Pentax k-x display not working

jersey_m · 07-06-2014, 04:32 PM

Hello
I purchased a Pentax kx back in Feb 2010 from B&H
The camera has sparingly been used but today i took it out of the camera bag (KATA 467 also from B&H) and the LCD would not show anything
The shutter and viewfinder seem fine but Live View would not open the shutter (Video mode would)
Tried new batteries and different lens with no success

Any suggestions?

Thanks

lytrytyr · 07-07-2014, 02:28 AM

I've had similar issues over the last year or so
with my K-x from the same time period.
Sometimes the display works, sometimes it doesn't.

Since I normally don't use live view with telephoto lenses,
that's the body that got the telephoto,
and that helped me break the chimping habit!

Originally posted by jersey_m

Any suggestions?

My ultimate solution was to call four years good enough,
and get a new K-50. They're cheap enough now.

aurele · 07-07-2014, 03:00 AM

sometimes the k-x can get slow to display : just press info once or twice to push him to wake up.

for LV, it should be quick quick to react. Force the k-x to wake up buy pressing info, then press LV, it should work.

If not, i have no further idea.

lytrytyr · 07-07-2014, 05:08 AM

Originally posted by aurele

sometimes the k-x can get slow to display : just press info once or twice to push him to wake up.

for LV, it should be quick quick to react. Force the k-x to wake up buy pressing info, then press LV, it should work.

I have my two K-x bodies set up with the info display turned off,
in order to conserve the batteries.

Unfortunately, pressing the info button had no effect
on the body where the screen stopped displaying.

It may be that the contacts on the info button are corroded,
after four years of hard use in various conditions.

jersey_m · 07-07-2014, 08:45 AM

Originally posted by aurele

sometimes the k-x can get slow to display : just press info once or twice to push him to wake up.

for LV, it should be quick quick to react. Force the k-x to wake up buy pressing info, then press LV, it should work.

If not, i have no further idea.

The display doesn't wake up no matter what button i press or even if I press combinations such are INFO (x4) or Info + Menu

aurele · 07-07-2014, 09:22 AM

Originally posted by lytrytyr

Unfortunately, pressing the info button had no effect on the body where the screen stopped displaying. It may be that the contacts on the info button are corroded, after four years of hard use in various conditions.

after three and half years of intense use, mine start to show this same symptome (info button working when it want to). the shutter button tend to not depress itselfg completely too.
But the damn body went into snow, ice, sun, sand, cliff, mountain, mud, dust, forest, and always worked like a charm

it's almost unkillable in "normal" use

jersey_m · 07-20-2014, 10:21 PM

Originally posted by aurele

after three and half years of intense use, mine start to show this same symptome (info button working when it want to). the shutter button tend to not depress itselfg completely too.
But the damn body went into snow, ice, sun, sand, cliff, mountain, mud, dust, forest, and always worked like a charm

it's almost unkillable in "normal" use

Well mine died with very occasional use and judging by google search results - it has for others too
Once repaired it will be on sale

stevebrot · 07-21-2014, 08:33 AM

Originally posted by jersey_m

Well mine died with very occasional use and judging by google search results - it has for others too
Once repaired it will be on sale

Sorry you had a bad experience. I don't remember any particular trend of poor reliability of the K-x on this site. I suppose I should qualify that by saying that we have not had a pattern of rants related to K-x problems. Of course, it has been several years since the camera was released and my memory is not as good as it used to be.

Steve

lytrytyr · 07-21-2014, 08:50 AM

Originally posted by stevebrot

I don't remember any particular trend of poor reliability of the K-x on this site. I suppose I should qualify that by saying that we have not had a pattern of rants related to K-x problems.

Power management problems were a hot topic at one point,
but fortunately products like the Eneloops,
along with the firmware updates,
took care of the issue.

stevebrot · 07-21-2014, 09:38 AM

Originally posted by lytrytyr

Power management problems were a hot topic at one point,
but fortunately products like the Eneloops,
along with the firmware updates,
took care of the issue.

