[photogem]

It does NOT WORK with manual lenses

with no access into the menu he cannot:

My first reaction is to ask if you have set the menu to "Aperture ring Enabled" ?

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Last edited by photogem; 11-19-2021 at 05:02 AM.

[mikesbike]

Right- it does not work with manual lenses. Perhaps all is normal otherwise.

---------- Post added 11-15-21 at 12:21 PM ----------

Maybe we're talking about two things here. The OP's old camera has the malfunctioning rear screen. The present issue is with the recently-acquired K20D.

---------- Post added 11-15-21 at 12:32 PM ----------

Really?
One switches a K-7 on and the LCD goes off just to save battery power?

Yep. My K-5 series cameras do likewise. And so does my K20D. In fact the rear LCD screen stays blank unless I press a button to bring up a display on it. The top LCD displays exposure settings, etc. but even it will soon turn off if no activity, and will come right back on with a shutter button 1/2 press.

My K-S2 and KP have no top LCD so the rear screen with info will stay on unless programmed not to.

Times have changed. My K-1 II is like my KP with rear screen function- normally staying on, even though having its (very small) top LCD.

[MarkJ]

Sorry i am not replying to all of your comments. I really do appreciate the help. But, we have a flood going on right now in Whatcom County Washington that i need to deal with. Will get back to this soon. But short answer: old K20D fine with both auto and manual lenses with no menu changes, but screen on back disfunctional. New-to-me K20D has fine screen, but will not function with manual lens, or auto lens using manual Fstop selection.

[Not a Number]

The screen stays on with a lens off? Leave the lens off, go into the menu and do a reset.

[AfterPentax Mark II]

Sorry i am not replying to all of your comments. I really do appreciate the help. But, we have a flood going on right now in Whatcom County Washington that i need to deal with. Will get back to this soon. But short answer: old K20D fine with both auto and manual lenses with no menu changes, but screen on back disfunctional. New-to-me K20D has fine screen, but will not function with manual lens, or auto lens using manual Fstop selection.

To get into the menu's you have to use the menu button. Then follow the advice above to change setting 36. You cannot compare both K20d's because they belonged to different owners with their specific settings. Your problem is not a problem because you have to set it in the menu as mentioned before by others. All of this can be found in the manual.

[photogem]

Yep. My K-5 series cameras do likewise. And so does my K20D. In fact the rear LCD screen stays blank unless I press a button to bring up a display on it. The top LCD displays exposure settings, etc. but even it will soon turn off if no activity, and will come right back on with a shutter button 1/2 press.

Yes, but not after 2 seconds!
It stays on for about 15 seconds!
He cannot bring it back with the 1/2 press on the shutter-button!


If one reads the given information one knows that first his back LCD was malfunctioning like this:


Now, after he took the time to reply during the flood-problems (@MarkJ: Good luck with that, hope things are not too bad)
we know that now it seems to work alright but switches off 2 sec. later.
This is NOT NORMAL!


@MarkJ:
This is the back-part of a K10D but if I recall it the only difference is the size of the LCD itself (2" vs. 2,5" on your K20D),

You can even switch the K20D ON and OFF with that part connected to the mainboard but open, as long as the top part sits firm in the main chassis.
I marked the 2 parts which could couse your problem. Another option: Check battery power! Could be that your main battery is weak?

[mikesbike]

Yes, but not after 2 seconds!

t
Are we talking about the top LCD now? The top LCD will stay on for 15 seconds with no activity, but actually does not come on at all unless the 1/2 press is activated.. And it will come back, as I said, with the 1/2 shutter button press.

As to the rear screen problem, let us forget the prior thread. We are now dealing with a recently-acquired second K20D. Its behavior of the rear screen coming on for about 2 or 3 seconds after turning the camera on, then going black, is indeed normal behavior. Then it will stay black unless one selects a button for a specific function, such as the menu button, or the info button.

---------- Post added 11-16-21 at 01:12 AM ----------

But short answer: old K20D fine with both auto and manual lenses with no menu changes, but screen on back disfunctional. New-to-me K20D has fine screen, but will not function with manual lens, or auto lens using manual Fstop selection.

Post #18.

