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K-30 random exposure failure issue

richandfleur
Posted 14/04/2014 - 06:53 Link
Well was documenting scenarios I'd tested etc before contacting the service agents.

Different batteries, different lenses, different modes and auto focus settings etc.


I just fired off a few shots with no lens attached to check for physical issues on the inside and...

It all sprung back into life?!!!

Works fine now
Edited by richandfleur: 14/04/2014 - 06:54
Blincodave
Posted 17/04/2014 - 19:13 Link
Bizarre indeed. Do keep us K-30 users informed.
K30git
Posted 20/04/2014 - 11:44 Link
Interesting, thanks for keeping us posted.
jemx99
Posted 16/06/2014 - 00:02 Link
richandfleur wrote:
Hi,

Anyone else with a K-30 experienced this?

Happened a few times to me recently on holiday. Same settings in Manual occasionally returned nearly completely black images for no reason. Kit lens, nothing changed setting wise.

Googled it and found there may be a widespread issue with the K-30 due to a failing aperture drive motor? Just wondering if anyone else had experienced this and thought I'd make people aware if it hadn't been mentioned before?

In my case I turned the camera off and back on again quite a bit, but it looks as though it's just random so that wasn't really helping anything.

'Other Pentax Forum' example
youtube example
Flickr discussion

Think my K30 has caught the dreaded aperture drive failure illness - seeing this post of the problems Richard had and also googling the problem mine seems to have the same symptoms - looks like a trip to Johnson's but luckily I live a bit closer than Richard - about 5 miles away!
richandfleur
Posted 16/06/2014 - 01:26 Link
Quote:

Think my K30 has caught the dreaded aperture drive failure illness - seeing this post of the problems Richard had and also googling the problem mine seems to have the same symptoms - looks like a trip to Johnson's but luckily I live a bit closer than Richard - about 5 miles away!

What has yours been up to? What are your symptoms?

Good luck, 5 minutes away sounds great!
Edited by richandfleur: 16/06/2014 - 01:26
richandfleur
Posted 16/06/2014 - 01:29 Link
richandfleur wrote:
Well was documenting scenarios I'd tested etc before contacting the service agents.

Different batteries, different lenses, different modes and auto focus settings etc.


I just fired off a few shots with no lens attached to check for physical issues on the inside and...

It all sprung back into life?!!!

Works fine now

Just to follow up, I didn't do anything more after this 'fixed' the random shutter problem, and it's never occured again since. I weighed up the postage to return it a 2nd time and decided against it, mainly becuase it had righted itself and there was a very good chance of them reporting it as fine/can not reproduce fault etc. It was a completely different issue than the original aperture motor problem.

Assume the second problem was a total one off as it's been fine from then on, but was glad that I returned it originally for the Aperture motor issue. This was getting worse and hasn't happened even once since the initial Johnsons repair.
Edited by richandfleur: 16/06/2014 - 01:31
jemx99
Posted 16/06/2014 - 18:37 Link
richandfleur wrote:
Quote:

Think my K30 has caught the dreaded aperture drive failure illness - seeing this post of the problems Richard had and also googling the problem mine seems to have the same symptoms - looks like a trip to Johnson's but luckily I live a bit closer than Richard - about 5 miles away!

What has yours been up to? What are your symptoms?

Good luck, 5 minutes away sounds great!

It started yesterday - went out to take some shots of the other halfs new Rose and about half of the shots were well over exposed. I thought it was me, then thought it was the lens so I changed it but the camera kept over exposing!
I took the camera in doors,set it up on a tripod and took a load of test shots. For example if I took 10 shots all at the same setting on manual - about 7 would be ok but the rest would be over exposed. Tried several lens but still the same. Strange thing is the info for each shot were all the same and it shows that on the exit.
richandfleur
Posted 19/06/2014 - 00:33 Link
jemx99 wrote:

It started yesterday - went out to take some shots of the other halfs new Rose and about half of the shots were well over exposed. I thought it was me, then thought it was the lens so I changed it but the camera kept over exposing!
I took the camera in doors,set it up on a tripod and took a load of test shots. For example if I took 10 shots all at the same setting on manual - about 7 would be ok but the rest would be over exposed. Tried several lens but still the same. Strange thing is the info for each shot were all the same and it shows that on the exit.

Yes that's it exactly. It's not you, it's the camera that's faulty!

Get it checked quick whilst you are (hopefully?) still under warranty.

It's the aperture motor sticking some times, or driving the aperture further open than it should etc. It's worst on semi manual modes such as Av and Tv, because when the lens sticks closed the camera meters on this false light value and then calculates a massively off value to compensate.

I don't know if it was a bad batch of components but mine was fixed easily and effectively. Was your's a particularly early production model?
jemx99
Posted 19/06/2014 - 20:26 Link
richandfleur wrote:
jemx99 wrote:

It started yesterday - went out to take some shots of the other halfs new Rose and about half of the shots were well over exposed. I thought it was me, then thought it was the lens so I changed it but the camera kept over exposing!
I took the camera in doors,set it up on a tripod and took a load of test shots. For example if I took 10 shots all at the same setting on manual - about 7 would be ok but the rest would be over exposed. Tried several lens but still the same. Strange thing is the info for each shot were all the same and it shows that on the exit.

Yes that's it exactly. It's not you, it's the camera that's faulty!

Get it checked quick whilst you are (hopefully?) still under warranty.

It's the aperture motor sticking some times, or driving the aperture further open than it should etc. It's worst on semi manual modes such as Av and Tv, because when the lens sticks closed the camera meters on this false light value and then calculates a massively off value to compensate.

I don't know if it was a bad batch of components but mine was fixed easily and effectively. Was your's a particularly early production model?

Thanks for your info. I've had my camera for about 18 months so has about 6 months of warranty left (brought from SRS so luckily was covered for 2 years). I have emailed Johnson's so will drop it off as soon as I can. Just hope the problem never comes back!
richandfleur
Posted 19/06/2014 - 22:14 Link
Looking back, Johns described the solution on my camera rather vaguely as:

"fitted a replacement diaphragm mechanism"

Which fundamentally means replaced the bit that controls/drives the aperture of the lens.

It was a fairly quick fix on mine, so good luck for yours
jemx99
Posted 19/06/2014 - 22:41 Link
Thanks Richard - will let you know how I go on.
jemx99
Posted 24/06/2014 - 23:28 Link
Since my problem with my K30 last week the camera now seems to be working ok (at least for now) - I have done a lot of testing over the last 2 or 3 days and it never failed once. Will keep my eye on it and see how it goes!
AuraTodd
Posted 17/07/2016 - 16:31 Link
I've followed this thread with intrest. My screen is also black on reviewing the shots. if this is a well known problem, then I have lost faith in Pentax. i'm strapped for cash and I can't afford to keep paying out if something goes wrong.
McGregNi
Posted 17/07/2016 - 18:42 Link
AuraTodd, you've only been saying that the camera 'screen is black' ..... This could mean something as simple as the image review has been switched off. I'd suggest also confirming that the images are recorded on the SD card and if they can be seen on a computer.
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AuraTodd
Posted 17/07/2016 - 18:45 Link
McGregNi wrote:
AuraTodd, you've only been saying that the camera 'screen is black' ..... This could mean something as simple as the image review has been switched off. I'd suggest also confirming that the images are recorded on the SD card and if they can be seen on a computer.

tried all sorts of settings but I get the same results.

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