[photogem]

I was using my ks-2 daily for years. However the last year was mostly with the 55-300 plm. I would think this wouldn't matter and the solenoid would be exercised anyway. Perhaps it isn't?

No, the solenoid is not used with the PLM-lens, so not exercised. But a you have the white Japan-DSLR-solenoid inside this doesn't matter. It would matter only with the China-solenoid, the alloy of the plunger magnetizes more when not used because it is always in contact with the rare-earth magnet which anyway is that bit too powerful which adds to the problem. That is why new Pentax bodies having been stored over a long time with dealers are more critical. I purchased an ex-display K50 once which had been stored for a quite long time. After about 90 actuations it started with ABF but I knew then already about the problem but anyway got a good reduction of the price paid.

[swanlefitte]

No, the solenoid is not used with the PLM-lens, so not exercised.

This makes the data of shutter count not reliable on the high side. There are less high shutter count cameras that have the solenoid problem. Perhaps all happened after using the plm lens.
My data point should be thrown out as I cannot say I did use other lenses on a regular basis. I used them but have no reliable data. Someone shooting a few frames to prevent this need to to be aware.

[photogem]

This makes the data of shutter count not reliable on the high side. There are less high shutter count cameras that have the solenoid problem. Perhaps all happened after using the plm lens.

The DA55-300PLM was introduced about the same time as the K70 which was the first Pentax to have officially KAF4 support (others got it via firmware update).
So data concerning ABF prior that time are there abundantly.
Also I don't think everybody uses that lens. Most people I know off using Pentax (most using K30/50/K-S1 but some use others) don't use it.
Also I don't think many who use it have it as their main lens.


But if one uses that lens mainly or exclusivly, yes, high shuttercount isn't doing anything to "exercise" the solenoid.

I know of one person using his K70 very often with the PLM lens and his K70 developed ABF.

[luckylu]

The DA55-300PLM was introduced about the same time as the K70 which was the first Pentax to have officially KAF4 support (others got it via firmware update).
So data concerning ABF prior that time are there abundantly.
Also I don't think everybody uses that lens. Most people I know off using Pentax (most using K30/50/K-S1 but some use others) don't use it.
Also I don't think many who use it have it as their main lens.


But if one uses that lens mainly or exclusively, yes, high shuttercount isn't doing anything to "exercise" the solenoid.

I know of one person using his K70 very often with the PLM lens and his K70 developed ABF.

Ok and I think Photogem you are bang on here I have checked back on my ACDsee database and between late July and November I pretty much exclusively used the PLM in fact more than 95% of my shots were that lens. Beware the PLM & the K70. Is t true that using old manual lenses also doesn't exercise it?

[photogem]

Ok and I think Photogem you are bang on here I have checked back on my ACDsee database and between late July and November I pretty much exclusively used the PLM in fact more than 95% of my shots were that lens. Beware the PLM & the K70. Is t true that using old manual lenses also doesn't exercise it?

Yes, with manual lenses the solenoid isn't exercised as well.

That's why some of those who won't feel up to change the solenoid us their Pentax with ABF just for manual lenses
Using the green button does not exercise the solenoid either.

[penotax]

As other users have indicated, a new K-70 has a much lower probability of having aperture block failure but I don't believe it is zero. One of the factors that contributed to failure of the older models was lack of use. If the camera is used frequently, I think the chance of failure will be much lower.

"a new K-70 has a much lower probability of having aperture block failure"

I hope it applies to my k-70 too, that i bought one week ago).

---------- Post added 01-17-22 at 02:29 AM ----------

I don't think it's that they've done nothing about it. Not enough of these things have failed for a recall to be necessary. Members who have taken K30, K50 and K70 cameras apart and compared that with the newer K70 cameras report that the made in China solenoid appears to be of better quality in later manufactured cameras than at first.
Having said that, the consensus is that the most reliable (cheap) fix is to replace the solenoid with a made in Japan solenoid.

Good luck!

I hope that quality applies to my k-70, mine is manufactured on: 2020/11/03. Bought it one week ago.

