[penties rider]

hi and sorry i'm using the Quick Reply button to ask a question in here!

i'm new to this forum and although registered, the only option i found to bring in my questions was the Private Message to specific members email thing, which is not quite useful for me as of this moment.

anyway, hope you or other people here can help me with this:

have a Pentax K-7 with its power grip, bought only a week ago, new, online.

when the grip is attached, i have to turn the camera on twice in order to be able to use it, instead of only once. without the grip attached, the camera turns on, ready to use the first time.

here's how it works:

grip attached, i turn the camera on and see only the battery life indicator symbol in the top LCD panel (after a 5" wait of course) but can't use the camera to take pictures as that battery-full symbol is the only thing that comes on. (shutter release button can be pressed of course and it sounds like taking pictures too but no picture is recorded anyway.)

then i have to turn the camera off and back on again, wait for a few seconds (usually less than 5) and then the system is ready to use as normal: now the top LCD lights up with more information than just showing the battery life indicator symbol and the back panel LCD is also turned on and usable. everything works finely now ...

is there anything wrong with the grip and / or the camera?

notes:

1. did upgrade the frimware to 1.03 but the case is still the same as before.

(had other issues after the upgrade though, but luckily resolved after keeping the camera's battery outside a while for the system to do a full reset.)

2. bought the grip for $200 instead of the usual $230 advertised in most online stores. (it's a totally new item though as can be said by its looks and workmanship.)

any feedback in this regard is highly appreciated as i have not been able to work this out by going through neither the grip's nor the camera's instruction booklets so far ...

thanks a lot in advance!

yours
pr

Hi and welcome.
Asking a question in someone else's thread isn't the best way to get answers so I've started a new thread for you.

If you can't figure something out in the forum feel free to start a thread here - https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/site-suggestions-forum-help/ and ask for help.
To start a thread, just click on the 'new thread' button near top left of the page in any of the forums.

[rkohli]

I have the same camera and grip. Never experienced this problem. Which battery are you using in the grip?

[bymy141]

I have the camera and the grip.
I've had no problems ever.

Perhaps a contact problem?

What is de battery setting/option in the camera, and what is your battery configuration?

- Bert

[Parallax]

One thing I can think of that may cause a problem. (may as in I'm guessing here):

1. Camera set to use grip battery first
2. Battery in camera
3. No battery in grip

[penties rider]

hi Jim

thx for the reply, as i repeat it here to reply back item by item:

One thing I can think of that may cause a problem. (may as in I'm guessing here):

1. Camera set to use grip battery first

checked that out already: it was on Automatic (default factory setting) and i tried to re-assign the Lithium batteries (in the grip) as the first ones to be used by the camera, which did not change the situation.

i have also tried turning the grip on first and then the camera, but no difference. in fact, according to the grip's instruction manual, the camera can still operate with the grip set to the off position, which is true according to my own experience too. (the grip has to be turned on specifically only when it is to be used, say in its intended vertical position.)

2. Battery in camera

do you mean if it is faulty?

if so, then i'd have to say that it's quite new and as i mentioned, the camera works fine without the battery grip installed, using the in-camera battery alone. then if i remove the in-camera battery and use the power grip alone, i still get the same problem: the camera has to be turned on, turned off, and turned back on again, which it turns on rather quickly then, after only 1" or less instead of 5".

the problems then lies somewhere in or around the power grip thing, say in the contacts for example, as Bert has mentionied it in another reply here too. but i'm really not sure though ...

3. No battery in grip

there is battery in there: six Advanced Lithium ones by Energizer ("Spock, Energize!" ;-])

__________________
My name is Jim and I like to argue.
I like to argue because I learn more from the people I argue with than I do from the people I agree with.

couldn't agree more! kind of the same attitude here, albeit not everybody is happy with me 'behaving' that way!

[JeffJS]

One thing I can think of that may cause a problem. (may as in I'm guessing here):

1. Camera set to use grip battery first
2. Battery in camera
3. No battery in grip

I've tried every possible combo and then some. Cannot repeat the problem. The only thing I haven't tried because I don't currently have one is a discharged battery. This is with the 2 L-I90, not AAs (haven't tried that either).

[penties rider]

hi Bert

thx for the reply.

you can also take a look on my reply to Jim.

i'm using Energizer's Advanced Lithium batteries (which are apparently slightly cheaper than the Ultimate Lithium ones) and they appear to be working fine anyway but i'm guessing as you do: i may be having battery grip contact problems here, which has been my first guess too.

it may as well be the type of battery in use though. i used fresh (albeit cheaply bought in a '99c Only' store) Alkalines first, and i got "Battery Depleted" messages with the camera turning off automatically much sooner than i have been getting after putting the Lithium ones in. i tested the camera without its own battery and with only Alkalines in the grip and the camera turns off almost right away, giving off the message "Battery Depleted".

also tried newly bought freshly charged Energizer rechargeable ones (the 'e2' brand) in the battery grip alone, no in-camera battery, and the camera turned off right away giving the above message again ... (same batteries proved working great in an old yet good flash though after taking them out of the power grip.)

i'm kind of confused if it is a battery-related only issue here, or it is also power grip related as the old problem of having to turn on the camera twice with the grip installed persists regardeless of the type of battery in use.

