Positive experience with Precision

**clickclick** · 05-02-2017, 08:12 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by mee

Ricoh Japan fixed your lens, not Precision in CT then. I look forward to how/what Precision does with your DA 14.

[snip]

Yes, Ricoh Japan did indeed do the repair, and I didn't mean to gloss over that aspect, but you're very correct that it doesn't speak to the in-house capabilities, only that they quickly identified they couldn't do it and kept me posted. I also must add that I don't know if getting things like a personal phone call to update you is part of a warranty service which gets higher attention due to an agreement with the camera maker? That had also occurred to me.

I'm very interested to see how my repair shakes out. It's actually an odd one. A friend basically gave me the lens knowing I'm a Pentax nut, he had it, but wasn't using it and not really doing anything with his K-01 - he's one of those video guys... So, it landed in my lap, but on first use showed itself to be incredibly out of focus on the right half of the frame. I'm assuming it's an alignment issue, but can it be fixed, and will they have to send it to Japan? Almost hope so!

mee · 05-07-2017, 03:50 PM

Any news on this?

**clickclick** · 05-07-2017, 06:34 PM - **1 Like**

Tracking via their website shows it "in repair" as of 5/2 (received 5/1). Figure that means it's had 3+ days in the repair process, but I'm guessing that's tagged and in queue versus on the bench. I'm keeping an eye on it, and I will post back with the outcome.

Don't mean to hi-jack the thread by doing so, but figure should close the loop.

mee · 05-15-2017, 05:47 PM

It's been a week since your last post.. I take it the lens is still in repair?

**clickclick** · 05-16-2017, 07:40 PM - **1 Like**

yes, still in repair, and I'm on the verge of calling for a status update, but I'm also kinda hanging back wondering how it's going to play out. I'm not pressed to get it back, which is good. I was hoping to hear something buy now though. I will post back when I get something concrete.

**clickclick** · 05-17-2017, 09:09 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by mee

It's been a week since your last post.. I take it the lens is still in repair?

So, I decided I'd give a call to get more info than "in repair" that was listed on their site. It turns out that the lens has been sent back to Pentax, and the total time should be about 5-6 weeks. I'll post an update when I get it back in my hands.

mee · 05-17-2017, 03:16 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by clickclick

So, I decided I'd give a call to get more info than "in repair" that was listed on their site. It turns out that the lens has been sent back to Pentax, and the total time should be about 5-6 weeks. I'll post an update when I get it back in my hands.

It seems they aren't doing many lens repairs these days.. sending many of them to Japan instead.

Longer repair time but I think the repairs are performed much better.

**clickclick** · 05-17-2017, 05:32 PM

I'm actually pretty happy to hear it's going back to Japan and getting a factory repair. It was amazingly soft right of center, and just progressively worse the further to the right. I don't know if this was a manufacturing defect of elements not aligned properly before being glued, or some other manufacturing flaw, but my gut says the lens should have been rejected by the original owner. I guess my eyes must be better/I'm more demanding of my images. I know this lens has a reputation of being soft, but the lack of consistency across the frame belies a bigger problem. Now what I'll find is the left side, which was pretty sharp, will end up getting soft with the changes needed to correct the right side....

So, I got a phone call on a warranty repair saying the lens was going to Japan for repair, but it took a phone call to find that out just sending an out of warranty repair in. Warranty repair VIP service due to an agreement with Pentax? It would be interesting to know, but I can say the warranty repair experience was good. I'm still OK with this repair, it just took a little more effort on my end, but not unreasonable, and I got through to a helpful person who was able to look up the status quickly. What would have been nice would be an email update that they were doing this and to expect a longer turn around time.

Not that it's really a gripping story here, but stay tuned for updates

Not a Number · 05-18-2017, 11:06 AM

Originally posted by clickclick

I'm still OK with this repair, it just took a little more effort on my end, but not unreasonable, and I got through to a helpful person who was able to look up the status quickly. What would have been nice would be an email update that they were doing this and to expect a longer turn around time.

At least they are answering the phones now. That is a major improvement from earlier.

GlennG · 05-23-2017, 08:51 AM

Originally posted by severalsnakes

It was delivered to Precision on April 20 and marked as "IN REPAIR" on April 21 (my birthday - how depressing). On April 28 the status changed to "OUT OF REPAIR", they charged my credit card for the quoted amount, and I had a tracking number immediately. It was back in my hands on May 1

Originally posted by GlennG

Update: I just checked. My 16-50 was received on April 20 and went into repair the same day, but has not come out of repair yet. I am suspecting there is a difficult problem, though that was not apparent with the lens. Hmmmmm........

Originally posted by rangercarp

That is good to know. Sounds like they have a good system. Glenn, I hope you get an update soon.

