Pentax K-x mirror slap and/or SR blur problem

**firefly** · 02-27-2010, 11:24 AM

Now that's a strange one... especially since it's the wide end. I plainly see the double image, but can't tell you why you have it (unless you had ten coffees, maybe?). I've got no answer for you... sorry.

Originally posted by RolloR

K-x kit lens
18mm
ISO200
F8
1/125

SR ON

100% crop

this does not happen all the time though. hit or miss really. mostly at 18-28mm.

er1kksen · 02-27-2010, 11:25 AM

Looks similar to what I've been seeing. However, to determine whether it's an actual malfunction or just random camera shake (which can happen, rarely, at 1/125 and 18mm), it's necessary to shoot a long series of exposures, one with SR on and one with SR off (but keeping all other conditions the same) and examining the resulting exposures for patterns of consistent blur.

Graystar · 03-07-2010, 08:18 AM

Originally posted by rawr

I bet you'll find something fatally wrong with it soon enough.

rawr, I thought you might feel great satisfaction to learn that I returned my Nikon D90!

I found two stuck pixels on the sensor. So I sent the camera back to Newegg for replacement, but they're out of stock so I got a refund. This has turned out to be a good thing, actually, because now Amazon has the instant rebate thing going again, so I bought the D90 + a 70-300mm lens, at a great price, and then got 200 bucks off!

Interesting how things work out

As for the D90, other than the bad pixels the only other thing that bothers me is that the manual says a custom white balance needs the entire frame filled with the reference. I found that you don't need to use the entire frame, but it's still not the small center area of the Pentax or even Canon uses. But I can live with that. So, as long as I get a good sensor I'll be keeping the D90.

It's amazing how quiet the focus is on those AF-S lenses.

kari · 03-07-2010, 10:53 AM

I can't tell if my problem is caused by this issue or just conditions. I've noticed lack of sharpness in 100% crops especially with trees, but it might have been movement caused by wind. However, in the shot of the advertisement, wind can't be an issue (out of focus perhaps though). Lastly, I added a sharp shot at that shutter speed. If it's a mirror slap issue, it would not make sense for it to appear only some of the time, would it?

f1.8 1/200 55mm iso 200

f16 1/125 42.5mm iso 200

f5.6 1/125 55mm iso 200

er1kksen · 03-07-2010, 02:38 PM

Kari, it's not mirror slap. It's the SR mechanism acting up. Thus, the effect is inconsistent. Try shooting with the SR off and see if the same issue shows up as often.

cannabiscurescancer · 03-07-2010, 02:52 PM

When I'm shooting macro's on a tripod with a timer with x1 x2 x4 close up lenses should I be turning off the SR? I notice my my macro images don't seem as sharp as regular images ... but thought so far this was just and issue with dof.

here is a non work safe link to get an idea ...
http://www.marijuanaresearch.org/cannaphotos/sdkief4.JPG

bikecoboss · 03-07-2010, 08:12 PM

Originally posted by cannabiscurescancer

When I'm shooting macro's on a tripod with a timer with x1 x2 x4 close up lenses should I be turning off the SR? I notice my my macro images don't seem as sharp as regular images ... but thought so far this was just and issue with dof.

here is a non work safe link to get an idea ...
http://www.marijuanaresearch.org/cannaphotos/sdkief4.JPG

Anytime you use a tripod the SR should be turned off. Also, make sure you're using the centre-point AF setting, not the 5 or 11 point (or better, use manual focus for macro). I haven't experimented with it much, but some people report better close-up focusing using Live View.