Lithium batteries however have proven much better than other ones. i'll also be receiving a second L190 original Pentax battery soon and i'll be doing more tests again. this camera however, sounds like a huge power hungry / battery drainer beast, yet it's also a beauty that i'm not going to part with anyway!

thx again everyone for the kind replies. i'm just hoping that i've not been sold a 'bad' camera / grip combo online! they both work fine overall though ...

[penties rider]

thanks for the new thread opening you did for me in here D... Brit!

totally new to this forum and away from froums of any kind for a long time, i thought i had no clue but to 'cheat' and sneak in on other people's similar or closely related posts.

now i know what to do!

thx again and good luck with your adoption in Canada! ;-)

pr

[bymy141]

hi Bert

i'm using Energizer's Advanced Lithium batteries (which are apparently slightly cheaper than the Ultimate Lithium ones) and they appear to be working fine anyway but i'm guessing as you do: i may be having battery grip contact problems here, which has been my first guess too.

it may as well be the type of battery in use though. i used fresh (albeit cheaply bought in a '99c Only' store) Alkalines first, and i got "Battery Depleted" messages with the camera turning off automatically much sooner than i have been getting after putting the Lithium ones in. i tested the camera without its own battery and with only Alkalines in the grip and the camera turns off almost right away, giving off the message "Battery Depleted".

also tried newly bought freshly charged Energizer rechargeable ones (the 'e2' brand) in the battery grip alone, no in-camera battery, and the camera turned off right away giving the above message again ... (same batteries proved working great in an old yet good flash though after taking them out of the power grip.)

On the contact issue, I've have similar problems with my flash / K10D combination. By roughing the surface of the camera contacts somewhat that problem disappeared.

On the batteries, I'm in Europe, Energizer is not sold in all countries (I've think I've seen them in France), however I've, more or less, had the same experience with cheap alkaline batteries. They depleted very, very fast and the Auto mode made that appear faster then when selecting the right battery type in the camera menu.

i'm kind of confused if it is a battery-related only issue here, or it is also power grip related as the old problem of having to turn on the camera twice with the grip installed persists regardeless of the type of battery in use.

I'm puzzled by that behaviour as well. It is a strange effect that I cannot reproduce. Perhaps your grip is broken.

Lithium batteries however have proven much better than other ones. i'll also be receiving a second L190 original Pentax battery soon and i'll be doing more tests again. this camera however, sounds like a huge power hungry / battery drainer beast, yet it's also a beauty that i'm not going to part with anyway!

thx again everyone for the kind replies. i'm just hoping that i've not been sold a 'bad' camera / grip combo online! they both work fine overall though ...

Well, that is not my experience. Life View and video are battery drainers, yes.
I rarely shoot video and use LV only under special circumstances.
I've limited the display to come up for everything and I can shoot many hunderds of photo's with 1 D-Li90 and with some good NiMh AA's there is not much difference in capacity. I have not tested it, but I'm rather certain that batteries (both LiIon and NiMH) last longer in my K-7 than in my K10D.
Perhaps you are not using the right batteries here, or it could be the effect of a broken grip.

[penties rider]

thx bymy141 for the reply / feedback.

thx everybody for their replies / feedbacks too.

latest update on my K-7+ grip issues:

ran more tests and found out i was wrong: it's the camera having some trouble somewhere NOT the grip, as the K7 is starting up slowly even without the grip attached and with the LI90 battery fully charged and freshly in use.

if the camera is left in the OFF position for more than 10" to 15" , then i still have to turn it on first and wait for 5" to 8" for a "cold boot" like operation, then turn it off and back on quickly where it starts up in under 1" in a "warm reboot" like action.

i'm guessing however, somewhere within the entire array of menus and options, something has been set in a different manner that causes this malfunction and unfortunately i'm busy with other projects as of now, which prevent me from spending more time juggling around with the camera in order to find out where the problem is, if any ...

i'm waiting for another LI90 battery i have ordered to arrive and run more tests with that battery in both the camera as well as in the grip and then see what happens. i may have to return the camera to its online reseller although it's now well past the 5 days grace period for returning it. i'm hoping the camera will work fine as i hate returning it and i'd like to keep it as i have professional photography plans based around this gear.

thx again everybody for the follow up on my issue here.

