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11-29-2016, 08:45 PM   #1
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I just need to vent... Or start throwing my Pentax gear against a wall. Repeatedly...

I'm sure this story has been told a thousand times. Please forgive one more rendition.

I have been a Pentax fan(boi) for over a decade. I originally started with Pentax DSLRs because they offered better value than the usual suspects, and the extra ruggedness was a welcome bonus. Since my original entry (K-100), I have bought several more bodies: K-x, K-r, K-30, K-3...

...and enough glass to... well anyway a heck of a lot of glass.

Then, while on vacation this past summer, my K-3 suddenly developed a bizarre problem. I eventually sent it in to Precision, who took over 3 months to fix it (getting parts from Ricoh Japan is apparently very hard to do, and requires a row boat).

I decided to use my K-30 as a temporary replacement, but lo and behold, during the little-over-a-year that it sat on a shelf, it developed the stuck aperture motor problem (I tried all the tricks - the thing is permanently stuck).

So despite all of this, for some reason I went ahead and bought a K-1, with 3 shiny new DFA lenses (about 3 weeks ago). Evidently, I have now become one of the sorts with more money than sense. Which sucks, because I don't have a heck of a lot of money...

I took my new K-1, with my 150-450 lens that I bought last year (and used 3 times until today) to photograph my high-school soccer player. And the lens zoom is now stuck. It won't retract below about 200mm. Evidently this is a known issue with this lens. Something about using the zoom feature, which apparently is a risky endeavor with this lens.

So now it's back to Precision for another repair. Another $40 to ship and insure the lens, that I used exactly 4 times (counting today). One bit of fortune - the lens is still under warranty for a week...

As I reflect on all of this, I realize that I still have a week left on Adorama's 30-day return policy. I'm tempted to just send back the $5k of Pentax gear I just bought. I can probably get a pretty decent Canon kit started with that...

Thanks for reading my rant. Any advice, support, comments, or kicks in the backside will be appreciated and/or taken under advisement...

11-29-2016, 08:57 PM - 1 Like   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by shahnm Quote
One bit of fortune - the lens is still under warranty for a week... .
Karma owes you a bit, Shahnm!

I've only got extended warranty on my K-1, but you should go for most purchases, if only for peace of mind.
11-29-2016, 09:03 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by clackers Quote
Karma owes you a bit, Shahnm!

I've only got extended warranty on my K-1, but you should go for most purchases, if only for peace of mind.

I guess I should look on the bright side. Perhaps my taking the camera/lens out tonight (which I hadn't planned to do and actually ran back to grab on the way out the door) was karma giving me a 1+. If the lens died next week, it would have been out of warranty...

BTW - I never previously thought that extended warranties were good values, but I learned my lesson with Pentax cameras. I did buy the extended warranty on the K-1. I thought it was supposed to include the new lenses too, but the paperwork just lists the camera body. Anyway, I guess that's 5-years of some peace of mind...

Thanks for the thoughts!
11-29-2016, 09:13 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by shahnm Quote
I'm sure this story has been told a thousand times. Please forgive one more rendition.

I have been a Pentax fan(boi) for over a decade. I originally started with Pentax DSLRs because they offered better value than the usual suspects, and the extra ruggedness was a welcome bonus. Since my original entry (K-100), I have bought several more bodies: K-x, K-r, K-30, K-3...

...and enough glass to... well anyway a heck of a lot of glass.

Then, while on vacation this past summer, my K-3 suddenly developed a bizarre problem. I eventually sent it in to Precision, who took over 3 months to fix it (getting parts from Ricoh Japan is apparently very hard to do, and requires a row boat).

I decided to use my K-30 as a temporary replacement, but lo and behold, during the little-over-a-year that it sat on a shelf, it developed the stuck aperture motor problem (I tried all the tricks - the thing is permanently stuck).

So despite all of this, for some reason I went ahead and bought a K-1, with 3 shiny new DFA lenses (about 3 weeks ago). Evidently, I have now become one of the sorts with more money than sense. Which sucks, because I don't have a heck of a lot of money...

I took my new K-1, with my 150-450 lens that I bought last year (and used 3 times until today) to photograph my high-school soccer player. And the lens zoom is now stuck. It won't retract below about 200mm. Evidently this is a known issue with this lens. Something about using the zoom feature, which apparently is a risky endeavor with this lens.

So now it's back to Precision for another repair. Another $40 to ship and insure the lens, that I used exactly 4 times (counting today). One bit of fortune - the lens is still under warranty for a week...

As I reflect on all of this, I realize that I still have a week left on Adorama's 30-day return policy. I'm tempted to just send back the $5k of Pentax gear I just bought. I can probably get a pretty decent Canon kit started with that...

Thanks for reading my rant. Any advice, support, comments, or kicks in the backside will be appreciated and/or taken under advisement...
I can provide sympathy, but not a whole lot more. Thank you for providing this information. More, and more, idleness does seem to be implicated as an immediate cause of the aperture block issue - but I guess telling you that doesn't do much good. I wouldn't give up on Pentax quite yet. I can tell you that I came back to Pentax roughly eighteen months ago after two Canon Rebels {cheap end of their line, roughly comparable to K-30/50/70} failed me during an eight year period; normally that doesn't sound like a big deal, but I had taken a total of 4153 pictures with the two of them, and I'd had to "hard reboot" {i.e., take battery out and let it sit} the second one three times during the last year. Thus, any company can have a streak of "bad luck", but that isn't much consolation to you at this point. I'm not quite sure what that $5K of gear consists of, but assuming none of it is broken, I would sleep on any decision to return it. One current weakness of the K-1 is the weak line of lenses. If you like it with the other lens, I would certainly think twice about giving up on it, since it's real strength is in wider angle work {and once the K-3 is back, it could be the one you depend on for "reach" ... or you could use the K-1 in crop mode with a 55-300mm lens}.

