Indeed - I wait to see the outcome from the Manila service. If all goes well, I will send the Optio A30 for repair also - it is producing lots of random purple flashes all over the images.

Yes, in the meanwhile I will make good use of the K-5 IIs - even my wife appreciates the significant improvement over the K10D.

Okay, thanks for all the advice.

It appears that a chain of shops called 'CameraHaus' own the distribution of Pentax in Philippines. The first store I visited (mentioned in my first post) did not impress me with their (lack of) knowledge and customer service.

On Monday this week, I visited another branch - the manager there is very knowledgeable and accommodating. The result was that I ordered a K5IIs body and 18-135WR lens (the price of the body had been reduced by the equivalent of US$100 since my original enquiry!). He also said that they own the Pentax service centre in Manila, that all the techs are well trained in Japan, and that he could arrange for my K10D to be sent to Manila.

He managed to get the new items delivered from Manila the next day (a speed of delivery which is almost unheard of here) so, on Wednesday, I went back to the store (a 90 minute journey each way) to collect my new toys, and deliver my K10. It was a pleasant surprise to find that an 8GB SDHC card and a nice, Pentax-branded, shoulder case, big enough for camera/lens and one spare lens plus other accessories, was included in the price of the new camera.

We tried a new battery in the K10 - no change in symptoms. He called the techs in Manila - the conclusion is that the symptoms suggest that the shutter is stuck. So, my K10 is on it's way to Manila for attention - I will let you know the outcome. In the meanwhile, I'm enjoying the K5!

Edit: By way of conversation, I asked the manager what his preferred model of camera was. Sadly, the wage levels here are such that he replied that he simply could not afford to own a camera, but borrowed from friends whenever he could.

It's ironic, isn't it? I've been a Pentax user since 1984, a member of Pentax Club and a subscriber to Pentax User - all the time I had the availability of discounted service, I never needed it ... now I need it, it's 8000 miles away.

I've already tested that switch and, yes, it alters the behaviour in that the battery symbol doesn't show at all if the pin is released.

No, holding down the menu (or any other) button, during power on doea not alter the behaviour.

Perhaps, but I was intending to let my niece use the K10D (she currently has use of the K100D).

... but why would it not work on the mains adapter?

I think that my K10D is objecting to the fact that I'm looking to upgrade to a K5II!

I last turned the K10D on on October 30, just to check the firmware version (v1.30 - I decided that the update to v1.31 wasn't important).

Then, last weekend, I went to use the camera and the response to turning on was nothing but a flashing battery outline on the top lcd, as though the battery was completely flat. I put the battery on charge for a couple of hours, until the charging light went off. However, the behaviour of the camera was exactly the same. I connected the mains power unit but the response to turning the camera on was absolutely nothing.

Okay, perhaps the battery has died, and the mains ps unit too - I took the mains unit to a Pentax stockist, who allowed me to connect to their K5, with the battery removed. The K5 worked fine with the psu, proving that t is alive and well.

So, I am left with the conclusion that my K10D has failed spontaneously, with no apparent cause. I have seen postings from other K10D owners with similar symptoms. It seems that, sometimes, the camera revives just as spontaneously as it failed. However, I have not been able to find any information as to what goes wrong with the camera, and what a repair involves.

I have tried with more than one sd card (and with no card). I have checked the sd card door - the switch will control whether the flashing battery symbol appears on the top lcd, so I'm sure that switch is working correctly.

Has anyone any insight into this problem, or can advise what else to check, or how to repair?

Although I bought the K10D while I was still living in UK, I have now emigrated to the Philippines - the 'birth' place of most Pentax cameras. However, I'm not sure whether to entrust my camera to the service agent - Filipinos love to make improvised repairs!

Boiler? Who needs a boiler when the temperature is around 30C all the time? Admittedly, when I lived in UK, a boiler breakdown was a major calamity!

Waiting when we're 3 months away from end of life is a little different to waiting when we're 3 months after launch.

I forget how many months (or was it years?) I waited for the *istD to launch - I got one from the first batch delivered. Up until then I continued to use my Super A, and my 2.5Mpix Olympus.