[luckylu]

I hope that quality applies to my k-70, mine is manufactured on: 2020/11/03. Bought it one week ago

Hi Penotax rest assured you have bought a brilliant camera IMO. I bought mine in 2018 was manufactured 2017 and I bought it new. The chances are it won't happen to yours as the problem seems less likely compared to previous models. If you follow the "rules" to mitigate the issue, like taking photos regularly not letting it sit idle, and if you make sure that if you do get the PLM and love it as much as I do, then swap it to give the solenoid exercise. If after this it still goes wrong it is an easy fix whether you do it yourself or pay a professional to do it. My repair cost just over £100 with a years warranty on it and it got a good clean up and service as well.

So take you're pics worry free and enjoy it and like me I hope you end up loving the camera.

[penotax]

Hi Penotax rest assured you have bought a brilliant camera IMO. I bought mine in 2018 was manufactured 2017 and I bought it new. The chances are it won't happen to yours as the problem seems less likely compared to previous models. If you follow the "rules" to mitigate the issue, like taking photos regularly not letting it sit idle, and if you make sure that if you do get the PLM and love it as much as I do, then swap it to give the solenoid exercise. If after this it still goes wrong it is an easy fix whether you do it yourself or pay a professional to do it. My repair cost just over £100 with a years warranty on it and it got a good clean up and service as well.

So take you're pics worry free and enjoy it and like me I hope you end up loving the camera.

Thanks mate! You really did inspire me

I am already in love with this camera, it feels so good in my hand(s), and that lovely shutter and mirror flip sounds make me feel high)).
I'm comming from mirrorless (sony a6000, a6300) sold them already, not for me.
I happened to shoot Nikon d7200 recently, which made me switch to dslr. I found it is much more interesting to shoot, totaly different experience, it made me rely upon my brain, rather than relying upon EVF that decides for me.

But that "follow the rules" thing got my attention "like taking photos regularly not letting it sit idle".
As I understand, I need to keep that solenoid thing busy?
I've just started learning, i use it intensively every evening since i bought it, but in the future, it will sit idle for a week, may be two weeks. Will that be too long?
How often would you suggest to use it? 'cause if it a matter of messing with repairs, no no, then i'm ready to use it every hour

[photogem]

"a new K-70 has a much lower probability of having aperture block failure"
I hope that quality applies to my k-70, mine is manufactured on: 2020/11/03. Bought it one week ago.

It does apply. Since Dec. 2015 modified solenoids were used, some failed but it is within the standard 2% failure rate.
So don't worry and if it ever happens after warranty is gone, it luckily is a fault which can be repaired, even DIY and not too expensive.
With other DSLR bodies from competition faults hardly can be repaired! So quite an advantage aside of the K70 being one of the best buys for the money.
I'd say best buy if it isn't for sport or other fast moving objects or video. There competition can be better but if sport you have to pay quite a bit more (Nikon)

[penotax]

It does apply. Since Dec. 2015 modified solenoids were used, some failed but it is within the standard 2% failure rate.
So don't worry and if it ever happens after warranty is gone, it luckily is a fault which can be repaired, even DIY and not too expensive.
With other DSLR bodies from competition faults hardly can be repaired! So quite an advantage aside of the K70 being one of the best buys for the money.
I'd say best buy if it isn't for sport or other fast moving objects or video. There competition can be better but if sport you have to pay quite a bit more (Nikon)

Thanks mate!
But I hope i won't have to mess with this solenoid thing, but i will if i have to, there's no way back

Endeed it is a wonderful camera for the price, with many pro features, dynamic range - wow, pixel shift - wow, iso performance - wow.
nikon / canon is not even close in this price range.
The only drawback is the battery life. a spare one is already on its way.
2 batteries will be more than enough for an ameture like me.
Now i'm aimed to order this baby Pentax SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.4, i'm still on a kit lens 18-55mm, shooting only f/11 and above, as below f/11 - mess begins

Cheers Mate!

[PentaxPQL]

I repaired my K70 with the white solenoid a couple years back and now I am having problems again. Has anyone else had a failure with the “good” non-green one. So frustrating and happed when on vacation.

