Cable release socket failure

Gyroscope · 04-19-2016, 05:37 AM

I was shooting today when my cable release stopped working. I could get it to work by moving the plug around a bit so it seems like something has come adrift inside. Common problem? Hard to fix? I had to resort to the menu option of pressing shutter button to start snd stop but its not ideal. Camera is only about a year old.

**WPRESTO** · 04-19-2016, 06:06 AM

Don't know if it's common, but my K3 required that repair. Try another cable release before assuming the camera is the problem. I've had several cable releases fail. Recommendation: if you order a new release, get several. I keep half a dozen on hand. Also, the Vello releases are good and less expensive than Pentax. There's another after-market brand I purchased once that is not as reliable as Vello because of an odd quirk. The camera plug on all these releases has a right-angle bend, but on this other brand the "neck" after the bend was too short. When plugged into the camera, if the cable came straight back from the camera body the release worked fine, but if the cable pointed downward toward the baseplate, the angled socket rubbed against the camera body which pulled it out slightly, just enough to lose contact. It would be better if all releases were straight at the camera-plug end. And another also: depending on the brand, some releases have the cord emerging from the top of the hand-release, others from the bottom. I prefer the former (=release button and cord at the same end of the hand-piece).

CarlG · 04-19-2016, 06:17 AM

Originally posted by Gyroscope

I was shooting today when my cable release stopped working.

You're not alone. Don't know how frequent it is, though. See

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/48-pentax-medium-format/298305-645z-remot...-problems.html

Gyroscope · 04-19-2016, 10:09 PM

Thanks. Seems like i might have to get the wireless remote. I love this camera but its bit dissapointing to have this failure. Numerous canon film and digital bodies over 20 years and not a single issue...

Last edited by Gyroscope; 04-19-2016 at 11:21 PM.

GarethC7 · 04-20-2016, 03:49 PM

Mine went too. Rather than subjecting it to Pentax service I bought the wireless release and it's all good. One word of caution, the release is tiny, it's an example of too small. I ended up using some electrical tape wrapped around it and a key chain to make the thing bigger.

Royce Howland · 04-20-2016, 08:07 PM

Common (ish) problem for the 645Z cable socket to fail. It breaks loose on the inside of the body, and requires a trip to Ricoh service to repair. Mine broke once and I sent it back; it took 10 weeks to come back. As described in the other thread linked here, it subsequently broke again. I bought the wireless remote. I hate it, but I can't keep sending this gear away for months at a time to fix problems... so now I just shoot the crap out of it until it really blows up, then send it in to fix everything at once.

itshimitis · 05-05-2016, 11:53 AM

I had mine fixed this week. They wanted to charge me £100 +VAT for it as they said that the PCB was split from the socket. I haven't been rough with it in any way so I pushed back saying that it's meant to be a professional camera in any case, so would expect it to be far more resistant to wear than this. Johnson's (Pentax's repair agent in UK) relented and did it as a warranty job. Bonus is that they cleaned the sensor also, and gave the whole camera a service (what that entailed, I don't know).

Gyroscope · 05-05-2016, 10:09 PM

I just today received my wireless remote which seems to work fine (except the annoying red flashing lights on the camera when it is set to wireless release). I think I'll just put up with this rather than being without the camera.

Royce Howland · 05-06-2016, 05:53 PM

Chances are, if you fix the cable release socket it will probably break again anyway. So if you can live with the wireless remote, that's the way to go. It's what I'm doing for now. I kind of hate the wireless remote, but I would hate sending the camera away for 10 weeks every 6 - 12 months even more...

**Ed Hurst** · 05-15-2016, 07:59 PM

Mine has just broken too. Can't possibly imagine being without the body for the amount of time it takes to fix with the dreadful support available. Doesn't hamper me too much with everything except star trails. I tend to lock the release 'on' with the camera set to high speed continuous shooting, which minimises gaps. Does anyone know if the wireless release can be used the same way? I.e. locked 'on' so the camera continuously shoots multiple frames?

fotophil · 05-22-2016, 07:10 PM

When I first got my 645Z several years ago, I fastened the remote release plug into the camera body with duct tape so the electrical connection is semi-permanent. I think repeated use of the connection will weaken the camera internal fitting. The tape is ugly but it does keep the electrical connection secure.

itshimitis · 05-22-2016, 08:12 PM

Originally posted by Ed Hurst

Mine has just broken too. Can't possibly imagine being without the body for the amount of time it takes to fix with the dreadful support available. Doesn't hamper me too much with everything except star trails. I tend to lock the release 'on' with the camera set to high speed continuous shooting, which minimises gaps. Does anyone know if the wireless release can be used the same way? I.e. locked 'on' so the camera continuously shoots multiple frames?

