Mint KP issue - Over $500 instant quote for Precision Camera, before any info...

mtgmansf · 07-02-2022, 09:28 AM

Last week I posted about my mint KP, purchased a few months ago, that suddenly started taking double exposures and completely overexposed images, intermittently, after only a couple of hundred, total photographs. After many good suggestions by forum members, resets, changes in settings, etc., I found the issue did not occur, if and when I switched over to ES shutter mode, from MS shutter mode. My conclusion, therefore, was that the almost unused shutter - less than 640 actuations- was defective and likely the culprit. I decided to sent the camera to Precision Repair, went over to their website, started a repair slip by entering the camera model, and before I even entered the problem or my personal information, received a quote of $478, plus tax - nine percent here where I live, which puts me over $500 dollars. While this does include a hefty shipping fee of over $50, I have never paid anywhere near this amount for a repair, which includes a complete overhaul of a Leica M4 that had major shutter problems (Ebay purchase from a dishonest German dealer who dragged on our dialogue just long enough to get me past the return/refund period. Jokes on him though, since this M4 is now worth 2- 1/2 times what my initial acquisition, plus repair cost was).
Anyway, I am looking for an alternative to Precision to repair the faulty shutter, since I am retired and unwilling to spend that large amount- as a bare minimum and without a thorough diagnosis, and unwilling to do any back and forth for diagnosis with high shipping costs, to boot. Advice/recommendations from anyone who has actually had a successful KP shutter repair/replacement for less would, therefore, be greatly appreciated?

hcc · 07-02-2022, 09:37 AM - **1 Like**

I am sorry to hear your issues. I believe that Used Cameras, Lenses & Gear For Sale | Buy & Sell at KEH Camera can also provide some camera services: KEH Online Camera Repair | Digital and Film Camera Repairs at KEH Camera. I did not use them for repairs, but I read good comment in this forum.
Hope that the comment may help.

**Digitalis** · 07-02-2022, 09:44 AM - **2 Likes**

Nice catch with the Leica M4.

About the KP, well I own many cameras and I like them to all be operational. I'd be damn annoyed if my KP began operating sub-optimally. The KP has developed a kind of sleeper cult status here on pentaxforums, and before I got my KP I was kinda scratching my head as to why.

It's a lovely, well designed little camera. I'd get it repaired properly..... damn the cost.

**jumbleview** · 07-02-2022, 10:04 AM - **1 Like**

I see KP on sale here on market place for $690 (shipping included). Maybe it is possible to sell your camera for parts to recover some money and buy another one here on market place?

mtgmansf · 07-02-2022, 11:28 AM

Originally posted by jumbleview

I see KP on sale here on market place for $690 (shipping included). Maybe it is possible to sell your camera for parts to recover some money and buy another one here on market place?

Based on the mint condition of my camera and under 500 actuations at the time of purchase, it would make little sense to buy a second, used KP instead of repairing this one. Therefore, I am only looking for a reasonable repair or replacement for the shutter, which would still likely be less than $690, but I have yet to find anyone who has replaced the KP shutter. Seems like I might be the fiirst on Pentax forums...
Other option is to only use the ES - electric shutter, exclusively.

biz-engineer · 07-02-2022, 02:21 PM

Originally posted by mtgmansf

Seems like I might be the fiirst on Pentax forums...

Is it worth to repair a k5iis with over 87k actuations? - PentaxForums.com

**UncleVanya** · 07-02-2022, 04:57 PM

All camera companies have severely curtailed parts access and you have almost no options. It sucks but it is the case. I’m so sorry about this.

mtgmansf · 07-02-2022, 05:44 PM

Originally posted by UncleVanya

All camera companies have severely curtailed parts access and you have almost no options. It sucks but it is the case. I’m so sorry about this.

Thanks but...
Since they do not even know what my repair issue is before this large quote, I am not convinced that a shutter replacement would be even far higher. I will contact them for an appropriate quote, but I am also still hoping that a non-authorized independent shop can give me a better quote or option???

gatorguy · 07-02-2022, 06:14 PM

Originally posted by mtgmansf

Thanks but...
Since they do not even know what my repair issue is before this large quote, I am not convinced that a shutter replacement would be even far higher. I will contact them for an appropriate quote, but I am also still hoping that a non-authorized independent shop can give me a better quote or option???

