[bigdave56]

Hauled out my venerable K-x recently for the first time in a long time and shot a few frames. Within a very short time- minutes actually-, the display showed a pattern of stripes, the batt indicator was down to zilch and the camera was unresponsive- I couldn't even shut it off. Tried with another set of known good, freshly charged NIMH's. This time I got about 12-15 frames before the same thing happened.

Not a 'new' camera but has very little 'mileage' on it. Not sure what could happen to a digital camera from dis-use. Hasn't been exposed to any extreme environmental storage conditions AFAIK.

I have fallen under the sway of the old adage that 'The best camera is the one you have with you'- and that is my smartphone. But there are pics you can't get with a smartphone- I needed a real tele for this shot today, for example. I would like to start using the Pentax more again if I can solve this.

Thoughts/suggestions?

[AstroDave]

This time I got about 12-15 frames before the same thing happened.

I'd cycle through it a few more times - may take a while for it to fully wake back up (capacitors get recharged/reformed, etc). And, as always (assuming you can get enough battery time) do the proverbial reset.

Has it got the latest update(s)? If not, then, but only when you are SURE there will be enough battery power, get it updated as well. If the battery dies in the middle of the update, you may well have a "brick" on your hand. So, I'd save this step for a while!

Does it remember things like the time & date setting from turn on to turn on? If not, the internal memory battery may be kaput, too - although I don't think that should cause the effects you are seeing. It may or may not charge back up.

[leekil]

Maybe the problem is your NiMHs - if you haven't used the camera in some time, you maybe haven't used those batteries a lot lately, either.

[sergysergy]

1) make sure you have the latest firmware
2) use lithium batteries

Without the latest firmware the camera will think batteries are depleted even if they are new. Lithium batteries have been reported to work better too.

[THoog]

Could the camera have been off so long that it forgot the battery type? I vaguely remember a similar issue with a K-x and "known good" NiMH batteries, and IIRC it had reverted to auto-detect and was auto-detecting wrong.

[Not a Number]

Make sure to set the battery type manually and not use "Auto". "Auto" often picks the incorrect type so the power profile is off.

[photogem]

.... Tried with another set of known good, freshly charged NIMH's. This time I got about 12-15 frames before the same thing happened.

The K-x is anyway sensitive to the type of NIMH's! Only Eneloops are recommended.
But read this carefully, then you understand more:
Battery type AA/NiMH/Eneloop in K-x, K-r, K30 K50, K500 as well as *ist/K100/200/2000 - PentaxForums.com

If you don't have Eneloops, only buy the PRO Version and they need a good charger.
Standard chargers such as Panasonic sold them aren't really good.


The other option are Energizer Lithium Ultimate AA's.

My K200D is very sensitive and won't even work properly with the Eneloop Pro's.
But with the Energizer Lithium Ultimates she works very well.

It could well be that with age some components in the powersupply circuit age and lead to wrong measurements of the camera measuring the voltage properly.

Not a 'new' camera but has very little 'mileage' on it. Not sure what could happen to a digital camera from dis-use. Hasn't been exposed to any extreme environmental storage conditions AFAIK.

What actually can happen is the the C-MOS buffer battery died. This happens when the camera wasn't used for a longer time and stored without batteries. Then the tiny 3V Lithium C-MOS dies.
This means you lose date and time each time you change batteries.

[bobore]

I have brought both a K-x and a K-200d back from the dead with symptoms similar to yours. The problem is indeed lack of use. The fix is to jolt the internally failed battery back to life. I can't guarantee success because situations can vary, but you now have a useless camera, and the only thing it will cost you to try this is the purchase of a set of Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries.