After hearing nothing about my lens, I sent a note to Precision Camera asking for a status update. The following is their prompt response:

Your lens went to the factory late April. Typical turn around is about 3-5 weeks barring any unforeseen circumstances. I suggest giving it a little more time to come back to us. You are welcome to contact us for further information.

They did not say the factory where the lens was sent (Japan?), but it appears, based on experiences and knowledge shared in this thread, that the difference between my lens and Sara's camera is that Precision Camera seems to be pretty good at cameras, but not so good at lenses, at least Pentax lenses anyway. So I'll wait some more for my DA * 16-50, but this somewhat longer time for repair actually seems to be about as expected. I wonder why the difference cameras vs lenses? (Oh, I think I know why - they are called Precision Camera, but not Precision Lenses.)

**clickclick** · 06-24-2017, 02:53 PM - **1 Like**

As of yesterday, my lens is shown as on it's way back to me, and there is a pending charge now showing for the flat rate repair amount listed on their website. The UPS tracking number isn't pulling any info yet, but looks like this upcoming week will see the return of my lens's trip to Japan for a factory repair. Will update on final results when back in my hands.

Not a Number · 06-24-2017, 04:34 PM

Looks like another positive experience (so far):

K-3 II just came back from Precision Camera after AF repair - PentaxForums.com

**clickclick** · 06-29-2017, 07:00 PM - **1 Like**

The lens made it back to me yesterday (6/29), but I didn't have a chance to shoot any test charts or otherwise until today. So, it's a happy lens, at least as happy as this lens is capable of. Center decently sharp wide open, and evenly falls off side to side, versus being terrible to the right from the start. By f8, it's reasonably sharp across the frame and actually looks pretty good. So, I'd say it's now aligned optically, and it's IQ is what I'd expect. It took awhile, but it did go to Pentax in Japan for repair and back. It was done for the flat rate listed on Precision's website, and the lens looks like new. It was in great shape before, but it looks better now, if that makes any sense. So, with the caveat that it might take awhile if it's a lens out of warranty (my repair on the DA 16-85 seemed faster, and I got a call with an update versus having to call to get an update), I'd still be fine sending a Pentax lens to Precision for repair, or coordination thereof, as it sounds like sending the lens back to Pentax is now their routine. Regardless, for $212 bucks and change including $18 for shipping, I've now got a decent ultra wide that performs like new. What more could I ask for? (it was a freebee from a friend for those new to this thread)

guinnessman · 07-06-2017, 06:43 PM

I had a good experience.

Just got my K3 back today, due to a case of rolling off a hotel bed back in March, with a Bigma attached, it broke the inner aperture lever and some damage to the mount. Fixed both of those issues, and works fine with Bigma and 16-85 (only lenses I've tried so far). They also updated it to the v1.30 FW and did a cleaning and calibration.

Took about a month to the day, most of which was spent waiting on parts. Spendy - $312.50, but cheaper than a new K3II or KP

mee · 07-06-2017, 08:31 PM

Originally posted by clickclick

The lens made it back to me yesterday (6/29), but I didn't have a chance to shoot any test charts or otherwise until today. So, it's a happy lens, at least as happy as this lens is capable of. Center decently sharp wide open, and evenly falls off side to side, versus being terrible to the right from the start. By f8, it's reasonably sharp across the frame and actually looks pretty good. So, I'd say it's now aligned optically, and it's IQ is what I'd expect. It took awhile, but it did go to Pentax in Japan for repair and back. It was done for the flat rate listed on Precision's website, and the lens looks like new. It was in great shape before, but it looks better now, if that makes any sense. So, with the caveat that it might take awhile if it's a lens out of warranty (my repair on the DA 16-85 seemed faster, and I got a call with an update versus having to call to get an update), I'd still be fine sending a Pentax lens to Precision for repair, or coordination thereof, as it sounds like sending the lens back to Pentax is now their routine. Regardless, for $212 bucks and change including $18 for shipping, I've now got a decent ultra wide that performs like new. What more could I ask for? (it was a freebee from a friend for those new to this thread)

Originally posted by guinnessman

I had a good experience.

Just got my K3 back today, due to a case of rolling off a hotel bed back in March, with a Bigma attached, it broke the inner aperture lever and some damage to the mount. Fixed both of those issues, and works fine with Bigma and 16-85 (only lenses I've tried so far). They also updated it to the v1.30 FW and did a cleaning and calibration.

Took about a month to the day, most of which was spent waiting on parts. Spendy - $312.50, but cheaper than a new K3II or KP

Thanks for the updates. It looks like Precision may very well have got their act together (or at least improved).

