flap its mirror!


Steve


Yes for sure!


Though 3rd party batteries are in the mix, so on this one I'm giving Pentax the benefit of the doubt! (Never thought I'd ever say that... )

---------- Post added 12-16-15 at 03:12 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by totsmuyco Quote
I pray this doesn't happen to me. I thought this issue was fixed when it came to the k-3II.


A report with a 3rd party battery involved does not make for an "unsolved issue." Just sayin'


Other than the K3II I got that wouldn't turn off right out of the box, I have had ZERO issues of any kind.
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