Leaning viewfinder on K10D

ddragg1 · 11-29-2007, 01:57 AM

Make a grid on your computer and align the vf with the horizontal lines and you will know for sure if your vf is offset. Mine is really crude and hand held, but as you can see the view finder is balanced. Hope this helps!

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ukbluetooth · 11-29-2007, 04:14 AM

Nice test ddrag - but having wasted over an hour photographing Excel spreadsheets I have concluded:

1) My viewfinder is sorely missaligned

2) My tripod is rubbish

3) I could really do with a decent flat screen monitor.

And before I was happy with everything. Not that I am too worried about the viewfinder - I mostly shoot handheld and I am totally incapable of holding the camera to a tolerence of about 1/2 a degree anyway so it doesn't make much difference. But the other two are going to cost me money.

Teal · 01-08-2008, 04:00 AM

Originally posted by distudio

I just tested my camera, it's better but it looks like they adjusted the sensor position in my case as images are not nearly as well aligned with the base of the camera as they were before. I'm not impressed. At least before there was one thing I could trust, the image alignment relative to the base used to be 0.04 degree now it's closer to 0.46 degree.

Distudio, I've been tracking this thread for some time now. I notice you're in Sydney. Was it CR Kennedy that "fixed" your tilting issue ? The reason I ask is because I contacted their Sydney and Melbourne offices and they seemed surprised there was an issue....like it was their first time hearing about it. They said send it in and will take about 2 to 3 weeks to repair. I'm going overseas on mid-Feb, my warranty expires on week-1 Feb, should I risk sending it to them now ?

I did have a bad experience with them back in 2005 with my DS "re-focusing" after focus was locked. I sent it, they send it back saying no problem found, I persisted, then eventually it was fixed.....but it took ages!!!!

The other "issue" I asked them was about a "sizzling" noise, or sound of boiling water in a pot when taking long exposures. I've read in alot of places that it's the SR. Can anyone (everyone) let me know if yours makes this type of noise? Again.....the people I spoke to in CR Kennedy seemed surprised by it.....given it's been discussed in many forums for months.

distudio · 01-08-2008, 04:15 AM

Originally posted by Teal

Distudio, I've been tracking this thread for some time now. I notice you're in Sydney. Was it CR Kennedy that "fixed" your tilting issue ? The reason I ask is because I contacted their Sydney and Melbourne offices and they seemed surprised there was an issue....like it was their first time hearing about it. They said send it in and will take about 2 to 3 weeks to repair. I'm going overseas on mid-Feb, my warranty expires on week-1 Feb, should I risk sending it to them now ?

No surprise to me, deny, ignore same difference. I'm now dealing directly with the service manager at CRK Melb, the fist time my camera was sent in they adjusted the AF (it had absolutely zero faults) and cleaned the sensor, they could not explain why this was done whilst the finder was ignored. First "repair" it was out of my hands for 29 days, second time (to Japan) 29 days and this time it's been 25 days so far.

Originally posted by Teal

I did have a bad experience with them back in 2005 with my DS "re-focusing" after focus was locked. I sent it, they send it back saying no problem found, I persisted, then eventually it was fixed.....but it took ages!!!!

In the past I've had many issues one was only resolved by contacting Mr Kennedy directly. The classic from the Sydney office was being asked quizzically if the hood that I was inquiring about for the A20/2.8 was for a Pentax 67 ;-)

Originally posted by Teal

The other "issue" I asked them was about a "sizzling" noise, or sound of boiling water in a pot when taking long exposures. I've read in alot of places that it's the SR. Can anyone (everyone) let me know if yours makes this type of noise? Again.....the people I spoke to in CR Kennedy seemed surprised by it.....given it's been discussed in many forums for months.

I haven't really noticed it, but I have heard of it too. I assume it is the noise of the VC motors controlling the SR system. In my experience that could indicate that the gain is too high (same thing occurs in CD/DVD optical assemblies when the focus or tracking gain is set too high). But if there is no ill effect I don't like your chances.

Cheers,

Jasvox · 01-08-2008, 01:34 PM

I was posting a thread earlier this week about this....obviously thisn thread is older and several people here are citing some "leaning to the right" issues such as myself. I think I have heard it all, from, the surface you are shooting from isnt level,, the earth isnt flat, you press too hard on the shutter release, to other things. All I can think of is...I have been shooting photos for years ansd years and have never noticed this until now (with my K10D).
I was looking through some photos earlier today taken with my older canon and sony and don't see this problem, and never as obvious as about 1/3 of my photos taken with the pentax.