Is it worth to repair a k5iis with over 87k actuations? - PentaxForums.com

**Joetitch** · 07-02-2022, 07:15 PM

Unfortunately a result of our capitalism. Possibly you can sell some stuff you don't want to help fund this repair. I wish you all the best.

**UncleVanya** · 07-02-2022, 08:08 PM

Originally posted by mtgmansf

Thanks but...
Since they do not even know what my repair issue is before this large quote, I am not convinced that a shutter replacement would be even far higher. I will contact them for an appropriate quote, but I am also still hoping that a non-authorized independent shop can give me a better quote or option???

Good luck. There are very few repair shops that can get parts. Particularly now. I hope you can make it work out. I despise this aspect of present day camera ownership.

**Wheatridger** · 07-02-2022, 08:52 PM - **2 Likes**

You should contact Precision and ask if they have the parts in stock. When the "AF Block" in my K-1 failed, they had to wait for parts. The camera spent 72 days in the shop and in transit before I got it back. I bought another used one for the interim, and sold the repaired camera, with warranty, for a nice price.

biz-engineer · 07-02-2022, 09:20 PM - **1 Like**

$500 of now is more like $350 of last year, it's not as expensive as appears to be. My food bills have increased about 30% in recent weeks. At a rate of 8% monthly inflation, a couple more years from now, $500 will be pocket money. It's gonna hurt, be prepared.

With this sort is repair issues, photographers should consider the big picture of buying used cameras/lenses vs buying new.

Buying new equipment: new is more expensive, but it comes with newest tech and features, knowing how the camera is handled (by our-self), and comes with a warranty contract that cover the costs of repairs in case of early life reliability defect.
Buying used equipment: used is cheaper, but it come with the risk that if a camera or lens fails out of a warranty contract, the cost of repairs are for the buyer. Failure doesn't come with every used equipment purchased, lot of money is saved. When item failure does occur one has to be prepared to pay for the repair, that's part of playing the used equipment game.

**Digitalis** · 07-02-2022, 09:57 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Wheatridger

You should contact Precision and ask if they have the parts in stock.

Excellent point right there, keep downtime to a minimum.

mtgmansf · 07-03-2022, 09:40 AM

Originally posted by biz-engineer

$500 of now is more like $350 of last year, it's not as expensive as appears to be. My food bills have increased about 30% in recent weeks. At a rate of 8% monthly inflation, a couple more years from now, $500 will be pocket money. It's gonna hurt, be prepared.

With this sort is repair issues, photographers should consider the big picture of buying used cameras/lenses vs buying new.

Buying new equipment: new is more expensive, but it comes with newest tech and features, knowing how the camera is handled (by our-self), and comes with a warranty contract that cover the costs of repairs in case of early life reliability defect.
Buying used equipment: used is cheaper, but it come with the risk that if a camera or lens fails out of a warranty contract, the cost of repairs are for the buyer. Failure doesn't come with every used equipment purchased, lot of money is saved. When item failure does occur one has to be prepared to pay for the repair, that's part of playing the used equipment game.

Points well taken. Several considerations by me: 1. If I would have known - before they discontinued the KP, the price and the final specs of the K3 mk.III, and that it did not have a flip screen (a must for me!), I would have purchased the KP new and with warranty. 2. I would have gladly paid the current, going price for the K3 mk.III, if only it had the wonderful movable screen tech of the K1 models. 3. Any shutter units for the KP will likely have already been manufactured at yesteryear prices and be in stock somewhere for the future. Therefore, I will call various Pentax repair places, including ones out of country, due to the absurd, $54 dollar shipping fee Precision wants to charge me to return the camera from the East Coast, which might as well be from out-of-country. Last resort would be to try to live with the ES shutter only, and pretend I have a Nikon Z9...

---------- Post added 07-03-22 at 09:43 AM ----------

Originally posted by Digitalis

Excellent point right there, keep downtime to a minimum.

See below:

---------- Post added 07-03-22 at 09:44 AM ----------

Originally posted by Wheatridger

You should contact Precision and ask if they have the parts in stock. When the "AF Block" in my K-1 failed, they had to wait for parts. The camera spent 72 days in the shop and in transit before I got it back. I bought another used one for the interim, and sold the repaired camera, with warranty, for a nice price.

That is just nuts, IMO...

