Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 

Reply
Show Printable Version Search this Thread
01-04-2016, 06:24 AM   #1
Site Supporter
Site Supporter




Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 456
Fix for the aperture motor failure?

I had an aperture motor failure after a few years with my k-30. I replaced it with a k-50 since the repair would probably not be worth it. The k-50 aperture motor failed after 6 months. There is some concern that I may have inadvertently bought a grey market camera from Amazon, but that is besides the point. Has Pentax ever provided a definitive fix for this issue? If I do manage to get a warranty repair, would it be better to sell the k-50 while it is still working and buy a K3 or K3 ii or just abandon Pentax? I have a number of Pentax and Pentax compatible lenses and would hate to abandon the brand, but I'm feeling beat up by continuing failure on a part that should be good for 10000 or more shutter clicks.

01-04-2016, 07:59 AM   #2
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
UncleVanya's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2014
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 28,168
QuoteOriginally posted by kernos Quote
I had an aperture motor failure after a few years with my k-30. I replaced it with a k-50 since the repair would probably not be worth it. The k-50 aperture motor failed after 6 months. There is some concern that I may have inadvertently bought a grey market camera from Amazon, but that is besides the point. Has Pentax ever provided a definitive fix for this issue? If I do manage to get a warranty repair, would it be better to sell the k-50 while it is still working and buy a K3 or K3 ii or just abandon Pentax? I have a number of Pentax and Pentax compatible lenses and would hate to abandon the brand, but I'm feeling beat up by continuing failure on a part that should be good for 10000 or more shutter clicks.
My K-50 failed at about 6 months and was repaired and worked since the repair. I have since traded it but I never doubted it after the repair. The number of people on the forums with no problems with the K30/K50 makes me think there are a few lemons but it isn't the rule. I could be wrong but I wouldn't worry too much.

My K-50 was sold by a group in Canada and I bought it from Amazon. When I went to have warranty work I only needed to provide the Amazon sales receipt and that was good enough for Precision. (I was "lucky" in that the repair facility change over happened about the time of my failure so I was advised to wait and send it to Precision rather than send it to the then closing facility.

I would personally try printing my receipt from Amazon and having a go at getting it repaired. The worst they can do is deny it.

I upgraded to the K3 last year - WOW - I won't tell you it was a revolution in my photographs because we (the photographer) are the most important link there. However it is a joy to use and a great upgrade. A few small irksome issues that once plagued me (low light focus being one) have vastly improved. I highly recommend the camera. As to leaving Pentax - how invested are you? How many lenses and how much brand loyalty do you have? I and my dad have over 20 lenses and two K-3 bodies so the cost of switching is a real burden should we wish to do so. On top of that Dad worked for Pentax many years ago as a Sales rep which was his hey day of photographic sales. (He also worked for Canon and in Retail in Sales and his best friend was a Nikon rep and later a Pentax rep... )
01-04-2016, 08:53 AM   #3
Site Supporter
Site Supporter




Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 456
Original Poster
It sounds like PrecisionCamera will take the camera under warranty. I called both Pentax and PC and who you buy it from no longer seems to be an issue, as long as it was purchased new. If that works, I'll probably use it until it fails and then go on to a better grade camera, it would be nice to wait for the prices of the K3 ii to drop, but Pentax's plans for APS-C are opaque.

My lens in order of happiness are:
Pentax-DA SMC 15mm F4 Limited
Sigma 70mm macro
Porst 55mm 1.2 (aperture pin removed)
Pentax-DA SMC 50mm 1.8

I have a pig-in-the-poke Jupiter 9 screwmount coming in the mail.
01-04-2016, 10:12 AM   #4
Veteran Member




Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Buffalo, NY
Posts: 351
From what I've heard the K-30 and K-50 share the same aperture mechanism, but I couldn't say if they ever made an improved version to put in if it goes in for repair. With regard to what UncleVanya said, even though this is sometimes referenced as a 'common' issue it seems more rare than the rule. Even if they use the same parts to repair it, your chances of having two apertures fail seems less likely so you might never have an issue again. I'd say you just happen to be unlucky to have had two fail for you. (Unless you just happen to use your camera in a certain way that somehow exploits a weakness in the design?)

You could search the forums, but I haven't heard of the same issues with the K-3 (II) which I believe uses a different mechanism, probably the same as the K-5 series.
I have a K-3 with over 30,000 shots so far and I have no issues with the aperture and all seems to be well (with the exception of some slight dust on my focusing screen). I have no K-50 experience to compare to, but the low light focus on the K-3 is amazing. It might not be lightning fast, but the phase detect auto focus often finds focus on things that I can't even see, where the live view focus hunts in a sea of black.

01-25-2016, 07:13 AM   #5
New Member




Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 4
I recently bought my K-50 from an ebay seller. It was brand new when I bought it. I started with a 50mm M 1.7 lens. Everything worked out great. Then a week or so later I've tried the two a lenses that came with it outside. Everything is beautiful outside. Inside the images come out very underexposed. In Live mode also. I changed through the 18-55 A, the 50-200 A and all dark. Changing back to the manual lens works. This is a brand new camera right out of the box. I tried changing the metering in all 3 settings and no changes. I just did all this trouble shooting yesterday after about 12 days of owning it, and I'm contemplating keeping it just for use with manual lenses. But do I want to deal with that? I'm waiting on a response from Ricoh support at the moment.
01-26-2016, 06:30 PM   #6
New Member




Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 4
Ricoh responded to me within 24 hours and told me what I knew. It seems I have a problem with my K-50, and ebay is not an authorized dealer. Send it back to the ebay seller. And that's just what I'm doing. I really love the 1.7M lens. Now I need to find a good body to use it.
01-27-2016, 03:25 PM   #7
Site Supporter
Site Supporter




Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 456
Original Poster
Well if anyone is interested in my own saga, Precision Camera received my camera on January 8th. About two weeks later, the status went from awaiting repair to awaiting parts. Anyone else out there waiting for parts?

