Monitor is Blank in Viewfinder Mode

wanderer2 · 12-22-2020, 12:00 PM

I purchased my K-1 shortly after they were introduced and have given it a lot of use since, mostly for landscape use. I have never had any sort of problem with it until now and it is still my go to camera for landscape photography.

It has always shown various camera setting on the rear monitor when the optical viewfinder setting was being used and I have always used it that way, finding it a useful feature. Recently it has ceased showing any settings on the monitor when in viewfinder mode, the screen being totally blank. When changed to Live View mode the camera settings are there, around the edges, as before.

Before this started I was attempting to change various camera settings in proparation for shooting the Saturn - Jupiter convergence and I assume I must have inadvertently caused the change in monitor function in some unknown way. I have exhaustively read the Operator's Manual but can't find anything that relates to this problem. I have also done a search on this forum and not found anything.

Although the camera is still usable the way it is, the lack of settings on the monitor is somewhat of an inconvenience and I would prefer it to be the way it's always been up till now. Any insight or suggestions on getting it back to the way it was would be greatly appreciated.

**kiwi_jono** · 12-22-2020, 12:06 PM

If you press the INFO button a couple times (or is it 3?), it should show a selection screen that lets you select what to shown on the LCD in shooting mode. Does that not work?

**Bob 256** · 12-22-2020, 12:21 PM - **1 Like**

Ditto.
The INFO button is the key and allows you to turn off the rear LCD (which is probably the case for you). If it's blanked, 2 pushes will get you to the mode selection for re-lighting the "candle" in the camera display. Select the far left mode (third from the left is the LCD OFF mode).

You mentioned shooting Saturn - there's also a dimming/brightening mode that you can access using the bottom multi-function selector (round 5 key set). Dimming the display can keep it from glaring when you're shooting star shots at night.

You might need to press the small left-right arrow button just above the multifunction cluster to get this to work, and after you set the brightness you want, press this small button again which prevents you from accidentally changing modes by brushing against the multifunction cluster.

stevebrot · 12-22-2020, 01:26 PM - **1 Like**

FWIW...I usually have my rear display turned off, simply to save battery life. It makes a big difference.

Steve

**BigMackCam** · 12-22-2020, 01:36 PM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by stevebrot

FWIW...I usually have my rear display turned off, simply to save battery life. It makes a big difference.

Same here. It does make a big difference to battery life, but it's also less distracting when shooting. When the camera's hanging round my neck, all the info I need is available on the top panel LCD, and when the camera's to my eye, it's all there in the viewfinder. The rear screen is vital for reviewing shots, menu-diving, and for Live View of course... but other than that, I use it very little...

shyrsio · 12-22-2020, 03:44 PM

You may have also lowered your lcd light to minimum. Once lowered its virtually impossible to see it in daylight.

**jbinpg** · 12-22-2020, 06:00 PM

There is a change RPI can make to the latest K-series dimming. As it is now, if you dim the display, it also dims the live view of whatever you are viewing. For astro, this does not work since one needs all the live view brightness you can get 99.9% of the time. It would be much better if the info display, menus, etc., and the live view screens could be dimmed independently.

wanderer2 · 12-22-2020, 08:31 PM - **1 Like**

Many thanks to kiwi and Bob 256. As they described, two pushes of the info button and then selecting the status screen fixed it. Is this anywhere in the Operators Manual? If so I sure couldn't find it even with hours of trying.

Thanks also to everyone else who responded. This forum is great for help. Best wishes for happy and safe holidays for all.

stevebrot · 12-23-2020, 03:08 AM

Originally posted by wanderer2

Is this anywhere in the Operators Manual?

Page 14, but sort of easy to miss...

Steve

**BigMackCam** · 12-23-2020, 03:29 AM

Originally posted by wanderer2

Is this anywhere in the Operators Manual? If so I sure couldn't find it even with hours of trying.

Originally posted by stevebrot

Page 14, but sort of easy to miss...

Top marks to the OP for at least reading the manual. It takes me weeks or even months to do that - usually when I've forgotten how to do something or I'm tying myself in knots over some feature or function I've not used before

One good thing about PDF and other digital format manuals versus printed is the ability to search for things. I used to prefer printed materials, but increasingly I'm won over by digital manuals... especially the way I tend to use them.

wanderer2 · 12-23-2020, 09:56 AM

Originally posted by BigMackCam

Top marks to the OP for at least reading the manual. It takes me weeks or even months to do that - usually when I've forgotten how to do something or I'm tying myself in knots over some feature or function I've not used before

One good thing about PDF and other digital format manuals versus printed is the ability to search for things. I used to prefer printed materials, but increasingly I'm won over by digital manuals... especially the way I tend to use them.

Thanks for the compliment on my reading the manual. I do have a joke on this sort of situation "When all else fails read the instructions." But I don't actually follow that as, being an old guy mired in film era thinking, I could never manage use of a camera as complicated as the K-1 without a lot of manual referral and help. Since it's been over three years my K-1 manual is in tatters with a large amount of scotch tape holding it together.

It's a beautiful, although cold, day here in the Colorado mountains so I'm off to shoot the Sangre de Cristo range. Thanks again for the help - it's nice to have the camera operating again as I want it to.

