[Meg4mi]

Hi there,

I recently felt some creaking on the bottom part of the right hand grip of my beloved k-1.

See the small red crosses in the picture below :



When I apply some pressure on the red crosses, i can hear a small sound (pop,creak) et feel some little movements.

Do you notice it aswell ?

[MJKoski]

Yes. Mine started to creak in september after two months of use. I asked this on a finnish forum but no one reported such issue. The creaking becomes very obvious when lifting heavy camera + lens by the grip only. Such lens as 15-30.

It started after I got my K-1 back from first calibration of sensor.

[BigMackCam]

There have been several reports of this.

I believe it can be addressed under warranty, but have also read that someone fixed it themselves by "carefully tightening/loosening the screws on the bottom of the grip and inside the battery compartment". It seems those screws can become a little loose, or perhaps weren't fully tightened at the factory.

I'm not suggesting you should fix it yourself - but this is what I've read

[rawr]

When you have a body like this, it's hard to figure out how creaking in the locations identified could happen - unless it has something to do with some parts under the camera's rubbery 'skin' ?:

[Adam]

I'd guess the sound comes from the rubberized grip. Probably just normal wear and near, though a little disconcerting.

[Meg4mi]

Do you think the rebberized grip is tighten enough to cause creaks when pushed ?

Maybe it is some screws.

I prefer not having to send it to warranty for such a minor problem if it not involves other problems.

[MJKoski]

Well, that mag alloy frame picture does not meet the reality unfortunately. Whatever causes the issue, and it is not only sound, produces a feeling that something is about to give or get loose. Like walking on thin ice and hearing the cracks and pops with every step. I have no external mic for hi-fi recording but it is possible to record the sound with short cellphone video clip. I do have proper tools to check the screws though, let's see if it fixes this.

[bobbotron]

There have been several reports of this.

I believe it can be addressed under warranty, but have also read that someone fixed it themselves by "carefully tightening/loosening the screws on the bottom of the grip and inside the battery compartment". It seems those screws can become a little loose, or perhaps weren't fully tightened at the factory.

I'm not suggesting you should fix it yourself - but this is what I've read

I would definitely try it myself if it were my camera! *Correct screw driver and use is imperative!*

[BigMackCam]

I would definitely try it myself if it were my camera! *Correct screw driver and use is imperative!*

Me too. JIS screwdrivers only

[Meg4mi]

Well, that mag alloy frame picture does not meet the reality unfortunately. Whatever causes the issue, and it is not only sound, produces a feeling that something is about to give or get loose. Like walking on thin ice and hearing the cracks and pops with every step. I have no external mic for hi-fi recording but it is possible to record the sound with short cellphone video clip. I do have proper tools to check the screws though, let's see if it fixes this.

Please let me know how it goes.

[MJKoski]

Sure thing. BTW, I had a loaner camera when my K-1 was being serviced and it did not have this issue. I used it quite long with heavy lens - well over a month in total - and it kept its body integrity just fine.

[Kunzite]

Just because a certain someone is posting nonsense again: the magnesium alloy chassis is the K-1 chassis; it's not something Ricoh Imaging made up just to lie to us.
My K-1 has this issue as well. Yes, I can feel a very slight movement, a fraction of a mm - it could be a design oversight, or an assembly issue. What's (so very slightly) moving is the bottom part of the rubberized grip covering the alloy chassis - and obviously not the chassis itself.
So far I couldn't be bothered to send my camera to be serviced. I should do it, eventually...

[MJKoski]

You do know that mag alloy frame does not give in any way yes? Picking up up camera + lens combo actually causes a feeling of grabbing a plastic bucket with lots of weight in it. It feels like the grip bends but it does not. So, any mag alloy mumbo jumbo is effectively ruined by dubious assembly. It is that simple.

EDIT: Oh boy! The Screws are indeed loose! (Not counting those in my head) But, almost all the screws were not tightened properly around the grip and at the bottom of the grip. Some screws took full 360 degree turn to get proper tightening. 00 or 0-sized head fits properly. The creaking almost vanished totally but not completely - there is one screw at the bottom of a deep little hole inside the battery compartment. I guess it would solve the puzzle for good.

This is rather easy fix but do not try it with general 2 penny hardware store screwdriver. Get proper clocksmith toolkit.

[Meg4mi]

EDIT: Oh boy! The Screws are indeed loose! (Not counting those in my head) But, almost all the screws were not tightened properly around the grip and at the bottom of the grip. Some screws took full 360 degree turn to get proper tightening. 00 or 0-sized head fits properly. The creaking almost vanished totally but not completely - there is one screw at the bottom of a deep little hole inside the battery compartment. I guess it would solve the puzzle for good.

No loose screws for me. And if i try to pinch the grip around the IR sensor and move it from left to right, i can really feel a move and here a small noise (pop, pop, pop).

And now i'm obsessed with it

[npc]

I had to actually loosen some of the screws just a bit to make the creaking go away completely.