K-30/ K-50 Aperture DIY Repair

richandfleur · 07-12-2016, 02:46 PM

Originally posted by niceshot

Did you win that K-7? Hope so O H i see you won the K-30 , well when you get it give a shout

Yeah I have a K-30, and experienced the failure.

I saw an auction here in New Zealand for another K-30, outside of warranty period, that was experiencing the dark frame issue. I have won that auction, so have a camera on it's way to me now in the post.

Will see exactly what I have when it arrives. Assume it's the aperture problem, and hope it's not a shutter won't open problem.

Aperture means I can at least use manual aperture lenses on it ok, or extension tubes etc. Maybe even make it work ok in video mode.

Shutter is much bigger issue, in that you can't really use it at all without needing to break into it straight away.

**niceshot** · 07-12-2016, 03:31 PM

Originally posted by richandfleur

Yeah I have a K-30, and experienced the failure.

I saw an auction here in New Zealand for another K-30, outside of warranty period, that was experiencing the dark frame issue. I have won that auction, so have a camera on it's way to me now in the post.

Will see exactly what I have when it arrives. Assume it's the aperture problem, and hope it's not a shutter won't open problem.

Aperture means I can at least use manual aperture lenses on it ok, or extension tubes etc. Maybe even make it work ok in video mode.

Shutter is much bigger issue, in that you can't really use it at all without needing to break into it straight away.

That is true,so good luck. I

richandfleur · 07-13-2016, 07:31 PM

Well my K-30 has arrived, and it's a mix of good and bad.

Just ran an image through the Pentax Forums shot counter and it's returned:

Manufactured 2012 and 11,000 actuations.

Fired off some shots and can safely say it's the Aperture problem only. Lens can only work fully closed down, which is fine if you want to shoot at f22 only for the rest of your life. When shooting with the settings at this, the camera meters correctly and take images fine. Anything else will lead to being underexposed.

Tried the usual denial type approaches of using the AA battery holder and firing off a lot of shots in burst mode, but neither fixed it.

So, am now going to attempt an investigation type operation. Will review the crap out of everything I can read and try and form an angle of attack.

Lately there have been discussions of springs that come unattached etc. That sort of thing, whilst still buried deep within, sound fairly DIY easy to address.
The issue will be when it requires replacement parts that I can't source.
Some stuff will be pure Pentax in there, but others will be off the shelf OEM type components that you can replace.

Right now I have no idea where I'm heading or what I'll find.
Hopefully that situation improves...

**niceshot** · 07-14-2016, 01:28 AM

Originally posted by richandfleur

Well my K-30 has arrived, and it's a mix of good and bad.

Just ran an image through the Pentax Forums shot counter and it's returned:

Manufactured 2012 and 11,000 actuations.

Fired off some shots and can safely say it's the Aperture problem only. Lens can only work fully closed down, which is fine if you want to shoot at f22 only for the rest of your life. When shooting with the settings at this, the camera meters correctly and take images fine. Anything else will lead to being underexposed.

Tried the usual denial type approaches of using the AA battery holder and firing off a lot of shots in burst mode, but neither fixed it.

So, am now going to attempt an investigation type operation. Will review the crap out of everything I can read and try and form an angle of attack.

Lately there have been discussions of springs that come unattached etc. That sort of thing, whilst still buried deep within, sound fairly DIY easy to address.
The issue will be when it requires replacement parts that I can't source.
Some stuff will be pure Pentax in there, but others will be off the shelf OEM type components that you can replace.

Right now I have no idea where I'm heading or what I'll find.
Hopefully that situation improves...

Rich are you able to use it with manual aperture Lens?

richandfleur · 07-14-2016, 08:13 AM

Originally posted by niceshot

Rich are you able to use it with manual aperture Lens?

Yes. Tried it with a standard 50mm f1.7 A K mount lens, in various fixed manual positions.

Works well. Took some video. May need to clean the sensor too

**niceshot** · 07-14-2016, 12:13 PM

Originally posted by richandfleur

Yes. Tried it with a standard 50mm f1.7 A K mount lens, in various fixed manual positions.

Works well. Took some video. May need to clean the sensor too

good enjoy

**JoseFF** · 07-25-2016, 04:41 PM

Originally posted by richandfleur

Well my K-30 has arrived, and it's a mix of good and bad.

Just ran an image through the Pentax Forums shot counter and it's returned:

Manufactured 2012 and 11,000 actuations.

Fired off some shots and can safely say it's the Aperture problem only. Lens can only work fully closed down, which is fine if you want to shoot at f22 only for the rest of your life. When shooting with the settings at this, the camera meters correctly and take images fine. Anything else will lead to being underexposed.