- Install a new set of Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries - No substitutes!
- Turn the camera on (don't operate anything) for 30 seconds.
- Shut the camera off, and wait 15 seconds.
- Turn the camera back on for 30 seconds.
- Shut the camera off, and wait 15 seconds.
- Repeat this approximately 50 times. The goal here is to provide jolts of power that will renew the failed internal battery.
- Now try to reset the date and time.
- At this point, normal functions will hopefully have resumed for at least a limited period of time, so take some photos and see if the battery-level indicator continues to indicate a full charge. If the battery-level indicator quickly drops to a partial reading, or the camera shuts off, or the time/date display reverts back to the it's initial setting >>> repeat the above on/off sequence another 50 times.
- Repeat a third or fourth time or more if necessary. Again, you have nothing to lose by repeating the effort to awaken the internal battery that has failed. Edit - As I think back on it (it was a few years ago!), I must have done the on/off sequence at least 150-200 times overall, as the camera seemed to be stepping up it’s ability to indicate a full charge & function normally. I would stop after 50 on/off sequences & check functions, then do another 50, and so on.

If the camera does indeed return to normal function, continue to keep Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries in it at all times. Take the camera out once a week or so, and run it through some of it's operations by taking photos, deleting them, etc. Check your time/date setting which should be retaining the proper date. Never leave the camera sitting unused for an extended period of time, and never let the AA batteries die. Once your battery-level indicator starts consistently reading anything other than full, put in a new set of Energizer Lithiums. Sure, they cost more, but these cameras absolutely love them, and you do get a lot of shots out of one set.

It's now been approximately two years since I used this method on my K-x and K-200d, which failed at different times, but one shortly after the other. Some general information I had read on the forum and some head scratching led me to ponder this potential fix & try it. Two years on, both of these cameras are working flawlessly and have never repeated any of the symptoms that, at the time, made them appear to be dead as a doornail. Again, inactivity is the mortal enemy of the K-x & K-200d, so if your camera regains full functions, give it regular workouts. Oh, and if the camera doesn't return to normal, for a relatively small outlay, buy a clean used K-5IIs & never look back!

[bobore]

Regarding my post above, I just made a few important edits, so please review the instructions again - Thanks!

[pimpim]

I have my once new-bought K-X I'm using with some eneloops I bought back then and I get quite a bit of photos out of them, and none of the issues you mentioned. So maybe the internal battery is dying or you got some other issues

At the usual websites you can get one with 6 months warranty for about $100, I would really recommend having a working K-X around. The image colors are great, files are small, the ISO can be bumped a lot for a camera from that era, it's pretty fast in storing files, it basically handles like any Pentax, it's a fun camera with not a lot to care about, apart from the AF, that should only be center-point and even then has quite a miss rate in suboptimal lighting conditions (and lack of weather sealing maybe). I let my K-X sit around where my toddler can reach it, just the mechanical feedback with screwdrive focus and clacks are a lot of fun, the kid almost discovered looking through the EVF! Just need to clean the lens filter a lot

(checking forum posts from that era, the K-X had less issues than the K-R, only thing the K-R has going for it is LED in the viewfinder, though you can put an aftermarket split screen in the K-X to reach the same, with added retro feeling )

[titrisol]

The KX was a great camera! It was my first DSLR and I loved it.
I used it for ~5yrs and gave it to my father in law as an upgrade for his K100D
I tried the Eneloop (white) and Eneloop pro (black) for a while but they always failed in the worst possible moment.
I finally settled with Lithium Batteries (Energizer shiny silver ones), they lasted for a very long time (3-4x rechargeables), and carrying an extra set was easy.

bobore instructions seem logical, and it will be worth giving them a go.
And like he said, if everything else fails get a K5-ii(s) or a K3 and move on.

[reh321]

The KX was a great camera! It was my first DSLR and I loved it.
I used it for ~5yrs and gave it to my father in law as an upgrade for his K100D
I tried the Eneloop (white) and Eneloop pro (black) for a while but they always failed in the worst possible moment.
I finally settled with Lithium Batteries (Energizer shiny silver ones), they lasted for a very long time (3-4x rechargeables), and carrying an extra set was easy.

bobore instructions seem logical, and it will be worth giving them a go.
And like he said, if everything else fails get a K5-ii(s) or a K3 and move on.

or even an {inexpensive} new K-70.