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05-02-2017, 08:12 PM - 1 Like	#16
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	Originally posted by mee Ricoh Japan fixed your lens, not Precision in CT then. I look forward to how/what Precision does with your DA 14. [snip] Yes, Ricoh Japan did indeed do the repair, and I didn't mean to gloss over that aspect, but you're very correct that it doesn't speak to the in-house capabilities, only that they quickly identified they couldn't do it and kept me posted. I also must add that I don't know if getting things like a personal phone call to update you is part of a warranty service which gets higher attention due to an agreement with the camera maker? That had also occurred to me. I'm very interested to see how my repair shakes out. It's actually an odd one. A friend basically gave me the lens knowing I'm a Pentax nut, he had it, but wasn't using it and not really doing anything with his K-01 - he's one of those video guys... So, it landed in my lap, but on first use showed itself to be incredibly out of focus on the right half of the frame. I'm assuming it's an alignment issue, but can it be fixed, and will they have to send it to Japan? Almost hope so!

05-07-2017, 03:50 PM	#17
mee Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 7,403	Any news on this?

05-07-2017, 06:34 PM - 1 Like	#18
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	Tracking via their website shows it "in repair" as of 5/2 (received 5/1). Figure that means it's had 3+ days in the repair process, but I'm guessing that's tagged and in queue versus on the bench. I'm keeping an eye on it, and I will post back with the outcome. Don't mean to hi-jack the thread by doing so, but figure should close the loop.

05-15-2017, 05:47 PM	#19
mee Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 7,403	It's been a week since your last post.. I take it the lens is still in repair?

05-16-2017, 07:40 PM - 1 Like	#20
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	yes, still in repair, and I'm on the verge of calling for a status update, but I'm also kinda hanging back wondering how it's going to play out. I'm not pressed to get it back, which is good. I was hoping to hear something buy now though. I will post back when I get something concrete.

05-17-2017, 09:09 AM - 1 Like	#21
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	Originally posted by mee It's been a week since your last post.. I take it the lens is still in repair? So, I decided I'd give a call to get more info than "in repair" that was listed on their site. It turns out that the lens has been sent back to Pentax, and the total time should be about 5-6 weeks. I'll post an update when I get it back in my hands.

05-17-2017, 03:16 PM - 1 Like	#22
mee Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 7,403	Originally posted by clickclick So, I decided I'd give a call to get more info than "in repair" that was listed on their site. It turns out that the lens has been sent back to Pentax, and the total time should be about 5-6 weeks. I'll post an update when I get it back in my hands. It seems they aren't doing many lens repairs these days.. sending many of them to Japan instead. Longer repair time but I think the repairs are performed much better.

05-17-2017, 05:32 PM	#23
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	I'm actually pretty happy to hear it's going back to Japan and getting a factory repair. It was amazingly soft right of center, and just progressively worse the further to the right. I don't know if this was a manufacturing defect of elements not aligned properly before being glued, or some other manufacturing flaw, but my gut says the lens should have been rejected by the original owner. I guess my eyes must be better/I'm more demanding of my images. I know this lens has a reputation of being soft, but the lack of consistency across the frame belies a bigger problem. Now what I'll find is the left side, which was pretty sharp, will end up getting soft with the changes needed to correct the right side.... So, I got a phone call on a warranty repair saying the lens was going to Japan for repair, but it took a phone call to find that out just sending an out of warranty repair in. Warranty repair VIP service due to an agreement with Pentax? It would be interesting to know, but I can say the warranty repair experience was good. I'm still OK with this repair, it just took a little more effort on my end, but not unreasonable, and I got through to a helpful person who was able to look up the status quickly. What would have been nice would be an email update that they were doing this and to expect a longer turn around time. Not that it's really a gripping story here, but stay tuned for updates

05-18-2017, 11:06 AM	#24
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,526	Originally posted by clickclick I'm still OK with this repair, it just took a little more effort on my end, but not unreasonable, and I got through to a helpful person who was able to look up the status quickly. What would have been nice would be an email update that they were doing this and to expect a longer turn around time. At least they are answering the phones now. That is a major improvement from earlier.

