DA* 55 1.4 SDM contact damaged / repaired.

wissink · 12-03-2016, 04:03 PM - **2 Likes**

Hello everyone.

This past July, I was on a 1000 Island boat tour near Kingston, ON. We go nearly every summer. I had brought the DA* 55 that I had recently bought used. I was so excited. It been on my list for quite awhile.

Anyways, I was attempting to shoot my sister... but was using the Sigma 100-300 F4 or a DA ltd at the time. I switched to the 55 and suddenly it wouldn't focus anymore.. Being visually impaired, manual focus really isn't much of an option for me. My heart sunk. I couldn't afford to ship the lens off when it probably would cost the same as the lens itself (used). This feelign was heightened by several other recent events that I responded to by feeling taken advantage of. It had cost me.

I put he 55 in my bag and mostly avoided it for a few months. Everyonce and awhile I'd take it out and see if somethign had spontaneously changed.... no such luck. In October, I put on my thick reading glasses and had a look at it. I didnt' think it was an SDM failure. I hadn't heard any noises or noticed any sluggishness before failure. Whats this? A metal contact is bent! I pushed it back down and mounted it on the camera... To my delight, the lens focused just fine! The next day when changing lenses, the contact snapped off entirely... I went through the same string of emotions. A few weeks later I noticed a thread about a 150-450 with perhaps a related issue. This got me thinking, maybe I can find a way to fix this myself. I considered attempting solder, gluing tinfoil.. anything to bridge the electrical gap. I then put a request on the forum for old broken SDM contacts (thinking of the 16-50's, 50-135's). It was mentioend to me that maybe an old Power Zoom contact might fit the bill. DCShooter graciously mailed me one and though it didn't fit perfectly, it works. I am so relieved. Here are some photos of what I had to do. Man these screws are bloody tiny. Nearly the size of braille dots and I can't read braille dots lol. At first I thought I'd transplant one of the contacts, but found it difficult to remove the module from the lens and the contacts themselves. I then simply transplanted the whole unit with a bit of cutting of the PZ contacts, it fit--albeit a bit snugly.
I feel great aprpeciation for DCShooter and for the part and thoughtfulness. It cost me $3 CAD.. I imagine it could have been $300 to send it off somewhere.

Fix DA* 55

bigdavephoto · 12-03-2016, 07:51 PM

Originally posted by wissink

I was attempting to shoot my sister

That's what I have been wanting to do for the last couple of months. Oops, sorry. Wrong type of shooting.

Way to go fixing it yourself. Nothing like deep satisfaction because you fixed it yourself and it didn't empty your wallet.

**sergysergy** · 12-03-2016, 09:08 PM

awesome news. the da 55 is a great lens

**c.a.m** · 12-04-2016, 09:31 AM

@wissink,
Excellent news, and well done on the repair.

Props to @dcshooter for providing the part(s). This is a wonderful community.

- Craig

wissink · 12-04-2016, 10:46 AM

Originally posted by bigdavephoto

That's what I have been wanting to do for the last couple of months

Lol, this came to mind as well. Theres a recent thread that showcases cameras that actually do look like guns... Not that I'd ever shoot anyone literally. I may have considered my two sisters when I was a child though. Haha.

Thanks everyone, I do feel pretty good about it.

Originally posted by c.a.m

This is a wonderful community.

I wholeheartedly agree. The community is the biggest reason to shoot Pentax in my opinion. I'd rather discuss and shoot with a tool rather than discuss with a bunch of tools. Hehe.

bigdavephoto · 12-04-2016, 05:06 PM

Originally posted by wissink

Lol, this came to mind as well. Theres a recent thread that showcases cameras that actually do look like guns... Not that I'd ever shoot anyone literally. I may have considered my two sisters when I was a child though. Haha.

I saw that thread. Using a gun stock as a mount for a camera is old school. I remember seeing pictures of a setup like that in an old photography magazine from the 60's. I think the idea came from the soldiers from WW2 who started photography as a hobby.

Gerard_Dirks · 07-03-2018, 10:54 AM

Originally posted by c.a.m

@wissink,
Excellent news, and well done on the repair.

Props to @dcshooter for providing the part(s). This is a wonderful community.

- Craig

dcshooter refuse to receive P.M. :-(

**clackers** · 07-03-2018, 12:04 PM

Originally posted by Gerard_Dirks

dcshooter refuse to receive P.M. :-(

He is not part of this forum anymore, Gerard.

This is an old thread.

**Mikesul** · 07-11-2018, 02:22 PM

Originally posted by clackers

He is not part of this forum anymore, Gerard.

This is an old thread.

Is DCShooter no longer a forum participant?

**clackers** · 07-11-2018, 04:00 PM

Originally posted by Mikesul

Is DCShooter no longer a forum participant?

Yes, that's right, Mike.

**Mikesul** · 07-11-2018, 04:25 PM

Originally posted by clackers

Yes, that's right, Mike.

That is to bad he was a valued member.