01-28-2016, 07:25 AM   #8
New Member




Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 4
QuoteOriginally posted by kernos Quote
Well if anyone is interested in my own saga, Precision Camera received my camera on January 8th. About two weeks later, the status went from awaiting repair to awaiting parts. Anyone else out there waiting for parts?
K-50 or K-30? I'm new to the whole Pentax thing, and I really liked the K-50 except for the whole aperture not working b.s. out of the box. Other than that it was great. I kind of just want to get another K-50 and not pay the premium for the K-3. Double the cost for body only at 600 for a K-3 is a little excessive for me right now.
01-28-2016, 02:49 PM   #9
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
UncleVanya's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2014
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 28,168
QuoteOriginally posted by kennyk17 Quote
K-50 or K-30? I'm new to the whole Pentax thing, and I really liked the K-50 except for the whole aperture not working b.s. out of the box. Other than that it was great. I kind of just want to get another K-50 and not pay the premium for the K-3. Double the cost for body only at 600 for a K-3 is a little excessive for me right now.
If you don't need some of the extra features of the K-50, the KS-1 and KS-2 are cheaper than the K-3 and have some advantages over the K-50 (as well as some disadvantages).
01-29-2016, 06:41 AM   #10
New Member




Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 4
That's true, but all this negative talk about Pentax/Ricoh's customer service and returns department doesn't instill a whole lot of confidence.
05-27-2016, 06:42 PM   #11
Site Supporter
Site Supporter




Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: NY
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,559
QuoteOriginally posted by kennyk17 Quote
That's true, but all this negative talk about Pentax/Ricoh's customer service and returns department doesn't instill a whole lot of confidence.
it sux
05-27-2016, 07:08 PM   #12
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
UncleVanya's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2014
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 28,168
QuoteOriginally posted by niceshot Quote
it sux
Despite bad communication and some confusion my K-50 was repaired successfully and without too long of a delay. I think the company gets a bad reputation because they don't communicate at all and if they did some of the "fixed, returned, problem still exists" problems might be resolved correctly. I honestly haven't seen them as all that bad other than the communication - which is a big deal for any work done on behalf of another company. They basically represent Pentax poorly.
05-28-2016, 03:02 AM   #13
Site Supporter
Site Supporter




Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: NY
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,559
QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
Despite bad communication and some confusion my K-50 was repaired successfully and without too long of a delay. I think the company gets a bad reputation because they don't communicate at all and if they did some of the "fixed, returned, problem still exists" problems might be resolved correctly. I honestly haven't seen them as all that bad other than the communication - which is a big deal for any work done on behalf of another company. They basically represent Pentax poorly.
Liston I remember Sony had a problem with their f-717 sensors and the stepped up to the plate and offered free, get that part free repair of the sensor problem. Guess Sony cares about their reputation. AND YOU KNOW THE REST
06-19-2016, 06:26 AM   #14
New Member




Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 18
QuoteOriginally posted by kernos Quote
I had an aperture motor failure after a few years with my k-30. I replaced it with a k-50 since the repair would probably not be worth it. The k-50 aperture motor failed after 6 months. There is some concern that I may have inadvertently bought a grey market camera from Amazon, but that is besides the point. Has Pentax ever provided a definitive fix for this issue? If I do manage to get a warranty repair, would it be better to sell the k-50 while it is still working and buy a K3 or K3 ii or just abandon Pentax? I have a number of Pentax and Pentax compatible lenses and would hate to abandon the brand, but I'm feeling beat up by continuing failure on a part that should be good for 10000 or more shutter clicks.
My K-50 motor just went.

Where did you have it repaired and what was the cost ??

Thanks,

Zoomer
06-19-2016, 07:24 AM   #15
Site Supporter
Site Supporter




Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: NY
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,559
QuoteOriginally posted by Zoomer Quote
My K-50 motor just went.

Where did you have it repaired and what was the cost ??

Thanks,

Zoomer
there are a few guy who swear the k-30 and the k-50 have no problems, go figure.
Reply

Bookmarks
  • Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook
  • Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter
  • Submit Thread to Digg Digg
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it!
aperture, aperture motor, aperture motor failure, camera, dslr, failure, k-30, k-50, k3, motor, pentax, photography, precision camera, repair
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
K-50 aperture actuator mechanism failure? nw_mushroom Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 6 12-02-2015 07:13 AM
Fixing DA 16-50mm f/2.8 lens motor failure - is there a sticky, or wiki page? dartagnon Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 17 12-13-2014 03:20 AM
K-3 StartUp Buzz / Noise - Aperture motor? dMwBennn Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 22 12-12-2014 01:27 PM
Failure rate of the SDM motor - 100% ? peterh337 Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 21 04-06-2014 05:16 AM
Lens motor failure DC Cebula Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 3 02-18-2014 05:59 AM



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:55 AM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top