VERY, VERY Lucky Break (fortunately, not literally)

AlphaGAK20D · 12-29-2008, 03:05 PM

My son and I attended the Atlanta Falcons/St Louis Rams football game yesterday. We headed down early to take in some of the pre-game fan festitivities, and I carried along my several months old K20D sporting the several days old FA 50mm lens. After a great pre-game and first half, my little guy and I grabbed some snacks. On the way back to our seats we stopped to take a few pics looking through the portal to the stadium. In a bit of a hurry because the
2nd half had started, I placed the camera back in the shoulder bag (looped over my neck and in front of my body) and didn't zip up the top.

On the way up the stairs to our seats, the Coke started slipping from my hand and I leaned over to catch it...

...and in a flash, the camera was out of the bag and tumbling down the steps...

My heart literally stopped, I heard somebody sitting near the aisle say "Oh no!", and I said something that rhymed with "Hit!" It was a moment I won't forget for a long time!

Fortunately, we'd only gone up a few steps (and dbl-fortunate that steps in the nose-bleed section of a stadium are closer together), but I feared the worst. I quickly hopped down and retrieved the camera and a quick exterior recon showed nothing broken. I popped the switch to "On" and felt/heard the anti-shake mechanism and I think my heart started beating again. Once back at our seats and despite the insane game that was taking place, I did nothing but sit there - sweating (literally) and praying that all was well - and checked out everything I could check out. I scanned through images I'd taken earlier in the day, I took some new shots, etc. etc..

With the exception of a few VERY minor nicks on the back of the body, all seemed well. Upon closer inspection of the lens, I did note a very small crack in the plastic where a UV lens *should've* been located and this had me worried that the threads would be out of synch. After the game, we took more pics during the walk to the car and after arriving home I dumped everything off the card. Everything seemed to be - THANKFULLY - OK, and a visit to Ritz today put the filter thread mount question to rest after I purchased a filter and was able to screw it on flush and w/out issue...

I know I dodged a HUGE bullet, but Pentax deserves some credit too. Kudos to Pentax for making a camera as solid as it feels in hand!

By the way, here's the portal I was shooting just prior to the accident: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29532646@N05/3146684334/
Here's a shot of my son after the game: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29532646@N05/3148562338/ (oh no, the DOF is all screwed up!

)

Followup Post, January 14, 2009: All, after making the post above, I did notice one slight hitch with my K20 - the AE-L feature was acting a bit quirky. Sometimes I'd turn on the camera and compose a shot and AE-L was engaged, other times not, and I found that I could "toggle" the feature by putting pressure on the area where the thumb normally rests. Further examination showed the issue: the AE-L button was stuck in the "engaged" position. I tried to free it up using my fingers, but no go; I didn't even think about trying to pry it free. I *could've* learned to live with it, but spontaneous shots would've been a total hit-or-miss proposition and I really didn't want to deal with the hassle.

Reluctantly, I sent it off to an authorized Pentax dealer for a "look/see." Got word today that it's going to be a $100 fix - nothing's broken, the button simply got jammed in (likely from the initial impact) and they need to go "inside" to fix it. So, $100+shipping and I'll be golden again. Not what I wanted, but still a HELLUVA lot better than what could've been. Sorry to have to report back with a bit of bad news, but wanted to keep the record straight.

Followup Post, February 10, 2009: After what's seemed like a friggin' eternity, my K20D is headed home. With shipping, total $$ damage is ~$120. What a lesson learned. So looking forward to getting out and shooting again AND am looking forward to trying out the new Taks that should soon be noted on my sig line. Thanks again for the posts of support, war stories, etc. - this community of photographers is much appreciated by this relative newcomer.

Followup Post, February 16, 2009: The eagle has landed. The camera arrived via UPS today - thankfully my wonderful wife was home to sign for it. Looking forward to the reunion and hopefully snapping some photos soon. Cheers to all.

