Woe! Camera broken :(

George Lama · 02-28-2010, 10:09 PM

I would recommend either
a) sending it in for repair somewhere
b) cover the hole with a piece of rubber/silicone and use black gaffer tape to carefully cover it
c) if you feel adventurous, buy a dead K20 and look into replacing parts.

Using any glue to attempt to bond plastic or metal alloy is fine as long as you're not going to put any stress on that piece. In this case, you would never be able to trust that repair to handle a flash bouncing around putting stress on it.

Mind you - glues and epoxies can claim to hold hundreds of pounds of weight and all that, but you can't lather up the camera with goop as there's just no room for that with the popup flash in the way.

Either way, best of luck with the repair -

**Canada_Rockies** · 03-01-2010, 11:49 AM

FWIW, I cracked the top plate on my K10. Pentax replaced it for C$350. Borderline on replace/repair, but I went for the repair.

RLNagle · 03-01-2010, 09:54 PM

CRIS camera, the official Pentax USA repair shop, can repair it, and the process is actually rather painless, just ship the camera and a completed repair form http://www.pentaximaging.com/files/support/return_ship_label.pdf to this address:
PENTAX SERVICE DEPARTMENT
250 N. 54th Street
Chandler, AZ 85226
They will send you a quote for the repair cost in a week or so, if you choose not to have the repair done, they request something like $15 for the estimate. There is more detailed information is on the Pentax USA website under the support tab. My experience having my K10D repaired was relatively positive, the cost for me to repair similar body damage to my camera was $260+$12 S&H. From what I have heard this seems to be the standard repair cost for damaged exterior components. On the more rhetorical side. (is it right to repair your camera?) If the cost is the same or nearly the same as buying another camera, I would go for the repair; as CRIS will restore the camera to factory specs, which might not be true of a second hand camera. If the repair is more than the cost of replacement, the you are just going to have to decide if the camera holds enough sentimental value to justify the expense of saving it.

Billgscott · 03-02-2010, 05:48 AM

My kit is covered on my household insurance policy. New for old if repair is impossible with a £50 excess.

My K10 was checked over, cash for 28-70 EX Sigma and cash for D-BG 2 grip that were damaged when the gear fell off my tripod, smashed the grip and broke te lens in half. all for the £50 deducted for the cash payout.

My policy also covers me for all my kit out of the country for 60days and for a max value per item of £2000 price paid, not MRP.

Check your policys out ther guys. You may save yourself a bundle and NACL may get a K7 as insurance replacement.

Bill

pingflood · 03-02-2010, 07:13 AM

In the US, you often do NOT want to make a claim on your home owners insurance even if it technically covers it. Good excuse for the company to drop you or jack up your rates far beyond what you "saved".

wildlifephotog · 03-02-2010, 07:26 AM

Don't know how handy you are with a soldering pen. But if you found a "bricked" K20, you could switch out tops complete. The tops are a complete assemby. You would have to unsolder and resolder a few wires.
Or you could order a new top plate and switch over the pieces. I believe even the ribbon parts can be ordered.

wildlifephotog · 03-02-2010, 07:32 AM

Here is a shot under the hood of a DS, just to give you an idea of the wiring.

Last edited by wildlifephotog; 09-27-2013 at 07:25 AM.

**NaClH2O** · 03-02-2010, 08:02 AM

Again, thanks everybody for their input. Here is what has happened so far:
1. Decided to go with a professional repair, I'm somewhat handy with a soldering pen, but not great, and it's not something I want to attempt.
2. I e-mailed three different repair places; CRIS, Eric at PentaxRepairs, and a nearby Pentax Authorized place in CT. I got a form response from both CRIS and the CT shop, Eric Henderson took the time to check out the photos of the damage and give me a labor estimate along with detail of the labor required. (replace this, reattach that, solder this etc).
Because of the extra time Eric spent in giving me his quote, I've decided to go with him. I'll send off the camera to him tomorrow (today I'm jammed with work) and take it from there. Hopefully it won't take Pentax too long to get the needed parts to Eric.
In the meantime I'm using my trusty old DS. I had forgotten how irritating it was to have to dive into the menu every time I want to change metering, and how slow it is compared to the K20D. And I actually spent less for the K20D (which I got just before the K-7 was announced) than I did for the DS!

NaCl(I'll let you know how I make out)H2O

wildlifephotog · 03-02-2010, 08:07 AM

Eric is a super guy. The only delay may be parts from Pentax. But he may have an inside line on that too.
Good Luck.