[bymy141]

ran more tests and found out i was wrong: it's the camera having some trouble somewhere NOT the grip, as the K7 is starting up slowly even without the grip attached and with the LI90 battery fully charged and freshly in use.

if the camera is left in the OFF position for more than 10" to 15" , then i still have to turn it on first and wait for 5" to 8" for a "cold boot" like operation, then turn it off and back on quickly where it starts up in under 1" in a "warm reboot" like action.

i'm guessing however, somewhere within the entire array of menus and options, something has been set in a different manner that causes this malfunction and unfortunately i'm busy with other projects as of now, which prevent me from spending more time juggling around with the camera in order to find out where the problem is, if any ...

I've never heard, seen or read about a similar problem.
You may want to do a factory reset of the camera and (re)install the latest firmware before doing anything else.

Good luck and success, Bert

[penties rider]

hi Bert

thx for the reply.

i thought about a factory reset too but can't find it. the only "reset" thing i found is under the menu itme that determines which battery (body or the grip) camera will use first after starting up.

did that too but nothing seems to have changed except the choice of batteries is now set to Auto instead of the Body First i had chosen previously.

any ideas how i can do a full factory reset (if such a thing is available for the K7) ?

thx

[JeffJS]

hi Bert

thx for the reply.

i thought about a factory reset too but can't find it. the only "reset" thing i found is under the menu itme that determines which battery (body or the grip) camera will use first after starting up.

did that too but nothing seems to have changed except the choice of batteries is now set to Auto instead of the Body First i had chosen previously.

any ideas how i can do a full factory reset (if such a thing is available for the K7) ?

thx

I think that's the only reset option available. You might also try, if you haven't reformatting the card, in the camera.

What I would NOT do at this time is try reloading any firmware. With a flaky power condition, it's apt to fail leaving You with with a $1000 brick and the expense of the repair. The camera Should still be under warranty so at this point, I would just send it in for service.

[penties rider]

I think that's the only reset option available. You might also try, if you haven't reformatting the card, in the camera.

hi, had reformatted the card in the camera first time i put it in. moved any picture taken with it so far to the computer's hd after reading your reply and reformatted the card in the camera again just in case. no help: the camera still behaves the same as before.

there is only one thing: if i remove the battery and say keep the camera without it (no in-camera batt / no grip + batts attached) for at least a few hours or a day or so and then insert the battery back in, then the camera turns on right away (in a fraction of a second) without any kind of delays (except for the usual very short wait for the backlight on top LCD panel or the info display in the back LCD panel to show up) but with the battery left in the camera and turned off, the next start up is going to be the problematic one referred to already.

that tells me probably there is something wrong with the battery. if so, then info related to erratic behavior caused by the malfunctioning battery remains somewhere in the camera's memory for as long as the battery is kept inside, feeding the system with the necessary power required to keep it up to date.

(that is perhaps why when the battery is removed and the camera is left without it for a while, the 'data' regarding the faulty battery is also erased off the camera's internal system memory, thus leading to the first start up of the camera with the freshly inserted battery to behave rightly. not 100 per cent sure about this diagnosis but after decades of using modern digital computers and with some background experience in hardware, that is my best bet at the moment ...)

What I would NOT do at this time is try reloading any firmware. With a flaky power condition, it's apt to fail leaving You with with a $1000 brick and the expense of the repair. The camera Should still be under warranty so at this point, I would just send it in for service.

well, couldn't agree more with you at this moment regarding the reloading of the 1.03 firmware that i have already done once and have got no remedies. in fact that is why i am looking for a way on how to 'roll back' the 'driver' or firmware to its initial state and start from scratch.

and the problem with Pentax's new firmware installed is it has clearly been stated in its EULA that they would charge the customer with a service fee in this regard even if the camera is still under warranty!

the above is one major reason why i'm trying to solve the problem myself, aside from the fact that i hate to keep sending the unit back and forth in the mail only to get it damaged even further due to mishandling!

as said before, i'm waiting for the other new LI90 battery to arrive and test the camera with that one although i have a hunch already that it won't help and if testing the camera with that battery also gives the same result later, then i'll be leaning toward blaming the issue on the firmware itself. only, since i seem to be the only one having this problem with the Pentax K7, then it may as well be the camera is faulty itself. (but wasn't the main reason the firmware was provided by Pentax in the first place because some people had problems with the power grip, i.e. battery-related issues?)

the point is, when the camera starts, with or without delays of any kind, it works perfectly fine and everything tested so far is performing as it should anyway ... this camera is indeed a beauty and for the price vs performance, i wouldn't even trade it in with anything in the $3K to $5K range from the "other two" major brands!

thx for the reply. will keep this thread posted with anything new that may come up in this relation.