Anyone have this problem?

dankuno · 12-08-2009, 09:02 PM

I purchased a K20 in May and have taken over 6,00 pictures. I treat the camera with delicate hands. One morning I was taking some pictures of a beautiful sunrise, downloaded them onto the computer like I normally do, and shut the camera off when I was finished. When I turned the camera on about twenty minutes later, the battery symbol would show on the LCD panel, but then the camera shut off. I tried this several times with the same effect. Hoping this was a simple fix, I took the camera to the local dealer, and he hadn't seen this problem. They mailed my camera to Pentax as a warranty fix and I'll be without my camera for three to four weeks (ouch). Anybody ever seen this problem?

pxpaulx · 12-08-2009, 09:26 PM

Isnt that what happens when the battery is dead? I would think that is the camera telling you the battery is drained. Also, it may be draining alot of battery via the USB transfer - perhaps having the battery drain while transferring files caused a system corruption or something...I havent transferred photos directly from a camera in years. To save battery life, how come you don't use a card reader? They are pretty expensive and often even come with an SD card purchase these days. That is my best guess as to what happened (assuming it wasnt a simple battery drain).

dankuno · 12-08-2009, 10:22 PM

The battery was recently charged, and I also tried it with my back-up battery which was fully charged, and the same problem occured. At the camera shop they also tried a new battery with the same results. Have others had problems by using the usb cable or do most use card readers?

philbaum · 12-08-2009, 11:40 PM

Originally posted by dankuno

The battery was recently charged, and I also tried it with my back-up battery which was fully charged, and the same problem occured. At the camera shop they also tried a new battery with the same results. Have others had problems by using the usb cable or do most use card readers?

I've never used anything but a card reader - why drain the camera body?

**tomwil** · 12-09-2009, 04:40 AM

Seems like something overheated during the transfer. But, transferring files through USB is a valid function and should not have caused a problem.

I wonder if the camera were left unused overnight without the battery, it might have come back to life?

Oggy · 12-09-2009, 03:09 PM

I do not have a card reader and always use USB. No problems here.

-Joe- · 12-09-2009, 03:23 PM

Dont expect it back in 3 weeks.. CRIS has had mine for over 4 weeks now.

Lloydy · 12-09-2009, 04:05 PM

The USB cable just hangs out of my PC, I very rarely use the reader. I don't think it's any faster, and I've never seen any problem with battery drain on my K10. But I don't leave it connected after downloading.

Eruditass · 12-09-2009, 04:52 PM

Did you charge the battery and try it again?

I use a $0.99 card-reader from ebay that reads at ~20 MB/s. I prefer it to any possibility of stressing the camera's electronics.

dankuno · 12-10-2009, 08:00 AM

Thanks for the comments. At the camera shop we tried a new battery, so it wasn't the battery. Thanks for the news about being over four weeks. Initially the camera shop told me at least two weeks, but when I went back after two weeks they said warranty repairs take about three and a half weeks. I noticed that others on the list that paid for repairs received theirs back earlier. So if you have warranty it looks like you're at the bottom of the priority list.

12-08-2009, 09:02 PM	#1
dankuno Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 173	Anyone have this problem? I purchased a K20 in May and have taken over 6,00 pictures. I treat the camera with delicate hands. One morning I was taking some pictures of a beautiful sunrise, downloaded them onto the computer like I normally do, and shut the camera off when I was finished. When I turned the camera on about twenty minutes later, the battery symbol would show on the LCD panel, but then the camera shut off. I tried this several times with the same effect. Hoping this was a simple fix, I took the camera to the local dealer, and he hadn't seen this problem. They mailed my camera to Pentax as a warranty fix and I'll be without my camera for three to four weeks (ouch). Anybody ever seen this problem?

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12-08-2009, 09:26 PM	#2
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	Isnt that what happens when the battery is dead? I would think that is the camera telling you the battery is drained. Also, it may be draining alot of battery via the USB transfer - perhaps having the battery drain while transferring files caused a system corruption or something...I havent transferred photos directly from a camera in years. To save battery life, how come you don't use a card reader? They are pretty expensive and often even come with an SD card purchase these days. That is my best guess as to what happened (assuming it wasnt a simple battery drain).

12-08-2009, 10:22 PM	#3
dankuno Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 173 Original Poster	The battery was recently charged, and I also tried it with my back-up battery which was fully charged, and the same problem occured. At the camera shop they also tried a new battery with the same results. Have others had problems by using the usb cable or do most use card readers?

12-08-2009, 11:40 PM	#4
philbaum Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Port Townsend, Washington State, USA Posts: 3,659	Originally posted by dankuno The battery was recently charged, and I also tried it with my back-up battery which was fully charged, and the same problem occured. At the camera shop they also tried a new battery with the same results. Have others had problems by using the usb cable or do most use card readers? I've never used anything but a card reader - why drain the camera body?

12-09-2009, 04:40 AM	#5
tomwil Site Supporter Join Date: May 2009 Location: Maryland USA Posts: 778	Seems like something overheated during the transfer. But, transferring files through USB is a valid function and should not have caused a problem. I wonder if the camera were left unused overnight without the battery, it might have come back to life?

12-09-2009, 03:09 PM	#6
Oggy Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: West Sussex UK Posts: 235	I do not have a card reader and always use USB. No problems here.

12-09-2009, 03:23 PM	#7
-Joe- Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: KY Photos: Gallery Posts: 47	Dont expect it back in 3 weeks.. CRIS has had mine for over 4 weeks now.

12-09-2009, 04:05 PM	#8
Lloydy Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Shropshire, UK Posts: 1,114	The USB cable just hangs out of my PC, I very rarely use the reader. I don't think it's any faster, and I've never seen any problem with battery drain on my K10. But I don't leave it connected after downloading.

12-09-2009, 04:52 PM	#9
Eruditass Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,207	Did you charge the battery and try it again? I use a $0.99 card-reader from ebay that reads at ~20 MB/s. I prefer it to any possibility of stressing the camera's electronics.

12-10-2009, 08:00 AM	#10
dankuno Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 173 Original Poster	Thanks for the comments. At the camera shop we tried a new battery, so it wasn't the battery. Thanks for the news about being over four weeks. Initially the camera shop told me at least two weeks, but when I went back after two weeks they said warranty repairs take about three and a half weeks. I noticed that others on the list that paid for repairs received theirs back earlier. So if you have warranty it looks like you're at the bottom of the priority list.

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