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04-23-2022, 09:10 PM - 1 Like   #31
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QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
Oh, I've read your tutorial. Very thorough and I've seen that several users have repaired their cameras following your instructions....Ive just been using the aperture ring on the 43 because it's the lens I use most of the time anyway but I may decide to give the self-repair a try

04-30-2022, 07:20 AM - 2 Likes   #32
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I recently purchased a K-70 as a replacement for my first digital SLR, a K-x.
I couldn't be happier, the image quality is amazing. What I really love about it is with tricky exposure, the camera usually gets it right but if it's not spot on, all sorts of magic can be preformed with the RAW image. I have tons of old Pentax lenses lying around including 7 67 lenses, I've only used DA lenses with this body but I will try a few old lenses on it soon. I doubt you'll regret buying a K-70.
06-24-2022, 04:01 PM - 7 Likes   #33
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I'm now on my trip to Italy and the K-70 continues to amaze me! This photo was shot on RAW auto, a bit of tweaking in Lightroom but the camera did an amazing job.
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06-24-2022, 05:07 PM   #34
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QuoteOriginally posted by Bauie Quote
I'm now on my trip to Italy and the K-70 continues to amaze me! This photo was shot on RAW auto, a bit of tweaking in Lightroom but the camera did an amazing job.
A wonderful shot sir, so very glad your K70 exceeds expectations. Enjoy your trip, and take a photo or two while you're there.

BTW, my wife's dream stay is on the Isle of Capri, and with any luck we will finally make it there by next year.

06-25-2022, 01:54 PM   #35
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QuoteOriginally posted by Bauie Quote
'm now on my trip to Italy and the K-70 continues to amaze me!
Your image is certainly amazing. An eloquent demonstration of what it can do in skilled hands.
08-01-2022, 05:42 PM - 1 Like   #36
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I'm now back from Italy and I couldn't be happier with the shots my K-70 produced. One thing I've learned is that for any sort of high contrast scene it's best to have exposure compensation on 1 or 2 thirds under, highlights can very easily blow out. The amount of shadow info that is captured in RAW is amazing but highlights can be lost without underexposing a bit.
08-02-2022, 03:06 PM   #37
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I am of the opinion every camera company has it "lemmons" and to be honest we only hear the stories of people having trouble. As mentioned by other users on this forum we have no statistics of the camera companies regarding their failure rate.

Nikon D600, D800 had the oil issue (oil from the shutter splashing on the sensor), the main reason why those cameras were replaced so quickly. The phase detect af module had a mislalignment issue on the D800. The oh so praised Nikon D750 had at least 3 recall actions regarding a shutter issue, Some 1st gen AF-S lenses had an issue because the plastic wheels would disintegrate after some years because they were using the wrong material and the rubber they used on the focus, zoom ring would come loose,...

Canon: 5D and later had a problem with the mirror falling of, the occasional stain on the LCD screen,...


Leica: M8 the stain issue of the rear lcd, not replaceable, remapping of sensor, first gen shutters failing prematurely. Leica M9 delamination of the sensor, addressed by Leica but due to lack of parts, not replaceable anymorebut youget a discount for a new camera...


Pentax has also it share of problems:
SDM motors failing on some lenses.
The famous solenoid problem on some later KX0 bodies, although my very nice K10 exhibits some similar problems, when starting up the camera, the first frame is black for the rest of the session everything is fine, I suppose this is due to lack of use, although this one has the Japanese solenoid. The RTC battery is gone (although I kept a charged battery into the body) and is not user replaceable as it used to be on early Canon 5D' and 30D.
Pentax KP: I went through 3 new bodies before getting one that was not severely overexposing. Finally I insisted they gave me a camera from a different batch and everything was finally fine.

If you are considering a new K70 at least in the European Union you have as end user a 2 years compulsory warranty (for everything) Some camera stores offer an extended warranty of 3 years without supplement.

If you want the K70 go for one, I flirted with one and was greatly impressed that you got that kind of quality, features for that price point.

08-16-2022, 06:46 AM - 1 Like   #38
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The K-70 isn't like the K-50 at all. It's body and features are more like the K-3, at least that's the impression I get when using the K-70. It's a great little camera.