**NaClH2O** · 03-27-2010, 05:55 AM

Hi everybody, just to let you know the latest news. I got my camera back from Eric last Friday the 19th. Everything "working as intended" Total cost of repair was under $150. To say I'm pleased would be an understatement. Eric not only fixed the camera but also cleaned it and cleaned the contacts on the rear thumb wheel which would occasionally freeze. That is no longer happening either. I cannot recommend Eric Hendrickson at pentax27@aol.com. (or pentaxrepairs@aol.com ) more highly. I found Eric to be professional, thorough, and inexpensive. He was also helpful in suggestions on packing and shipping.

NaCl(I hope I don't reqire his services again, but it is good to know he's there)H2O

Jodokast96 · 03-27-2010, 06:48 AM

Now, if we can get him working on SDM failures............

jjdgti · 03-29-2010, 08:27 AM

He is tha Master when it comes to K, M and A lenses. After you get them back, they are smoot, clean and working like new. Now I see that he also repais DSLRs. Good news.

mel · 03-29-2010, 09:07 AM

VERY good news. He cleaned my Takumar 400 and did a wonderful job. Maybe I'll send him my K10d with the memory card slot that tanked for him to fix as well.

MJB DIGITAL · 03-29-2010, 09:13 AM

Originally posted by NaClH2O

darren: the worst part of it was that the camera fell 10 inches if that, it just landed wrong. Unfortunately the flash after breaking free from the camera, fell all the way to to the ground another 16 inches or so. I don't know if it's OK, as I haven't checked it out yet. Right now all I'm concerned about is the camera. When I have some time I'll mount it on my venerable DS and see if all functions are working.

NaCl(sigh)H2O

I don't think it's just that the camera landed wrong. I have broken that part of my cameras three or four times. I have one sitting on my desk right now like that. The first time was a slam against the dashboard when I had to hit the brakes very hard...I can understand that one.
Another time I slipped on ice and fell onto my back in snow. It wasn't too hard of a landing. I had the camera and flash cradled against my chest/coat. I thought I had protected it, but when I got up, it was broken right there.
Recently, I had a camera that was just starting to have a hairline crack for some reason. It was getting worse and worse to the point where I had to hold it in place for the flash to be able to stand up. It finally came off....

I am normally pretty hard on my gear, but that seems to be the spot that they break.....

systemA · 03-30-2010, 01:46 AM

I've been meaning to send a few items to Eric to get a quote on repair.

I'm glad there was a happy ending for you

03-02-2010, 05:48 AM	#19
Billgscott Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: York Posts: 241	Insurance My kit is covered on my household insurance policy. New for old if repair is impossible with a £50 excess. My K10 was checked over, cash for 28-70 EX Sigma and cash for D-BG 2 grip that were damaged when the gear fell off my tripod, smashed the grip and broke te lens in half. all for the £50 deducted for the cash payout. My policy also covers me for all my kit out of the country for 60days and for a max value per item of £2000 price paid, not MRP. Check your policys out ther guys. You may save yourself a bundle and NACL may get a K7 as insurance replacement. Bill

03-02-2010, 08:02 AM	#23
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,631 Original Poster	Update Again, thanks everybody for their input. Here is what has happened so far: 1. Decided to go with a professional repair, I'm somewhat handy with a soldering pen, but not great, and it's not something I want to attempt. 2. I e-mailed three different repair places; CRIS, Eric at PentaxRepairs, and a nearby Pentax Authorized place in CT. I got a form response from both CRIS and the CT shop, Eric Henderson took the time to check out the photos of the damage and give me a labor estimate along with detail of the labor required. (replace this, reattach that, solder this etc). Because of the extra time Eric spent in giving me his quote, I've decided to go with him. I'll send off the camera to him tomorrow (today I'm jammed with work) and take it from there. Hopefully it won't take Pentax too long to get the needed parts to Eric. In the meantime I'm using my trusty old DS. I had forgotten how irritating it was to have to dive into the menu every time I want to change metering, and how slow it is compared to the K20D. And I actually spent less for the K20D (which I got just before the K-7 was announced) than I did for the DS! NaCl(I'll let you know how I make out)H2O

03-27-2010, 05:55 AM	#25
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,631 Original Poster	Update Hi everybody, just to let you know the latest news. I got my camera back from Eric last Friday the 19th. Everything "working as intended" Total cost of repair was under $150. To say I'm pleased would be an understatement. Eric not only fixed the camera but also cleaned it and cleaned the contacts on the rear thumb wheel which would occasionally freeze. That is no longer happening either. I cannot recommend Eric Hendrickson at pentax27@aol.com. (or pentaxrepairs@aol.com ) more highly. I found Eric to be professional, thorough, and inexpensive. He was also helpful in suggestions on packing and shipping. NaCl(I hope I don't reqire his services again, but it is good to know he's there)H2O