11-29-2016, 09:15 PM - 15 Likes   #5
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The problem is all inside your head Pentax Forums said to me
The answer is easy if you take it logically
I'd like to help you in your struggle to be free
There must be fifty ways to leave your Pentax gear

Pentax forums said it's really not my habit to intrude
Furthermore, I hope my meaning won't be lost or misconstrued
But I'll repeat myself at the risk of being crude
There must be fifty ways to leave your Pentax gear
Fifty ways to leave your Pentax gear

You just slip out the RMA, Jay
Start shopping for Canon, Shannon
You don't need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free

Hop on the ebay, Today
You don't need to discuss much
Just drop off the gear, Dear
And get yourself free

Pentax forums said it grieves me so to see you in such pain
I wish there was something I could do to make you smile again
I said I appreciate that and would you please explain
About the fifty ways

Pentax forums said why don't you just sleep on it tonight
And I believe in the morning you'll begin to see the light
And then Pentax forums consoled me and I realized they probably were right
There must be fifty ways to leave your Pentax gear
Fifty ways to leave your Pentax gear

Last edited by mee; 11-29-2016 at 09:38 PM. Reason: added more lines!
11-29-2016, 09:43 PM   #6
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Ouch.
11-29-2016, 09:50 PM   #7
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That sucks. I'm so sorry.

11-29-2016, 09:51 PM   #8
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Wow that is a boatload of bad luck ..more than most of us would see in a decade. Good luck with your decision. I might return it but then wait a few months to cool off before another major investment.
11-29-2016, 09:55 PM   #9
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I would not say you would have to return anything due to what has happened, but it if you do not feel that you necessarily need the abundance of lenses that you supposedly bought, you do have the option of returning them if it is feasible per the seller time period. Too much at a time can sometimes feel like more of a burden than a valuable tool. Like you said about the 150-450, you have only used it few times, and the camera you had to send in for repair due to it not being used. Supposedly you did not physically cause the problems, and the lens was covered by warranty, so the only thing other than that is the camera failing due to a natural cause. So, I don't see a large problem, being you have the option of returning some lenses if you want some financial relief, or keeping them if you really have the interest in using them. Say you bought another brand camera and some lenses for it, and after 9 months the shutter button stuck. Would you take that as a serious situation, then sell all of your new equipment because you had one mechanical problem with the camera performing? That would be a little extreme, and the situation you are in now is not much worse. As I said, return some things if you want the financial relief, and if you want something later, you will have the option of obtaining it. This is just casual advice. We all make our own decisions and have our own opinions.

Last edited by C_Jones; 11-29-2016 at 10:08 PM.
11-29-2016, 10:08 PM   #10
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Bugga!
11-29-2016, 10:18 PM - 1 Like   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by mee Quote
The problem is all inside your head Pentax Forums said to me
The answer is easy if you take it logically.../

/...There must be fifty ways to leave your Pentax gear
Fifty ways to leave your Pentax gear
To all: thanks for the support, advice, and thoughts!

To mee: Mad props for the creativity!

I looked into it and found out that I can add 5-year warranties for the new lenses I just got (with the K-1), for not a whole lot of money. Same company that Adorama uses for their camera body warranties (New Leaf) has an aftermarket way of adding warranties. I just did that, and now most of my priciest glass will be (hopefully) headache free for 5 years.

Not much I can do about the 150-450, which I bought nearly a year ago. I'll get it fixed as an 11th hour warranty repair, and then hope for the best. Perhaps if I don't actually use the zoom functionality in the future...
11-29-2016, 10:24 PM   #12
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Sadly, if something really bad happens with an idea, it's human nature to discard it and try something new, even if you know for certain a new failure with Canon is just as likely as another failure with Pentax. So, I suggest just go with your gut and try something new, like mirrorless, and not go against your nature.
11-29-2016, 10:29 PM   #13
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It sounds really suck.

QuoteOriginally posted by shahnm Quote
... my K-3 suddenly developed a bizarre problem...
Could you share what is the bizarre problem happened to your K-3?
Waiting 3 months for parts from Japan sound really bad too.
11-29-2016, 10:38 PM - 1 Like   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by pakinjapan Quote
Could you share what is the bizarre problem happened to your K-3?
Waiting 3 months for parts from Japan sound really bad too.
Here was how I described it in my post from July: I was shooting at Niagara Falls this past weekend, when I started noticing either black or way over-exposed images. In auto mode, the shutter was pegged to 1/8000, and all of the pictures were dark. In manual mode, no matter what I set the shutter and aperture to, the exposure compensation pegged at +5. I tried a software reset, new memory card, and different lenses without improvement. Interestingly, the problem did not seem to happen in indoor lighting. The camera functioned normally with dim indoor lighting, in both auto and manual modes... ...the issue seems to be related to the phase detect autofocus system. When I use Live View, the camera performs normally in both auto and manual modes. The link to that thread is: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/58-troubleshooting-beginner-help/325960-k...#ixzz4RT2WfbXa

I get the impression that Precision eventually gutted the camera, because the service repair ticket says they replaced the photo sensor block assembly and the main circuit.
11-29-2016, 11:13 PM   #15
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thank for the answer. hope all the bad news for your gear ended here.
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