---------- Post added 11-16-21 at 01:26 AM ----------

To get into the menu's you have to use the menu button. Then follow the advice above to change setting 36. You cannot compare both K20d's because they belonged to different owners with their specific settings. Your problem is not a problem because you have to set it in the menu as mentioned before by others. All of this can be found in the manual.

This seems to be the answer here.

---------- Post added 11-16-21 at 01:33 AM ----------

When i turn it on, the screen comes on for a second or 2 and then goes black.

From OP's original post starting this thread, regarding the newly acquired 2nd K20D.

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Last edited by mikesbike; 11-16-2021 at 01:27 AM.

[photogem]

t
Are we talking about the top LCD now? The top LCD will stay on for 15 seconds with no activity, but actually does not come on at all unless the 1/2 press is activated.. And it will come back, as I said, with the 1/2 shutter button press.

As to the rear screen problem, let us forget the prior thread. We are now dealing with a recently-acquired second K20D. Its behavior of the rear screen coming on for about 2 or 3 seconds after turning the camera on, then going black, is indeed normal behavior. Then it will stay black unless one selects a button for a specific function, such as the menu button, or the info button.


From OP's original post starting this thread, regarding the newly acquired 2nd K20D.

How do you know the OP has aquired a new 2.nd K20D

As far as I understood it we still deal with the original one which has a failing back LCD and not a failing top LCD?

[mikesbike]

I purchased a used K20D camera body in what was supposed to be perfect condition, when i found out how expensive the cheapest repair possibility would be for the repair of my old camera’s malfunctioning rear screen.

The opening statement of this thread. A second camera was purchased due to the cost of repairing the old one, which has the malfunctioning rear screen as he indicates. This situation is once again confirmed in his post #18 as above, where he speaks of his "old K20D" and his "new-to-me" K20D. The old one has the malfunctioning rear screen, yet the old one worked fine with manual lenses, while the "new-to-me" K20D he recently acquired is not functioning with manual lenses.

There is no mention of a failing top LCD by anyone, including myself. I merely mentioned the top LCD because models not having one leave the rear screen on instead of having it go black after a couple of seconds. With the K20D the top LCD contains the necessary info, so the design is for the rear screen to shut down very soon after the camera is turned on. The only reason it comes on at all is apparently to confirm the camera has turned on in response to the on button being engaged. But once the rear screen shuts down, neither the top nor the rear LCD is on to give any information, until some button or other is pushed. All this is normal operation, is what is being imparted to the OP.

Sometimes a short phrase can throw off the meaning for some readers. If it had been written- "after I found out", then the fact of there being now a 2nd K20D camera would be more clear, instead of writing "when I found out" (still a common way of putting it). To be more direct- he purchased a second K20D "when" he found out the high cost of fixing the old K20D.

[photogem]

He wrote twice "this new to me camera / K20D".
My understanding is that this means the K20D (or a DSLR or a Pentax DSLR) is new to him.



But now I understand where the misunderstanding comes from and I see the possibility of a 2-nd K20D.

I guess we have to wait until the OP will have time to answer.

Top LCD: when you write:

t
Are we talking about the top LCD now? The top LCD will stay on for 15 seconds with no activity, but actually does not come on at all unless the 1/2 press is activated.. ...

you indicated somebody means the top LCD. But nobody mentioned it aside of you.

And again: The Back LCD does not switch off after 2 seconds. That is not normal. It makes access into the menu impossible.

[mikesbike]

And again: The Back LCD does not switch off after 2 seconds. That is not normal. It makes access into the menu impossible.

I have mine now in my hand, bought new years ago in a great deal when the K-7 first appeared. I never owned the K10D. No doubt there are differences, including many more very useful control features in the K20D, though the on-body controls, size, and handling appear to be very similar. I put the K20D to use for years in conjunction with my smaller K200D. I still use it on occasion for its especially rich colors. Mine is in absolutely perfect condition, working as it always has. After turning the camera on, the rear LCD very briefly comes on then goes black. To bring the rear LCD back to life, and to get into menus, just push the menu button. I mentioned the top LCD because it is used for most adjustments, etc. while the rear screen remains off as the camera is in use. Some people prefer this arrangement, as they find having the rear screen illuminated during shooting to be a bother for them. But the top LCD too must be activated- by using the 1/2 press or some other buttons as well, as it does not come on at all when the camera is turned on. It will go dormant again if there is no activity, and it does not take long to do so. All this is to assure the OP of normal operation. The rear screen can be activated for display and various uses also- by pushing the info button.

