How common is the aperture block failure, really?

DennisP · 06-07-2018, 09:52 AM

Originally posted by clackers

Shouldn't return if you replace the dud solenoid.

Great to hear...will probably do the DIY replacement over the summer and see how it goes...

LensBeginner · 06-07-2018, 01:20 PM

Originally posted by psoo

I agree with Scorpio that buying used equipment may give increased risk of failure. However, my K50 was bought brand new and it was also susceptible to failure.

Increased failure count as well, if both users report the failure on the interwebz for the same camera!

Hamiltom · 06-09-2018, 04:55 AM - **1 Like**

My family experience:

My K30 lasted about 3 years and 8000 shots before failure.

My brother's K50 lasted about 2 1/2 years before failure.

My niece's K30 lasted about 2 1/2 years before failure.

All failures have identical symptoms related to aperture block failure.

My K30 was the last to fail and I will be swapping out a film body solenoid into it and hopefully that will cure the problem.

Obviously, I won't ever consider a new Pentax with that aperture control system again.

I really think Ricoh should address this issue with some form of compensation/trade in credit to owners of these cameras. The reasoning behind this is that it is painfully obvious that these cameras have a manufacturing defect and that they fail under normal use.

Personally, I would use the credit to pick up a KP as I have Pentax bodies dating back to the 1960's.

T Evergreen · 06-09-2018, 06:20 AM

Originally posted by Hamiltom

My family experience:

My K30 was the last to fail and I will be swapping out a film body solenoid into it and hopefully that will cure the problem.

I really think Ricoh should address this issue with some form of compensation/trade in credit to owners of these cameras. The reasoning behind this is that it is painfully obvious that these cameras have a manufacturing defect and that they fail under normal use.

Hamiltom, let us know how that swap of a solenoid from a film era camera works out. FYI, In one of the other threads on this subject in the K-30/K-50 forum, I was told that the solenoid from an MZ-50 worked, but there were other postings that some of these earlier solenoids had the wrong polarity (which you could fix by reversing the wires) or too great a holding power and thus wouldn't work.

**kernos** · 06-09-2018, 06:48 AM

Seriously, get one of the flagship models, used if you have to. K5 ii(s) K3 K3ii. In addition to having a more reliable ACB, there are more color bits to work with and the shutters are quiet. (Veteran of 2.5 ACB failures)

Theov39 · 06-09-2018, 11:52 AM

Originally posted by kernos

Seriously, get one of the flagship models, used if you have to. K5 ii(s) K3 K3ii. In addition to having a more reliable ACB, there are more color bits to work with and the shutters are quiet. (Veteran of 2.5 ACB failures)

And they are just much nicer cameras to work with in every way. I like my K-50 but LOVE my K-3.

Hamiltom · 06-09-2018, 03:28 PM - **1 Like**

I agree that the flagship models are excellent. (I've had one since they came out.)

That said, I also like having a lighter body and the ergonomics of the K30 were wonderful.

It's such a shame that Ricoh won't do the right thing and admit to the defect and rebuild customer confidence in the Pentax brand.

Here's an example:

The current price of a KP is about US$900. Intro price was US$1100.

Ricoh could have sold a lot of KP's and made a lot of happy customers by offering $200 trade in credit to aperture block failure owners.

As it is, I get to look at my K30 on the shelf as a reminder everyday.

I guess the bean counters don't get the big picture.

**kernos** · 06-09-2018, 04:06 PM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by Hamiltom

I agree that the flagship models are excellent. (I've had one since they came out.)

As it is, I get to look at my K30 on the shelf as a reminder everyday.

I guess the bean counters don't get the big picture.

When my K30 failed, I mounted a kipon m42 adapter and have been having fun since. There are a lot of old cheap (and not so cheap) m42 lenses to experiment with. A nice second camera to have and no worries about an acb failure.

reh321 · 06-09-2018, 06:42 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Hamiltom

I agree that the flagship models are excellent. (I've had one since they came out.)

That said, I also like having a lighter body and the ergonomics of the K30 were wonderful.

It's such a shame that Ricoh won't do the right thing and admit to the defect and rebuild customer confidence in the Pentax brand.

Here's an example:

The current price of a KP is about US$900. Intro price was US$1100.

Ricoh could have sold a lot of KP's and made a lot of happy customers by offering $200 trade in credit to aperture block failure owners.

As it is, I get to look at my K30 on the shelf as a reminder everyday.

I guess the bean counters don't get the big picture.

There is no reason for your K-30 to sit on the shelf.

Put a FA lens on it, and it will work fine, the only change is that you would have to press the green button to perform the metering. You can complain about a cracked egg, or you can make an omelet.

**Quartermaster James** · 06-09-2018, 06:48 PM

Originally posted by reh321

There is no reason for your K-30 to sit on the shelf.