Nice crystals!

cannabiscurescancer · 03-07-2010, 09:01 PM

I actually use mostly manual focus the problem is even at f11, the dof is low, but in the viewfinder / live view most is still in focus but when you take the shot only 1/10 is. Just snagged a Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm Macro f/2.8 off flea bay for cheap so stoked, was using a $35 sigma 28-80 on the macro setting before with the hoya close up lenses. Now I will have a close up MACRO prime

, I'll try and do a few test shots with sr on and off and see if I see a difference.

er1kksen · 03-07-2010, 11:18 PM

Originally posted by cannabiscurescancer

When I'm shooting macro's on a tripod with a timer with x1 x2 x4 close up lenses should I be turning off the SR? I notice my my macro images don't seem as sharp as regular images ... but thought so far this was just and issue with dof.

here is a non work safe link to get an idea ...
http://www.marijuanaresearch.org/cannaphotos/sdkief4.JPG

If you're using the timer, SR is automatically disabled... so no, you don't have to turn it off. The camera turns it off for you.

cannabiscurescancer · 03-07-2010, 11:36 PM

Thanks for clearing that up, I guess the SR couldn't have been the issue then as I always use the 2 sec camera setting and a tripod for my macros ...

jlaubza · 03-08-2010, 09:57 AM

Guys, face facts - some K-Xs have a faulty SR system. Doesn't matter how small the percentage is - it ruins your shots. No, one should not have to switch SR off at some speeds and then back on at others - it takes about 6 button presses to access it and set it - waste of time.

The real scandal is that Pentax agencies pretend it is not a problem. In about 6 months time, they will have quietly sorted out the problem and K-Xs sold then will be all OK. At this stage, you buy one at peril - Caveat Emptor!

er1kksen · 03-08-2010, 11:17 AM

Originally posted by jlaubza

Guys, face facts - some K-Xs have a faulty SR system. Doesn't matter how small the percentage is - it ruins your shots. No, one should not have to switch SR off at some speeds and then back on at others - it takes about 6 button presses to access it and set it - waste of time.

The real scandal is that Pentax agencies pretend it is not a problem. In about 6 months time, they will have quietly sorted out the problem and K-Xs sold then will be all OK. At this stage, you buy one at peril - Caveat Emptor!

About one button press and a turn of the click-wheel the way I've got it set up. Really only needs to be on if you're having speeds below 1/60th anyways. Not too hard to work with.

No, it's not something that you should have to deal with, but it shouldn't stop anyone from buying a K-x, given the ease of exchange, the rarity of the problem, and the excellent value represented by the K-x (which would be an excellent value even without SR

). Seems a bit excessive to call the decision "perilous."

opiedog · 03-08-2010, 02:59 PM

that it is so inconsistent. sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.
i think pentax is aware of the "issue" but won't fix it as aggressively like the battery meter issue where almost eveyone had the problem.

so that makes it altogether more difficult to diagnose.

can they fix it by firmware? well, if they can positively ID the problem and that it doesnt' need a hardware change, possibly yes. but if a hardware replacement is necessary, the only way is to send it in.

be ready to wait 2-4 weeks or longer if parts are not available!

PeterSrsen · 03-26-2010, 05:31 AM

Hi guys,

I’ve been watching this forum for months now but my recent problems with my K-x made to post some feedback (my 1st here). So I want to share my experience - I will try to be brief and summarize things.

Before Christmas I was looking for a new mid-range DSLR. 2 cameras made it to my top 2: Pentax K-x and Nikon D90. After a real struggle I have decided to go with Pentax K-x (18-55 and 55-300mm combo). I thought with Nikon you are paying extra just for the brand, it does not have body but lens stabilization so you need to pay more for lens etc although I thought the images and HDR from D90 was more contrasty and sharp. It is quite difficult to explain but they look a bit more appealing for some reason (my subjective opinion).

To cut it short – my k-x combo arrived and I was in heaven. The camera has perfect design, it is very small but handling is great, size is great for traveling as well, it is well built, has fantastic features, makes great images.
At first I have used lithium Energizers supplied with it and it worked like a dream, the camera was really responsive and been taking great crisp images. I mean the images were something I have not been expecting. They were brilliant! Low light was like a butter on hot toast!

I was excited about AAs in the K-x as I think when you are in a forest in Bolivia, on top of Acropolis, shooting waterfalls or simply walking down the street it is much easier to get AAs than new or freshly charged battery pack. Plus, many people have loads of rechargeable nimh AA batteries at home.