12-03-2016, 04:03 PM - 2 Likes	#1
wissink Veteran Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: S-ON Photos: Gallery Posts: 609	*DA 55 1.4 SDM contact damaged / repaired.** Hello everyone. This past July, I was on a 1000 Island boat tour near Kingston, ON. We go nearly every summer. I had brought the DA* 55 that I had recently bought used. I was so excited. It been on my list for quite awhile. Anyways, I was attempting to shoot my sister... but was using the Sigma 100-300 F4 or a DA ltd at the time. I switched to the 55 and suddenly it wouldn't focus anymore.. Being visually impaired, manual focus really isn't much of an option for me. My heart sunk. I couldn't afford to ship the lens off when it probably would cost the same as the lens itself (used). This feelign was heightened by several other recent events that I responded to by feeling taken advantage of. It had cost me. I put he 55 in my bag and mostly avoided it for a few months. Everyonce and awhile I'd take it out and see if somethign had spontaneously changed.... no such luck. In October, I put on my thick reading glasses and had a look at it. I didnt' think it was an SDM failure. I hadn't heard any noises or noticed any sluggishness before failure. Whats this? A metal contact is bent! I pushed it back down and mounted it on the camera... To my delight, the lens focused just fine! The next day when changing lenses, the contact snapped off entirely... I went through the same string of emotions. A few weeks later I noticed a thread about a 150-450 with perhaps a related issue. This got me thinking, maybe I can find a way to fix this myself. I considered attempting solder, gluing tinfoil.. anything to bridge the electrical gap. I then put a request on the forum for old broken SDM contacts (thinking of the 16-50's, 50-135's). It was mentioend to me that maybe an old Power Zoom contact might fit the bill. DCShooter graciously mailed me one and though it didn't fit perfectly, it works. I am so relieved. Here are some photos of what I had to do. Man these screws are bloody tiny. Nearly the size of braille dots and I can't read braille dots lol. At first I thought I'd transplant one of the contacts, but found it difficult to remove the module from the lens and the contacts themselves. I then simply transplanted the whole unit with a bit of cutting of the PZ contacts, it fit--albeit a bit snugly. I feel great aprpeciation for DCShooter and for the part and thoughtfulness. It cost me $3 CAD.. I imagine it could have been $300 to send it off somewhere. Fix DA* 55

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
For Sale - Sold: DA*55 F1.4 SDM lens	dugrant153	Sold Items	4	01-30-2016 11:56 PM
For Sale - Sold: Pentax SMC DA* 55 mm F/1.4 SDM Lens	Maplebuddy	Sold Items	3	02-28-2015 06:43 PM
K-5 + DA* 55/1.4 SDM compared to 5D + 83/1.9 Takumar	Asahiflex	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	22	02-28-2011 08:50 AM
Just bought DA* 55/1.4 SDM	poney	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	3	02-27-2009 12:55 PM
DA*55/1.4 SDM @ 1.4 vs 2.2 vs 4.0	leeak	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	24	02-09-2009 06:06 AM

12-03-2016, 07:51 PM	#2
bigdavephoto Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: East central Indiana Photos: Gallery Posts: 893	Originally posted by wissink I was attempting to shoot my sister That's what I have been wanting to do for the last couple of months. Oops, sorry. Wrong type of shooting. Way to go fixing it yourself. Nothing like deep satisfaction because you fixed it yourself and it didn't empty your wallet.

12-03-2016, 09:08 PM	#3
sergysergy Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2011 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,175	awesome news. the da 55 is a great lens

12-04-2016, 09:31 AM	#4
c.a.m Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Ottawa, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,193	@wissink, Excellent news, and well done on the repair. Props to @dcshooter for providing the part(s). This is a wonderful community. - Craig

12-04-2016, 10:46 AM	#5
wissink Veteran Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: S-ON Photos: Gallery Posts: 609 Original Poster	Originally posted by bigdavephoto That's what I have been wanting to do for the last couple of months Lol, this came to mind as well. Theres a recent thread that showcases cameras that actually do look like guns... Not that I'd ever shoot anyone literally. I may have considered my two sisters when I was a child though. Haha. Thanks everyone, I do feel pretty good about it. Originally posted by c.a.m This is a wonderful community. I wholeheartedly agree. The community is the biggest reason to shoot Pentax in my opinion. I'd rather discuss and shoot with a tool rather than discuss with a bunch of tools. Hehe.

12-04-2016, 05:06 PM	#6
bigdavephoto Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: East central Indiana Photos: Gallery Posts: 893	Originally posted by wissink Lol, this came to mind as well. Theres a recent thread that showcases cameras that actually do look like guns... Not that I'd ever shoot anyone literally. I may have considered my two sisters when I was a child though. Haha. I saw that thread. Using a gun stock as a mount for a camera is old school. I remember seeing pictures of a setup like that in an old photography magazine from the 60's. I think the idea came from the soldiers from WW2 who started photography as a hobby.

07-03-2018, 10:54 AM	#7
Gerard_Dirks Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: St. Gallen Posts: 149	Originally posted by c.a.m @wissink, Excellent news, and well done on the repair. Props to @dcshooter for providing the part(s). This is a wonderful community. - Craig dcshooter refuse to receive P.M. :-(

07-03-2018, 12:04 PM	#8
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by Gerard_Dirks dcshooter refuse to receive P.M. :-( He is not part of this forum anymore, Gerard. This is an old thread.

07-11-2018, 02:22 PM	#9
Mikesul Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 7,594	Originally posted by clackers He is not part of this forum anymore, Gerard. This is an old thread. Is DCShooter no longer a forum participant?

07-11-2018, 04:00 PM	#10
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by Mikesul Is DCShooter no longer a forum participant? Yes, that's right, Mike.

07-11-2018, 04:25 PM	#11
Mikesul Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 7,594	Originally posted by clackers Yes, that's right, Mike. That is to bad he was a valued member.