Last autumn, my trusty Penxtax K30 DSLR became problematic when I noticed photos occasionally would turn out dark despite setting the exposures correctly. Hmmm, I wondered. I am fairly knowledgeable with camera stuff, so I figured I adjusted some other setting and forgot to reset it. Unable to locate anything unusual, I set the camera aside until next use. Well, with the next use each frame grew gradually darker until the only thing my camera produced was completely black images. I combed the owner's manual, scoured the internet, even enlisting the assistance of other photographers. Nada.
Next, I located a local camera repair shop, Camera Care. Most repair places, including Camera Care, generally work on Nikon and Canon brands. Pentax poses a bit of a challenge simply because they aren't as popular, but the guy was up to the challenge.
Upon picking up my repaired camera, it seemed to be working properly. The exposures weren't dark abysses on the LCD screen. I thought it was fixed until I switched to shutter priority mode to shoot some eagles. The camera was now overexposing images; opposite from the original problem.
Camera Care felt it must need a factory calibration, and he was unable to make that adjustment; I would have to send it in to Pentax for that. As it turned out, Pentax wanted more money than the camera was worth to diagnose and repair the unit. Therefore, I decided it was time to order a brand new camera (that's the part were all you camera savvy people say 'ooooooo!'). I decided on the Pentax KP model. It's a more expensive model than some of their other entry level cameras, but I feel like my skills were worthy of it. Plus, I was worried if I purchased the current model equivalent to my K30, I may encounter the same issues down the road.
I would like to add that I was happy with the service I received from Camera Care. The owner was helpful and friendly and offer to work with me on cost if I decided to send off my camera to Pentax. It seemed there was more than one issue going on, making diagnosis difficult to pinpoint. I would recommend this business for your camera repair needs.
Back to the new Pentax KP. If you're a photography nerd, you understand the thrill of lifting that sparkly new camera from it's neatly packed box and unwrapping the bubble wrap, and being the first person outside the manufacturing facility to handle such a marvelous invention. Inhaling a whiff of that new gizmo metallic smell tickles your senses to the core. It's like striking gold, except way easier cause the UPS guy/gal delivers it directly to your doorstep.
Enough of the nitty-gritty, here are a few photos from the inaugural photo session at the river. I was also experimenting with my new Pentax 55-300 zoom lens. The little house finch makes me smile and the grass widows are a sure sign of spring. The ducks were wading in this little pool on large boulders overlooking the Spokane River. If you look close, you can see the river in the background. They were situated in bright sunlight which is why the images aren't as clear as the others. Plus, I'm still familiarizing myself with my new camera. (I also condense the file sizes for internet upload/viewing and watermarked them because there are stupid www pirates out there who steal photographs.)
I'm excited to have a working "big" camera again, and look forward to photographing all the springtime buzz like birds and flowers. I'm sure I'll get some photos of my cute little kid, eventually.
Copyright 2018 Jennifer E. Miller
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