Maybe it's not just me?

Don't get me wrong, I love my K10D and am glad I bought it, but it just seems like if with the money I paid and the level of build on these, there would not be this problem with the camera, and it seems I am not alone. Perhaps this may be the reason I one day upgrade to a K20 if indeed it has live view.

We'll see.

J.Scott · 01-08-2008, 06:53 PM

I thought I had started to develop a lean to the right. Thankfully it is only my K10D and not my tired old brain!

I read most of the posts here and decided to put my K10D to the test. Knowing that my monitor is a high quality LCD and pretty darn near perfectly flat I risked it all by displaying an Excel grid on the screen. I lined up the camera at 90 degrees to the monitor and leveled it on my tripod. Using the wireless remote I snapped a few 'grid shots'. Sure enough, they all lean to the right. Using 'Lens Correction' in PS CS2 I determined that each shot is very close to 1 full degree off.

Now that may not seem like a great big deal but I am getting tired of straightening every damn image I take with the camera. I have 40 year old rangefinders that are super straight shooters so there is no reason on earth that a lean on my my brand new K10D is going to be acceptable.

I contacted Pentax Canada tonight and I am awaiting a reply.

Brucie · 01-08-2008, 07:28 PM

My K10, which I just bought less four days ago, seems to have this problem. When I take a picture, the subject is leaning to the right in perhaps one-quarter of my images. I thought it was maybe my rusty photo techniques, or that I was just unfamiliar with this camera, but several shots tonight confirmed it.

I'll be returning the camera for a replacement, but now I'm considering switching to one of the other brands as I have no confidence that the next K10 is going to be any better.

What with all the viewfinder problems on the K10 and the frequent lamenting over the new DA* 16 - 50 lens, I'm wonding what's going on with Pentax and their attempts at quality control.

Frustrating!

jeffkrol · 01-08-2008, 07:56 PM

Originally posted by Brucie

My K10, which I just bought less four days ago, seems to have this problem. When I take a picture, the subject is leaning to the right in perhaps one-quarter of my images. I thought it was maybe my rusty photo techniques, or that I was just unfamiliar with this camera, but several shots tonight confirmed it.

I'll be returning the camera for a replacement, but now I'm considering switching to one of the other brands as I have no confidence that the next K10 is going to be any better.

What with all the viewfinder problems on the K10 and the frequent lamenting over the new DA* 16 - 50 lens, I'm wonding what's going on with Pentax and their attempts at quality control.

Frustrating!

I'll let another brand owner speak:
'I've yet to see a Nikon viewfinder perfectly aligned (try it without gridlines using the bottom edge of the viewable area as the "guide"; same problem). On one of my cameras it was so frustrating that I finally just created a Photoshop Action and lived with the reduced image size ;~(. The thing that's curious to me is that EVERY Nikon DSLR I've used has the problem in the same direction. You'd think if it were really an alignment problem that some viewfinders would slant left and some right.
--
Thom Hogan
author, Nikon Field Guide & Nikon Flash Guide
editor, Nikon DSLR Report
author, Complete Guides: D50, D70, D100, D200, D1 series, D2h, D2x, S2 Pro
Thom Hogan's Nikon Field Guide and Nikon Flash Guide
Absorb this any way you want and if you look hard enough it is not just Nikon or Pentax.........
Canon EOS Forum: rebel XT sensor off/tilted .5 degrees relative to viewfinder framing - photo.net
P.S. I think Pentax can do better.......

pentaxbling · 01-09-2008, 12:04 AM

I had the leaning viewfinder issue with my K10D too... I had it fixed under the factory warranty... I just sent in an explanation of what was wrong and a print of a shot taken with a straight edge used to line up the shot with the bottom of the view finder to show the fault. I have to say its pretty upsetting that so many units have this problem... You would think that something that retails for that kind of price would have better QA standards.

Teal · 01-09-2008, 01:25 AM

I know alot of you might shake your heads but I've decided not to send my camera to have the viewfinder aligned....even if my warranty is about to expire. From previous posts, it seems there's a possibility they'll adjust the sensor rather than the viewfinder. Plus knowing the distributor in this country, they'll probably stuff something up.....and I can't afford to have something stuff up since I'm going overseas in mid-Feb and plan to take alot of pics....and at the moment my images are coming out really well and I intend to keep it that way.

distudio · 01-09-2008, 03:06 AM

Originally posted by Teal

I know alot of you might shake your heads but I've decided not to send my camera to have the viewfinder aligned....even if my warranty is about to expire. From previous posts, it seems there's a possibility they'll adjust the sensor rather than the viewfinder. Plus knowing the distributor in this country, they'll probably stuff something up.....and I can't afford to have something stuff up since I'm going overseas in mid-Feb and plan to take alot of pics....and at the moment my images are coming out really well and I intend to keep it that way.