Tried the usual denial type approaches of using the AA battery holder and firing off a lot of shots in burst mode, but neither fixed it.

So, am now going to attempt an investigation type operation. Will review the crap out of everything I can read and try and form an angle of attack.

Lately there have been discussions of springs that come unattached etc. That sort of thing, whilst still buried deep within, sound fairly DIY easy to address.
The issue will be when it requires replacement parts that I can't source.
Some stuff will be pure Pentax in there, but others will be off the shelf OEM type components that you can replace.

Right now I have no idea where I'm heading or what I'll find.
Hopefully that situation improves...

Hi richandfleur have gone ahead with your investigation? What have you found out?

richandfleur · 07-25-2016, 05:16 PM

I found the top ribbon cable socket was damaged, either by me or by a previous owner attempting this also, and now the K-30 is a worthless pile of junk. Am well pssed off actually as I did a really thurough breakdown, and took some photos etc. I won't be able to comment now if what I did to the component had any impact at all.

**niceshot** · 07-25-2016, 05:55 PM

Originally posted by richandfleur

I found the top ribbon cable socket was damaged, either by me or by a previous owner attempting this also, and now the K-30 is a worthless pile of junk. Am well pssed off actually as I did a really thurough breakdown, and took some photos etc. I won't be able to comment now if what I did to the component had any impact at all.

For what it is worth I took apart a Pentax 10d and noticed the following , the aperture block is the same but the magnetic solenoid is much more heavy duty.

Also your camera should still work in manual mode, as that is its default.

houser934 · 07-30-2016, 08:52 AM

So, should I take this to mean that an older K-30 with this problem is not worth sending in for official repair? Do people really buy them for parts, even with the aperture problem? Hmm...

richandfleur · 07-30-2016, 03:13 PM

Originally posted by houser934

So, should I take this to mean that an older K-30 with this problem is not worth sending in for official repair? Do people really buy them for parts, even with the aperture problem? Hmm...

To be fair, there's still no fully confirmed on size fits all DIY repair method / instructions etc.

It's entirely up to you if you want to send a camera in for repair. It will be at your cost if you are outside your warranty period. If you go DIY, it's entirely at your own risk.

In essence Pentax are saying it's entirely reasonable for you to buy a new camera ever 2 1/2 years, and that their products should only last that long.

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07-12-2016, 02:46 PM	#16
richandfleur Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand Photos: Albums Posts: 1,788 Original Poster	Originally posted by niceshot Did you win that K-7? Hope so O H i see you won the K-30 , well when you get it give a shout Yeah I have a K-30, and experienced the failure. I saw an auction here in New Zealand for another K-30, outside of warranty period, that was experiencing the dark frame issue. I have won that auction, so have a camera on it's way to me now in the post. Will see exactly what I have when it arrives. Assume it's the aperture problem, and hope it's not a shutter won't open problem. Aperture means I can at least use manual aperture lenses on it ok, or extension tubes etc. Maybe even make it work ok in video mode. Shutter is much bigger issue, in that you can't really use it at all without needing to break into it straight away.

07-12-2016, 03:31 PM	#17
niceshot Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,564	Originally posted by richandfleur Yeah I have a K-30, and experienced the failure. I saw an auction here in New Zealand for another K-30, outside of warranty period, that was experiencing the dark frame issue. I have won that auction, so have a camera on it's way to me now in the post. Will see exactly what I have when it arrives. Assume it's the aperture problem, and hope it's not a shutter won't open problem. Aperture means I can at least use manual aperture lenses on it ok, or extension tubes etc. Maybe even make it work ok in video mode. Shutter is much bigger issue, in that you can't really use it at all without needing to break into it straight away. That is true,so good luck. I

07-13-2016, 07:31 PM	#18
richandfleur Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand Photos: Albums Posts: 1,788 Original Poster	Well my K-30 has arrived, and it's a mix of good and bad. Just ran an image through the Pentax Forums shot counter and it's returned: Manufactured 2012 and 11,000 actuations. Fired off some shots and can safely say it's the Aperture problem only. Lens can only work fully closed down, which is fine if you want to shoot at f22 only for the rest of your life. When shooting with the settings at this, the camera meters correctly and take images fine. Anything else will lead to being underexposed. Tried the usual denial type approaches of using the AA battery holder and firing off a lot of shots in burst mode, but neither fixed it. So, am now going to attempt an investigation type operation. Will review the crap out of everything I can read and try and form an angle of attack. Lately there have been discussions of springs that come unattached etc. That sort of thing, whilst still buried deep within, sound fairly DIY easy to address. The issue will be when it requires replacement parts that I can't source. Some stuff will be pure Pentax in there, but others will be off the shelf OEM type components that you can replace. Right now I have no idea where I'm heading or what I'll find. Hopefully that situation improves...

