Image Corruption Problem with Pentax K-X

oscarmattia · 03-02-2017, 08:12 AM

Hi all,

I recently bought a used Pentax K-X on Ebay. I've been using it with both with the original 18-55mm kit lens and old manual lenses (Pentax-M series, 50mm and 135mm). I am getting corruption problems on the image such as this album:

Pentax K-X Glitches | Flickr

I've done some searching both on the forums here and on the web. So far I have the following suspects for such a problem.

1. I'm using a 64GB SD Card that requires a firmware update for the Pentax K-X (already installed).
2. It could be a sensor problem, but when I browse through the pictures on the camera, they look fine. They are getting corrupted on the transfer to the PC somehow?

Another minor issue is that, even with fully recharged batteries, the camera still shows inconsistent readings (varying from empty to half to full randomly). This is preventing me from doing some of the maintenance functions that require full batteries.

I'd appreciate any help / suggestions.
Thanks,
Oscar

photoptimist · 03-02-2017, 08:46 AM

A few suggestions:

1. Clean the battery contacts. Dirt or oxidation on the contacts can create power glitches that could corrupt an image or the card.

2. Try a different SD card -- that card might be bad.

3. Reformat the card in the camera, not the PC.

4. Make sure you safely eject the card from the PC -- don't just yank it out which can leave the card corrupted.

Good luck!

bar_foo · 03-02-2017, 09:27 AM

Also, how are you transferring the pictures to you computer? This kind of corruption could happen with a bad card reader/cable.

sys3175 · 03-02-2017, 10:01 AM

Originally posted by oscarmattia

Another minor issue is that, even with fully recharged batteries, the camera still shows inconsistent readings (varying from empty to half to full randomly). This is preventing me from doing some of the maintenance functions that require full batteries.

Which batteries are you using? I've found that only Eneloop NiMh accumulators or Energizer lithium non-rechargeable batteries will work reliably. If the Eneloops get older, they may get less reliable. Also, a lot depends on the charger. Maybe get a new pack of Eneloops?
Also, check if the battery mode in the menu is set to Auto. This worked better for me than to set it manually.

Re. the image corruption: if the image show up OK on the LCD, I'd also suggest checking if they break while being transferred. You could try reading them with the cable that came with the camera (this is slow, but you won't use a card reader that way). The SD card you got is legit? There are falsified SD cards around that say they are 64GB, but really are only 4 or 8.

oscarmattia · 03-10-2017, 06:20 AM

Thanks a lot for the help everyone. Turns out the problem was, surprisingly, on the Trial version of Lightroom I was using. If I open the original pictures normally on Windows they look fine.

k1man · 03-18-2017, 01:44 AM

hi, i have the same problem with the k1,i have formatted the cards in the camera also it is the first time it has happened with the k1. i use the asus republic of gamers 17.5" computer. the pics transferred ok to the computer, after start up the next day the computer said there was a problem with the pics had a look and the same looking weird pics had appeared so i just deleted them i also think it might be card corruption i will make further tests. ian

ZombieArmy · 03-18-2017, 03:26 AM

That is some nice file corruption art tho

bar_foo · 03-31-2017, 05:21 PM

Originally posted by oscarmattia

Thanks a lot for the help everyone. Turns out the problem was, surprisingly, on the Trial version of Lightroom I was using. If I open the original pictures normally on Windows they look fine.

I highly doubt that. It could be that when you open the files in Windows you are seeing the JPEG previews built into the RAW files, rather than developing the RAW files themselves. You could try developing one of these RAW files with the Pentax DCU to see whether the same thing happens.

The reason for my doubt is that I had exactly the same kind of corruption, and it turned out to be a bad SD card (or at least an SD card that didn't play nice with my camera). It seemed to be more likely to occur with multishot bursts, but could happen anywhere. My guess is that a bit was being corrupted here or there and that messed up the whole file. In any case, swapping cards cured it.