In terms of battery I have realized that even if during shooting the battery showed low status (orange), when I turned the camera again it was green again… But who cares if you can take images with showing empty battery and when you carry a spare pack, right? Eventually, as recommended by dpreview, pentax japan, number of blogs, etc. I have updated a firmware hoping it will fix it (new release by Pentax Japan which should fix the battery problem). It did not and I still have this problem to this day.
In terms of battery drainage – no concerns here, the initial lithium took about 2000 images and with eneloops about 700 (average number, I actually think it is around 800).

With the package I have also received Sanyo Eneloops with original charger. So after I have depleted the lithiums I have used the eneloops (I have bought another pack of the same eneloops to have a spare on the road). I think that is where the whole thing started.
With Eneloops I started to realize the AF of the lenses is a bit slower (still I have not used a stopwatch to be honest) and it takes a while when the lens is going back and forth to finally come back to the correct focus point. But that would not be a problem as I can live with that. (For K-x users I tried to select Battery type “Auto” and also “Ni-Mh” – it made no difference)

I still enjoyed the camera very much. I have bought additional SMC A50 f1.7 lens and I was even more happy (God, I love this lens so much!!!) and also used M50 f1.7 as well. It is absolutely fantastic you can use old K mount Pentax lenses with new DSLR!!!

Then I started to experience problems with blurry images especially in low light conditions and longer exposures. With SR on and off, tripod or without, occasionally I would get a blurry image (usually the brightest one with longest exposure) and I was not really happy especially if it ruins HDR composed from auto-bracketed images.
I spoke to Pentax support people and they gave me a number of advices what to do (all of them were advices in terms of photo technique and avoiding user errors). The other thing was really frustrating with 55-300mm, tripod and timer I was not able to get a crisp shot of Moon – tried longer exposures, aperture, shutter speed, ISO – I was really disappointed here as I am 200% the camera did not move at all.
I noticed that with long exposure the shutter is reaaaally strong (I do not mind the loud sound of it). It is one of the strongest shutters I have ever experienced and it actually rocks the camera body – which might be the cause of the blurriness.

Some of you may say these were all photo technique errors and I agree I am not the best photographer in the world with super steady iron hands. But I tried it and it simply did not work.
Well, I still thought I should go through the manual one more time at least and still, it is a new camera so I need to get used to it more.

Last night I was playing with my SMC A50mm f1.7 – manual focus and took about 4-5 images, eneloops were on +-50%, when it started. The SR system inside the camera went completely nuts (I kept the camera in “normal” horizontal level all the time), it felt like there is a heavy ball rolling inside the camera all the time and would not stop. The image was totally useless and FUBAR! I turned the camera off waited a while and turned it on again.
Tried to take a shot and the camera started to vibrate very violently (it was a same vibration type as when the sensor shake is removing dust from a sensor). I can confirm that my lenses and also sensor are always super clean, so I cannot find any explanation here.

I sent a query to Pentax today and waiting for some feedback.

Summary:
As some of the web reviews say: “K-x is a great little camera with issues.” I could not agree more.
I will wait if there is some firmware update or if Pentax will be able to help/advise. But I can honestly say I did not spend over £600 for my new toy to have this kind of problems.
I mean at the moment I love and hate it at the same time, I just do not trust the camera anymore and that is probably the worst thing.
I am really hoping that there will be a firmware update fixing the blurry images/mirror slap or brutal shutter/ or whatever it is very soon.
IMO, the idea that somebody expects me to use lithiums only all the time is totally retarded and absolutely environment-non-friendly, so they could fix the battery issue again if possible.

So if I would be a manager in Pentax I would look into these issues really quick, otherwise I am ready to return the camera and sell all my lenses without a hesitation.
And yes, I would probably end up with D90 even if I will need to pay for new lenses and more for the body.

