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06-23-2015, 09:21 AM   #1
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Problem with K-30

Hello
I have problem with pentax K-30, this problem started pretty much over night.
If i take picture through viewfinder all the pictures are black, even in sunny days and if i use flash, it doesn't matter if use AF.S or MF. If i take pictures through live view monitor with AF.S in sunny days then pictures are fine, but if i am indoors and there is much light, but it doesnt take a picture because it shows there is not enough ISO and if try to use flash it still doesn't take pictures. But if i take picture indoor with MF, it takes normal pictures. If i am indoors and try take pictures with AF.S with live view monitor and zooming in and out then there is some faint clicking noise i dont know if this is normal or not, i haven't noticed this before and if try the zooming in and out through viewfinder then there aren't any clicking noise. I did format and restored factory settings but it didn't help.
Does anybody have encountered such problem?
And sorry for my bad grammar, english is not my native language.

06-23-2015, 10:39 AM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by olks13 Quote
Hello
I have problem with pentax K-30, this problem started pretty much over night.
If i take picture through viewfinder all the pictures are black, even in sunny days and if i use flash, it doesn't matter if use AF.S or MF. If i take pictures through live view monitor with AF.S in sunny days then pictures are fine, but if i am indoors and there is much light, but it doesnt take a picture because it shows there is not enough ISO and if try to use flash it still doesn't take pictures. But if i take picture indoor with MF, it takes normal pictures. If i am indoors and try take pictures with AF.S with live view monitor and zooming in and out then there is some faint clicking noise i dont know if this is normal or not, i haven't noticed this before and if try the zooming in and out through viewfinder then there aren't any clicking noise. I did format and restored factory settings but it didn't help.
Does anybody have encountered such problem?
And sorry for my bad grammar, english is not my native language.
Your autofocus mode has nothing to do with exposure. What exposure settings have you tried?
06-23-2015, 11:03 AM   #3
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Sounds like the aperture of the lens is permanently closed down. There is a known issue with the aperture activation in the K30 and K50 and that might very well the cause here.
06-23-2015, 11:54 AM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by enoeske Quote
Your autofocus mode has nothing to do with exposure. What exposure settings have you tried?
I just tried, and if i changed settings in Manual mode and where i put shutter speed to 1/5, aperture value to max F29 and put iso to max 12800 then i can get normal lightning photos.
But if i look through monitor, all the settings blink red and i cant still take a photo with autofocus.

06-23-2015, 01:58 PM   #5
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What is your exposure value, in the center or at a plus or minus value? Does this happen with any lens, or just one and if so what lens is it? Try setting the camera to Av mode and shooting wide open (smallest aperture number).
06-23-2015, 02:24 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by olks13 Quote
I just tried, and if i changed settings in Manual mode and where i put shutter speed to 1/5, aperture value to max F29 and put iso to max 12800 then i can get normal lightning photos.
But if i look through monitor, all the settings blink red and i cant still take a photo with autofocus.
That's a pretty strange choice of settings. You probably don't want to go much over f/11 to avoid diffraction. Try the widest aperture you can, something like f/4. And this will allow you to lower your ISO to avoid degrading image quality with noise. Something like ISO 100-400 range.
06-24-2015, 02:05 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by ramseybuckeye Quote
What is your exposure value, in the center or at a plus or minus value? Does this happen with any lens, or just one and if so what lens is it? Try setting the camera to Av mode and shooting wide open (smallest aperture number).
My exposure value is in the center. I only have 1 lens and it is pentax 18-55mm. I tried and put camera in Av mode and smallest aperture nr, but no luck, photos are still black. Intresting is this thing if i put camera to auto mode and take a photo of a working tv, then the photo is black, but if i take a photo of a wall next to a working tv and tv is little bit seen in the camera, then the tv is seen on photo, but rest of the photo is black.

