[K5_Ltd_User]

Good day,

As the title said, I have a problem with a D-BG4 Grip, on my K-5. The funny thing is, yesterday it worked just fine. Now, I rotate it and nothing happens. Is it broken? I really hope not. Any suggestions, settings or what not?

Thank you!

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Last edited by K5_Ltd_User; 10-11-2012 at 05:05 AM.

[adpo]

try removing the grip, cleaning the contacts and making sure you're screwing it in straight when you reattach the grip. that usually fixes it for me

[crewl1]

Is it a pentax branded one or third party?
This has been known to happen on some third party units.
Either way you can take the grip off and try cleaning the contacts on the male and female connectors.
You can also try spraying electric contact cleaner in the wheel.

[wizofoz]

I had a 'major' problem with my genuine Pentax grip once... the darned thing just stopped working mid shoot. Neither of the wheels, or any of the buttons would work. I cursed the thing and went back to landscape orientation shooting. It took me a few minutes after the shoot to realise I had bumped the control switch to 'off'!



Make sure it's not something stupidly simple...

[mille19]

The contact pins on the grip are spring loaded and can stick. Try taking off the grip and gently pressing the pins, if one has stuck this should release it. I would give the contacts on the camera a blow and then wipe with a lens cleaning cloth or something similar.

[VisualDarkness]

Yeah, check the control switch.

[kyc]

I'll chip in with my experience here. I bought a (used) D-BG4 to use with my K-7 and found that the front dial (by default assigned to shutter speed) not working sometimes. After a small amount of experimenting, it turns out that if I attach the grip with both power switches in the "on" position, all dials (including front) work perfectly. However, if I have one of the power switches in the "off" position, the front dial doesn't always work. Don't know why, but easy workaround for my situation.

[K5_Ltd_User]

Good day,

Thank you all for answering and advising me. The problem disappeared when by mistake (curiosity actually) I' ve touched the contacts from the Grip, and pushed the button next to them. Either way, one of this things (or both all together) did the trick.
Yes, it' s a genuine Pentax grip. Sad to read the fact that is a common thing for third- party ones. And it' s new, unused.

Thank you!

[hongzhibin1987]

Just a personal note:
Encountered with similar on my ex-Pentax K7 before. The shutter speed wheel just got weird...and the repairing ppl cannot even fix them. And this is one not so rare problem on the first gen Pentax K7/grips.
However still a good new that you got rid of it =)

[vit90]

I used my k-5 to shoot some scenes at the waterfall without the grip. Dipped/splashed, everything imaginable except dropping it.
Came back home, dry it with tower till it is dry and put the body in dry box.
2 weeks later try to put on the battery grip. The connector at the body has some oxidations.
I forgot to take off the rubber cover at the bottom of the camera before putting it back into the dry box.
Some moisture must have trapped there.

Rear wheel of the grip couldn't change the aperture value. Take the grip off and scrapped some black-ish stuffs on the connectors,
clean it with WD40, rub it till it is almost clean.
That took about 2 hours of putting it back to the body and took it off again til the rear wheel of the grip can change the aperture value.