Last edited by AlphaGAK20D; 02-16-2009 at 11:47 AM. Reason: Update

**Kerrowdown** · 12-29-2008, 03:09 PM

Glad to hear your good news, gives all us Pentax owners a cozy warm feeling.

eclipsed450 · 12-29-2008, 04:01 PM

wow dude, that would have turned a great adventurous day out into a real tragedy; glad to hear everything is ok

dazman · 12-29-2008, 04:32 PM

I know the feeling well. Dropped my camera a few months back & I was lucky as well. Only needed to replace the bottom exterior panel due to a crack.
I was also lucky a couple of days ago. Was out taking photos at a State Garden and when changing lenses forgot to put everything back in my bag...stupid! Arrived at home a few hrs later, realized I didn't have my Sigma 105 Macro in my bag...not a nice feeling! Called the Ranger at the Garden and was lucky that an honest person had found it and handed it in. Unfortunately the person that found it didn't leave any contact details, so I made a donation to the Garden as a thank you.

Glad to hear everything is ok with your camera + lens.

AlphaGAK20D · 12-29-2008, 04:52 PM

Originally posted by eclipsed450

wow dude, that would have turned a great adventurous day out into a real tragedy; glad to hear everything is ok

no doubt, kirk, no doubt - i was on the edge of the abyss...

thanks for the kind regards (and cool to see we're connected on Flickr too!)

AlphaGAK20D · 12-29-2008, 05:01 PM

Originally posted by kerrowdown

Glad to hear your good news, gives all us Pentax owners a cozy warm feeling.

thanks - yes, trying to do my part...

AlphaGAK20D · 12-29-2008, 05:03 PM

Originally posted by dazman

I know the feeling well. Dropped my camera a few months back & I was lucky as well. Only needed to replace the bottom exterior panel due to a crack.
I was also lucky a couple of days ago. Was out taking photos at a State Garden and when changing lenses forgot to put everything back in my bag...stupid! Arrived at home a few hrs later, realized I didn't have my Sigma 105 Macro in my bag...not a nice feeling! Called the Ranger at the Garden and was lucky that an honest person had found it and handed it in. Unfortunately the person that found it didn't leave any contact details, so I made a donation to the Garden as a thank you.

Glad to hear everything is ok with your camera + lens.

thanks, Daz...glad to hear your stories ended well too...

AlphaGAK20D · 01-15-2009, 10:46 AM

FYI...I appended my original post with an update.

mk07138 · 01-15-2009, 11:40 AM

Yeah, I had a similar disaster strike out on a birding/boating expedition with my father in August. I was getting out of the boat at the end of the day and my neck strap caught on the anchor sitting next to me and yanked the camera right out of my hand. I watched in slow motion as it swung down and slammed lens first into the corner of the anchor. I expected to hear shattering glass and such but just heard a thud. Picked up the camera and to my horror the wonderful perfect 16-50mm f2.8 would no longer focus or zoom. No damage to the elements but something inside no longer turned.

Checked out my K20d and everything seemed fine on that front but I was still in sad shape because my seemingly rare good copy of the 16-50mm was dead.

I took the lens to be repaired and 4.5 months later I finally got a brand new one after getting the old one back twice still broken. Stupid Ritz camera or whoever it is that

After closer inspection to my k20d I found that the little metal guide pieces that hold the built in flash in place were broken. The flash still works but it opens a little farther than it should. No biggie because I rarely if ever use it. Just a minor annoyance.

Since I bought the extended protection plan from ritz I'm debating taking a hammer to the camera a month or so before the plan expires just to get some more money out of them considering how long it took them to get my lens back to me, but I don't really want to be without my camera for 4 months. Maybe when and if I buy a backup body.

Ratmagiclady · 01-15-2009, 12:00 PM

This actually makes me wonder if anyone makes a nice 'grip strap' that doesn't involve adding too much crap to the underside of the camera and won't interfere too much with a normal strap. It's the sort of thing I'd like when I'm a bit arthritic, and would rather not have in my way when I'm not.

mk07138 · 01-16-2009, 07:41 AM

I've got a cheap grip strap now. It does add a bit to the bottom of the camera but I use it almost exclusively, I've taken the neck strap off and only use that every so often. Pentax actually has one on the accessories page of the online store, I don't remember what it costs but it seemed to be an ok design.

