[Ralfoto]

Today I was out taking pictures of early spring blossom, and suddenly I saw a wrong shadow on the picture, like some element fell on the front of the mirror, I quickly unmounted the lens, to see what is going on, but nothing. I mount the lens back. It's the 77mm 1.8, everything was working correctly, I could not see any shadow anymore, but now I can't unmount my lens anymore, it's stuck there, I still can turn it, but it ain't come out. It's literally stuck.

I'm wondering If someone already got this issue? Disassembling the whole camera to reach this front part sound probably too extreme, and if it turns out lens cannot be removed anymore as easily as it does usually, I guess I have to think about getting a new camera, and Pentax didn't release any new FF yet...

Losing the camera is already a disaster but losing also this lens...T___T

[Jonathan Mac]

What camera is it?

The only thing I can think of is an aperture blade that's come loose, but I don't see how that could prevent the lens from coming off. Can you see the aperture? Does it change normally?

[Ray Cox]

Looking at the photo that is attached, I believe that the first thing that I would try is to turn the camera upside down and tap on it gently to see if that component would move out of the way. While the camera is still upside down attempt to remove the lens by turning it as though you are attaching it and then attempt to remove. Might be worth a try.

Regards, Ray

[ProfessorBuzz]

1) You could send the camera in for repair to an Authorized Pentax service centre.
2) Is this a bad picture of the back of the camera LCD display?
3) What happens if you rotate the camera upside down?
4) Live view would lift the mirror - that might collide with whatever is in the way. Were you using live view at the time?
5) Is this a HD Limited or the older FA 77 Limited ? That part giving the shadow doesnt look like part of the lens if its the older model. I don't know about the new HD one. I suspect it is an actuator arm inside the camera body has come loose.

[zapp]

If something moves, rattles, … in the mirror box, have the camera checked professionally.

[Fenwoodian]

1) You could send the camera in for repair to an Authorized Pentax service centre.
2) Is this a bad picture of the back of the camera LCD display?
3) What happens if you rotate the camera upside down?
4) Live view would lift the mirror - that might collide with whatever is in the way. Were you using live view at the time?
5) Is this a HD Limited or the older FA 77 Limited ? That part giving the shadow doesnt look like part of the lens if its the older model. I don't know about the new HD one. I suspect it is an actuator arm inside the camera body has come loose.

All great advice above!

[UncleVanya]

If you tilt the camera around do you hear moving bits? I think I’d get it looked at by a camera repair shop.

[aslyfox]

@Ralfoto

welcome to the forums

you will find friendly members and a lot of knowledge here

you could try contacting these businesses regarding repairs

France
PM2S (Authorized to perform warranty service - must contact dealer first)
http://www.pm2s.fr/apr/prc/aprconnex.php?lang=en&APRSESSID=43ps2h66n6190g061gmbe81of0

PHOX
https://www.phox.fr/fr-FR/

Nikken Techno France (Authorized to perform warranty service - must contact dealer first)
https://www.nikkenfrance.com/

Pentax Repair Facilities (Wordwide listing) - Page 11 - PentaxForums.com

[pentaxus]

Wiggle the lens back and forth. Move the camera around and shake it around. Maybe it will came loose. Leave the lens off and send camera and lens to a technician.

[Ralfoto]

First thank you very much for all your answers, I appreciate it (m)(.__.)(m). I will be more precise, the camera is my beloved Pentax k1 and the lens is the HD version of 77mm1.8. At first I thought it was an aperture blade on the loose also but here they are all there, the aperture and the camera still work smoothly.

I tried to strongly shake the camera, rotate it, but nothing, it's weirdly wedge to the camera since then, I don't hear anything moving inside. When I rotate the lens counter-clockwise, I don't feel anything on the way but I still cannot pull out.
It seems like this element got stuck somewhere, at the moment I just briefly saw it and I took this shot I post, I didn't see it anymore. on the live view there are nothing unusual, and absolutely nothing move inside the camera, even upside down.
Indeed, I used the live view at the moment I took this shot. If it's an actuator arm from the body, how the camera still working perfectly?


