Dirty Fingers at Pentax Canada

F-Stop · 06-15-2009, 10:04 PM

My K100D came back from repair today!

I was kinda disappointed in a way because I had the store loaner K20D for about 5 weeks. There was a resistor on a circuit board that had to be replaced apparently causing the camera to lock up periodically not allowing me to adjust aperture or shutter speed. The exposure compensation would then jump from -3.0 to +3.0, -1.5 to + 2.0 or any combination of those. Occassionally the image would be exposed properly other times not. The only fix was to turn the program dial from M, as I shoot mostly in manual, to any other mode and back again; this would work for about 1 shot and lock up again.

Long story short, I didn't have time to check the camera in the store. I get to work, take off the bubble wrap in excitement to check it all out. WHAT! Why is the focus screen fuzzy, what happened. I cleaned the viewfinder thinking I put a finger print there or it was dirty from its travels. Took off the lens to check the focus screen, wasn't about to touch that. Further inspection there's a grease smudge on the other side of the viewfinder from what looks like latex gloves covering 80% of the viewfinder making most of the field blurry along with 2 large pieces of dirt.

I thought I could fix it myself, wishing I could take apart the viewfinder only to realize after removing the rubber surround it's sealed inside the body.

Looks like another trip back to Pentax and a K20D back in my hands, Oh well...

Last edited by F-Stop; 06-15-2009 at 10:10 PM.

F-Stop · 06-16-2009, 01:47 PM

So, I brought the K100D back to the camera store to have it sent back AGAIN, this time Purolator, after she called the regional Pentax rep. about what happened. She pulled out the repair slip from Pentax and it said they replaced a resistor and the Viewfinder was scratched yet they didn't fix that.

I thought it was grease at first but further inspection it was actually scratched completely as if it was scraped against a stone. The store owner looked at it with a magnifying light and said the same thing. Because it's on the inside of the viewfinder they even said it would be impossible for me to do that.

That said, they mentioned they've seen much worse from "Other Brands" like cameras sent back in the box where they forgot to put the screws back in or everything covered in blood. Still, a pretty bad mistake for one of the most critical areas of the camera function. If by chance I scratched the external glass by accident you'd think they'd fix that and test the camera prior to release back to the customer to make sure there is nothing wrong. I guess someone was having a bad day at work.

asdf · 06-16-2009, 02:47 PM

Originally posted by F-Stop

That said, they mentioned they've seen much worse from "Other Brands" like cameras sent back in the box where they forgot to put the screws back in or everything covered in blood.

Wow, interesting, if true.

kitkat · 06-17-2009, 04:34 AM

Wow! Thanks for that info, F-Stop. I'll be certain to check out my camera when it's returned from Pentax Canada, where it has been for an in-warranty repair for the last two weeks. Fortunately I had returned the camera through the seller's store, and they did a receiving inspection and documented their findings: as new condition, no damage visible. I'll put a lens on it and use it before accepting it. Thanks.

06-15-2009, 10:04 PM	#1
F-Stop Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Paradise, Newfoundland, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 303	Dirty Fingers at Pentax Canada My K100D came back from repair today! I was kinda disappointed in a way because I had the store loaner K20D for about 5 weeks. There was a resistor on a circuit board that had to be replaced apparently causing the camera to lock up periodically not allowing me to adjust aperture or shutter speed. The exposure compensation would then jump from -3.0 to +3.0, -1.5 to + 2.0 or any combination of those. Occassionally the image would be exposed properly other times not. The only fix was to turn the program dial from M, as I shoot mostly in manual, to any other mode and back again; this would work for about 1 shot and lock up again. Long story short, I didn't have time to check the camera in the store. I get to work, take off the bubble wrap in excitement to check it all out. WHAT! Why is the focus screen fuzzy, what happened. I cleaned the viewfinder thinking I put a finger print there or it was dirty from its travels. Took off the lens to check the focus screen, wasn't about to touch that. Further inspection there's a grease smudge on the other side of the viewfinder from what looks like latex gloves covering 80% of the viewfinder making most of the field blurry along with 2 large pieces of dirt. I thought I could fix it myself, wishing I could take apart the viewfinder only to realize after removing the rubber surround it's sealed inside the body. Looks like another trip back to Pentax and a K20D back in my hands, Oh well... Last edited by F-Stop; 06-15-2009 at 10:10 PM.

06-16-2009, 01:47 PM	#2
F-Stop Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Paradise, Newfoundland, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 303 Original Poster	Update! So, I brought the K100D back to the camera store to have it sent back AGAIN, this time Purolator, after she called the regional Pentax rep. about what happened. She pulled out the repair slip from Pentax and it said they replaced a resistor and the Viewfinder was scratched yet they didn't fix that. I thought it was grease at first but further inspection it was actually scratched completely as if it was scraped against a stone. The store owner looked at it with a magnifying light and said the same thing. Because it's on the inside of the viewfinder they even said it would be impossible for me to do that. That said, they mentioned they've seen much worse from "Other Brands" like cameras sent back in the box where they forgot to put the screws back in or everything covered in blood. Still, a pretty bad mistake for one of the most critical areas of the camera function. If by chance I scratched the external glass by accident you'd think they'd fix that and test the camera prior to release back to the customer to make sure there is nothing wrong. I guess someone was having a bad day at work.

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06-16-2009, 02:47 PM	#3
asdf Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 1,252	Originally posted by F-Stop That said, they mentioned they've seen much worse from "Other Brands" like cameras sent back in the box where they forgot to put the screws back in or everything covered in blood. Wow, interesting, if true.

06-17-2009, 04:34 AM	#4
kitkat Forum Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Kanata, Ontario, Canada Posts: 85	Wow! Thanks for that info, F-Stop. I'll be certain to check out my camera when it's returned from Pentax Canada, where it has been for an in-warranty repair for the last two weeks. Fortunately I had returned the camera through the seller's store, and they did a receiving inspection and documented their findings: as new condition, no damage visible. I'll put a lens on it and use it before accepting it. Thanks.