I now have four K-70 bodies. I bought two used ones and two new all from Adorama. I've now used them for more than a year without any issues. This isn't a KP thread but while we're discussing camera issues, my silver KP has had the shutter replaced because it fell out of alignment and jammed. It also caused two OEM batteries to swell while in use and I had to use tools to remove them. My black KP has been flawless.
08-16-2022, 05:42 PM   #39
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One thing I would like to see on digital cameras is better warnings for when there is no SD card in the camera. I took some pics yesterday that did not need the screen unfolded, the camera let me take the pics but after I had finished I realised that there was no SD card in the camera. There was nothing in the viewfinder to tell me no SD card was in the camera, it should flash with a warning ""NO CARD" in the viewfinder. had the same problem with my old Pentax DSLR.,
08-17-2022, 09:13 AM   #40
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QuoteOriginally posted by gatorguy Quote
He has weighed in on this several times. As I recall it's a relative non-issue on the current K-70's. For whatever reason, aperture block failure gets mentioned as some kind of serious concern to be had with the K-70 in every thread asking for purchase advice, and from folks who don't use a K-70. Some even promote it as a failure just waiting to happen. It is not. A K-70 purchased new today has a different and more reliable solenoid than the old K-30's and K-50's where it actually was something to be aware of. The likelihood of a similar failure on a new in-the-box K-70 is slim and that's according to the forums "expert on the solenoid", @Photogem. You're welcome for him to chime in and restate what he's had to say on the topic rather than accept my recollection.

Continuously bashing the K-70 for no reason other than "I read this somewhere so it must be right" is not helpful (Not referring to you Des). Yup, a handful of K-70 owners have feared they had aperture block failure at the first sign of something not looking right. When all was said and done several of them were determined to have some other issue instead. Verified aperture-block failures on a K-70 are pretty rare, but of course not totally unheard of. Every camera from every brand has a chance of failing. Buttons have fallen off KP's, the focus mechanism has failed, and the shutter hasn't cooperated in cold weather for some owners, but those issues are pretty rare too and hardly worth worrying about. Those rare but possible failures aren't promoted, unlike aperture blocks on the K-70.

Yes the KP has some less-essential but useful features that a more advanced shooter might find desirable. Or not. I've had both and TBH did not find the K-70 lacking in comparison, and I had expected I would which is why I purchased a KP to begin with. Excitedly I might add. In actual use the additional controls and features weren't utilized as much as I had expected they would be. When I considered simple ergonomic reasons too it wasn't the camera for me. The K-70 was and still is. I have two of them as a matter of fact, with a third sold to a close friend of mine who has not had any issue with hers other than user error (she comes from a Canon background). My KP has moved on to another forum member who enjoys it more than I did. If you can find a new KP at a reasonable price I think it's a fine choice. It has some helpful mid-range controls a photographer might like to have as they advance even if the final image is essentially identical from both bodies. Worst case is you find the ergonomics of the KP aren't for you and attracting a second-hand buyer is easy.

On the other hand, buying a used camera might come with it's own unique issues unless the provenance is known, which is why the majority of gear buyers prefer new to used. If both the K-70 and KP were available new then my opinion would be tempered, but they aren't. A KP will almost assuredly be second or third hand with no warranty, which I'm not convinced ensures a better experience than purchasing a new in the box K-70, especially with the value it offers in comparison to options from other brands. Dollar for feature and image-wise the K-70 is an amazing bargain. There is no better value today in a new camera IMHO. If someone has reliability concerns with their new camera just add an extended warranty, which is not expensive to do either. Two of mine had a standard year while the third came with a three-year extended certificate in the box.

IMO "aperture block failure" worries in the K-70 have taken on a life of their own, the bark a whole lot worse than its actual bite. In addition to the obvious, those photographers or 'togs-to-be who are interested in Pentax and what value it offers get peppered with "on no, not Pentax. I've heard (fill in the blank). Buy a Canon/Nikon/Sony instead, because they're dependable" from users of other systems. It makes Pentax sound like a discount brand with no reliability... and we're feeding it! Not helpful nor accurate.

Soapbox put up.

EDIT for the OP: The K-70 is a great choice. Don't let maybe's and might's sway you. There is no better dollar-for-dollar value in a new pro-sumer grade SLR. If you were to happen upon a new-in-the-box KP it might also be a great choice for you, noting that the ergonomics of that body are quite unlike any other Pentax released in the past decade. Some immediately like it, others have adapted to it, and there's some who simply do not like it. Barring that new unused KP being stumbled upon, the K-70, new and under warranty, is the better choice IMO. Just go for it.
As a K-S2 and K70 owner who had AB failure twice on the K-S2 and once on my K70, I think it is reasonable to mention the potential for this issue to occur to a prospective buyers. I wouldn't sell it as inevitable or even remotely likely...but it can and does happen. If I knew about this issue ahead of time I wouldn't have purchased the K-S2 originally. I probably would have gotten a K-5iis. With the K70 I fixed it myself and it was easy to do. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a K70 again. I'm happy I have a white solenoid installed so now I'll never have to worry about it ever again.