You might find that the local repair agent might be able to fix this themselves rather than for it to go to Japan. Mine was fixed within 5 days.

Royce Howland · 05-24-2016, 07:50 AM - **1 Like**

Repeated use definitely seems to weaken the 645Z cable socket's connection inside the body, I would say from my experience. I shoot in a lot of inclement weather and do a lot of mixed hand-held & tripod work. So normally I would prefer to remove the cable and seal up the socket when I don't need or want the cable attached. But if I get my socket fixed again, perhaps leaving the cable semi-permanently attached under a layer of electrical tape or similar would be workable.

I still would be concerned about the location making the cable plug more prone to taking strikes in the field or during transport, since it's a very exposed position on the 645Z. The socket on the 645D was better located in my opinion, and in many hundreds of cable insertions & removals it was rock solid. So I think on the Z the socket was a less well thought-through design...

**Ed Hurst** · 05-24-2016, 01:19 PM

Originally posted by itshimitis

You might find that the local repair agent might be able to fix this themselves rather than for it to go to Japan. Mine was fixed within 5 days.

Thanks mate. Having discovered that the IR remote will do everything I need, I've decided not to get this fixed so I don't have to be without the camera at all... The only problem with the remote is that it's so small that I could easily lose or drop it!

itshimitis · 05-24-2016, 09:24 PM

Originally posted by Ed Hurst

Thanks mate. Having discovered that the IR remote will do everything I need, I've decided not to get this fixed so I don't have to be without the camera at all... The only problem with the remote is that it's so small that I could easily lose or drop it!

I have several cheap IR. Literally £5 or less each from Amazon and work exactly the same as the Pentax one except not waterproof.

04-19-2016, 05:37 AM	#1
Gyroscope Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 166	Cable release socket failure I was shooting today when my cable release stopped working. I could get it to work by moving the plug around a bit so it seems like something has come adrift inside. Common problem? Hard to fix? I had to resort to the menu option of pressing shutter button to start snd stop but its not ideal. Camera is only about a year old.

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04-19-2016, 06:06 AM	#2
WPRESTO Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Massachusetts Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 59,094	Don't know if it's common, but my K3 required that repair. Try another cable release before assuming the camera is the problem. I've had several cable releases fail. Recommendation: if you order a new release, get several. I keep half a dozen on hand. Also, the Vello releases are good and less expensive than Pentax. There's another after-market brand I purchased once that is not as reliable as Vello because of an odd quirk. The camera plug on all these releases has a right-angle bend, but on this other brand the "neck" after the bend was too short. When plugged into the camera, if the cable came straight back from the camera body the release worked fine, but if the cable pointed downward toward the baseplate, the angled socket rubbed against the camera body which pulled it out slightly, just enough to lose contact. It would be better if all releases were straight at the camera-plug end. And another also: depending on the brand, some releases have the cord emerging from the top of the hand-release, others from the bottom. I prefer the former (=release button and cord at the same end of the hand-piece).

04-19-2016, 06:17 AM	#3
CarlG Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 417	Originally posted by Gyroscope I was shooting today when my cable release stopped working. You're not alone. Don't know how frequent it is, though. See https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/48-pentax-medium-format/298305-645z-remot...-problems.html

04-19-2016, 10:09 PM	#4
Gyroscope Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 166 Original Poster	Thanks. Seems like i might have to get the wireless remote. I love this camera but its bit dissapointing to have this failure. Numerous canon film and digital bodies over 20 years and not a single issue... Last edited by Gyroscope; 04-19-2016 at 11:21 PM.

04-20-2016, 03:49 PM	#5
GarethC7 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 139	Mine went too. Rather than subjecting it to Pentax service I bought the wireless release and it's all good. One word of caution, the release is tiny, it's an example of too small. I ended up using some electrical tape wrapped around it and a key chain to make the thing bigger.

04-20-2016, 08:07 PM	#6
Royce Howland Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 275	Common (ish) problem for the 645Z cable socket to fail. It breaks loose on the inside of the body, and requires a trip to Ricoh service to repair. Mine broke once and I sent it back; it took 10 weeks to come back. As described in the other thread linked here, it subsequently broke again. I bought the wireless remote. I hate it, but I can't keep sending this gear away for months at a time to fix problems... so now I just shoot the crap out of it until it really blows up, then send it in to fix everything at once.