But I still love my K-x very much… Am I crazy?

er1kksen · 03-26-2010, 02:23 PM

Originally posted by PeterSrsen

[FONT=Arial]
I was excited about AAs in the K-x as I think when you are in a forest in Bolivia, on top of Acropolis, shooting waterfalls or simply walking down the street it is much easier to get AAs than new or freshly charged battery pack. Plus, many people have loads of rechargeable nimh AA batteries at home.

Unfortunately, the only batteries of any variety I found to be available while shooting with my K-x in Bolivia were cheap alkalines destined to give you less than 200 (or even 100) shots per set.

I had two sets of rechargeables that served me well, fortunately, and carried a spare set of lithiums.

Quote:

Last night I was playing with my SMC A50mm f1.7 – manual focus and took about 4-5 images, eneloops were on +-50%, when it started. The SR system inside the camera went completely nuts (I kept the camera in “normal” horizontal level all the time), it felt like there is a heavy ball rolling inside the camera all the time and would not stop. The image was totally useless and FUBAR! I turned the camera off waited a while and turned it on again.
Tried to take a shot and the camera started to vibrate very violently (it was a same vibration type as when the sensor shake is removing dust from a sensor). I can confirm that my lenses and also sensor are always super clean, so I cannot find any explanation here.

But I still love my K-x very much… Am I crazy?

This violent shaking you describe is pretty unique and certainly not the norm... I've never heard of anything like that occurring with the K-x before. I am one of those individuals experiencing the "normal" K-x blur problem, which is much less serious than what you describe and really no cause for alarm. Even so, I still love my K-x quite a bit, so if you're crazy, I must be too.

It's quite a camera for its size and price.

View Poll Results: Have you noticed blurred image and/or double image with your K-x
Yes	74	34.91%
No	138	65.09%
Voters: 212. You may not vote on this poll

03-07-2010, 02:52 PM	#36
cannabiscurescancer Inactive Account Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: cali Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 22	When I'm shooting macro's on a tripod with a timer with x1 x2 x4 close up lenses should I be turning off the SR? I notice my my macro images don't seem as sharp as regular images ... but thought so far this was just and issue with dof. here is a non work safe link to get an idea ... http://www.marijuanaresearch.org/cannaphotos/sdkief4.JPG Last edited by cannabiscurescancer; 03-07-2010 at 02:59 PM.

03-07-2010, 09:01 PM	#38
cannabiscurescancer Inactive Account Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: cali Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 22	I actually use mostly manual focus the problem is even at f11, the dof is low, but in the viewfinder / live view most is still in focus but when you take the shot only 1/10 is. Just snagged a Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm Macro f/2.8 off flea bay for cheap so stoked, was using a $35 sigma 28-80 on the macro setting before with the hoya close up lenses. Now I will have a close up MACRO prime , I'll try and do a few test shots with sr on and off and see if I see a difference. Last edited by cannabiscurescancer; 03-07-2010 at 09:24 PM.

03-08-2010, 09:57 AM	#41
jlaubza Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: south africa, johannesburg Photos: Gallery Posts: 228	K-X Sr issue Guys, face facts - some K-Xs have a faulty SR system. Doesn't matter how small the percentage is - it ruins your shots. No, one should not have to switch SR off at some speeds and then back on at others - it takes about 6 button presses to access it and set it - waste of time. The real scandal is that Pentax agencies pretend it is not a problem. In about 6 months time, they will have quietly sorted out the problem and K-Xs sold then will be all OK. At this stage, you buy one at peril - Caveat Emptor!

03-08-2010, 02:59 PM	#43
opiedog Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: NC Posts: 787	the most difficult part about this is that it is so inconsistent. sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. i think pentax is aware of the "issue" but won't fix it as aggressively like the battery meter issue where almost eveyone had the problem. so that makes it altogether more difficult to diagnose. can they fix it by firmware? well, if they can positively ID the problem and that it doesnt' need a hardware change, possibly yes. but if a hardware replacement is necessary, the only way is to send it in. be ready to wait 2-4 weeks or longer if parts are not available!