Oh wait, I found it.

PentaxWebstore DSLR Leather Hand Strap

bnishanth · 01-16-2009, 08:32 AM

Glad it's all well now and no major issues. I can imagine how you must've felt.

If it was a C***n, you wud've needed a vacuum cleaner to collect the mess..

Cheers
Nish

Raylonn · 01-16-2009, 11:28 PM

Originally posted by mk07138

I've got a cheap grip strap now. It does add a bit to the bottom of the camera but I use it almost exclusively, I've taken the neck strap off and only use that every so often. Pentax actually has one on the accessories page of the online store, I don't remember what it costs but it seemed to be an ok design.

Oh wait, I found it.

PentaxWebstore DSLR Leather Hand Strap

That is exactly what I have been looking for. Can I still attach a tripod mount to the bottom of that? I believe it looks possible according to the picture. I hate the neck strap but don't know what else to do with the camera sometimes. I think I will be ordering one soon.

mk07138 · 01-16-2009, 11:57 PM

The strap that I have (which isn't the one advertised here) does allow attachment to a tripod, and this one looks like it allows that as well. Though for whatever reason it looks like it offsets the tripod attachment point. Hopefully thats not the case.

Peter Zack · 02-12-2009, 10:52 AM

I had my K10D with AF400T flash and Sigma 70-200 hit a concrete floor while shooting a wedding. Just stepped out of the way for an older lady and another guest hit my elbow. That's a heavy package to hit a hard floor. The camera and flash work fine but the lens didn't fare so well. The focus ring jammed and $400 later it was returned from Sigma.

So I know that heart stopping feeling only too well. Glad to hear the camera is coming home with a relatively minor repair.

12-29-2008, 03:05 PM	#1
AlphaGAK20D Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Alpharetta, GA Photos: Gallery Posts: 302	VERY, VERY Lucky Break (fortunately, not literally) My son and I attended the Atlanta Falcons/St Louis Rams football game yesterday. We headed down early to take in some of the pre-game fan festitivities, and I carried along my several months old K20D sporting the several days old FA 50mm lens. After a great pre-game and first half, my little guy and I grabbed some snacks. On the way back to our seats we stopped to take a few pics looking through the portal to the stadium. In a bit of a hurry because the 2nd half had started, I placed the camera back in the shoulder bag (looped over my neck and in front of my body) and didn't zip up the top. On the way up the stairs to our seats, the Coke started slipping from my hand and I leaned over to catch it......and in a flash, the camera was out of the bag and tumbling down the steps... My heart literally stopped, I heard somebody sitting near the aisle say "Oh no!", and I said something that rhymed with "Hit!" It was a moment I won't forget for a long time! Fortunately, we'd only gone up a few steps (and dbl-fortunate that steps in the nose-bleed section of a stadium are closer together), but I feared the worst. I quickly hopped down and retrieved the camera and a quick exterior recon showed nothing broken. I popped the switch to "On" and felt/heard the anti-shake mechanism and I think my heart started beating again. Once back at our seats and despite the insane game that was taking place, I did nothing but sit there - sweating (literally) and praying that all was well - and checked out everything I could check out. I scanned through images I'd taken earlier in the day, I took some new shots, etc. etc.. With the exception of a few VERY minor nicks on the back of the body, all seemed well. Upon closer inspection of the lens, I did note a very small crack in the plastic where a UV lens should've been located and this had me worried that the threads would be out of synch. After the game, we took more pics during the walk to the car and after arriving home I dumped everything off the card. Everything seemed to be - THANKFULLY - OK, and a visit to Ritz today put the filter thread mount question to rest after I purchased a filter and was able to screw it on flush and w/out issue... I know I dodged a HUGE bullet, but Pentax deserves some credit too. Kudos to Pentax for making a camera as solid as it feels in hand! By the way, here's the portal I was shooting just prior to the accident: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29532646@N05/3146684334/ Here's a shot of my son after the game: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29532646@N05/3148562338/ (oh no, the DOF is all screwed up!) Followup Post, January 14, 2009: All, after making the post above, I did notice one slight hitch with my K20 - the AE-L feature was acting a bit quirky. Sometimes I'd turn on the camera and compose a shot and AE-L was engaged, other times not, and I found that I could "toggle" the feature by putting pressure on the area where the thumb normally rests. Further examination showed the issue: the AE-L button was stuck in the "engaged" position. I tried to free it up using my fingers, but no go; I didn't even think about trying to pry it free. I could've learned to live with it, but spontaneous shots would've been a total hit-or-miss proposition and I really didn't want to deal with the hassle. Reluctantly, I sent it off to an authorized Pentax dealer for a "look/see." Got word today that it's going to be a $100 fix - nothing's broken, the button simply got jammed in (likely from the initial impact) and they need to go "inside" to fix it. So, $100+shipping and I'll be golden again. Not what I wanted, but still a HELLUVA lot better than what could've been. Sorry to have to report back with a bit of bad news, but wanted to keep the record straight. Followup Post, February 10, 2009: After what's seemed like a friggin' eternity, my K20D is headed home. With shipping, total $$ damage is ~$120. What a lesson learned. So looking forward to getting out and shooting again AND am looking forward to trying out the new Taks that should soon be noted on my sig line. Thanks again for the posts of support, war stories, etc. - this community of photographers is much appreciated by this relative newcomer. Followup Post, February 16, 2009: The eagle has landed. The camera arrived via UPS today - thankfully my wonderful wife was home to sign for it. Looking forward to the reunion and hopefully snapping some photos soon. Cheers to all. Last edited by AlphaGAK20D; 02-16-2009 at 11:47 AM. Reason: Update