05-23-2017, 08:51 AM	#25
GlennG Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 824	Originally posted by severalsnakes It was delivered to Precision on April 20 and marked as "IN REPAIR" on April 21 (my birthday - how depressing). On April 28 the status changed to "OUT OF REPAIR", they charged my credit card for the quoted amount, and I had a tracking number immediately. It was back in my hands on May 1 Originally posted by GlennG Update: I just checked. My 16-50 was received on April 20 and went into repair the same day, but has not come out of repair yet. I am suspecting there is a difficult problem, though that was not apparent with the lens. Hmmmmm........ Originally posted by rangercarp That is good to know. Sounds like they have a good system. Glenn, I hope you get an update soon. After hearing nothing about my lens, I sent a note to Precision Camera asking for a status update. The following is their prompt response: Your lens went to the factory late April. Typical turn around is about 3-5 weeks barring any unforeseen circumstances. I suggest giving it a little more time to come back to us. You are welcome to contact us for further information. They did not say the factory where the lens was sent (Japan?), but it appears, based on experiences and knowledge shared in this thread, that the difference between my lens and Sara's camera is that Precision Camera seems to be pretty good at cameras, but not so good at lenses, at least Pentax lenses anyway. So I'll wait some more for my DA * 16-50, but this somewhat longer time for repair actually seems to be about as expected. I wonder why the difference cameras vs lenses? (Oh, I think I know why - they are called Precision Camera, but not Precision Lenses.)

06-24-2017, 02:53 PM - 1 Like	#26
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	As of yesterday, my lens is shown as on it's way back to me, and there is a pending charge now showing for the flat rate repair amount listed on their website. The UPS tracking number isn't pulling any info yet, but looks like this upcoming week will see the return of my lens's trip to Japan for a factory repair. Will update on final results when back in my hands.

06-24-2017, 04:34 PM	#27
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,526	Looks like another positive experience (so far): K-3 II just came back from Precision Camera after AF repair - PentaxForums.com

06-29-2017, 07:00 PM - 1 Like	#28
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	The lens made it back to me yesterday (6/29), but I didn't have a chance to shoot any test charts or otherwise until today. So, it's a happy lens, at least as happy as this lens is capable of. Center decently sharp wide open, and evenly falls off side to side, versus being terrible to the right from the start. By f8, it's reasonably sharp across the frame and actually looks pretty good. So, I'd say it's now aligned optically, and it's IQ is what I'd expect. It took awhile, but it did go to Pentax in Japan for repair and back. It was done for the flat rate listed on Precision's website, and the lens looks like new. It was in great shape before, but it looks better now, if that makes any sense. So, with the caveat that it might take awhile if it's a lens out of warranty (my repair on the DA 16-85 seemed faster, and I got a call with an update versus having to call to get an update), I'd still be fine sending a Pentax lens to Precision for repair, or coordination thereof, as it sounds like sending the lens back to Pentax is now their routine. Regardless, for $212 bucks and change including $18 for shipping, I've now got a decent ultra wide that performs like new. What more could I ask for? (it was a freebee from a friend for those new to this thread)

07-06-2017, 06:43 PM	#29
guinnessman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Missoula, MT Posts: 175	I had a good experience. Just got my K3 back today, due to a case of rolling off a hotel bed back in March, with a Bigma attached, it broke the inner aperture lever and some damage to the mount. Fixed both of those issues, and works fine with Bigma and 16-85 (only lenses I've tried so far). They also updated it to the v1.30 FW and did a cleaning and calibration. Took about a month to the day, most of which was spent waiting on parts. Spendy - $312.50, but cheaper than a new K3II or KP

07-06-2017, 08:31 PM	#30
mee Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 7,403	Originally posted by clickclick The lens made it back to me yesterday (6/29), but I didn't have a chance to shoot any test charts or otherwise until today. So, it's a happy lens, at least as happy as this lens is capable of. Center decently sharp wide open, and evenly falls off side to side, versus being terrible to the right from the start. By f8, it's reasonably sharp across the frame and actually looks pretty good. So, I'd say it's now aligned optically, and it's IQ is what I'd expect. It took awhile, but it did go to Pentax in Japan for repair and back. It was done for the flat rate listed on Precision's website, and the lens looks like new. It was in great shape before, but it looks better now, if that makes any sense. So, with the caveat that it might take awhile if it's a lens out of warranty (my repair on the DA 16-85 seemed faster, and I got a call with an update versus having to call to get an update), I'd still be fine sending a Pentax lens to Precision for repair, or coordination thereof, as it sounds like sending the lens back to Pentax is now their routine. Regardless, for $212 bucks and change including $18 for shipping, I've now got a decent ultra wide that performs like new. What more could I ask for? (it was a freebee from a friend for those new to this thread) Originally posted by guinnessman I had a good experience. Just got my K3 back today, due to a case of rolling off a hotel bed back in March, with a Bigma attached, it broke the inner aperture lever and some damage to the mount. Fixed both of those issues, and works fine with Bigma and 16-85 (only lenses I've tried so far). They also updated it to the v1.30 FW and did a cleaning and calibration. Took about a month to the day, most of which was spent waiting on parts. Spendy - $312.50, but cheaper than a new K3II or KP Thanks for the updates. It looks like Precision may very well have got their act together (or at least improved).