I phoned a camera shop earlier today they have no clue either, my lens is still under warranty but I bought my camera in 2017, I hope they don't insist it could be more a body issue than a lens one.
Cause seriously it's a Schrödinger's cat situation, we don't know til we open it. Cause no matter how hard I think about it I also don't understand how any element could prevent the lens to come out ┐(ﾟ ～ﾟ )┌


Im broke I have no money to buy another $2000 K1, and yeah actually $500 to repair is way too much, after 6 years old I'm wondering why we can't find a used K1 around this same price.
On the other side I don't see any new camera from others brands that match the versality and the picture quality of this Pentax K1 still in 2022, and I got used to have this GPS information, double exposure function... Buying a Sony Camera and the Monster adapter to keep Pentax lenses would put me in huge debt for the next decade...(ㆆ _ ㆆ)

I don't want to give up on this camera but If have to, anyone have a suggestion?

@Fenwoodian you had a bulk lens to grab I suppose, the 77mm is too tiny to hold firmly, but I will definitely try this 'Great force' strategy if the bill for repairing it is too expensive.

If I end up disassembling the down part only of the body, should I be able to reach and see what is going on inside the mount mechanism ? Is the 77mm lens can be disassemble from the front part by the way ?

[UncleVanya]

First thank you very much for all your answers, I appreciate it (m)(.__.)(m). I will be more precise, the camera is my beloved Pentax k1 and the lens is the HD version of 77mm1.8. At first I thought it was an aperture blade on the loose also but here they are all there, the aperture and the camera still work smoothly.

I tried to strongly shake the camera, rotate it, but nothing, it's weirdly wedge to the camera since then, I don't hear anything moving inside. When I rotate the lens counter-clockwise, I don't feel anything on the way but I still cannot pull out.
It seems like this element got stuck somewhere, at the moment I just briefly saw it and I took this shot I post, I didn't see it anymore. on the live view there are nothing unusual, and absolutely nothing move inside the camera, even upside down.
Indeed, I used the live view at the moment I took this shot. If it's an actuator arm from the body, how the camera still working perfectly?


I phoned a camera shop earlier today they have no clue either, my lens is still under warranty but I bought my camera in 2017, I hope they don't insist it could be more a body issue than a lens one.
Cause seriously it's a Schrödinger's cat situation, we don't know til we open it. Cause no matter how hard I think about it I also don't understand how any element could prevent the lens to come out ┐(ﾟ ～ﾟ )┌


Im broke I have no money to buy another $2000 K1, and yeah actually $500 to repair is way too much, after 6 years old I'm wondering why we can't find a used K1 around this same price.
On the other side I don't see any new camera from others brands that match the versality and the picture quality of this Pentax K1 still in 2022, and I got used to have this GPS information, double exposure function... Buying a Sony Camera and the Monster adapter to keep Pentax lenses would put me in huge debt for the next decade...(ㆆ _ ㆆ)

I don't want to give up on this camera but If have to, anyone have a suggestion?

@Fenwoodian you had a bulk lens to grab I suppose, the 77mm is too tiny to hold firmly, but I will definitely try this 'Great force' strategy if the bill for repairing it is too expensive.

If I end up disassembling the down part only of the body, should I be able to reach and see what is going on inside the mount mechanism ? Is the 77mm lens can be disassemble from the front part by the way ?

I see the aperture is stopped down. Is that lens mounted (obviously it is…) shouldn’t it be wide open? If it’s closed the aperture lever isn’t engaged unless you took that shot on bulb or in another way that closed the aperture.

---------- Post added 03-05-22 at 01:25 PM ----------

Which leads me to think that is what came loose and is wedged.

[Ralfoto]

I see the aperture is stopped down. Is that lens mounted (obviously it is…) shouldn’t it be wide open? If it’s closed the aperture lever isn’t engaged unless you took that shot on bulb or in another way that closed the aperture.

---------- Post added 03-05-22 at 01:25 PM ----------

Which leads me to think that is what came loose and is wedged.

Hmm no, the camera was turned on, I set the aperture myself this way to show you there are no issue with these aperture blades, and none of them are missing.
Everything is working perfectly, except the lens doesn't come out.

[MarkJerling]

When you depress the lens removal button, and you try to unmount the lens, is there no movement at all, or can you make it move clockwise or anticlockwise a bit, but not enough to unmount?

[Ralfoto]

When you depress the lens removal button, and you try to unmount the lens, is there no movement at all, or can you make it move clockwise or anticlockwise a bit, but not enough to unmount?

Yeah I can rotate the lens clockwise and counter clockwise, but indeed not enough to unmount. There are no movement, when I depress the lens removal button.

[RICHARD L.]

In the first picture, the part we see hanging loose looks like a mirror actuating arm. I remember seeing similar mirror arms in my Minolta X-700 mirror box. Just my 2 cents ...


Regards and best of luck.