*ist D Suddenly Dies ... Advice?

Dubesor · 10-26-2010, 05:00 PM

My girlfriend's *ist DS all of a sudden died. It was working fine over the weekend, but when she tried to turn it on yesterday, it was totally non-responsive. So she's kind of devastated.

Any advice on trying to diagnose this problem myself?

Before we tried powering it up again, I made sure we had fully charged batteries (Eneloops) and the camera was in a dry environment , same story. Absolutely nothing showing on the LCDs or in the viewfinder, no sounds etc ... I thought it might have something to do with the secondary battery (lithium CR2016 type), but now I gather it's only responsible for storing the date. So I doubt that if it ran out of charge, that would completely kill the camera.

Anyway, the camera is in very good mechanical and cosmetic shape, all the switches, buttons, etc seem to be moving fine.

Anyone have this happen before with this model? Just a sudden and total failure like this ... I've never really seen that happen out of the blue with another DSLR.

I also don't really have many options other than tinkering myself - the camera is long out of warranty + our local repair places are really exorbitant. They usually come back with estimates in the $200-$300 range even for small problems. And no guarantees they'll fix whatever's wrong.

**Ex Finn.** · 10-26-2010, 05:26 PM

How many shutter actuation's on that body?.

Dubesor · 10-26-2010, 05:29 PM

Originally posted by Ex Finn.

How many shutter actuation's on that body?.

Not sure, I should be able to find out from the EXIF in a few hours ... (don't have a CF reader here myself).

VaughnA · 10-26-2010, 05:35 PM

If she's like my wife she probably sabotaged it wanting a newer one;-) My wife pulled the hose from the washer then let it spill water on the floor, boom! new washer;-) I've learned to check these things...

Dubesor · 10-26-2010, 05:52 PM

Originally posted by VaughnA

If she's like my wife she probably sabotaged it wanting a newer one;-) My wife pulled the hose from the washer then let it spill water on the floor, boom! new washer;-) I've learned to check these things...

Nope, I don't think that's what happened here.

creampuff · 10-26-2010, 06:00 PM

Your girlfriend's camera in an act of desperation committed suicide after discovering about the new K-r?

Probably one of the internal circuitry or transistors went kaput.

redeleon · 10-26-2010, 06:03 PM

oh its broken... get a Kr / K5 now!!

Ole · 10-26-2010, 06:13 PM

The second battery shouldn't matter. Clean the battery contacts and try fresh one-time Energizer Lithium batteries (rechargeables eventually wear out). If no success then the camera is probably defect. Since you don't want to send it in, consider removing the top plate and check the on-off switch. A wire could've come lose, or the contact needs a clean with a contact spray. This video hints at how to disassemble (kick the scissors and start with the top plate):

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/119619-dismantling-k100d.html

Dubesor · 10-26-2010, 06:22 PM

Originally posted by Ole

The second battery shouldn't matter. Clean the battery contacts and try fresh one-time Energizer Lithium batteries (rechargeables eventually wear out). If no success then the camera is probably defect. Since you don't want to send it in, consider removing the top plate and check the on-off switch. A wire could've come lose, or the contact needs a clean with a contact spray. This video hints at how to disassemble (kick the scissors and start with the top plate):

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/119619-dismantling-k100d.html

That's really useful advice! What do you recommend I clean the battery contacts with?

Ole · 10-26-2010, 06:27 PM

Q-tips and Isopropanol/rubbing alcohol.

Dubesor · 10-26-2010, 10:24 PM

From the info I found, the *ist D shutter was rated for somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 actuations so this is a really premature failure.

Here's the screenshot from PhotoMe for shutter actuation info (last shot before the camera died). This reports 8471 actuations (though there are some higher numbers in the same table too)

~8000 SHOTS seems about right to me - the guy I bought it from didn't seem like he used it much at all. After we bought it in May, my girlfriend shot maybe 1,000 frames on it.

**Ash** · 10-26-2010, 11:26 PM

Sorry to hear this. Hope it shows some signs of life after a good inner clean, but if not it may need to be sent in as it'll be more complicated like an electrical/circuitry problem. All the best.

Dubesor · 10-26-2010, 11:32 PM

What should I expect Pentax Canada to charge for something like this? Or perhaps there are users on this forum that repair these older Pentax models?

WerTicus · 10-26-2010, 11:33 PM

broken!

k-5

Steve Beswick · 10-27-2010, 01:04 AM

Here is a nutty idea - try running it with the clock battery out. I know it is technically unrelated, but back in my Mac fixing days, almost dead clock batteries would cause alll kinds of grief. You were often better off with the battery removed.