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12-29-2008, 03:09 PM	#2
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,816	Glad to hear your good news, gives all us Pentax owners a cozy warm feeling.

12-29-2008, 04:01 PM	#3
eclipsed450 Guest	wow dude, that would have turned a great adventurous day out into a real tragedy; glad to hear everything is ok

12-29-2008, 04:32 PM	#4
dazman Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 1,949	I know the feeling well. Dropped my camera a few months back & I was lucky as well. Only needed to replace the bottom exterior panel due to a crack. I was also lucky a couple of days ago. Was out taking photos at a State Garden and when changing lenses forgot to put everything back in my bag...stupid! Arrived at home a few hrs later, realized I didn't have my Sigma 105 Macro in my bag...not a nice feeling! Called the Ranger at the Garden and was lucky that an honest person had found it and handed it in. Unfortunately the person that found it didn't leave any contact details, so I made a donation to the Garden as a thank you. Glad to hear everything is ok with your camera + lens.

12-29-2008, 04:52 PM	#5
AlphaGAK20D Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Alpharetta, GA Photos: Gallery Posts: 302 Original Poster	Originally posted by eclipsed450 wow dude, that would have turned a great adventurous day out into a real tragedy; glad to hear everything is ok no doubt, kirk, no doubt - i was on the edge of the abyss... thanks for the kind regards (and cool to see we're connected on Flickr too!)

12-29-2008, 05:01 PM	#6
AlphaGAK20D Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Alpharetta, GA Photos: Gallery Posts: 302 Original Poster	Originally posted by kerrowdown Glad to hear your good news, gives all us Pentax owners a cozy warm feeling. thanks - yes, trying to do my part...

12-29-2008, 05:03 PM	#7
AlphaGAK20D Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Alpharetta, GA Photos: Gallery Posts: 302 Original Poster	Originally posted by dazman I know the feeling well. Dropped my camera a few months back & I was lucky as well. Only needed to replace the bottom exterior panel due to a crack. I was also lucky a couple of days ago. Was out taking photos at a State Garden and when changing lenses forgot to put everything back in my bag...stupid! Arrived at home a few hrs later, realized I didn't have my Sigma 105 Macro in my bag...not a nice feeling! Called the Ranger at the Garden and was lucky that an honest person had found it and handed it in. Unfortunately the person that found it didn't leave any contact details, so I made a donation to the Garden as a thank you. Glad to hear everything is ok with your camera + lens. thanks, Daz...glad to hear your stories ended well too...

