K20D AF problem

benjikan · 03-14-2009, 04:05 AM

One of my bodies is freaking out. The Auto Focus moves back and forth very quickly, never stopping on the object I'm focusing on. Taking it to Pentax this Monday. Tried all of my lenses. It is definitely the body.

Adrian Owerko · 03-14-2009, 04:20 AM

Rice High is a bit slow these days... I thought he would have jumped on this thread by now? Have you tried a new fresh battery pack & a menu reset? I know when my K100D went strange I reinstalled the firmware .. Fixed a problem of it's focus jumping in and out..

gazonk · 03-14-2009, 06:15 AM

Originally posted by benjikan

One of my bodies is freaking out. The Auto Focus moves back and forth very quickly, never stopping on the object I'm focusing on. Taking it to Pentax this Monday. Tried all of my lenses. It is definitely the body.

Not very likely, perhaps, but could it simply be dust on the AF sensors?

NeverSatisfied · 03-14-2009, 08:00 AM

There was a pretty intense thread over on DPR about, "What makes someone a 'pro', the camera or the photographer"? It was mostly a shot at Canikon snobbery. Among the many knowledgeable people on this forum, Benjikan certainly falls within the ranks of well-respected professionals. ALL camera systems have their problems (just read some of the other forums, if you can stomach it!

), but one of the marks of a true professional is this: "...one of my bodies..."
Usually Benjikan, we are coming to you to solve our problems! I'm sure you take more shots with your Pentax gear, on any given day, than most of us do in a month. (So if you're having trouble, we can for sure rule out operator error, unlike myself!

) Hope you're able to get it fixed quickly. But, like a true professional, you will not allow the occasional equipment failure to jeopardize your livelihood, because you're prepared for such emergencies and have a "back-up" plan. Good luck.

kenyee · 03-14-2009, 09:50 AM

Try a power cycle? I.e., take battery out, leave it out for a while, swap in a new battery?
If that doesn't do it, your AF module is probably dead...

K100Dave · 03-14-2009, 02:28 PM

Sounds like the contacts could be dirty? I had this happen with my K100D a while back and had a local establishment clean the contacts? This made all the differnce in the world as I have not had the body go nuts on me again!

benjikan · 03-15-2009, 09:55 AM

Originally posted by NeverSatisfied

There was a pretty intense thread over on DPR about, "What makes someone a 'pro', the camera or the photographer"? It was mostly a shot at Canikon snobbery. Among the many knowledgeable people on this forum, Benjikan certainly falls within the ranks of well-respected professionals. ALL camera systems have their problems (just read some of the other forums, if you can stomach it!

), but one of the marks of a true professional is this: "...one of my bodies..."
Usually Benjikan, we are coming to you to solve our problems! I'm sure you take more shots with your Pentax gear, on any given day, than most of us do in a month. (So if you're having trouble, we can for sure rule out operator error, unlike myself!

) Hope you're able to get it fixed quickly. But, like a true professional, you will not allow the occasional equipment failure to jeopardize your livelihood, because you're prepared for such emergencies and have a "back-up" plan. Good luck.

Not to worry. I called Pentax and the turn around will be Pro Service. I still have another 5 bodies...

I am just confused. I did re-set the menu and there is no dust on the sensor nor the contacts as all my shooting is indoors and they are never used for casual shooting.

None the less, I hate the trip out to Pentax in the outskirts of Paris.

Thanks
Ben

benjikan · 03-15-2009, 09:59 AM

Originally posted by kenyee

Try a power cycle? I.e., take battery out, leave it out for a while, swap in a new battery?
If that doesn't do it, your AF module is probably dead...

That's what the tech said at Pentax. He listened to the sound of the camera over the phone attempting to focus and said "AF Module"...

roentarre · 03-15-2009, 03:39 PM

This camera has myathenia gravis, easily fatique over time. I had been resting the "AF" from time to time by using manual focus quite a bit. It increases the longivity of the camera

dopeytree · 03-15-2009, 03:44 PM

Im guessing it's been well used?

benjikan · 03-25-2009, 03:44 AM

Just spoke with Pentax. The turn around was two days. They replaced the "Auto Focus" module and will sending the body back to me today.

Ben

George Lama · 03-25-2009, 09:30 PM

Out of curiosity, and not that it's any reflection on the longevity of any camera component, but how many images have been taken with this particular camera? With 5 bodies I assume you rotate through them often.

dopeytree · 03-27-2009, 12:56 PM

Originally posted by benjikan

Just spoke with Pentax. The turn around was two days. They replaced the "Auto Focus" module and will sending the body back to me today.

Ben

I guess it helps having a relationship with pentax france eh? As there's no pro service outside of the USA

It took pentax UK four weeks to fix my 540 flash! but they took the money within the first few days!

benjikan · 03-27-2009, 02:03 PM

Got the Pentax K20D back this morning by messenger. That was a three day turn around time, door to door. They even sent back the piece that they replaced to show me that they actually did something

It is now working perfectly. Here is the component they replaced, called a "Auto Focus Encoder", and of course there was no charge.

benjikan · 03-27-2009, 02:19 PM

Originally posted by dopeytree

Im guessing it's been well used?

Used for only 4 or 5 photo sessions...i.e. perhaps 2000 to 2500 activations.

03-14-2009, 04:05 AM	#1
benjikan Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Paris, France Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,308	K20D AF problem One of my bodies is freaking out. The Auto Focus moves back and forth very quickly, never stopping on the object I'm focusing on. Taking it to Pentax this Monday. Tried all of my lenses. It is definitely the body.