The term "new to me" as he used it, simply refers to the camera he recently purchased being not actually new, but is a used one.

---------- Post added 11-17-21 at 02:10 AM ----------

But, we have a flood going on right now in Whatcom County Washington

I just saw a report on this presented by the website I use to check the weather, including a video- OMG, it is terrible!! You have our deepest concern and hope that you have not experienced any serious loss!!

[photogem]

.... But the top LCD too must be activated- by using the 1/2 press or some other buttons as well, as it does not come on at all when the camera is turned on. It will go dormant again if there is no activity, and it does not take long to do so.

I have now the K20D of a friend in my hands: The rear LCD does indeed go off after 2sec. after being switched on except if no SD-card is in, then it stays on with the message "No card in the camera". If the Info or Menu button are pressed it stays on for about 30 sec., same for the FN-button.

But the Top LCD must not be activated, it is on immediately and stays on for about 90 sec.! After going of a tiny touch (not 1/2 press) on the ON/OFF button will bring it back.

To illuminate it one has to press the EV +/- button (bulb-sign is next to it), green background illumination stays on for ca 10 sec..

This is with firmware 1.04

[mikesbike]

Wow- you apparently are taking a real interest in the K20D. I can't blame you as it is still a very interesting and capable camera, with useful added features over the K10D. Those who like a very full and meaty feel and can appreciate its exceptionally rich colors do find it attractive for these attributes. I got mine new way back around 2008 as the K-7 emerged, at around $650 USD with a free 5 year Pentax warranty!

The way mine operates, the top LCD comes on in only in a very reduced capacity, not really active- reflecting the camera being on, but not on in an active way, with no info appearing in the VF either. I would call it reflective of the camera being "on" but in a standby mode. The only info displayed by the top LCD are the frame count and battery charge. For it and the camera to go into active mode, where aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc, are displayed and metering is active, activation takes place quickly by, as you put it, a touch of the shutter button, or alternatively will also respond to other controls as well. Even a touch of the green button will do it. Perhaps this design is for battery life conservation, in case one turns on the camera but will not be ready to shoot right away. No real inconvenience for most people, but could be at first mystifying for those used to turning on a camera and finding everything activated, the way my K-5 bodies work and my more recent bodies also. The K-5 rear screen stays off, but the top LCD and the camera come on fully right away upon engaging the "on" control.

After getting the K-5, then soon the K-5 IIs after the K-3 came, both new at a great price- as both for the price of one, I did not use the K20D again for nearly 2 years, then came back to it for shooting colorful Autumn scenes and other especially colorful scenes. I recall now that during this length of time I had forgotten this startup difference, and was for a moment startled by what I found upon turning on the K20D!

I still like the special qualities the K20D offers well enough to keep it indefinitely.

[photogem]

Wow- you apparently are taking a real interest in the K20D.

No.... just an appearance, similar to an old armenian saying "The mouse dreams dreams which would terrify a cat"

Although I really like the tank built qualities of the K20D + direct access, I prefer the in that respect K10D. But I haven't used it for quite a along time,
and yet, it will not go.

[mikesbike]

Ha ha! A saying applicable to numerous situations! I knew a couple of people who way back were PZ-1p owners, but left Pentax for Nikon when it was replaced with the much more compact MZ-S. They considered this a step backward, and the body too small. I also knew of someone having the same response when the K-7 arrived.

Like the K10D, I appreciate the presence of that handy on-body bracketing control on the K20D instead of going to a menu. Not that I bracket often, but when needed it is handy. This disappeared with the K-7, and likewise the K-5, K-3, etc. in order to achieve a more compact body. But the new control systems of the K-1 and KP again have this function at fingertip availability.

I am likewise reluctant to part with my K20D. For me it is still good enough in terms of resolution and has characteristics that are fitting for certain needs.