10-26-2010, 05:00 PM	#1
Dubesor Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 336	ist D Suddenly Dies ... Advice? My girlfriend's ist DS all of a sudden died. It was working fine over the weekend, but when she tried to turn it on yesterday, it was totally non-responsive. So she's kind of devastated. Any advice on trying to diagnose this problem myself? Before we tried powering it up again, I made sure we had fully charged batteries (Eneloops) and the camera was in a dry environment , same story. Absolutely nothing showing on the LCDs or in the viewfinder, no sounds etc ... I thought it might have something to do with the secondary battery (lithium CR2016 type), but now I gather it's only responsible for storing the date. So I doubt that if it ran out of charge, that would completely kill the camera. Anyway, the camera is in very good mechanical and cosmetic shape, all the switches, buttons, etc seem to be moving fine. Anyone have this happen before with this model? Just a sudden and total failure like this ... I've never really seen that happen out of the blue with another DSLR. I also don't really have many options other than tinkering myself - the camera is long out of warranty + our local repair places are really exorbitant. They usually come back with estimates in the $200-$300 range even for small problems. And no guarantees they'll fix whatever's wrong.

10-26-2010, 10:24 PM	#11
Dubesor Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 336 Original Poster	From the info I found, the ist D shutter was rated for somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 actuations so this is a really premature failure. Here's the screenshot from PhotoMe for shutter actuation info (last shot before the camera died). This reports 8471 actuations* (though there are some higher numbers in the same table too) ~8000 SHOTS seems about right to me - the guy I bought it from didn't seem like he used it much at all. After we bought it in May, my girlfriend shot maybe 1,000 frames on it. Last edited by Dubesor; 10-26-2010 at 10:49 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Pentax ist-DS upgrade advice	chard0119	Pentax DSLR Discussion	2	01-09-2010 10:44 AM
B&W: Suddenly it's 1964!	ismaelg	Post Your Photos!	2	07-17-2009 03:43 PM
Need Purchase Advice on *ist DL	thrillerb	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	23	03-09-2009 09:35 PM
Advice on buy: Refurb k100d or ist-dl?	metroeloise	Pentax DSLR Discussion	7	01-06-2009 02:37 PM
repair advice inquiry - front focus on *ist DS	q10	Pentax DSLR Discussion	5	03-08-2008 04:43 PM

10-26-2010, 05:26 PM	#2
Ex Finn. Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Maryland. Espoo. Kouvola. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,975	How many shutter actuation's on that body?.

10-26-2010, 05:29 PM	#3
Dubesor Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 336 Original Poster	Originally posted by Ex Finn. How many shutter actuation's on that body?. Not sure, I should be able to find out from the EXIF in a few hours ... (don't have a CF reader here myself).

10-26-2010, 05:35 PM	#4
VaughnA Banned Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,363	If she's like my wife she probably sabotaged it wanting a newer one;-) My wife pulled the hose from the washer then let it spill water on the floor, boom! new washer;-) I've learned to check these things...

10-26-2010, 05:52 PM	#5
Dubesor Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 336 Original Poster	Originally posted by VaughnA If she's like my wife she probably sabotaged it wanting a newer one;-) My wife pulled the hose from the washer then let it spill water on the floor, boom! new washer;-) I've learned to check these things... Nope, I don't think that's what happened here.

10-26-2010, 06:00 PM	#6
creampuff Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,953	Your girlfriend's camera in an act of desperation committed suicide after discovering about the new K-r? Probably one of the internal circuitry or transistors went kaput.

10-26-2010, 06:03 PM	#7
redeleon Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Manila Photos: Albums Posts: 226	oh its broken... get a Kr / K5 now!!

10-26-2010, 06:13 PM	#8
Ole Administrator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,408	The second battery shouldn't matter. Clean the battery contacts and try fresh one-time Energizer Lithium batteries (rechargeables eventually wear out). If no success then the camera is probably defect. Since you don't want to send it in, consider removing the top plate and check the on-off switch. A wire could've come lose, or the contact needs a clean with a contact spray. This video hints at how to disassemble (kick the scissors and start with the top plate): https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/119619-dismantling-k100d.html

10-26-2010, 06:22 PM	#9
Dubesor Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 336 Original Poster	Originally posted by Ole The second battery shouldn't matter. Clean the battery contacts and try fresh one-time Energizer Lithium batteries (rechargeables eventually wear out). If no success then the camera is probably defect. Since you don't want to send it in, consider removing the top plate and check the on-off switch. A wire could've come lose, or the contact needs a clean with a contact spray. This video hints at how to disassemble (kick the scissors and start with the top plate): https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/119619-dismantling-k100d.html That's really useful advice! What do you recommend I clean the battery contacts with?

10-26-2010, 06:27 PM	#10
Ole Administrator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,408	Q-tips and Isopropanol/rubbing alcohol.

10-26-2010, 11:26 PM	#12
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	Sorry to hear this. Hope it shows some signs of life after a good inner clean, but if not it may need to be sent in as it'll be more complicated like an electrical/circuitry problem. All the best.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

10-26-2010, 11:32 PM	#13
Dubesor Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 336 Original Poster	What should I expect Pentax Canada to charge for something like this? Or perhaps there are users on this forum that repair these older Pentax models?

10-26-2010, 11:33 PM	#14
WerTicus Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Perth Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 1,514	broken! k-5

10-27-2010, 01:04 AM	#15
Steve Beswick Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Ontario, California Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,736	Here is a nutty idea - try running it with the clock battery out. I know it is technically unrelated, but back in my Mac fixing days, almost dead clock batteries would cause alll kinds of grief. You were often better off with the battery removed.