Pentax K-1 acing up?

2techsans · 01-05-2017, 10:22 PM

Please point me in a direction if this has been posted before.

This week after shooting outdoors in some mist with the k-1 and the DFA 28-105 WR I experienced something weird.

The camera gave me some very strange exposure settings and then when fired the images appear black. THten it worked again for a few frames. I thought t was all good and pulled it out again today And it is back to weird exposures and black images.

I put it on live view and all I see is noise - no image or anything.

Anyone experience something similar? Ideas?

Audi 5 cyl · 01-05-2017, 11:08 PM

Fire a couple of shots looking in the mount without a lens. Does the mirror go up and shutter opens? If not, clean contacts, take batteries out, try a manual lens. If nothing happens, send it in. If the mirror and shutter mechanics are fine and results are still black, the sensor is kaput. This is not an aperture block failure that is bugging some of the pentax models. Sounds as a warranty call to me, either way.

Na Horuk · 01-06-2017, 05:39 AM

Do you still have warranty? You might want to write a letter to the repair shop about this experience.
It could be just a hiccup, as many new cameras experience at first. These usually go away after a few months of use.
It could also be a sign of problems on the base board of the camera.

So, write to repair shop. If nothing else, you have proof that this started within warranty. Then just continue using the camera until it gives you problems.

BUT! Make sure you are using the right winter techniques. The camera is WR, but that is only weather resistant. It is not water proof. Condensation caused by going from a cold dry place into a hot moist room can affect even WR gear. And this could cause problems like what you mentioned. Read up on winter outdoor photography, there are already a couple threads and also blog posts out there

C_Jones · 01-06-2017, 09:58 PM

Try letting it sit in a dry area for few days. You may also want to test with a different lens. If that does not work do a factory reset of your settings. If the problem persists and the camera is under warranty, the option of sending it in to be checked/serviced may be the next option.

2techsans · 01-13-2017, 01:18 PM

First, apologies for "acing up" instead of acting up. That's what I get for posting from my cell phone.

After a few days letting it dry up it seems to work consistently now.

We went to see elephant seals at Anno Nuevo state park in CA. So the camera did go from a ~65F car to a ~50F and raining/misting area. It worked well for the first three hours, then started giving me fits. It would focus and take a picture but the shutter wouldn't actually fire. In live view mode it would only show me a black noisy screen.

Thanks for the suggestions -- I am going to check out winter photography to see what if anything I missed.

01-05-2017, 10:22 PM	#1
2techsans Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 39	Pentax K-1 acing up? Please point me in a direction if this has been posted before. This week after shooting outdoors in some mist with the k-1 and the DFA 28-105 WR I experienced something weird. The camera gave me some very strange exposure settings and then when fired the images appear black. THten it worked again for a few frames. I thought t was all good and pulled it out again today And it is back to weird exposures and black images. I put it on live view and all I see is noise - no image or anything. Anyone experience something similar? Ideas?

01-05-2017, 11:08 PM	#2
Audi 5 cyl Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: France Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 363	Fire a couple of shots looking in the mount without a lens. Does the mirror go up and shutter opens? If not, clean contacts, take batteries out, try a manual lens. If nothing happens, send it in. If the mirror and shutter mechanics are fine and results are still black, the sensor is kaput. This is not an aperture block failure that is bugging some of the pentax models. Sounds as a warranty call to me, either way. Last edited by Audi 5 cyl; 01-06-2017 at 10:15 PM.

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01-06-2017, 05:39 AM	#3
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	Do you still have warranty? You might want to write a letter to the repair shop about this experience. It could be just a hiccup, as many new cameras experience at first. These usually go away after a few months of use. It could also be a sign of problems on the base board of the camera. So, write to repair shop. If nothing else, you have proof that this started within warranty. Then just continue using the camera until it gives you problems. BUT! Make sure you are using the right winter techniques. The camera is WR, but that is only weather resistant. It is not water proof. Condensation caused by going from a cold dry place into a hot moist room can affect even WR gear. And this could cause problems like what you mentioned. Read up on winter outdoor photography, there are already a couple threads and also blog posts out there

01-06-2017, 09:58 PM	#4
C_Jones Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,086	Try letting it sit in a dry area for few days. You may also want to test with a different lens. If that does not work do a factory reset of your settings. If the problem persists and the camera is under warranty, the option of sending it in to be checked/serviced may be the next option.

01-13-2017, 01:18 PM	#5
2techsans Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 39 Original Poster	First, apologies for "acing up" instead of acting up. That's what I get for posting from my cell phone. After a few days letting it dry up it seems to work consistently now. We went to see elephant seals at Anno Nuevo state park in CA. So the camera did go from a ~65F car to a ~50F and raining/misting area. It worked well for the first three hours, then started giving me fits. It would focus and take a picture but the shutter wouldn't actually fire. In live view mode it would only show me a black noisy screen. Thanks for the suggestions -- I am going to check out winter photography to see what if anything I missed.