07-14-2016, 01:28 AM	#19
niceshot Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,564	Originally posted by richandfleur Well my K-30 has arrived, and it's a mix of good and bad. Just ran an image through the Pentax Forums shot counter and it's returned: Manufactured 2012 and 11,000 actuations. Fired off some shots and can safely say it's the Aperture problem only. Lens can only work fully closed down, which is fine if you want to shoot at f22 only for the rest of your life. When shooting with the settings at this, the camera meters correctly and take images fine. Anything else will lead to being underexposed. Tried the usual denial type approaches of using the AA battery holder and firing off a lot of shots in burst mode, but neither fixed it. So, am now going to attempt an investigation type operation. Will review the crap out of everything I can read and try and form an angle of attack. Lately there have been discussions of springs that come unattached etc. That sort of thing, whilst still buried deep within, sound fairly DIY easy to address. The issue will be when it requires replacement parts that I can't source. Some stuff will be pure Pentax in there, but others will be off the shelf OEM type components that you can replace. Right now I have no idea where I'm heading or what I'll find. Hopefully that situation improves... Rich are you able to use it with manual aperture Lens?

07-14-2016, 08:13 AM	#20
richandfleur Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand Photos: Albums Posts: 1,788 Original Poster	Originally posted by niceshot Rich are you able to use it with manual aperture Lens? Yes. Tried it with a standard 50mm f1.7 A K mount lens, in various fixed manual positions. Works well. Took some video. May need to clean the sensor too

07-14-2016, 12:13 PM	#21
niceshot Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,564	Originally posted by richandfleur Yes. Tried it with a standard 50mm f1.7 A K mount lens, in various fixed manual positions. Works well. Took some video. May need to clean the sensor too good enjoy

07-25-2016, 04:41 PM	#22
JoseFF Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2016 Posts: 184	Originally posted by richandfleur Well my K-30 has arrived, and it's a mix of good and bad. Just ran an image through the Pentax Forums shot counter and it's returned: Manufactured 2012 and 11,000 actuations. Fired off some shots and can safely say it's the Aperture problem only. Lens can only work fully closed down, which is fine if you want to shoot at f22 only for the rest of your life. When shooting with the settings at this, the camera meters correctly and take images fine. Anything else will lead to being underexposed. Tried the usual denial type approaches of using the AA battery holder and firing off a lot of shots in burst mode, but neither fixed it. So, am now going to attempt an investigation type operation. Will review the crap out of everything I can read and try and form an angle of attack. Lately there have been discussions of springs that come unattached etc. That sort of thing, whilst still buried deep within, sound fairly DIY easy to address. The issue will be when it requires replacement parts that I can't source. Some stuff will be pure Pentax in there, but others will be off the shelf OEM type components that you can replace. Right now I have no idea where I'm heading or what I'll find. Hopefully that situation improves... Hi richandfleur have gone ahead with your investigation? What have you found out?

07-25-2016, 05:16 PM	#23
richandfleur Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand Photos: Albums Posts: 1,788 Original Poster	I found the top ribbon cable socket was damaged, either by me or by a previous owner attempting this also, and now the K-30 is a worthless pile of junk. Am well pssed off actually as I did a really thurough breakdown, and took some photos etc. I won't be able to comment now if what I did to the component had any impact at all.

07-25-2016, 05:55 PM	#24
niceshot Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,564	Originally posted by richandfleur I found the top ribbon cable socket was damaged, either by me or by a previous owner attempting this also, and now the K-30 is a worthless pile of junk. Am well pssed off actually as I did a really thurough breakdown, and took some photos etc. I won't be able to comment now if what I did to the component had any impact at all. For what it is worth I took apart a Pentax 10d and noticed the following , the aperture block is the same but the magnetic solenoid is much more heavy duty. Also your camera should still work in manual mode, as that is its default.

07-30-2016, 08:52 AM	#25
houser934 New Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 4	So, should I take this to mean that an older K-30 with this problem is not worth sending in for official repair? Do people really buy them for parts, even with the aperture problem? Hmm...

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07-30-2016, 03:13 PM	#26
richandfleur Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand Photos: Albums Posts: 1,788 Original Poster	Originally posted by houser934 So, should I take this to mean that an older K-30 with this problem is not worth sending in for official repair? Do people really buy them for parts, even with the aperture problem? Hmm... To be fair, there's still no fully confirmed on size fits all DIY repair method / instructions etc. It's entirely up to you if you want to send a camera in for repair. It will be at your cost if you are outside your warranty period. If you go DIY, it's entirely at your own risk. In essence Pentax are saying it's entirely reasonable for you to buy a new camera ever 2 1/2 years, and that their products should only last that long.