Put a FA lens on it, and it will work fine, the only change is that you would have to press the green button to perform the metering. You can complain about a cracked egg, or you can make an omelet.

Yeah, but I bought eggs, not an omelette! 🤣

---------- Post added Jun 9th, 2018 at 05:52 PM ----------

My K-30 didn't see much action once I got my K-3. I have no idea the shutter count, but it only got about a year's use. Kept it at the office as a secondary camera. Then, one day found it had the problem.

reh321 · 06-09-2018, 07:00 PM

Originally posted by Quartermaster James

Yeah, but I bought eggs, not an omelette! 🤣

My K-30 didn't see much action once I got my K-3. I have no idea the shutter count, but it only got about a year's use. Kept it at the office as a secondary camera. Then, one day found it had the problem.

Evidence is that "parking" the camera is the best way to bring on this problem; to answer your original question, rate may be close to 100% if it goes unused for six months or so, but it will still work fine with FA lenses, which both plentiful and reasonably priced.

**Quartermaster James** · 06-09-2018, 10:28 PM

Originally posted by reh321

Evidence is that "parking" the camera is the best way to bring on this problem; to answer your original question, rate may be close to 100% if it goes unused for six months or so, but it will still work fine with FA lenses, which both plentiful and reasonably priced.

I do have a lot of legacy glass and can use those lenses with the K-30, but I consider that the lemonade from this lemon.

**clackers** · 06-09-2018, 11:01 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by reh321

Evidence is that "parking" the camera is the best way to bring on this problem; to answer your original question, rate may be close to 100% if it goes unused for six months or so,

Your figures and source data, please, Reh!

I have a K-30 that's often gone six months between uses since 2012, doesn't my experience count?

Not a Number · 06-09-2018, 11:18 PM

Then there are K-50s like this:
Pentax durability - PentaxForums.com

Not a Number · 06-10-2018, 07:11 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by clackers

Your figures and source data, please, Reh!

I have a K-30 that's often gone six months between uses since 2012, doesn't my experience count?

He can't count you if you didn't raise your hand before or missed seeing it

Then there are these:
Pentax Aperture Block Failure Survey Results - Articles and Tips | PentaxForums.com
Poll to establish relationship of K-30/50 frequent failure issues - PentaxForums.com

06-09-2018, 11:01 PM - 1 Like	#43
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by reh321 Evidence is that "parking" the camera is the best way to bring on this problem; to answer your original question, rate may be close to 100% if it goes unused for six months or so, Your figures and source data, please, Reh! I have a K-30 that's often gone six months between uses since 2012, doesn't my experience count? Last edited by clackers; 06-10-2018 at 01:30 AM.

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06-07-2018, 09:52 AM	#31
DennisP Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 37	Originally posted by clackers Shouldn't return if you replace the dud solenoid. Great to hear...will probably do the DIY replacement over the summer and see how it goes...

06-07-2018, 01:20 PM	#32
LensBeginner Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Photos: Albums Posts: 4,696	Originally posted by psoo I agree with Scorpio that buying used equipment may give increased risk of failure. However, my K50 was bought brand new and it was also susceptible to failure. Increased failure count as well, if both users report the failure on the interwebz for the same camera!

06-09-2018, 04:55 AM - 1 Like	#33
Hamiltom Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 100	My family experience: My K30 lasted about 3 years and 8000 shots before failure. My brother's K50 lasted about 2 1/2 years before failure. My niece's K30 lasted about 2 1/2 years before failure. All failures have identical symptoms related to aperture block failure. My K30 was the last to fail and I will be swapping out a film body solenoid into it and hopefully that will cure the problem. Obviously, I won't ever consider a new Pentax with that aperture control system again. I really think Ricoh should address this issue with some form of compensation/trade in credit to owners of these cameras. The reasoning behind this is that it is painfully obvious that these cameras have a manufacturing defect and that they fail under normal use. Personally, I would use the credit to pick up a KP as I have Pentax bodies dating back to the 1960's.

06-09-2018, 06:20 AM	#34
T Evergreen Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 197	Originally posted by Hamiltom My family experience: My K30 was the last to fail and I will be swapping out a film body solenoid into it and hopefully that will cure the problem. I really think Ricoh should address this issue with some form of compensation/trade in credit to owners of these cameras. The reasoning behind this is that it is painfully obvious that these cameras have a manufacturing defect and that they fail under normal use. Hamiltom, let us know how that swap of a solenoid from a film era camera works out. FYI, In one of the other threads on this subject in the K-30/K-50 forum, I was told that the solenoid from an MZ-50 worked, but there were other postings that some of these earlier solenoids had the wrong polarity (which you could fix by reversing the wires) or too great a holding power and thus wouldn't work.