07-02-2022, 09:28 AM	#1
mtgmansf Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 321	Mint KP issue - Over $500 instant quote for Precision Camera, before any info... Last week I posted about my mint KP, purchased a few months ago, that suddenly started taking double exposures and completely overexposed images, intermittently, after only a couple of hundred, total photographs. After many good suggestions by forum members, resets, changes in settings, etc., I found the issue did not occur, if and when I switched over to ES shutter mode, from MS shutter mode. My conclusion, therefore, was that the almost unused shutter - less than 640 actuations- was defective and likely the culprit. I decided to sent the camera to Precision Repair, went over to their website, started a repair slip by entering the camera model, and before I even entered the problem or my personal information, received a quote of $478, plus tax - nine percent here where I live, which puts me over $500 dollars. While this does include a hefty shipping fee of over $50, I have never paid anywhere near this amount for a repair, which includes a complete overhaul of a Leica M4 that had major shutter problems (Ebay purchase from a dishonest German dealer who dragged on our dialogue just long enough to get me past the return/refund period. Jokes on him though, since this M4 is now worth 2- 1/2 times what my initial acquisition, plus repair cost was). Anyway, I am looking for an alternative to Precision to repair the faulty shutter, since I am retired and unwilling to spend that large amount- as a bare minimum and without a thorough diagnosis, and unwilling to do any back and forth for diagnosis with high shipping costs, to boot. Advice/recommendations from anyone who has actually had a successful KP shutter repair/replacement for less would, therefore, be greatly appreciated?

07-02-2022, 09:20 PM - 1 Like	#13
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,231	$500 of now is more like $350 of last year, it's not as expensive as appears to be. My food bills have increased about 30% in recent weeks. At a rate of 8% monthly inflation, a couple more years from now, $500 will be pocket money. It's gonna hurt, be prepared. With this sort is repair issues, photographers should consider the big picture of buying used cameras/lenses vs buying new. Buying new equipment: new is more expensive, but it comes with newest tech and features, knowing how the camera is handled (by our-self), and comes with a warranty contract that cover the costs of repairs in case of early life reliability defect. Buying used equipment: used is cheaper, but it come with the risk that if a camera or lens fails out of a warranty contract, the cost of repairs are for the buyer. Failure doesn't come with every used equipment purchased, lot of money is saved. When item failure does occur one has to be prepared to pay for the repair, that's part of playing the used equipment game. Last edited by biz-engineer; 07-03-2022 at 02:41 AM.

07-03-2022, 09:40 AM	#15
mtgmansf Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 321 Original Poster	Originally posted by biz-engineer $500 of now is more like $350 of last year, it's not as expensive as appears to be. My food bills have increased about 30% in recent weeks. At a rate of 8% monthly inflation, a couple more years from now, $500 will be pocket money. It's gonna hurt, be prepared. With this sort is repair issues, photographers should consider the big picture of buying used cameras/lenses vs buying new. Buying new equipment: new is more expensive, but it comes with newest tech and features, knowing how the camera is handled (by our-self), and comes with a warranty contract that cover the costs of repairs in case of early life reliability defect. Buying used equipment: used is cheaper, but it come with the risk that if a camera or lens fails out of a warranty contract, the cost of repairs are for the buyer. Failure doesn't come with every used equipment purchased, lot of money is saved. When item failure does occur one has to be prepared to pay for the repair, that's part of playing the used equipment game. Points well taken. Several considerations by me: 1. If I would have known - before they discontinued the KP, the price and the final specs of the K3 mk.III, and that it did not have a flip screen (a must for me!), I would have purchased the KP new and with warranty. 2. I would have gladly paid the current, going price for the K3 mk.III, if only it had the wonderful movable screen tech of the K1 models. 3. Any shutter units for the KP will likely have already been manufactured at yesteryear prices and be in stock somewhere for the future. Therefore, I will call various Pentax repair places, including ones out of country, due to the absurd, $54 dollar shipping fee Precision wants to charge me to return the camera from the East Coast, which might as well be from out-of-country. Last resort would be to try to live with the ES shutter only, and pretend I have a Nikon Z9... ---------- Post added 07-03-22 at 09:43 AM ---------- Originally posted by Digitalis Excellent point right there, keep downtime to a minimum. See below: ---------- Post added 07-03-22 at 09:44 AM ---------- Originally posted by Wheatridger You should contact Precision and ask if they have the parts in stock. When the "AF Block" in my K-1 failed, they had to wait for parts. The camera spent 72 days in the shop and in transit before I got it back. I bought another used one for the interim, and sold the repaired camera, with warranty, for a nice price. That is just nuts, IMO...