Mike

12-22-2020, 12:00 PM	#1
wanderer2 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 301	Monitor is Blank in Viewfinder Mode I purchased my K-1 shortly after they were introduced and have given it a lot of use since, mostly for landscape use. I have never had any sort of problem with it until now and it is still my go to camera for landscape photography. It has always shown various camera setting on the rear monitor when the optical viewfinder setting was being used and I have always used it that way, finding it a useful feature. Recently it has ceased showing any settings on the monitor when in viewfinder mode, the screen being totally blank. When changed to Live View mode the camera settings are there, around the edges, as before. Before this started I was attempting to change various camera settings in proparation for shooting the Saturn - Jupiter convergence and I assume I must have inadvertently caused the change in monitor function in some unknown way. I have exhaustively read the Operator's Manual but can't find anything that relates to this problem. I have also done a search on this forum and not found anything. Although the camera is still usable the way it is, the lack of settings on the monitor is somewhat of an inconvenience and I would prefer it to be the way it's always been up till now. Any insight or suggestions on getting it back to the way it was would be greatly appreciated.

12-22-2020, 12:21 PM - 1 Like	#3
Bob 256 Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Idaho Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,375	Ditto. The INFO button is the key and allows you to turn off the rear LCD (which is probably the case for you). If it's blanked, 2 pushes will get you to the mode selection for re-lighting the "candle" in the camera display. Select the far left mode (third from the left is the LCD OFF mode). You mentioned shooting Saturn - there's also a dimming/brightening mode that you can access using the bottom multi-function selector (round 5 key set). Dimming the display can keep it from glaring when you're shooting star shots at night. You might need to press the small left-right arrow button just above the multifunction cluster to get this to work, and after you set the brightness you want, press this small button again which prevents you from accidentally changing modes by brushing against the multifunction cluster. Last edited by Bob 256; 12-22-2020 at 12:37 PM.

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12-22-2020, 12:06 PM	#2
kiwi_jono Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Christchurch, New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,437	If you press the INFO button a couple times (or is it 3?), it should show a selection screen that lets you select what to shown on the LCD in shooting mode. Does that not work?

12-22-2020, 01:26 PM - 1 Like	#4
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	FWIW...I usually have my rear display turned off, simply to save battery life. It makes a big difference. Steve

12-22-2020, 01:36 PM - 2 Likes	#5
BigMackCam Digitiser of Film Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North East of England Posts: 20,674	Originally posted by stevebrot FWIW...I usually have my rear display turned off, simply to save battery life. It makes a big difference. Same here. It does make a big difference to battery life, but it's also less distracting when shooting. When the camera's hanging round my neck, all the info I need is available on the top panel LCD, and when the camera's to my eye, it's all there in the viewfinder. The rear screen is vital for reviewing shots, menu-diving, and for Live View of course... but other than that, I use it very little...

12-22-2020, 03:44 PM	#6
shyrsio Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Tirana Posts: 780	You may have also lowered your lcd light to minimum. Once lowered its virtually impossible to see it in daylight.

12-22-2020, 06:00 PM	#7
jbinpg Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Prince George, BC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,546	There is a change RPI can make to the latest K-series dimming. As it is now, if you dim the display, it also dims the live view of whatever you are viewing. For astro, this does not work since one needs all the live view brightness you can get 99.9% of the time. It would be much better if the info display, menus, etc., and the live view screens could be dimmed independently.

12-22-2020, 08:31 PM - 1 Like	#8
wanderer2 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 301 Original Poster	Many thanks to kiwi and Bob 256. As they described, two pushes of the info button and then selecting the status screen fixed it. Is this anywhere in the Operators Manual? If so I sure couldn't find it even with hours of trying. Thanks also to everyone else who responded. This forum is great for help. Best wishes for happy and safe holidays for all.

12-23-2020, 03:08 AM	#9
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by wanderer2 Is this anywhere in the Operators Manual? Page 14, but sort of easy to miss... Steve

12-23-2020, 03:29 AM	#10
BigMackCam Digitiser of Film Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North East of England Posts: 20,674	Originally posted by wanderer2 Is this anywhere in the Operators Manual? If so I sure couldn't find it even with hours of trying. Originally posted by stevebrot Page 14, but sort of easy to miss... Top marks to the OP for at least reading the manual. It takes me weeks or even months to do that - usually when I've forgotten how to do something or I'm tying myself in knots over some feature or function I've not used before One good thing about PDF and other digital format manuals versus printed is the ability to search for things. I used to prefer printed materials, but increasingly I'm won over by digital manuals... especially the way I tend to use them.

12-23-2020, 09:56 AM	#11
wanderer2 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 301 Original Poster	Originally posted by BigMackCam Top marks to the OP for at least reading the manual. It takes me weeks or even months to do that - usually when I've forgotten how to do something or I'm tying myself in knots over some feature or function I've not used before One good thing about PDF and other digital format manuals versus printed is the ability to search for things. I used to prefer printed materials, but increasingly I'm won over by digital manuals... especially the way I tend to use them. Thanks for the compliment on my reading the manual. I do have a joke on this sort of situation "When all else fails read the instructions." But I don't actually follow that as, being an old guy mired in film era thinking, I could never manage use of a camera as complicated as the K-1 without a lot of manual referral and help. Since it's been over three years my K-1 manual is in tatters with a large amount of scotch tape holding it together. It's a beautiful, although cold, day here in the Colorado mountains so I'm off to shoot the Sangre de Cristo range. Thanks again for the help - it's nice to have the camera operating again as I want it to. Mike