01-15-2009, 10:46 AM	#8
AlphaGAK20D Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Alpharetta, GA Photos: Gallery Posts: 302 Original Poster	FYI...I appended my original post with an update.

01-15-2009, 11:40 AM	#9
mk07138 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Frostburg Maryland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 151	Yeah, I had a similar disaster strike out on a birding/boating expedition with my father in August. I was getting out of the boat at the end of the day and my neck strap caught on the anchor sitting next to me and yanked the camera right out of my hand. I watched in slow motion as it swung down and slammed lens first into the corner of the anchor. I expected to hear shattering glass and such but just heard a thud. Picked up the camera and to my horror the wonderful perfect 16-50mm f2.8 would no longer focus or zoom. No damage to the elements but something inside no longer turned. Checked out my K20d and everything seemed fine on that front but I was still in sad shape because my seemingly rare good copy of the 16-50mm was dead. I took the lens to be repaired and 4.5 months later I finally got a brand new one after getting the old one back twice still broken. Stupid Ritz camera or whoever it is that After closer inspection to my k20d I found that the little metal guide pieces that hold the built in flash in place were broken. The flash still works but it opens a little farther than it should. No biggie because I rarely if ever use it. Just a minor annoyance. Since I bought the extended protection plan from ritz I'm debating taking a hammer to the camera a month or so before the plan expires just to get some more money out of them considering how long it took them to get my lens back to me, but I don't really want to be without my camera for 4 months. Maybe when and if I buy a backup body.

01-15-2009, 12:00 PM	#10
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	This actually makes me wonder if anyone makes a nice 'grip strap' that doesn't involve adding too much crap to the underside of the camera and won't interfere too much with a normal strap. It's the sort of thing I'd like when I'm a bit arthritic, and would rather not have in my way when I'm not.

01-16-2009, 07:41 AM	#11
mk07138 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Frostburg Maryland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 151	I've got a cheap grip strap now. It does add a bit to the bottom of the camera but I use it almost exclusively, I've taken the neck strap off and only use that every so often. Pentax actually has one on the accessories page of the online store, I don't remember what it costs but it seemed to be an ok design. Oh wait, I found it. PentaxWebstore DSLR Leather Hand Strap

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01-16-2009, 08:32 AM	#12
bnishanth Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sydney Photos: Gallery Posts: 223	Glad it's all well now and no major issues. I can imagine how you must've felt. If it was a C***n, you wud've needed a vacuum cleaner to collect the mess.. Cheers Nish

01-16-2009, 11:28 PM	#13
Raylonn Guest	Originally posted by mk07138 I've got a cheap grip strap now. It does add a bit to the bottom of the camera but I use it almost exclusively, I've taken the neck strap off and only use that every so often. Pentax actually has one on the accessories page of the online store, I don't remember what it costs but it seemed to be an ok design. Oh wait, I found it. PentaxWebstore DSLR Leather Hand Strap That is exactly what I have been looking for. Can I still attach a tripod mount to the bottom of that? I believe it looks possible according to the picture. I hate the neck strap but don't know what else to do with the camera sometimes. I think I will be ordering one soon.

01-16-2009, 11:57 PM	#14
mk07138 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Frostburg Maryland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 151	The strap that I have (which isn't the one advertised here) does allow attachment to a tripod, and this one looks like it allows that as well. Though for whatever reason it looks like it offsets the tripod attachment point. Hopefully thats not the case.

02-12-2009, 10:52 AM	#15
Peter Zack Pentaxian Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 10,643	I had my K10D with AF400T flash and Sigma 70-200 hit a concrete floor while shooting a wedding. Just stepped out of the way for an older lady and another guest hit my elbow. That's a heavy package to hit a hard floor. The camera and flash work fine but the lens didn't fare so well. The focus ring jammed and $400 later it was returned from Sigma. So I know that heart stopping feeling only too well. Glad to hear the camera is coming home with a relatively minor repair.