Why not let them know about the problem, tell them that you are about to travel and that you need your camera during this period and suggest an extension of the warranty regarding this particular issue? At least then you will have the option of having it remedied after you return if you change your mind.

Teal · 01-09-2008, 04:17 AM

Originally posted by distudio

Why not let them know about the problem, tell them that you are about to travel and that you need your camera during this period and suggest an extension of the warranty regarding this particular issue? At least then you will have the option of having it remedied after you return if you change your mind.

Sound like a great idea. Thanks. I'll call them again tomorrow and speak to the same guys I spoke to. I'll let you know if they agree to that arrangement.

borno · 01-09-2008, 06:46 AM

after all the bad stories I have read, I was prepared for a long ordeal so I waited until the warranty was almost up. Pentax colorado (USA) had my camera 4 working days and fixed it

, so hopefully there more service people trained now to serve all the new customers. (maybe there is a service bulletin on it now)

J.Scott · 01-09-2008, 10:58 AM

I called the service department of Pentax Canada (in Mississauga) and a technician confirmed that they have had "a few" K10D's serviced for misaligned viewfinders. I will ship it out tomorrow and will report back to this thread when it is returned. We can compare notes as to how quick Pentax Canada can be.

I am not too concerned about this now. My simple philosphy is that products will screw-up, nothing is perfect, and that is not too important. What is more important is how the manufacturer reacts to the problem. Let's see how they do.

Bogartist · 01-10-2008, 12:12 AM

My K10D also shoots everything tilted 1 degree to the right. I believe the culprit is the reflex mirror: when looking into the body of the camera, my mirror is very slightly but visibly tilted relative to the rest of the camera. I believe explains the discrepancy between what the viewfinder shows and what the sensor captures.

Hopefully that's not a difficult thing to fix.

-Jos

01-08-2008, 06:53 PM	#96
J.Scott Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,675	I thought I had started to develop a lean to the right. Thankfully it is only my K10D and not my tired old brain! I read most of the posts here and decided to put my K10D to the test. Knowing that my monitor is a high quality LCD and pretty darn near perfectly flat I risked it all by displaying an Excel grid on the screen. I lined up the camera at 90 degrees to the monitor and leveled it on my tripod. Using the wireless remote I snapped a few 'grid shots'. Sure enough, they all lean to the right. Using 'Lens Correction' in PS CS2 I determined that each shot is very close to 1 full degree off. Now that may not seem like a great big deal but I am getting tired of straightening every damn image I take with the camera. I have 40 year old rangefinders that are super straight shooters so there is no reason on earth that a lean on my my brand new K10D is going to be acceptable. I contacted Pentax Canada tonight and I am awaiting a reply. Last edited by J.Scott; 01-08-2008 at 07:01 PM.

01-08-2008, 07:56 PM	#98
jeffkrol Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Wisconsin USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,434	Standard post to this topic Originally posted by Brucie My K10, which I just bought less four days ago, seems to have this problem. When I take a picture, the subject is leaning to the right in perhaps one-quarter of my images. I thought it was maybe my rusty photo techniques, or that I was just unfamiliar with this camera, but several shots tonight confirmed it. I'll be returning the camera for a replacement, but now I'm considering switching to one of the other brands as I have no confidence that the next K10 is going to be any better. What with all the viewfinder problems on the K10 and the frequent lamenting over the new DA* 16 - 50 lens, I'm wonding what's going on with Pentax and their attempts at quality control. Frustrating! I'll let another brand owner speak: 'I've yet to see a Nikon viewfinder perfectly aligned (try it without gridlines using the bottom edge of the viewable area as the "guide"; same problem). On one of my cameras it was so frustrating that I finally just created a Photoshop Action and lived with the reduced image size ;~(. The thing that's curious to me is that EVERY Nikon DSLR I've used has the problem in the same direction. You'd think if it were really an alignment problem that some viewfinders would slant left and some right. -- Thom Hogan author, Nikon Field Guide & Nikon Flash Guide editor, Nikon DSLR Report author, Complete Guides: D50, D70, D100, D200, D1 series, D2h, D2x, S2 Pro Thom Hogan's Nikon Field Guide and Nikon Flash Guide Absorb this any way you want and if you look hard enough it is not just Nikon or Pentax......... Canon EOS Forum: rebel XT sensor off/tilted .5 degrees relative to viewfinder framing - photo.net P.S. I think Pentax can do better.......