06-24-2015, 02:19 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by olks13 Quote
My exposure value is in the center. I only have 1 lens and it is pentax 18-55mm. I tried and put camera in Av mode and smallest aperture nr, but no luck, photos are still black. Intresting is this thing if i put camera to auto mode and take a photo of a working tv, then the photo is black, but if i take a photo of a wall next to a working tv and tv is little bit seen in the camera, then the tv is seen on photo, but rest of the photo is black.
Stop using the smallest aperture
06-24-2015, 02:21 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by sterretje Quote
Sounds like the aperture of the lens is permanently closed down. There is a known issue with the aperture activation in the K30 and K50 and that might very well the cause here.
Can you give some details of this known issue?
06-24-2015, 05:36 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by wharvey Quote
Can you give some details of this known issue?
I'd like to know what those are too, I have both cameras and have not heard of this issue. I had a diaphragm control block replaced on my K-30, but I have heard of few others. That sound like it would be an aperture issue, but it was shutter or mirror sticking. The symptom of my K-30 were totally different.

---------- Post added 06-24-15 at 08:40 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by olks13 Quote
My exposure value is in the center. I only have 1 lens and it is pentax 18-55mm. I tried and put camera in Av mode and smallest aperture nr, but no luck, photos are still black. Intresting is this thing if i put camera to auto mode and take a photo of a working tv, then the photo is black, but if i take a photo of a wall next to a working tv and tv is little bit seen in the camera, then the tv is seen on photo, but rest of the photo is black.
If you take the lens off and look through the lens, then gently activate the aperture lever with a finger, does the iris open? Just ruling out a lens problem.
06-24-2015, 09:42 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by wharvey Quote
Can you give some details of this known issue?
There are a few threads; symptoms seem to vary a bit (overexposed, underexposed, ...). Do a search for K30 or K50 and aperture. One might be https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/58-troubleshooting-beginner-help/229294-k...e-problem.html

Looking through viewfinder and having a dark view indicates that the lens is closed down. This is the normal situation if the lens is not mounted on the camera, but when mounted on the camera it should be open till you take the shot. A closed down aperture also means that there is not enough light getting to the AF sensor, so the camera will have problems with autofocus.

Thinking about it, maybe the aperture lever of your lens is bent and not activated when the lens is on the camera.

In my opinion it will not be a sticky mirror; in that case LV would not give the problem (and I understand from your first post that it gives the problem as well). But you can check by removing the lens and looking into the camera; the mirror should be under a 45 degree angle.
And the shutter can be excluded as it happens before a photo is taken.
06-25-2015, 07:26 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by ramseybuckeye Quote
I'd like to know what those are too, I have both cameras and have not heard of this issue. I had a diaphragm control block replaced on my K-30, but I have heard of few others. That sound like it would be an aperture issue, but it was shutter or mirror sticking. The symptom of my K-30 were totally different.

---------- Post added 06-24-15 at 08:40 PM ----------



If you take the lens off and look through the lens, then gently activate the aperture lever with a finger, does the iris open? Just ruling out a lens problem.
Yeah the iris opens.

---------- Post added 06-25-15 at 07:39 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by sterretje Quote
There are a few threads; symptoms seem to vary a bit (overexposed, underexposed, ...). Do a search for K30 or K50 and aperture. One might be https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/58-troubleshooting-beginner-help/229294-k...e-problem.html

Looking through viewfinder and having a dark view indicates that the lens is closed down. This is the normal situation if the lens is not mounted on the camera, but when mounted on the camera it should be open till you take the shot. A closed down aperture also means that there is not enough light getting to the AF sensor, so the camera will have problems with autofocus.

Thinking about it, maybe the aperture lever of your lens is bent and not activated when the lens is on the camera.

In my opinion it will not be a sticky mirror; in that case LV would not give the problem (and I understand from your first post that it gives the problem as well). But you can check by removing the lens and looking into the camera; the mirror should be under a 45 degree angle.
And the shutter can be excluded as it happens before a photo is taken.
Mirror is 45 degree angel and it moves when i take a picture. If i look through viewfinder i can see through it, but if i take a photo, then photo is black, and if i look through live monitor and take a photo with MF, then photo is good.
06-28-2015, 06:58 AM   #13
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F.29 is minimum aperture.. not max. Try 2.5 (if possible..) otherwise try playing with white balance and using a slower shutterspeed
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