[Azergoth]

Hi folks,

I broke the AF contacts of my 300 mm f/4.

I’ve made à temporary repair with aluminium foil and it’s working great but it won’t last forever.

The part number seems to be 48120-0M291 but I couldn’t find (m)any stores which sells the part. One in the US but out of order, ... and that’s it.



Any idea where I could go for parts, preferably in Europe, ideally Belgium or close by.

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[Basie]

Seems to be a problem on the DA* 300 F4 . It happened to me and there were another thread about it as well. I got mine through the Pentax repair guys in South Africa. Took about three weeks and it was not difficult to replace, once you have it. Well done to you for a temporary fix! Hope you can get it fixed fast

[Joe Dusel]

I certainly feel your pain. The same thing happened with my Pentax HD DFA 24-70mm lens. I believe that this is a problem for any SDM lens. If you catch an edge of the SDM power contact while changing the lens it is super easy to bend it over. Here in the U.S. there don't seem to be any places that will sell you these contacts. (US Camera does not seem to be in business.) Talking to Pentax reps this is not something that ever happens, but it does. Pentax also will not sell these contacts to anyone but an authorized Pentax repair center. Here in the U.S. there is only one repair center, and that is about 3000 miles from here. Plus, the contacts are easy to replace, yet the repair center in the U.S. (Precision Camera) wants $353 minimum to replace this less than $20 part that takes less than 5 minutes to replace. And, Precision Camera will not just sell you the part. I live in San Diego County. We have three camera repair centers, but none of them can service Pentax because they can't buy the parts. I personally feel that this is a design flaw. If you have a Tamron teleconverter you can see how they implemented the power contacts for Pentax SDM. it is two round connectors, and not bent over tabs.

[sungibr]

Hi folks,

I broke the AF contacts of my 300 mm f/4.

I’ve made à temporary repair with aluminium foil and it’s working great but it won’t last forever.

The part number seems to be 48120-0M291 but I couldn’t find (m)any stores which sells the part. One in the US but out of order, ... and that’s it.

Any idea where I could go for parts, preferably in Europe, ideally Belgium or close by.

I guess I was th guy who might have bought the last two of then, sorry ....

But, I wanna say you did a smart workaround on your lens, I never thought of it. My 16-50 brooke its contact YEARS ago, but it's hacked to screwdrive and works without it.

I know it is not the ideal solution, but you could do the same. The DA 300 can be hacked to.

PS: I do miss the silent AF, but screwdrive is more reliable on those DA 16-50mm lenses

---------- Post added 08-15-19 at 04:37 PM ----------

Talking to Pentax reps this is not something that ever happens, but it does. (...) I personally feel that this is a design flaw. If you have a Tamron teleconverter you can see how they implemented the power contacts for Pentax SDM. it is two round connectors, and not bent over tabs.

I'm with you on that. Many users are reporting this same problem recently. Even with the very brand new D-FA* lenses. The Sigma contacts is also much more tough.


The pentax one is a really sloopy design

---

Last edited by sungibr; 08-15-2019 at 12:38 PM.

[stevebrot]

US Camera does not seem to be in business.

Please explain. Do they not answer the phone?


Steve

[Joe Dusel]

Steve, US Camera does not answer the phone, does not return calls if you leave a message and they don't respond to emails. I am not sure if they are still in business. If they are, this is not a great way to run it. Note, Pentax says that they only sell to authorized repair centers. I can't see where they would get their parts.

[Not a Number]

Ricoh sells parts business to business, not to consumers. USCamera has had a business relationship with Pentax for some 20 years or so as a repair shop.

They seem to have gotten more of the lens lock buttons and packings which were out of stock a couple months ago.

It took them 3-4 weeks to get back to me on a parts quote. They apologized on the delay because Ricoh took their time responding.

[Joe Dusel]

I have no problem with Ricoh just selling business to business. I do have a problem with the fact that there are so few businesses that they will actually sell to, and that the ones that they do sell to like Precision Camera will only sell a part if they do an expensive repair. These contacts are easily replaceable, kind of like replacing the eye cups on the cameras. You would never expect to have to ship a camera back to a repair center to replace the eye cup, and you should not have to do it for the SDM power contacts either. The thing about US Camera is they don't answer emails, they don't answer the phone and they don't return calls if you leave a message. I tried for more than a week. I really doubt that they are still in business.

[stevebrot]

Precision Camera will only sell a part if they do an expensive repair.

Are you sure about the cost of the repair? Despite quoting a blanket estimate, they are not a flat-rate shop. The actual cost may be higher or lower. Have you called them about the actual cost or whether they might simply send you the part?