01-09-2008, 06:46 AM	#103
borno Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: md-usa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,580	after all the bad stories I have read, I was prepared for a long ordeal so I waited until the warranty was almost up. Pentax colorado (USA) had my camera 4 working days and fixed it, so hopefully there more service people trained now to serve all the new customers. (maybe there is a service bulletin on it now)

01-10-2008, 12:12 AM	#105
Bogartist Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 20	It's the mirror My K10D also shoots everything tilted 1 degree to the right. I believe the culprit is the reflex mirror: when looking into the body of the camera, my mirror is very slightly but visibly tilted relative to the rest of the camera. I believe explains the discrepancy between what the viewfinder shows and what the sensor captures. Hopefully that's not a difficult thing to fix. -Jos

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11-29-2007, 04:14 AM	#92
ukbluetooth Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Reading, UK Posts: 189	Nice test ddrag - but having wasted over an hour photographing Excel spreadsheets I have concluded: 1) My viewfinder is sorely missaligned 2) My tripod is rubbish 3) I could really do with a decent flat screen monitor. And before I was happy with everything. Not that I am too worried about the viewfinder - I mostly shoot handheld and I am totally incapable of holding the camera to a tolerence of about 1/2 a degree anyway so it doesn't make much difference. But the other two are going to cost me money.

01-08-2008, 04:00 AM	#93
Teal Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sydney Posts: 55	Originally posted by distudio I just tested my camera, it's better but it looks like they adjusted the sensor position in my case as images are not nearly as well aligned with the base of the camera as they were before. I'm not impressed. At least before there was one thing I could trust, the image alignment relative to the base used to be 0.04 degree now it's closer to 0.46 degree. Distudio, I've been tracking this thread for some time now. I notice you're in Sydney. Was it CR Kennedy that "fixed" your tilting issue ? The reason I ask is because I contacted their Sydney and Melbourne offices and they seemed surprised there was an issue....like it was their first time hearing about it. They said send it in and will take about 2 to 3 weeks to repair. I'm going overseas on mid-Feb, my warranty expires on week-1 Feb, should I risk sending it to them now ? I did have a bad experience with them back in 2005 with my DS "re-focusing" after focus was locked. I sent it, they send it back saying no problem found, I persisted, then eventually it was fixed.....but it took ages!!!! The other "issue" I asked them was about a "sizzling" noise, or sound of boiling water in a pot when taking long exposures. I've read in alot of places that it's the SR. Can anyone (everyone) let me know if yours makes this type of noise? Again.....the people I spoke to in CR Kennedy seemed surprised by it.....given it's been discussed in many forums for months.

01-08-2008, 04:15 AM	#94
distudio Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Sydney Photos: Albums Posts: 450	Originally posted by Teal Distudio, I've been tracking this thread for some time now. I notice you're in Sydney. Was it CR Kennedy that "fixed" your tilting issue ? The reason I ask is because I contacted their Sydney and Melbourne offices and they seemed surprised there was an issue....like it was their first time hearing about it. They said send it in and will take about 2 to 3 weeks to repair. I'm going overseas on mid-Feb, my warranty expires on week-1 Feb, should I risk sending it to them now ? No surprise to me, deny, ignore same difference. I'm now dealing directly with the service manager at CRK Melb, the fist time my camera was sent in they adjusted the AF (it had absolutely zero faults) and cleaned the sensor, they could not explain why this was done whilst the finder was ignored. First "repair" it was out of my hands for 29 days, second time (to Japan) 29 days and this time it's been 25 days so far. Originally posted by Teal I did have a bad experience with them back in 2005 with my DS "re-focusing" after focus was locked. I sent it, they send it back saying no problem found, I persisted, then eventually it was fixed.....but it took ages!!!! In the past I've had many issues one was only resolved by contacting Mr Kennedy directly. The classic from the Sydney office was being asked quizzically if the hood that I was inquiring about for the A20/2.8 was for a Pentax 67 ;-) Originally posted by Teal The other "issue" I asked them was about a "sizzling" noise, or sound of boiling water in a pot when taking long exposures. I've read in alot of places that it's the SR. Can anyone (everyone) let me know if yours makes this type of noise? Again.....the people I spoke to in CR Kennedy seemed surprised by it.....given it's been discussed in many forums for months. I haven't really noticed it, but I have heard of it too. I assume it is the noise of the VC motors controlling the SR system. In my experience that could indicate that the gain is too high (same thing occurs in CD/DVD optical assemblies when the focus or tracking gain is set too high). But if there is no ill effect I don't like your chances. Cheers,