Oh, yeah...batteries!

Steve

photolady95 · 07-21-2014, 09:44 AM

Originally posted by lytrytyr

Power management problems were a hot topic at one point,
but fortunately products like the Eneloops,
along with the firmware updates,
took care of the issue.

Not on my K-x. I bought mine in 2010 too and it's still working fine. But the battery issue is still there and I have the latest firmware.

lytrytyr · 07-21-2014, 10:15 AM

Originally posted by photolady95

Not on my K-x. I bought mine in 2010 too and it's still working fine. But the battery issue is still there and I have the latest firmware.

Which batteries are you using,
and what is your battery selection
on Page 3 of the "Wrench" menu?

I use Eneloops (or equivalent), and "Ni-MH".

photolady95 · 07-21-2014, 10:51 AM

I use the only battery that works best, Eneloops. And camera is set Ni-MH.

lytrytyr · 07-21-2014, 11:10 AM

Originally posted by photolady95

I use the only battery that works best, Eneloops. And camera is set Ni-MH.

If the Eneloops aren't worn out, then I don't know what would help.
Are the spring contacts clean and springy?
(I had to bend them out a bit on one of my K-x bodies,
just to get the blue light to come on after installing the batteries.)

BTW, I've also found the Energizer Recharges to work very well,
with no noticeable difference from the Eneloops:

Energizer Accu Recharge Extreme AA-HR6 reviews - Pentax Camera Accessory Review Database

photolady95 · 07-21-2014, 11:25 AM

I tried Energizer rechargeables and I did notice a difference, they just didn't keep up like my Eneloops did. I also have a Energizer recharger, which takes too long to charge their batteries (13 hours).

For the Eneloops I use their charger and it charges in 7 hours and no problems. As for the contacts they are fine. I've never had the K-x never come on and show the display, it's just the battery indicator that doesn't work right.

07-06-2014, 04:32 PM	#1
jersey_m New Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New Jersey Posts: 22	Pentax k-x display not working Hello I purchased a Pentax kx back in Feb 2010 from B&H The camera has sparingly been used but today i took it out of the camera bag (KATA 467 also from B&H) and the LCD would not show anything The shutter and viewfinder seem fine but Live View would not open the shutter (Video mode would) Tried new batteries and different lens with no success Any suggestions? Thanks

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07-07-2014, 02:28 AM	#2
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,310	I've had similar issues over the last year or so with my K-x from the same time period. Sometimes the display works, sometimes it doesn't. Since I normally don't use live view with telephoto lenses, that's the body that got the telephoto, and that helped me break the chimping habit! Originally posted by jersey_m Any suggestions? My ultimate solution was to call four years good enough, and get a new K-50. They're cheap enough now.

07-07-2014, 03:00 AM	#3
aurele Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Paris, France Photos: Albums Posts: 3,217	sometimes the k-x can get slow to display : just press info once or twice to push him to wake up. for LV, it should be quick quick to react. Force the k-x to wake up buy pressing info, then press LV, it should work. If not, i have no further idea.

07-07-2014, 05:08 AM	#4
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,310	Originally posted by aurele sometimes the k-x can get slow to display : just press info once or twice to push him to wake up. for LV, it should be quick quick to react. Force the k-x to wake up buy pressing info, then press LV, it should work. I have my two K-x bodies set up with the info display turned off, in order to conserve the batteries. Unfortunately, pressing the info button had no effect on the body where the screen stopped displaying. It may be that the contacts on the info button are corroded, after four years of hard use in various conditions.