03-02-2017, 08:12 AM	#1
oscarmattia New Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Posts: 2	Image Corruption Problem with Pentax K-X Hi all, I recently bought a used Pentax K-X on Ebay. I've been using it with both with the original 18-55mm kit lens and old manual lenses (Pentax-M series, 50mm and 135mm). I am getting corruption problems on the image such as this album: Pentax K-X Glitches \| Flickr I've done some searching both on the forums here and on the web. So far I have the following suspects for such a problem. 1. I'm using a 64GB SD Card that requires a firmware update for the Pentax K-X (already installed). 2. It could be a sensor problem, but when I browse through the pictures on the camera, they look fine. They are getting corrupted on the transfer to the PC somehow? Another minor issue is that, even with fully recharged batteries, the camera still shows inconsistent readings (varying from empty to half to full randomly). This is preventing me from doing some of the maintenance functions that require full batteries. I'd appreciate any help / suggestions. Thanks, Oscar

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03-02-2017, 08:46 AM	#2
photoptimist Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2016 Photos: Albums Posts: 5,122	A few suggestions: 1. Clean the battery contacts. Dirt or oxidation on the contacts can create power glitches that could corrupt an image or the card. 2. Try a different SD card -- that card might be bad. 3. Reformat the card in the camera, not the PC. 4. Make sure you safely eject the card from the PC -- don't just yank it out which can leave the card corrupted. Good luck!

03-02-2017, 09:27 AM	#3
bar_foo Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 108	Also, how are you transferring the pictures to you computer? This kind of corruption could happen with a bad card reader/cable.

03-02-2017, 10:01 AM	#4
sys3175 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 50	Originally posted by oscarmattia Another minor issue is that, even with fully recharged batteries, the camera still shows inconsistent readings (varying from empty to half to full randomly). This is preventing me from doing some of the maintenance functions that require full batteries. Which batteries are you using? I've found that only Eneloop NiMh accumulators or Energizer lithium non-rechargeable batteries will work reliably. If the Eneloops get older, they may get less reliable. Also, a lot depends on the charger. Maybe get a new pack of Eneloops? Also, check if the battery mode in the menu is set to Auto. This worked better for me than to set it manually. Re. the image corruption: if the image show up OK on the LCD, I'd also suggest checking if they break while being transferred. You could try reading them with the cable that came with the camera (this is slow, but you won't use a card reader that way). The SD card you got is legit? There are falsified SD cards around that say they are 64GB, but really are only 4 or 8.

03-10-2017, 06:20 AM	#5
oscarmattia New Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Posts: 2 Original Poster	Thanks a lot for the help everyone. Turns out the problem was, surprisingly, on the Trial version of Lightroom I was using. If I open the original pictures normally on Windows they look fine.

03-18-2017, 01:44 AM	#6
k1man Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Si Chiang Mai. Nong Khai Province Photos: Albums Posts: 358	hi, i have the same problem with the k1,i have formatted the cards in the camera also it is the first time it has happened with the k1. i use the asus republic of gamers 17.5" computer. the pics transferred ok to the computer, after start up the next day the computer said there was a problem with the pics had a look and the same looking weird pics had appeared so i just deleted them i also think it might be card corruption i will make further tests. ian

03-18-2017, 03:26 AM	#7
ZombieArmy Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Florida Posts: 3,210	That is some nice file corruption art tho

03-31-2017, 05:21 PM	#8
bar_foo Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 108	Originally posted by oscarmattia Thanks a lot for the help everyone. Turns out the problem was, surprisingly, on the Trial version of Lightroom I was using. If I open the original pictures normally on Windows they look fine. I highly doubt that. It could be that when you open the files in Windows you are seeing the JPEG previews built into the RAW files, rather than developing the RAW files themselves. You could try developing one of these RAW files with the Pentax DCU to see whether the same thing happens. The reason for my doubt is that I had exactly the same kind of corruption, and it turned out to be a bad SD card (or at least an SD card that didn't play nice with my camera). It seemed to be more likely to occur with multishot bursts, but could happen anywhere. My guess is that a bit was being corrupted here or there and that messed up the whole file. In any case, swapping cards cured it.