01-08-2008, 01:34 PM	#95
Jasvox Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 3,107	I was posting a thread earlier this week about this....obviously thisn thread is older and several people here are citing some "leaning to the right" issues such as myself. I think I have heard it all, from, the surface you are shooting from isnt level,, the earth isnt flat, you press too hard on the shutter release, to other things. All I can think of is...I have been shooting photos for years ansd years and have never noticed this until now (with my K10D). I was looking through some photos earlier today taken with my older canon and sony and don't see this problem, and never as obvious as about 1/3 of my photos taken with the pentax. Maybe it's not just me? Don't get me wrong, I love my K10D and am glad I bought it, but it just seems like if with the money I paid and the level of build on these, there would not be this problem with the camera, and it seems I am not alone. Perhaps this may be the reason I one day upgrade to a K20 if indeed it has live view. We'll see.

01-08-2008, 07:28 PM	#97
Brucie Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Great Plains Posts: 64	My K10, which I just bought less four days ago, seems to have this problem. When I take a picture, the subject is leaning to the right in perhaps one-quarter of my images. I thought it was maybe my rusty photo techniques, or that I was just unfamiliar with this camera, but several shots tonight confirmed it. I'll be returning the camera for a replacement, but now I'm considering switching to one of the other brands as I have no confidence that the next K10 is going to be any better. What with all the viewfinder problems on the K10 and the frequent lamenting over the new DA* 16 - 50 lens, I'm wonding what's going on with Pentax and their attempts at quality control. Frustrating!

01-09-2008, 12:04 AM	#99
pentaxbling Inactive Account Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 141	I had the leaning viewfinder issue with my K10D too... I had it fixed under the factory warranty... I just sent in an explanation of what was wrong and a print of a shot taken with a straight edge used to line up the shot with the bottom of the view finder to show the fault. I have to say its pretty upsetting that so many units have this problem... You would think that something that retails for that kind of price would have better QA standards.

01-09-2008, 01:25 AM	#100
Teal Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sydney Posts: 55	I know alot of you might shake your heads but I've decided not to send my camera to have the viewfinder aligned....even if my warranty is about to expire. From previous posts, it seems there's a possibility they'll adjust the sensor rather than the viewfinder. Plus knowing the distributor in this country, they'll probably stuff something up.....and I can't afford to have something stuff up since I'm going overseas in mid-Feb and plan to take alot of pics....and at the moment my images are coming out really well and I intend to keep it that way.

01-09-2008, 03:06 AM	#101
distudio Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Sydney Photos: Albums Posts: 450	Originally posted by Teal I know alot of you might shake your heads but I've decided not to send my camera to have the viewfinder aligned....even if my warranty is about to expire. From previous posts, it seems there's a possibility they'll adjust the sensor rather than the viewfinder. Plus knowing the distributor in this country, they'll probably stuff something up.....and I can't afford to have something stuff up since I'm going overseas in mid-Feb and plan to take alot of pics....and at the moment my images are coming out really well and I intend to keep it that way. Why not let them know about the problem, tell them that you are about to travel and that you need your camera during this period and suggest an extension of the warranty regarding this particular issue? At least then you will have the option of having it remedied after you return if you change your mind.

01-09-2008, 04:17 AM	#102
Teal Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sydney Posts: 55	Originally posted by distudio Why not let them know about the problem, tell them that you are about to travel and that you need your camera during this period and suggest an extension of the warranty regarding this particular issue? At least then you will have the option of having it remedied after you return if you change your mind. Sound like a great idea. Thanks. I'll call them again tomorrow and speak to the same guys I spoke to. I'll let you know if they agree to that arrangement.

01-09-2008, 10:58 AM	#104
J.Scott Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,675	I called the service department of Pentax Canada (in Mississauga) and a technician confirmed that they have had "a few" K10D's serviced for misaligned viewfinders. I will ship it out tomorrow and will report back to this thread when it is returned. We can compare notes as to how quick Pentax Canada can be. I am not too concerned about this now. My simple philosphy is that products will screw-up, nothing is perfect, and that is not too important. What is more important is how the manufacturer reacts to the problem. Let's see how they do.

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