03-14-2009, 08:00 AM	#4
NeverSatisfied Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: S.E. Michigan Photos: Albums Posts: 688	"Back-up" Plan There was a pretty intense thread over on DPR about, "What makes someone a 'pro', the camera or the photographer"? It was mostly a shot at Canikon snobbery. Among the many knowledgeable people on this forum, Benjikan certainly falls within the ranks of well-respected professionals. ALL camera systems have their problems (just read some of the other forums, if you can stomach it! ), but one of the marks of a true professional is this: "...one of my bodies..." Usually Benjikan, we are coming to you to solve our problems! I'm sure you take more shots with your Pentax gear, on any given day, than most of us do in a month. (So if you're having trouble, we can for sure rule out operator error, unlike myself! ) Hope you're able to get it fixed quickly. But, like a true professional, you will not allow the occasional equipment failure to jeopardize your livelihood, because you're prepared for such emergencies and have a "back-up" plan. Good luck.

03-27-2009, 02:03 PM	#14
benjikan Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Paris, France Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,308 Original Poster	Got the Pentax K20D back this morning by messenger. That was a three day turn around time, door to door. They even sent back the piece that they replaced to show me that they actually did something It is now working perfectly. Here is the component they replaced, called a "Auto Focus Encoder", and of course there was no charge. Attached Images Last edited by benjikan; 03-27-2009 at 03:08 PM.

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03-14-2009, 04:20 AM	#2
Adrian Owerko Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: South Australia Posts: 435	Rice High is a bit slow these days... I thought he would have jumped on this thread by now? Have you tried a new fresh battery pack & a menu reset? I know when my K100D went strange I reinstalled the firmware .. Fixed a problem of it's focus jumping in and out..

03-14-2009, 06:15 AM	#3
gazonk Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Oslo area, Norway Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,746	Originally posted by benjikan One of my bodies is freaking out. The Auto Focus moves back and forth very quickly, never stopping on the object I'm focusing on. Taking it to Pentax this Monday. Tried all of my lenses. It is definitely the body. Not very likely, perhaps, but could it simply be dust on the AF sensors?

03-14-2009, 09:50 AM	#5
kenyee Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Boston, PRofMA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,026	Try a power cycle? I.e., take battery out, leave it out for a while, swap in a new battery? If that doesn't do it, your AF module is probably dead...

03-14-2009, 02:28 PM	#6
K100Dave Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 111	Sounds like the contacts could be dirty? I had this happen with my K100D a while back and had a local establishment clean the contacts? This made all the differnce in the world as I have not had the body go nuts on me again!

03-15-2009, 09:55 AM	#7
benjikan Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Paris, France Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,308 Original Poster	Originally posted by NeverSatisfied There was a pretty intense thread over on DPR about, "What makes someone a 'pro', the camera or the photographer"? It was mostly a shot at Canikon snobbery. Among the many knowledgeable people on this forum, Benjikan certainly falls within the ranks of well-respected professionals. ALL camera systems have their problems (just read some of the other forums, if you can stomach it! ), but one of the marks of a true professional is this: "...one of my bodies..." Usually Benjikan, we are coming to you to solve our problems! I'm sure you take more shots with your Pentax gear, on any given day, than most of us do in a month. (So if you're having trouble, we can for sure rule out operator error, unlike myself! ) Hope you're able to get it fixed quickly. But, like a true professional, you will not allow the occasional equipment failure to jeopardize your livelihood, because you're prepared for such emergencies and have a "back-up" plan. Good luck. Not to worry. I called Pentax and the turn around will be Pro Service. I still have another 5 bodies... I am just confused. I did re-set the menu and there is no dust on the sensor nor the contacts as all my shooting is indoors and they are never used for casual shooting. None the less, I hate the trip out to Pentax in the outskirts of Paris. Thanks Ben

03-15-2009, 09:59 AM	#8
benjikan Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Paris, France Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,308 Original Poster	Originally posted by kenyee Try a power cycle? I.e., take battery out, leave it out for a while, swap in a new battery? If that doesn't do it, your AF module is probably dead... That's what the tech said at Pentax. He listened to the sound of the camera over the phone attempting to focus and said "AF Module"...

03-15-2009, 03:39 PM	#9
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	This camera has myathenia gravis, easily fatique over time. I had been resting the "AF" from time to time by using manual focus quite a bit. It increases the longivity of the camera

03-15-2009, 03:44 PM	#10
dopeytree Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Somerset, UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 619	Im guessing it's been well used?

03-25-2009, 03:44 AM	#11
benjikan Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Paris, France Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,308 Original Poster	Just spoke with Pentax. The turn around was two days. They replaced the "Auto Focus" module and will sending the body back to me today. Ben

03-25-2009, 09:30 PM	#12
George Lama Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Buffalo/Rochester, NY Photos: Albums Posts: 1,133	Out of curiosity, and not that it's any reflection on the longevity of any camera component, but how many images have been taken with this particular camera? With 5 bodies I assume you rotate through them often.

03-27-2009, 12:56 PM	#13
dopeytree Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Somerset, UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 619	Originally posted by benjikan Just spoke with Pentax. The turn around was two days. They replaced the "Auto Focus" module and will sending the body back to me today. Ben I guess it helps having a relationship with pentax france eh? As there's no pro service outside of the USA It took pentax UK four weeks to fix my 540 flash! but they took the money within the first few days!

03-27-2009, 02:19 PM	#15
benjikan Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Paris, France Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,308 Original Poster	Originally posted by dopeytree Im guessing it's been well used? Used for only 4 or 5 photo sessions...i.e. perhaps 2000 to 2500 activations.