Steve

[Joe Dusel]

Well, I am just going by what they told me when I called Precision. On the phone the woman from Precision said the minimum it would be was $345, and it could of course be more. Via their website it would be higher. I just need the part which is easy to replace. It is really no different effort-wise than replacing the eye cup, and you can buy that. I would be happy to buy the part from Precision, but they will not sell the part.

[Azergoth]

Hi folks!

Thanks for your replies, I didn't catch the notifications about this thread ��

So here is an update:

Regarding the workaround: I just wrapped some aluminum foil around the broken pin. So you have to remove it, do some awesome precision bending and twisting, but it's an easy fix. I wouldn't bet on a long lasting life, though. I plan to keep my lens on the body until I got the piece.
Indeed, it looks like a design flaw, I'll be more careful next time I switch my lens. I always handle my equipment like it's built like a tank! Luckily, it's a quick fix.

Regarding converting it to screwdriver AF: I heard it was possible but was on the field when it happened. Too bad it's not a backup function that can be enabled through the GUI. If that were the case, I'd have enabled it right away.

Regarding the piece: I was able to contact the only repair center from (apparently) Belgium, PM2S, and are very kindly (thanks to them) selling me the piece for about 35$ + shipping (€26,20 + VAT + shipping). So I guess it'll be a quick, less than $50 fix. I'm pretty happy knowing it could have been much more complicated, even though it's a little too expensive for such a small part ��
French Pentax Service center replied to me they weren't selling pieces. B@stards! I'll ask for a quote just to mess with them. I didn't contact service center from the Netherlands.

For the US: I got an email reply form US Camera, here it is:

I added your name to the call list for that part.

I expect more of those contacts in the next 6-8 weeks and will send you a link when available.

So except the piece to be available around October 2019

[stevebrot]

For the US: I got an email reply form US Camera, here it is:
QuoteQuote:
I added your name to the call list for that part.

I expect more of those contacts in the next 6-8 weeks and will send you a link when available.
So except the piece to be available around October 2019

Yay! So they are not out of business!


Steve

[Azergoth]

Yay! So they are not out of business!


Steve

Apparently not :-) Got this reply in a couple of days!

By the way, got the piece shipped for just under €35 (~ $38-40)! Lookin forward to receiving it! And il keep the old piece and see if I can "fix" it. Might come handy one day.

[Azergoth]

Some heads up regarding the repair.

I received the replacement part a couple of days ago. Big thanks to PM2S Belgium for their professional, quick and friendly communication and quick shipment. I had the piece shipped for €26,20 + €8,50 shipping = €34,70 = $38. A little pricy but I won't complain regarding the trouble it could've been I couldn't find someone to ship the pice. So thanks again! They shipped in in two zip bags and a padded envelope, total overkill but better that than the other way around!

I won't give the name of the French company who refused to give me anything else than a paid quotation, only after having seen my equipment. Like I was too stupid to understand what was going on. And their wild guess was: "It probably won't be under €150 ($165)" !

Replacing the piece is straightforward:
Unscrew the two little screws
Remove the old piece; its held quite tidily by the contacts, a flat screwdriver helps to pull it out
Replace with the new one. Be careful not to bend the new contacts as the fit is quite firm. It means the piece is difficult to insert, but also means the contact will be good and the piece won't go anywhere if the screws are loose.

Regarding the "diy" temporary repair, here are some more pictures:

The very good news is I've been able to remove and attach the lens a couple of times and the fix didn't move at all. It looks like the fix is not that flimsy as it looks! Good to know and I kept that part as a spare one! Only need a screwdriver and voilà!

[stevebrot]

Some heads up regarding the repair.

I received the replacement part a couple of days ago. Big thanks to PM2S Belgium for their professional, quick and friendly communication and quick shipment. I had the piece shipped for €26,20 + €8,50 shipping = €34,70 = $38. A little pricy but I won't complain regarding the trouble it could've been I couldn't find someone to ship the pice. So thanks again! They shipped in in two zip bags and a padded envelope, total overkill but better that than the other way around!

I won't give the name of the French company who refused to give me anything else than a paid quotation, only after having seen my equipment. Like I was too stupid to understand what was going on. And their wild guess was: "It probably won't be under €150 ($165)" !

Replacing the piece is straightforward:
Unscrew the two little screws
Remove the old piece; its held quite tidily by the contacts, a flat screwdriver helps to pull it out
Replace with the new one. Be careful not to bend the new contacts as the fit is quite firm. It means the piece is difficult to insert, but also means the contact will be good and the piece won't go anywhere if the screws are loose.

Regarding the "diy" temporary repair, here are some more pictures:

The very good news is I've been able to remove and attach the lens a couple of times and the fix didn't move at all. It looks like the fix is not that flimsy as it looks! Good to know and I kept that part as a spare one! Only need a screwdriver and voilà!

Yay! I'm glad the repair went well and that you are back in business.


Steve