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07-02-2022, 09:37 AM - 1 Like	#2
hcc Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,002	I am sorry to hear your issues. I believe that Used Cameras, Lenses & Gear For Sale \| Buy & Sell at KEH Camera can also provide some camera services: KEH Online Camera Repair \| Digital and Film Camera Repairs at KEH Camera. I did not use them for repairs, but I read good comment in this forum. Hope that the comment may help.

07-02-2022, 09:44 AM - 2 Likes	#3
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,694	Nice catch with the Leica M4. About the KP, well I own many cameras and I like them to all be operational. I'd be damn annoyed if my KP began operating sub-optimally. The KP has developed a kind of sleeper cult status here on pentaxforums, and before I got my KP I was kinda scratching my head as to why. It's a lovely, well designed little camera. I'd get it repaired properly..... damn the cost.

07-02-2022, 10:04 AM - 1 Like	#4
jumbleview Site Supporter Join Date: May 2012 Location: Concord, CA Posts: 1,068	I see KP on sale here on market place for $690 (shipping included). Maybe it is possible to sell your camera for parts to recover some money and buy another one here on market place?

07-02-2022, 11:28 AM	#5
mtgmansf Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 321 Original Poster	Originally posted by jumbleview I see KP on sale here on market place for $690 (shipping included). Maybe it is possible to sell your camera for parts to recover some money and buy another one here on market place? Based on the mint condition of my camera and under 500 actuations at the time of purchase, it would make little sense to buy a second, used KP instead of repairing this one. Therefore, I am only looking for a reasonable repair or replacement for the shutter, which would still likely be less than $690, but I have yet to find anyone who has replaced the KP shutter. Seems like I might be the fiirst on Pentax forums... Other option is to only use the ES - electric shutter, exclusively.

07-02-2022, 02:21 PM	#6
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,231	Originally posted by mtgmansf Seems like I might be the fiirst on Pentax forums... Is it worth to repair a k5iis with over 87k actuations? - PentaxForums.com

07-02-2022, 04:57 PM	#7
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,400	All camera companies have severely curtailed parts access and you have almost no options. It sucks but it is the case. I’m so sorry about this.

07-02-2022, 05:44 PM	#8
mtgmansf Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 321 Original Poster	Originally posted by UncleVanya All camera companies have severely curtailed parts access and you have almost no options. It sucks but it is the case. I’m so sorry about this. Thanks but... Since they do not even know what my repair issue is before this large quote, I am not convinced that a shutter replacement would be even far higher. I will contact them for an appropriate quote, but I am also still hoping that a non-authorized independent shop can give me a better quote or option???

07-02-2022, 06:14 PM	#9
gatorguy Moderator Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Central Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,092	Originally posted by mtgmansf Thanks but... Since they do not even know what my repair issue is before this large quote, I am not convinced that a shutter replacement would be even far higher. I will contact them for an appropriate quote, but I am also still hoping that a non-authorized independent shop can give me a better quote or option??? Is it worth to repair a k5iis with over 87k actuations? - PentaxForums.com

07-02-2022, 07:15 PM	#10
Joetitch Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Leura NSW Posts: 502	Unfortunately a result of our capitalism. Possibly you can sell some stuff you don't want to help fund this repair. I wish you all the best.

07-02-2022, 08:08 PM	#11
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,400	Originally posted by mtgmansf Thanks but... Since they do not even know what my repair issue is before this large quote, I am not convinced that a shutter replacement would be even far higher. I will contact them for an appropriate quote, but I am also still hoping that a non-authorized independent shop can give me a better quote or option??? Good luck. There are very few repair shops that can get parts. Particularly now. I hope you can make it work out. I despise this aspect of present day camera ownership.

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07-02-2022, 08:52 PM - 2 Likes	#12
Wheatridger Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Colorado Front Range Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 644	You should contact Precision and ask if they have the parts in stock. When the "AF Block" in my K-1 failed, they had to wait for parts. The camera spent 72 days in the shop and in transit before I got it back. I bought another used one for the interim, and sold the repaired camera, with warranty, for a nice price.

07-02-2022, 09:57 PM - 1 Like	#14
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,694	Originally posted by Wheatridger You should contact Precision and ask if they have the parts in stock. Excellent point right there, keep downtime to a minimum.