06-09-2018, 06:48 AM	#35
kernos Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 456	Seriously, get one of the flagship models, used if you have to. K5 ii(s) K3 K3ii. In addition to having a more reliable ACB, there are more color bits to work with and the shutters are quiet. (Veteran of 2.5 ACB failures)

06-09-2018, 11:52 AM	#36
Theov39 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Sydney Posts: 594	Originally posted by kernos Seriously, get one of the flagship models, used if you have to. K5 ii(s) K3 K3ii. In addition to having a more reliable ACB, there are more color bits to work with and the shutters are quiet. (Veteran of 2.5 ACB failures) And they are just much nicer cameras to work with in every way. I like my K-50 but LOVE my K-3.

06-09-2018, 03:28 PM - 1 Like	#37
Hamiltom Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 100	I agree that the flagship models are excellent. (I've had one since they came out.) That said, I also like having a lighter body and the ergonomics of the K30 were wonderful. It's such a shame that Ricoh won't do the right thing and admit to the defect and rebuild customer confidence in the Pentax brand. Here's an example: The current price of a KP is about US$900. Intro price was US$1100. Ricoh could have sold a lot of KP's and made a lot of happy customers by offering $200 trade in credit to aperture block failure owners. As it is, I get to look at my K30 on the shelf as a reminder everyday. I guess the bean counters don't get the big picture.

06-09-2018, 04:06 PM - 2 Likes	#38
kernos Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 456	Originally posted by Hamiltom I agree that the flagship models are excellent. (I've had one since they came out.) As it is, I get to look at my K30 on the shelf as a reminder everyday. I guess the bean counters don't get the big picture. When my K30 failed, I mounted a kipon m42 adapter and have been having fun since. There are a lot of old cheap (and not so cheap) m42 lenses to experiment with. A nice second camera to have and no worries about an acb failure.

06-09-2018, 06:42 PM - 1 Like	#39
reh321 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: South Bend, IN, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,177	Originally posted by Hamiltom I agree that the flagship models are excellent. (I've had one since they came out.) That said, I also like having a lighter body and the ergonomics of the K30 were wonderful. It's such a shame that Ricoh won't do the right thing and admit to the defect and rebuild customer confidence in the Pentax brand. Here's an example: The current price of a KP is about US$900. Intro price was US$1100. Ricoh could have sold a lot of KP's and made a lot of happy customers by offering $200 trade in credit to aperture block failure owners. As it is, I get to look at my K30 on the shelf as a reminder everyday. I guess the bean counters don't get the big picture. There is no reason for your K-30 to sit on the shelf. Put a FA lens on it, and it will work fine, the only change is that you would have to press the green button to perform the metering. You can complain about a cracked egg, or you can make an omelet.

06-09-2018, 06:48 PM	#40
Quartermaster James Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Anchorage, Alaska Posts: 653	Originally posted by reh321 There is no reason for your K-30 to sit on the shelf. Put a FA lens on it, and it will work fine, the only change is that you would have to press the green button to perform the metering. You can complain about a cracked egg, or you can make an omelet. Yeah, but I bought eggs, not an omelette! 🤣 ---------- Post added Jun 9th, 2018 at 05:52 PM ---------- My K-30 didn't see much action once I got my K-3. I have no idea the shutter count, but it only got about a year's use. Kept it at the office as a secondary camera. Then, one day found it had the problem.

06-09-2018, 07:00 PM	#41
reh321 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: South Bend, IN, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,177	Originally posted by Quartermaster James Yeah, but I bought eggs, not an omelette! 🤣 My K-30 didn't see much action once I got my K-3. I have no idea the shutter count, but it only got about a year's use. Kept it at the office as a secondary camera. Then, one day found it had the problem. Evidence is that "parking" the camera is the best way to bring on this problem; to answer your original question, rate may be close to 100% if it goes unused for six months or so, but it will still work fine with FA lenses, which both plentiful and reasonably priced.

06-09-2018, 10:28 PM	#42
Quartermaster James Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Anchorage, Alaska Posts: 653	Originally posted by reh321 Evidence is that "parking" the camera is the best way to bring on this problem; to answer your original question, rate may be close to 100% if it goes unused for six months or so, but it will still work fine with FA lenses, which both plentiful and reasonably priced. I do have a lot of legacy glass and can use those lenses with the K-30, but I consider that the lemonade from this lemon.

06-09-2018, 11:18 PM	#44
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,526	Then there are K-50s like this: Pentax durability - PentaxForums.com

06-10-2018, 07:11 AM - 1 Like	#45
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,526	Originally posted by clackers Your figures and source data, please, Reh! I have a K-30 that's often gone six months between uses since 2012, doesn't my experience count? He can't count you if you didn't raise your hand before or missed seeing it Then there are these: Pentax Aperture Block Failure Survey Results - Articles and Tips \| PentaxForums.com Poll to establish relationship of K-30/50 frequent failure issues - PentaxForums.com