02-27-2010, 11:24 AM	#31
firefly Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: New Brunswick Photos: Albums Posts: 200 Original Poster	Now that's a strange one... especially since it's the wide end. I plainly see the double image, but can't tell you why you have it (unless you had ten coffees, maybe?). I've got no answer for you... sorry. Originally posted by RolloR K-x kit lens 18mm ISO200 F8 1/125 SR ON 100% crop this does not happen all the time though. hit or miss really. mostly at 18-28mm.

02-27-2010, 11:25 AM	#32
er1kksen Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Forestville, NY Photos: Albums Posts: 1,801	Looks similar to what I've been seeing. However, to determine whether it's an actual malfunction or just random camera shake (which can happen, rarely, at 1/125 and 18mm), it's necessary to shoot a long series of exposures, one with SR on and one with SR off (but keeping all other conditions the same) and examining the resulting exposures for patterns of consistent blur.

03-07-2010, 08:18 AM	#33
Graystar Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 144	Originally posted by rawr I bet you'll find something fatally wrong with it soon enough. rawr, I thought you might feel great satisfaction to learn that I returned my Nikon D90! I found two stuck pixels on the sensor. So I sent the camera back to Newegg for replacement, but they're out of stock so I got a refund. This has turned out to be a good thing, actually, because now Amazon has the instant rebate thing going again, so I bought the D90 + a 70-300mm lens, at a great price, and then got 200 bucks off! Interesting how things work out As for the D90, other than the bad pixels the only other thing that bothers me is that the manual says a custom white balance needs the entire frame filled with the reference. I found that you don't need to use the entire frame, but it's still not the small center area of the Pentax or even Canon uses. But I can live with that. So, as long as I get a good sensor I'll be keeping the D90. It's amazing how quiet the focus is on those AF-S lenses.

03-07-2010, 10:53 AM	#34
kari Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Photos: Albums Posts: 142	I can't tell if my problem is caused by this issue or just conditions. I've noticed lack of sharpness in 100% crops especially with trees, but it might have been movement caused by wind. However, in the shot of the advertisement, wind can't be an issue (out of focus perhaps though). Lastly, I added a sharp shot at that shutter speed. If it's a mirror slap issue, it would not make sense for it to appear only some of the time, would it? f1.8 1/200 55mm iso 200 f16 1/125 42.5mm iso 200 f5.6 1/125 55mm iso 200

03-07-2010, 02:38 PM	#35
er1kksen Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Forestville, NY Photos: Albums Posts: 1,801	Kari, it's not mirror slap. It's the SR mechanism acting up. Thus, the effect is inconsistent. Try shooting with the SR off and see if the same issue shows up as often.

03-07-2010, 08:12 PM	#37
bikecoboss Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Pemberton BC Posts: 238	Originally posted by cannabiscurescancer When I'm shooting macro's on a tripod with a timer with x1 x2 x4 close up lenses should I be turning off the SR? I notice my my macro images don't seem as sharp as regular images ... but thought so far this was just and issue with dof. here is a non work safe link to get an idea ... http://www.marijuanaresearch.org/cannaphotos/sdkief4.JPG Anytime you use a tripod the SR should be turned off. Also, make sure you're using the centre-point AF setting, not the 5 or 11 point (or better, use manual focus for macro). I haven't experimented with it much, but some people report better close-up focusing using Live View. Nice crystals!

03-07-2010, 11:18 PM	#39
er1kksen Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Forestville, NY Photos: Albums Posts: 1,801	Originally posted by cannabiscurescancer When I'm shooting macro's on a tripod with a timer with x1 x2 x4 close up lenses should I be turning off the SR? I notice my my macro images don't seem as sharp as regular images ... but thought so far this was just and issue with dof. here is a non work safe link to get an idea ... http://www.marijuanaresearch.org/cannaphotos/sdkief4.JPG If you're using the timer, SR is automatically disabled... so no, you don't have to turn it off. The camera turns it off for you.

03-07-2010, 11:36 PM	#40
cannabiscurescancer Inactive Account Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: cali Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 22	Thanks for clearing that up, I guess the SR couldn't have been the issue then as I always use the 2 sec camera setting and a tripod for my macros ...

