[song_hm]

I am wondering if I am not using the dial mode correctly, or there is a problem with my K100D.

1) When I turn the mode dial clockwise to landscape, the LCD does not light up.
2) Turn clockwise to Macro, LCD says Moving Object Mode, so does any picture taken
3) Clockwise to Bulb, LCD says Night Scene Portrait Mode
4) Clockwise to M, LCD say Aperture Prioirity
5) Clockwise to P, LCD says Shutter Priority
6) Clockwise to SCN, LCD says Auto Picture, scene selection is not available when Fn button is pressed.

I had this camera for 2 months now, I swore I saw at least the SCN scheme selection when I first got the camera.

I'm planning to take some long exposure photo with Bulb mode, now I may not be able to do so. Help!

[RiceHigh]

There is not much to do on your part, I can surely tell you that your mode dial has been defective!

The mode dial of my *ist D had the exactly the same symptom after 4 months' use. The Pentax service centre technician, after repaired my *ist D, honestly told me that the electronic contacts of my mode dial was *oxidized*.

He was so honest and further told me that new parts were not available and they just used "contact cleaner" to do the repair job!(?)

So, this case just let me learn that the in-born quality of the mode dials are inferior, as they are so easy to be oxidized and that considering a $1,700 DSLR (when I bought my *ist D), this is really a big joke.

Now, the K100D is selling quite cheap now, relatively, then the unreliable mode dial can be an excuse.

What the most worst thing is that there was no new parts for servicing from Pentax!

Okay, it's time for you to find Pentax servicing soonest. Good luck!

[trog100]

"Now, the K100D is selling quite cheap now, relatively, then the unreliable mode dial can be an excuse"

i dont think so.. they are not that "cheap"..

not by the standards i expect..

trog

[bdavis]

It is cheap enough if you want it.

[Harald]

....Now, the K100D is selling quite cheap now, relatively, then the unreliable mode dial can be an excuse.....

There is several million electronical and mechanical parts involved and each one is made by producer who made the cheapest offer..... space shuttle.... :-)

[song_hm]

There is not much to do on your part, I can surely tell you that your mode dial has been defective!
...
Okay, it's time for you to find Pentax servicing soonest. Good luck!

I was afraid that might be the case, drats Thanks for the info.

[trog100]

we have a silly law in the UK.. it says a product must be fit for the purpose it was sold for.. and it must remain fit for a reasonable amount of time.. one year is commonly viewed as a minimum as regards the time factor..

i have had cheap compacts for several years with mode dials that work.. and the £400 i had to pay for my k100 body wasnt "cheap" to me..

of course everything in the US is "cheaper" which perhaps explains the "space shuttle"..

trog

[jfdavis58]

Oh, good grief!

Doesn't anybody remember the old manual TV channel tuners? Gangs of single-pole, multiple throw switches? Wafers of phenolic fiber-board and copper pressure contacts? A good swift twist of the channel knob and sometimes the built-up oxidation scrapped off and all works fine. Other times a technician was called to apply the same swift twist and some contact cleaner.

Of course, a shady technician might try to completely replace a major component-say the picture tube-just for a big profit, but...

[trog100]

i remember it well but it didnt happens with new TVs.. he he

i like my pentax camera but i am beginning to think a "quality" control problem might well exist.. he he

and as someone has already pointed out.. if they can get away with useing the cheapest crap components (or labour) they will do..

as one politician once said.. its my job to govern.. its your job to make sure i do it well..

trog

ps.. and if ricehigh wants to point out what he considers faults.. good luck to him..

[leaton]

This is such an issue?

Again - I agree, all those contacts and sooner or later you'll have oxidation,
unless it has gold plating - and most of us would not want to pay the difference
in price that would add to the product.

When you have a switch that ain't switchin', rapidly turn it round and round,
and that should solve the problem. Contact cleaner is better, but in some cases
it may be too hard to get access to the switch guts to bother with.

[jfdavis58]

Since posting "Oh, Good Grief" I've spent a little time searching various forums-Pentax specific- for problems.

The banding problem is primarily an exposure problem--improper exposure. Film grains badly and color wash-out under similar use conditions---try it!