[photogem]

I repaired my K70 with the white solenoid a couple years back and now I am having problems again. Has anyone else had a failure with the “good” non-green one. So frustrating and happed when on vacation.

Problems is relative, which problems?
Is it the same problem, i.e. black photos?

When that happens it is usually a bad soldering point, i.e. no more voltage on the solenoid.

Also, which white solenoid did you use? Origin?

[S_Miller]

I am a long time Pentax user, I have a film Pentax, 3 DSLR's, plenty of lenses. But here I am posting on the forum about the aperture block failure.
First off, I have to say, I feel like I've sent way too many Pentax cameras and lenses in for repair. I wonder if Nikon and Canon have the same failure rates.
So -- comments.
First -- the idea that the failure rate is 2% seems off. Why would there be a class action lawsuit even if it's only being explored. Strikes me as symptomatic of a bigger problem.
2. The DIY concept. Nice. I am fine cracking open a laptop to replace a battery, but this one is nuts. There's no way I would spend a day fiddling around with that nonsense.
3. Ok so I have to send in the camera body. Somebody says, hey no problem it's a $250 repair. Except you aren't counting the $60 to send it in and the $60 to give to Precision Repair to get it back. So, $370 repair.
4. The camera body only costs $600 or so. That's, what, another $230 to have a brand new one? Ok, still. Why do I need a brand new one?
5. I bought the camera for my daughter. Trying to get her into the DSLR world. Forget that one. She is saving her money for a mirrorless camera because that is what EVERY FORUM she reads recommends. So much for a Pentax convert. Just the old guys like me, hanging on for dear life and trying to justify some unreliable gear. Like the weatherproofing though, that's a thing I can always point to.

6. Again, my daughter. She actually got a couple of paying gigs to do some photography. I kind of flipped out at this one, if you're going to contract with strangers to take photos at a fairly important event to them, we need a back up camera. So I bought another one.
7. Which was a good idea I did because the ABF seems to happening now on the original K-70.
8. How do I know it's ABF? Not 100% sure, but like people posted if you run it on some burst rate the subsequent photos may turn out even if the first one is all black. Or almost all black. Tried that, seems to hold. So...kind of looks like the ABF problem.
9. Maybe a good thing it's the camera body, because at first we thought it was the lens. And any one of those lenses cost 2x the camera body.
10. My experience with repairs lately, which has been more than I wish to experience, has been dismal. Precision seems to send the devices back to Japan. I had a new lens that out of the box didn't work right, had to send it in for a warranty repair. It took 6 months to make the journey back to me. Apparently it went to Japan on a boat instead of air. Not sure but I imagine that's what happened, since gosh shipping via air is likely to be expensive. And it disappeared into a black hole where I was never able to get a status report for months on end. Now, I'm looking at another repair. Expensive, and no camera for what 6 months?
11. Oh, by the way -- the idea that this only happens with cameras that don't get used much, that's more nonsense. We're shooting 300+ photos a week. We burn out memory chips. That camera gets used almost daily.


Is this just my bad luck? Or do all camera manufacturers have the same issues with quality?
Anyhow, appreciate the forum and a chance to vent a bit, but don't take too seriously the anecdotes you hear. I suspect the failure rate is far higher than understood here. This will be my second failed camera (the other was a KP, but that only cost a few $00). For me, I'm experiencing a 66% failure rate on camera bodies, probably around the 2-3 year old mark.

[swanlefitte]

Pretty sure all camera fail eventually. A 2% per year is more likely. I think cameras are designed to last an expected 4 years these days.
I had a canon xl1s camera back in 2005 that took 6 months to repair. It was about a year old.

If you use a plm lens or a manual one, it doesn't exercise the solenoid. Mine failed using it every day when I only used the 55-300 plm for a few months.

[photogem]

3. Ok so I have to send in the camera body. Somebody says, hey no problem it's a $250 repair. Except you aren't counting the $60 to send it in and the $60 to give to Precision Repair to get it back. So, $370 repair.

2 x $60 for shipping within USA?
Did you use a cap or some other personal delivery?