05-05-2016, 11:53 AM	#7
itshimitis Pentaxian Join Date: May 2011 Location: All over the place Posts: 3,535	I had mine fixed this week. They wanted to charge me £100 +VAT for it as they said that the PCB was split from the socket. I haven't been rough with it in any way so I pushed back saying that it's meant to be a professional camera in any case, so would expect it to be far more resistant to wear than this. Johnson's (Pentax's repair agent in UK) relented and did it as a warranty job. Bonus is that they cleaned the sensor also, and gave the whole camera a service (what that entailed, I don't know).

05-05-2016, 10:09 PM	#8
Gyroscope Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 166 Original Poster	I just today received my wireless remote which seems to work fine (except the annoying red flashing lights on the camera when it is set to wireless release). I think I'll just put up with this rather than being without the camera.

05-06-2016, 05:53 PM	#9
Royce Howland Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 275	Chances are, if you fix the cable release socket it will probably break again anyway. So if you can live with the wireless remote, that's the way to go. It's what I'm doing for now. I kind of hate the wireless remote, but I would hate sending the camera away for 10 weeks every 6 - 12 months even more...

05-15-2016, 07:59 PM	#10
Ed Hurst Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,657	Mine has just broken too. Can't possibly imagine being without the body for the amount of time it takes to fix with the dreadful support available. Doesn't hamper me too much with everything except star trails. I tend to lock the release 'on' with the camera set to high speed continuous shooting, which minimises gaps. Does anyone know if the wireless release can be used the same way? I.e. locked 'on' so the camera continuously shoots multiple frames?

05-22-2016, 07:10 PM	#11
fotophil Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Cailfornia Posts: 29	When I first got my 645Z several years ago, I fastened the remote release plug into the camera body with duct tape so the electrical connection is semi-permanent. I think repeated use of the connection will weaken the camera internal fitting. The tape is ugly but it does keep the electrical connection secure.

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05-22-2016, 08:12 PM	#12
itshimitis Pentaxian Join Date: May 2011 Location: All over the place Posts: 3,535	Originally posted by Ed Hurst Mine has just broken too. Can't possibly imagine being without the body for the amount of time it takes to fix with the dreadful support available. Doesn't hamper me too much with everything except star trails. I tend to lock the release 'on' with the camera set to high speed continuous shooting, which minimises gaps. Does anyone know if the wireless release can be used the same way? I.e. locked 'on' so the camera continuously shoots multiple frames? You might find that the local repair agent might be able to fix this themselves rather than for it to go to Japan. Mine was fixed within 5 days.

05-24-2016, 07:50 AM - 1 Like	#13
Royce Howland Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 275	Repeated use definitely seems to weaken the 645Z cable socket's connection inside the body, I would say from my experience. I shoot in a lot of inclement weather and do a lot of mixed hand-held & tripod work. So normally I would prefer to remove the cable and seal up the socket when I don't need or want the cable attached. But if I get my socket fixed again, perhaps leaving the cable semi-permanently attached under a layer of electrical tape or similar would be workable. I still would be concerned about the location making the cable plug more prone to taking strikes in the field or during transport, since it's a very exposed position on the 645Z. The socket on the 645D was better located in my opinion, and in many hundreds of cable insertions & removals it was rock solid. So I think on the Z the socket was a less well thought-through design...

05-24-2016, 01:19 PM	#14
Ed Hurst Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,657	Originally posted by itshimitis You might find that the local repair agent might be able to fix this themselves rather than for it to go to Japan. Mine was fixed within 5 days. Thanks mate. Having discovered that the IR remote will do everything I need, I've decided not to get this fixed so I don't have to be without the camera at all... The only problem with the remote is that it's so small that I could easily lose or drop it!

05-24-2016, 09:24 PM	#15
itshimitis Pentaxian Join Date: May 2011 Location: All over the place Posts: 3,535	Originally posted by Ed Hurst Thanks mate. Having discovered that the IR remote will do everything I need, I've decided not to get this fixed so I don't have to be without the camera at all... The only problem with the remote is that it's so small that I could easily lose or drop it! I have several cheap IR. Literally £5 or less each from Amazon and work exactly the same as the Pentax one except not waterproof.