The internal flash failure problem may be either a defective batch (small batch) of components or rough handling during shipping- the solution is replacement until service centers actually begin to stock components---a warranted fix.

Hot pixels are for the most part are 'normal' but a few unusual cases of severe cross-like (d)effects are possible---again fixed under warrante.

JPEG softness is just a matter of subjective taste preferences--there is film that wasn't well received also!

External flash under-exposure or overexposure is probably just a RTFM problem! The AF/AE sensors are larger and more sensitive than people expect; especially those folks jumping up from film or P&Ss. Same with front or back focus issues---one simply cannot use the parallel line chart as definitive.

I invite people to search for these or other problems and see exactly how many users are affected---it's not massive or streaky or problematic in any scientific or statistical fashion.

"Oh, good grief" was primarily directed at one particular individual who behaves much like Chicken Little: running about to and fro screaming "The sky is falling, the sky is falling!"

The Pentax K10D is a fine piece of manufacturing-as good as any contemporary camera. I'm beginning to think it's far too much camera for the casual user.

[trog100]

quality control will always be a problem for small companies attempting to ramp up production to meet unexpected demand i think the k10 is fine piece of "engineering" but the "fanboy" denial is very evident.. far more evident than the odd doom sayer..

if the camera does have the odd problem lets have it pointed out so that pentax can make an even better product is my view..

its also pretty normal for first production runs to have more problems.. which is why the "wise" hang back a little..

trog

[jfdavis58]

quality control will always be a problem for small companies attempting to ramp up production to meet unexpected demand i think the k10 is fine piece of "engineering" but the "fanboy" denial is very evident.. far more evident than the odd doom sayer..

It's a popular myth that Pentax 'ramped-up". They made about 12000 units in the first month; making the same in month 2, and 3 and 4. That's the base production capability. Not scheduled to ramp-up until late march '07. They simply don't respond to buyer demand like other companies--never have.

We must be reading entirely different forums; fanboys didn't even appear until after the Askey skewering. Banding issues raged for days until it was noticed that the exposure was fringe or marginal. The flash issue fizzled when it failed to become 'an entire production run'. Doomsayers wildly out-number fanboys plus hopeful optimists over the merger flap--even before the ink was completely dry on the announcement paperwork.

And in every case the doomsdayers got to the forums first and loudest! Lamenting each 'problem' like the end of days was just around the calander corner into next week.

if the camera does have the odd problem lets have it pointed out so that pentax can make an even better product is my view..

The problem here is that none of the so-called problems has actually been identified as a problem!!! Certainly not to the extent the doomsdayers have tried to imply.

its also pretty normal for first production runs to have more problems.. which is why the "wise" hang back a little..

My wife calls this the Windstar effect-we don't care much for Ford automobiles since owning an early production Windstar.

And all I can really say is maybe. In more than half the noted K10d 'problems' careful study of the manual and the camera and photo physics reveals error in user interpretation of capabilities of the camera. Mis-interpretation of sizes, settings, function...

[superfuzzy]

It seems that Rice is extrapolating his single personal experience to the thousands of Pentax DSLR cameras that have been produced over the last several years. This appears to be unwarranted and not a very scientific assessment. I also read the “other” forums that discuss Pentax – not every post but this is the first time that I have heard of this particular problem.

A certain percentage of electronic devices are going to be defective. That is why most of us buy new electronics that carry a warranty. Also, Pentax service does not use “new” parts? Do you have proof of that? It seems hard to believe!

I’m enjoying my new k100d, and sorry Rice. I’m not going to take the bate. There are lots of other things to worry about. And if something does go wrong in four months I’ll send it back for service.

...this case just let me learn that the in-born quality of the mode dials are inferior, as they are so easy to be oxidized and...

What the most worst thing is that there was no new parts for servicing from Pentax!

[song_hm]

... I also read the “other” forums that discuss Pentax – not every post but this is the first time that I have heard of this particular problem.

Care to share what the "other" forums are? I'd like to do my own research.

FWIW, I left an email at Pentax support, they replied saying this problem will required an "interactive discussion" with their Digital Product Group. Unfortunately, I will have to wait until Jan 2 for their office to reopen after the holiday.

Meanwhile, Beach Camera agreed this is a defect and have authorized a replacement unit.