[photogem]

... checking forum posts from that era, the K-X had less issues than the K-R, only thing the K-R has going for it is LED in the viewfinder, though you can put an aftermarket split screen in the K-X to reach the same, with added retro feeling

not quite the case:
The K-r had a few extras: Better AF, larger display, more frames per second:
Pentax K-r vs. Pentax K-x vs. Pentax K-30 - Pentax Camera Comparison - PentaxForums.com
And it could take the D-LI109 plus AA's.

An aftermarket split-screen for the K-x, if in good quality, is expensive, it can't be Chinese... no way for that rubbish:
CCR = Cheap Chinese Rubbish (not to be mixed up with Suzie-Q though)

A Katz-Eye is very expensive and almost impossible to find, a Taiwanese focusing-screen one is good but ... that might be history soon
if the Chinese follow up what Putin started....

[pimpim]

not quite the case:
The K-r had a few extras: Better AF, larger display, more frames per second:
Pentax K-r vs. Pentax K-x vs. Pentax K-30 - Pentax Camera Comparison - PentaxForums.com
And it could take the D-LI109 plus AA's.

An aftermarket split-screen for the K-x, if in good quality, is expensive, it can't be Chinese... no way for that rubbish:
CCR = Cheap Chinese Rubbish (not to be mixed up with Suzie-Q though)

A Katz-Eye is very expensive and almost impossible to find, a Taiwanese focusing-screen one is good but ... that might be history soon
if the Chinese follow up what Putin started....

Looking at the forums it seems the K-R had some quality control issues with the e-dial and users report front-focus issues under certain light.
If the K-X would need something it is improved AF, but even with its lower hit rate I still am a happy shooter
Maybe should get a K-R for fun, and for getting the most out of that 12mp sensor, will keep an eye open for a fancy colored one.

I went for a cheap and cheerful focus screen for the K-X. It really looks like shit but it's a camera with a monetary value of less than 100 euro anyway.
I am not the most dexterious person, so scratched it a bit and might even have mounted it the wrong way round so lucky that I didn't do this to a really good focus screen.
is Katzeye still in business?

[photogem]

Looking at the forums it seems the K-R had some quality control issues with the e-dial and users report front-focus issues under certain light.

The E-Dial of the K-m, K-x and K-r are all three the same. The most reported issues were with the K-x E-dial, for which I wrote a tutorial:
Tutorial E-Dial (Thumbwheel) Repair Pentax K-r, K-x and K-m (K2000) - PentaxForums.com

Front-focus with tungsten (wolfram) -light! This wasn't solved with firmware.
But with LiveView this problem won't come up!

Another issue can be colours, particular orange. But here one has to set AWB/tungsten-setting from Auto to a higher setting, then it works perfect.

But not to forget, reviews were done in 2011, now tungsten is hardly used anymore.
But if one does stage-photos, one has to experiment with AWB!

If the K-X would need something it is improved AF, but even with its lower hit rate I still am a happy shooter
Maybe should get a K-R for fun, and for getting the most out of that 12mp sensor, will keep an eye open for a fancy colored one.

The coloured versions suffer much quicker from use than the black versions. Particular if the rubber is white or grey (K-S1's can suffer badly there):
The rubber takes on dirt and sweat much quicker, worse of nikotin.
I have a K-x and a K-r here, my wife loves the K-S1 due to small hands and short fingers. But she can hold the K-r better than the K-x.

I went for a cheap and cheerful focusing-screen for the K-X. It really looks like shit but it's a camera with a monetary value of less than 100 euro anyway.

A split-image focusing screen needs carefull shimming in the K-x, the cheap Chinese-versions even more so.

I am not the most dexterious person, so scratched it a bit and might even have mounted it the wrong way round so lucky that I didn't do this to a really good focus screen.

If it would be mounted the wrong way then only because you'd had to take the nose/tap because it would be on the wrong side (which happened quite often with the China versions)
They even don't know about the size difference, claim it would work for Pentax DSLRs which is impossible:
https://de.aliexpress.com/i/4000029406459.html
Micro Prisma Split Bild Mattscheibe Für Pentax K100D K200D K10D K20D DSLR mattscheibe|Fotostudio-Zubehör| - AliExpress

But installed the wrong way it cannot work!

Is Katzeye still in business?

Why ask this question of you know the answer?