I acquired a Pentax K-1 manufactured in September 2016, with a shutter count of only 4,095 (firmware now updated to latest V1.53). The camera was described as shutting off after 5-10 seconds but the issues seem more involved. At times the camera seems to operate normally but pictures appear to have a purple tint that takes over as the ISO is increased. The first two attached photo crops (sorry snapped through a window) were taken at ISO-800 and ISO-1600 respectively. Increasing the ISO further completely washes the photo out with the purple tint. The metering and exposure appear to be correct.
Switching into live view when the camera is working produces a correct display on the rear LCD. However, if the camera is left on for several minutes the display will tend to start breaking up. If the camera 'gains up' the LCD when pointed at at darker scene, the purple tint will often appear on the LCD view. Bands of purple can also appear on the LCD display, as shown in the third attached photo. Eventually, the entire screen can turn purple and the camera will lock up.
When the camera is not working, turning on will allow full menu access and the GPS will operate and display correctly. However, taking a photo using the optical view finder results in either a completely black or completely white photo depending on the ISO. Photos taken at ISO-1600 and ISO-2200 respectively, are on either side of the black to white flip point. Again the metering and recorded exposures appear correct.
If the camera is placed in live view mode when not working, the rear LCD is illuminated but is completely black. The standard text information and level bars are not displayed either. At this point the majority of the buttons are non-functional, although the ISO will change on the top display when the third wheel is turned (if function is set accordingly). The camera will not exit live view and the camera will not turn off. If the camera is left alone after turning off, the LCD will turn to purple (with some white dots) after several minutes. Shortly after that, the mirror cycles back down and the camera does eventually turn off.
I am suspecting the camera may have an intermittent communication issue with the sensor? This may explain the long delay before turning off, assuming the microcontroller is waiting for interface timeouts before completing the cycle. At present, I have tried reseating the flex circuit connectors on the control board but have not dived any deeper. I wanted to see if anyone had seen something similar before (with any model), or if this was likely going to need a trip to Precision, if covered by their flat-rate repair fee?
Last edited by reduno; 03-04-2021 at 09:30 AM.
Reason: Removed non-informative blank photos