[Sqideyes]

I am looking at buying a Premium Silver Edition K3 from a "collector" who says it has less than 1000 actuations and was wondering if the latest
firmware resolved the flappy mirror problem that some cameras had.
I have asked the seller for the serial nr to check against those reported in another thread. (still waiting to hear back from the seller).
I guess what i am really wanting to know is ,has the problem been fixed and is it worth the risk in buying the camera.

Cheers and TIA

[stevebrot]

I guess what i am really wanting to know is ,has the problem been fixed and is it worth the risk in buying the camera.

The issue was fixed in production summer of 2014 with reported cases of runaway mirror dropping off sharply after August 2014. A service facility fix* was offered under warranty for earlier-production bodies shortly after the fix was put into production. Ricoh also released a firmware update (v.1.11) capable of detecting the runaway state and aborting the shutter sequence to remedy on an exposure-by-exposure basis for early bodies that did not get the warranty repair.

My K-3 is early production (Nov 2013) and has demonstrated the issue once in the time I have owned it, that being about three months ago and not since. Date of manufacture may be found in the makernotes section of the image file EXIF metadata. I am unaware of whether there are hints in the metadata regarding whether the service facility fix has been applied.


Steve

FWIW...unless one really wants the silver body or has interest in same as a collector's item, the value for silver should be about the same as the value for black, assuming similar shutter count and condition.

* Reportedly the fix was a reflash of low-level firmware of certain hardware controller components.

[Sqideyes]

FWIW...unless one really wants the silver body or has interest in same as a collector's item, the value for silver should be about the same as the value for black, assuming similar shutter count and condition.

Thanks for the info Steve, the reason for the question is that my K5 took a nose dive onto a asphalt foot path(Tripod fell over) and was badly damaged.
I was looking for a replacement and came across the K3 for sale with grip and 20-40 ltd lens for AUD $1500. Is that good value?
Still not sure whether to buy this or a KP or wait for a new camera from Ricoh. I do a fair bit of birding so was looking at the faster FPS,
any advice from the more knowledgeable members here is greatly appreciated.

[sungibr]

I am looking at buying a Premium Silver Edition K3 from a "collector" who says it has less than 1000 actuations and was wondering if the latest
firmware resolved the flappy mirror problem that some cameras had.
I have asked the seller for the serial nr to check against those reported in another thread. (still waiting to hear back from the seller).
I guess what i am really wanting to know is ,has the problem been fixed and is it worth the risk in buying the camera.

Cheers and TIA

Hi.

I have one with me now. Take it with me pretty much 24/7, since I bought it, from a very good reputation guy I known, early last year.

I don't know what was the serial numbers that's supposed to be mirror-flap free, but mine is 25785XX, and I have had this issue a two or three times last year. I'll ad that I use this a lot for PJ work, and it never caused me to stop working.

When I bought the camera I udapted the firmware right away and that seems to work really well to counteract the issue, because the camera really stop the flapping when it occurs. The only real problem is that you lost the images you might be taking when it does.

To short, it happnes, but with very little frequency. Almost none, or none you could even notice.

Also, the actual fw is 1.40, and appears it make the occurency of the mirror flap even more controled, because I can't remember the camera doing it in the last months...


Hope it help.

[blackcloudbrew]

I have a silver K-3, owned it since about June of 2014. Don't ever remember this problem and have not had it.

[stevebrot]

I found the reportage thread from 2014 and as of November of that year, 152 users on this site had reported symptoms of runaway mirror on their K-3. The serial number ranges at time were:

482XXXX to 493XXXX (black bodies)
and
2573XXX to 2578XXX (silver bodies)

Even within those ranges, the problem was still fairly rare with some indication that use of the battery grip, interval movie sessions, and power problems might be contributing factors.

K3 Crazy Mirror Sickness (Mirror Flapping Lockup) - Report Yours Here! - PentaxForums.com

FWIW, terminology for this issue is sort of mixed up. The best description is probably "runaway mirror", though it was also referred to as "crazy mirror", "mirror flapping", "mirror flap", and "mirror flop"; those last two as a conflation with the so-called "mirror flop" issue on K-5 and K-r models.


Steve

[HippyHippo]

I have a silver K-3 and it did originally exhibit the problem...until I updated the firmware several years ago then I’ve never experienced it since.

[garywakeling]

I have a silver K3, love it, I also saw the ad however I thought the price was a little high to me. 2 generations back and for a small amount extra pentax.com.au has original K1 body brand new or even a KP if you want to stay with aps-c

[blackcloudbrew]

I found the reportage thread from 2014 and as of November of that year, 152 users on this site had reported symptoms of runaway mirror on their K-3. The serial number ranges at time were:

482XXXX to 493XXXX (black bodies)
and
2573XXX to 2578XXX (silver bodies)

Even within those ranges, the problem was still fairly rare with some indication that use of the battery grip, interval movie sessions, and power problems might be contributing factors.

K3 Crazy Mirror Sickness (Mirror Flapping Lockup) - Report Yours Here! - PentaxForums.com

FWIW, terminology for this issue is sort of mixed up. The best description is probably "runaway mirror", though it was also referred to as "crazy mirror", "mirror flapping", "mirror flap", and "mirror flop"; those last two as a conflation with the so-called "mirror flop" issue on K-5 and K-r models.


Steve

Interesting as my silver body is s/n 2578715. Again, never had the problem

[jopenmx]

My K-3 premium silver edition was adcquired October 2014, has S/N 2578419 , and never got any problem with mirror or another items. In fact, I still use the K-3 after having the K-1.

[stevebrot]

Interesting as my silver body is s/n 2578715. Again, never had the problem

My K-3 premium silver edition was adcquired October 2014, has S/N 2578419 , and never got any problem with mirror or another items. In fact, I still use the K-3 after having the K-1.

Glad neither of you have had problems!

Both of your cameras are more typical than not. Back when the runaway mirror issue was first reported, there was significant doubt on the part of the majority of early owners whose cameras continued trouble-free that the problem existed at all as a design or manufacturing fault. The vast majority of cameras, regardless of color, continued to perform just fine and blame was placed on various power-related factors or use patterns. It was only due to the efforts of user DRabbit (aka Amy) that an objective accounting of affected users on this site was compiled and the issue gained a measure of legitimacy. The serial number ranges are based on her work, with the last report captured by her thread being logged 19 October 2014.


Steve

[dicks]

I have a silver K3 and never had this issue. It now has the latest 1.40 firmware.

One downside of the silver is that the coating rubs off and you will have black patches. I would not buy a silver again, unless the coating technology was changed or improved.

[panonski]

I have a silver K3 and never had this issue. It now has the latest 1.40 firmware.

One downside of the silver is that the coating rubs off and you will have black patches. I would not buy a silver again, unless the coating technology was changed or improved.

Dearest Ricoh