03-08-2010, 11:17 AM	#42
er1kksen Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Forestville, NY Photos: Albums Posts: 1,801	Originally posted by jlaubza Guys, face facts - some K-Xs have a faulty SR system. Doesn't matter how small the percentage is - it ruins your shots. No, one should not have to switch SR off at some speeds and then back on at others - it takes about 6 button presses to access it and set it - waste of time. The real scandal is that Pentax agencies pretend it is not a problem. In about 6 months time, they will have quietly sorted out the problem and K-Xs sold then will be all OK. At this stage, you buy one at peril - Caveat Emptor! About one button press and a turn of the click-wheel the way I've got it set up. Really only needs to be on if you're having speeds below 1/60th anyways. Not too hard to work with. No, it's not something that you should have to deal with, but it shouldn't stop anyone from buying a K-x, given the ease of exchange, the rarity of the problem, and the excellent value represented by the K-x (which would be an excellent value even without SR ). Seems a bit excessive to call the decision "perilous."

03-26-2010, 05:31 AM	#44
PeterSrsen New Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: London Posts: 6	Please add your thoughts - I am going crazy Hi guys, I’ve been watching this forum for months now but my recent problems with my K-x made to post some feedback (my 1st here). So I want to share my experience - I will try to be brief and summarize things. Before Christmas I was looking for a new mid-range DSLR. 2 cameras made it to my top 2: Pentax K-x and Nikon D90. After a real struggle I have decided to go with Pentax K-x (18-55 and 55-300mm combo). I thought with Nikon you are paying extra just for the brand, it does not have body but lens stabilization so you need to pay more for lens etc although I thought the images and HDR from D90 was more contrasty and sharp. It is quite difficult to explain but they look a bit more appealing for some reason (my subjective opinion). To cut it short – my k-x combo arrived and I was in heaven. The camera has perfect design, it is very small but handling is great, size is great for traveling as well, it is well built, has fantastic features, makes great images. At first I have used lithium Energizers supplied with it and it worked like a dream, the camera was really responsive and been taking great crisp images. I mean the images were something I have not been expecting. They were brilliant! Low light was like a butter on hot toast! I was excited about AAs in the K-x as I think when you are in a forest in Bolivia, on top of Acropolis, shooting waterfalls or simply walking down the street it is much easier to get AAs than new or freshly charged battery pack. Plus, many people have loads of rechargeable nimh AA batteries at home. In terms of battery I have realized that even if during shooting the battery showed low status (orange), when I turned the camera again it was green again… But who cares if you can take images with showing empty battery and when you carry a spare pack, right? Eventually, as recommended by dpreview, pentax japan, number of blogs, etc. I have updated a firmware hoping it will fix it (new release by Pentax Japan which should fix the battery problem). It did not and I still have this problem to this day. In terms of battery drainage – no concerns here, the initial lithium took about 2000 images and with eneloops about 700 (average number, I actually think it is around 800). With the package I have also received Sanyo Eneloops with original charger. So after I have depleted the lithiums I have used the eneloops (I have bought another pack of the same eneloops to have a spare on the road). I think that is where the whole thing started. With Eneloops I started to realize the AF of the lenses is a bit slower (still I have not used a stopwatch to be honest) and it takes a while when the lens is going back and forth to finally come back to the correct focus point. But that would not be a problem as I can live with that. (For K-x users I tried to select Battery type “Auto” and also “Ni-Mh” – it made no difference) I still enjoyed the camera very much. I have bought additional SMC A50 f1.7 lens and I was even more happy (God, I love this lens so much!!!) and also used M50 f1.7 as well. It is absolutely fantastic you can use old K mount Pentax lenses with new DSLR!!! Then I started to experience problems with blurry images especially in low light conditions and longer exposures. With SR on and off, tripod or without, occasionally I would get a blurry image (usually the brightest one with longest exposure) and I was not really happy especially if it ruins HDR composed from auto-bracketed images. I spoke to Pentax support people and they gave me a number of advices what to do (all of them were advices in terms of photo technique and avoiding user errors). The other thing was really frustrating with 55-300mm, tripod and timer I was not able to get a crisp shot of Moon – tried longer exposures, aperture, shutter speed, ISO – I was really disappointed here as I am 200% the camera did not move at all. I noticed that with long exposure the shutter is reaaaally strong (I do not mind the loud sound of it). It is one of the strongest shutters I have ever experienced and it actually rocks the camera body – which might be the cause of the blurriness. Some of you may say these were all photo technique errors and I agree I am not the best photographer in the world with super steady iron hands. But I tried it and it simply did not work. Well, I still thought I should go through the manual one more time at least and still, it is a new camera so I need to get used to it more. Last night I was playing with my SMC A50mm f1.7 – manual focus and took about 4-5 images, eneloops were on +-50%, when it started. The SR system inside the camera went completely nuts (I kept the camera in “normal” horizontal level all the time), it felt like there is a heavy ball rolling inside the camera all the time and would not stop. The image was totally useless and FUBAR! I turned the camera off waited a while and turned it on again. Tried to take a shot and the camera started to vibrate very violently (it was a same vibration type as when the sensor shake is removing dust from a sensor). I can confirm that my lenses and also sensor are always super clean, so I cannot find any explanation here. I sent a query to Pentax today and waiting for some feedback. Summary: As some of the web reviews say: “K-x is a great little camera with issues.” I could not agree more. I will wait if there is some firmware update or if Pentax will be able to help/advise. But I can honestly say I did not spend over £600 for my new toy to have this kind of problems. I mean at the moment I love and hate it at the same time, I just do not trust the camera anymore and that is probably the worst thing. I am really hoping that there will be a firmware update fixing the blurry images/mirror slap or brutal shutter/ or whatever it is very soon. IMO, the idea that somebody expects me to use lithiums only all the time is totally retarded and absolutely environment-non-friendly, so they could fix the battery issue again if possible. So if I would be a manager in Pentax I would look into these issues really quick, otherwise I am ready to return the camera and sell all my lenses without a hesitation. And yes, I would probably end up with D90 even if I will need to pay for new lenses and more for the body. But I still love my K-x very much… Am I crazy?