07-07-2014, 08:45 AM	#5
jersey_m New Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New Jersey Posts: 22 Original Poster	Originally posted by aurele sometimes the k-x can get slow to display : just press info once or twice to push him to wake up. for LV, it should be quick quick to react. Force the k-x to wake up buy pressing info, then press LV, it should work. If not, i have no further idea. The display doesn't wake up no matter what button i press or even if I press combinations such are INFO (x4) or Info + Menu

07-07-2014, 09:22 AM	#6
aurele Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Paris, France Photos: Albums Posts: 3,217	Originally posted by lytrytyr Unfortunately, pressing the info button had no effect on the body where the screen stopped displaying. It may be that the contacts on the info button are corroded, after four years of hard use in various conditions. after three and half years of intense use, mine start to show this same symptome (info button working when it want to). the shutter button tend to not depress itselfg completely too. But the damn body went into snow, ice, sun, sand, cliff, mountain, mud, dust, forest, and always worked like a charm it's almost unkillable in "normal" use

07-20-2014, 10:21 PM	#7
jersey_m New Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New Jersey Posts: 22 Original Poster	Originally posted by aurele after three and half years of intense use, mine start to show this same symptome (info button working when it want to). the shutter button tend to not depress itselfg completely too. But the damn body went into snow, ice, sun, sand, cliff, mountain, mud, dust, forest, and always worked like a charm it's almost unkillable in "normal" use Well mine died with very occasional use and judging by google search results - it has for others too Once repaired it will be on sale

07-21-2014, 08:33 AM	#8
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by jersey_m Well mine died with very occasional use and judging by google search results - it has for others too Once repaired it will be on sale Sorry you had a bad experience. I don't remember any particular trend of poor reliability of the K-x on this site. I suppose I should qualify that by saying that we have not had a pattern of rants related to K-x problems. Of course, it has been several years since the camera was released and my memory is not as good as it used to be. Steve

07-21-2014, 08:50 AM	#9
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,310	Originally posted by stevebrot I don't remember any particular trend of poor reliability of the K-x on this site. I suppose I should qualify that by saying that we have not had a pattern of rants related to K-x problems. Power management problems were a hot topic at one point, but fortunately products like the Eneloops, along with the firmware updates, took care of the issue.

07-21-2014, 09:38 AM	#10
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by lytrytyr Power management problems were a hot topic at one point, but fortunately products like the Eneloops, along with the firmware updates, took care of the issue. Oh, yeah...batteries! Steve

07-21-2014, 09:44 AM	#11
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712	Originally posted by lytrytyr Power management problems were a hot topic at one point, but fortunately products like the Eneloops, along with the firmware updates, took care of the issue. Not on my K-x. I bought mine in 2010 too and it's still working fine. But the battery issue is still there and I have the latest firmware.

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07-21-2014, 10:15 AM	#12
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,310	Originally posted by photolady95 Not on my K-x. I bought mine in 2010 too and it's still working fine. But the battery issue is still there and I have the latest firmware. Which batteries are you using, and what is your battery selection on Page 3 of the "Wrench" menu? I use Eneloops (or equivalent), and "Ni-MH".

07-21-2014, 10:51 AM	#13
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712	I use the only battery that works best, Eneloops. And camera is set Ni-MH.

07-21-2014, 11:10 AM	#14
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,310	Originally posted by photolady95 I use the only battery that works best, Eneloops. And camera is set Ni-MH. If the Eneloops aren't worn out, then I don't know what would help. Are the spring contacts clean and springy? (I had to bend them out a bit on one of my K-x bodies, just to get the blue light to come on after installing the batteries.) BTW, I've also found the Energizer Recharges to work very well, with no noticeable difference from the Eneloops: Energizer Accu Recharge Extreme AA-HR6 reviews - Pentax Camera Accessory Review Database

07-21-2014, 11:25 AM	#15
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712	I tried Energizer rechargeables and I did notice a difference, they just didn't keep up like my Eneloops did. I also have a Energizer recharger, which takes too long to charge their batteries (13 hours). For the Eneloops I use their charger and it charges in 7 hours and no problems. As for the contacts they are fine. I've never had the K-x never come on and show the display, it's just the battery indicator that doesn't work right.