But...my point is, there is nothing wrong with mentioning AB failure as long as it's presented in proper perspective.

08-17-2022, 10:21 AM   #41
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QuoteOriginally posted by eric1965 Quote
If you are considering a new K70 at least in the European Union you have as end user a 2 years compulsory warranty (for everything) Some camera stores offer an extended warranty of 3 years without supplement.

If you want the K70 go for one, I flirted with one and was greatly impressed that you got that kind of quality, features for that price point.
Why do people not read threads fully and understand them?
The TO has started this thread Dec. 2021 an June 2022 he said finally Good By to Pentax.
08-17-2022, 11:11 AM - 2 Likes   #42
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QuoteOriginally posted by tonyzoc Quote
As a K-S2 and K70 owner who had AB failure twice on the K-S2 and once on my K70, I think it is reasonable to mention the potential for this issue to occur to a prospective buyers. I wouldn't sell it as inevitable or even remotely likely...but it can and does happen. If I knew about this issue ahead of time I wouldn't have purchased the K-S2 originally. I probably would have gotten a K-5iis. With the K70 I fixed it myself and it was easy to do. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a K70 again. I'm happy I have a white solenoid installed so now I'll never have to worry about it ever again.

But...my point is, there is nothing wrong with mentioning AB failure as long as it's presented in proper perspective.
You purchased your K70 in Dec. 2019 if I remember right and thus it didn't get the 2-nd modification for the solenoid but just the 1.st!

Since then Pentax got it together and modified the solenoid again and as far as we can tell they did it the right way as I showed here in all detail:
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY: Development of the solenoid in Pentax cameras - PentaxForums.com

Since quite a while we only hear very occasially about ABF with the K70 and ONLY in early production versions.

When we were in the midst of the K30/K50 ABF situation, quite a number tried to do everything to play something down which evidently was quite serious (about 25% of a sold K30's were sent back for warranty to a German dealer during the first 2 years but hardly showed up in forums then, one didn't know yet, but I got this information by a that person specialized on Pentax) and it didn't stop afterwards. Same for a time with the K50 and those few K500's which didn't sell so well).

It was different in the beginning with the K70 and we had this thread:
K-70 Underexposed Photo Reports - PentaxForums.com

If you read post #149 you can see how strong "efforts" went to block serious research!
It continued with the invention of the infamous resistor chip a fairytale defenders of "ABF isn't really a serious problem" readily embraced. "Alternative facts" crawled in.

The solenoidproblem was very serious and could have wrecked the reputation of Pentax. I think that was the reason why some defended with all their might. I had contact with some of the major people of Ricoh in Europe. I myself wouldn't know what decisions or choices I'd have taken if I were in their place. Not so easy.

But now I can defend the very opposite side regarding the K-70 and can happily say:

Buy it without the slightest worry!


It is a great camera.

Last edited by photogem; 08-18-2022 at 11:48 PM.
08-18-2022, 07:41 PM - 1 Like   #43
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Photogem is correct. The K70 is a great camera and I purchased one late 2021. It has a great set of features, and you cannot beat the value. I have no worries whatsoever about ABF issues and plan on using it many years to come. It is unfortunate that some members still seem to cling to outdated information.
08-23-2022, 01:12 PM   #44
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QuoteOriginally posted by snegron1 Quote
I have been doing some research the past couple of days, and I came across an issue users have had wirh the K-70; aperture block failure.

How common is this? Has Pentax fixed this issue? Apparently it is caused by a build up of magnetism in the aperture armature mechanism. Looks like older Pentax cameras didn't have this issue. I would hate to buy a K-70 only to have it go bad on me in a year or two.
That is what is keeping me from purchasing a K70...I have had two K50 bodies develop the aperture block failure and I don't want to risk another. Looking at all the K30's, K50's and a number of K70's that people have had go bad it is too bad Pentax has done nothing to help them out. Reading through all the bad experiences on this forum it is very sad that nothing was ever done to fix the issue.
08-23-2022, 01:27 PM - 2 Likes   #45
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QuoteOriginally posted by grcolts Quote
That is what is keeping me from purchasing a K70...I have had two K50 bodies develop the aperture block failure and I don't want to risk another. Looking at all the K30's, K50's and a number of K70's that people have had go bad it is too bad Pentax has done nothing to help them out. Reading through all the bad experiences on this forum it is very sad that nothing was ever done to fix the issue.
But that isn't the case.
You had the chance to read my posts concerning this matter and there is absolutly no more danger that a new K70 is going to develop this problem.
They did their job.... took them a long time but it is fine now.
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