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6X7 mirror/shutter slap	Gooshin	Pentax Medium Format	21	01-15-2010 11:31 PM

03-26-2010, 02:23 PM	#45
er1kksen Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Forestville, NY Photos: Albums Posts: 1,801	Originally posted by PeterSrsen [FONT=Arial] I was excited about AAs in the K-x as I think when you are in a forest in Bolivia, on top of Acropolis, shooting waterfalls or simply walking down the street it is much easier to get AAs than new or freshly charged battery pack. Plus, many people have loads of rechargeable nimh AA batteries at home. Unfortunately, the only batteries of any variety I found to be available while shooting with my K-x in Bolivia were cheap alkalines destined to give you less than 200 (or even 100) shots per set. I had two sets of rechargeables that served me well, fortunately, and carried a spare set of lithiums. Quote: Last night I was playing with my SMC A50mm f1.7 – manual focus and took about 4-5 images, eneloops were on +-50%, when it started. The SR system inside the camera went completely nuts (I kept the camera in “normal” horizontal level all the time), it felt like there is a heavy ball rolling inside the camera all the time and would not stop. The image was totally useless and FUBAR! I turned the camera off waited a while and turned it on again. Tried to take a shot and the camera started to vibrate very violently (it was a same vibration type as when the sensor shake is removing dust from a sensor). I can confirm that my lenses and also sensor are always super clean, so I cannot find any explanation here. But I still love my K-x very much… Am I crazy? This violent shaking you describe is pretty unique and certainly not the norm... I've never heard of anything like that occurring with the K-x before. I am one of those individuals experiencing the "normal" K-x blur problem, which is much less serious than what you describe and really no cause for alarm. Even so, I still love my K-x quite a bit, so if you're crazy, I must be too. It's quite a camera for its size and price.