Web Analytics RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: Pentax is the Biggest Enemy of Herself! (When a Simple but Annoying Design/QC Problem Could Persist for 8 Years!)

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Pentax is the Biggest Enemy of Herself! (When a Simple but Annoying Design/QC Problem Could Persist for 8 Years!)

See this user report, that is what I have been complaining about since my first *ist D! >:-(

http://forum.xitek.com/thread-960659-1-1-1.html

(in Chinese, Google-translated English page here)

Look at this obvious problem:-



Honestly telling you folks, back to May of the last year I pre-ordered my K-5, but shortly afterwards I went to the shop to get my new camera, I opened five boxes of brand news goods, all of them suffered from the same problem of the above! To the left, right, upward or downward! Damn it! I then tested the AF of those units, which was not that accurate under white fluorescent source with my DA35/2.4. So, I gave up and cancelled the order and got my deposited money back. :-(

Recently, I have looked at the K-5 again. Actually, I have just gone to yet another two different shops to purchase it (again) and checked *seven* different brand new units, but then all of which are also having the central red dot shifted in an unacceptably obvious way, to different positions, i.e., none of them is in the dead centre! So, I've given up again, with much disappointment! >:-|

I shall try to find another shop tomorrow and this is the last chance I would give Pentax and myself for a K-5. I shall first check those infamous Pentax issues like the red dot shift, AF inaccuracy, electronic level mis-alignment etc. If I am lucky enough to find one, just in case, I shall grab it, otherwise Pentax has lost the chance of earning a potential customer's money, once again!

Even if they have successfully earned the money for some others, will the suffered users be satisfied? The above looks awful and ugly afterall and this "small" thing and problem just show how loose and lousy the Pentax QC could be and they gained their bad reputation and bad impressions from the users once again. More importantly, the lack of their basic ability to review the designs of their cameras for the well-known and long-lasting problems is the main evil here!

At the end of the day, I must say that Pentax is actually the biggest enemy of herself. She has done a lot of things to harm their own benefits these years. Or I should say they have NOT taken any necessary action and done the improvement works they should had done, and long time ago! SAD!

As for my own statistics on this particular same problem, below are the gear I have had and whether the red dot was shifted or not:-
1. *ist D (1st copy): Yes
2. *ist D (2nd copy): No
3. *ist D (3rd copy): Slightly
4. *ist DS (1st copy, Silver): No
5. *ist DS (2nd copy, Black): Yes
6. K100D: Yes (Adjusted back to centre under Warranty but the service centre attempted for three times. They told me that the task was very *difficult*! :-o)
7. K-m: N/A (as there is no red dot illumination)
8. K-x: N/A
9. K-r: No
10. Next? Yes? No??

Okay, in order to collect more data, here is a poll to see if how far this problem exists and affects the users for the "current" Pentax DSLRs, namely, K-5 and the K-r (which has been discontinued anyway):-

Does your K-5/K-r have the AF red dot misalignment problem?
No.
Yes, leftward.
Yes, rightward.
Yes, upward.
Yes, downward.
pollcode.com free polls

N.B. Multiple Selections are allowed If it is a Yes Case.