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02-28-2010, 10:09 PM	#16
George Lama Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Buffalo/Rochester, NY Photos: Albums Posts: 1,133	I would recommend either a) sending it in for repair somewhere b) cover the hole with a piece of rubber/silicone and use black gaffer tape to carefully cover it c) if you feel adventurous, buy a dead K20 and look into replacing parts. Using any glue to attempt to bond plastic or metal alloy is fine as long as you're not going to put any stress on that piece. In this case, you would never be able to trust that repair to handle a flash bouncing around putting stress on it. Mind you - glues and epoxies can claim to hold hundreds of pounds of weight and all that, but you can't lather up the camera with goop as there's just no room for that with the popup flash in the way. Either way, best of luck with the repair -

03-01-2010, 11:49 AM	#17
Canada_Rockies Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Sparwood, BC, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,385	FWIW, I cracked the top plate on my K10. Pentax replaced it for C$350. Borderline on replace/repair, but I went for the repair.

03-01-2010, 09:54 PM	#18
RLNagle New Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Houston Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 5	CRIS camera, the official Pentax USA repair shop, can repair it, and the process is actually rather painless, just ship the camera and a completed repair form http://www.pentaximaging.com/files/support/return_ship_label.pdf to this address: PENTAX SERVICE DEPARTMENT 250 N. 54th Street Chandler, AZ 85226 They will send you a quote for the repair cost in a week or so, if you choose not to have the repair done, they request something like $15 for the estimate. There is more detailed information is on the Pentax USA website under the support tab. My experience having my K10D repaired was relatively positive, the cost for me to repair similar body damage to my camera was $260+$12 S&H. From what I have heard this seems to be the standard repair cost for damaged exterior components. On the more rhetorical side. (is it right to repair your camera?) If the cost is the same or nearly the same as buying another camera, I would go for the repair; as CRIS will restore the camera to factory specs, which might not be true of a second hand camera. If the repair is more than the cost of replacement, the you are just going to have to decide if the camera holds enough sentimental value to justify the expense of saving it.

03-02-2010, 07:13 AM	#20
pingflood Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Borås, Sweden Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,169	In the US, you often do NOT want to make a claim on your home owners insurance even if it technically covers it. Good excuse for the company to drop you or jack up your rates far beyond what you "saved".

03-02-2010, 07:26 AM	#21
wildlifephotog Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: USA Posts: 924	Don't know how handy you are with a soldering pen. But if you found a "bricked" K20, you could switch out tops complete. The tops are a complete assemby. You would have to unsolder and resolder a few wires. Or you could order a new top plate and switch over the pieces. I believe even the ribbon parts can be ordered.

03-02-2010, 07:32 AM	#22
wildlifephotog Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: USA Posts: 924	Here is a shot under the hood of a DS, just to give you an idea of the wiring. Last edited by wildlifephotog; 09-27-2013 at 07:25 AM.

03-02-2010, 08:07 AM	#24
wildlifephotog Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: USA Posts: 924	Eric is a super guy. The only delay may be parts from Pentax. But he may have an inside line on that too. Good Luck.

03-27-2010, 06:48 AM	#26
Jodokast96 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Erial, NJ USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,134	Now, if we can get him working on SDM failures............

03-29-2010, 08:27 AM	#27
jjdgti Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: NJ Posts: 1,824	He is tha Master when it comes to K, M and A lenses. After you get them back, they are smoot, clean and working like new. Now I see that he also repais DSLRs. Good news.

03-29-2010, 09:07 AM	#28
mel Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,531	VERY good news. He cleaned my Takumar 400 and did a wonderful job. Maybe I'll send him my K10d with the memory card slot that tanked for him to fix as well.

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03-29-2010, 09:13 AM	#29
MJB DIGITAL Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: st. louis Posts: 1,170	Originally posted by NaClH2O darren: the worst part of it was that the camera fell 10 inches if that, it just landed wrong. Unfortunately the flash after breaking free from the camera, fell all the way to to the ground another 16 inches or so. I don't know if it's OK, as I haven't checked it out yet. Right now all I'm concerned about is the camera. When I have some time I'll mount it on my venerable DS and see if all functions are working. NaCl(sigh)H2O I don't think it's just that the camera landed wrong. I have broken that part of my cameras three or four times. I have one sitting on my desk right now like that. The first time was a slam against the dashboard when I had to hit the brakes very hard...I can understand that one. Another time I slipped on ice and fell onto my back in snow. It wasn't too hard of a landing. I had the camera and flash cradled against my chest/coat. I thought I had protected it, but when I got up, it was broken right there. Recently, I had a camera that was just starting to have a hairline crack for some reason. It was getting worse and worse to the point where I had to hold it in place for the flash to be able to stand up. It finally came off.... I am normally pretty hard on my gear, but that seems to be the spot that they break.....

03-30-2010, 01:46 AM	#30
systemA Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New York, NY Posts: 385	I've been meaning to send a few items to Eric to get a quote on repair. I'm glad there was a happy ending for you