Black Spots from my K-x


k4rsh

New Member
Apr 6, 2010
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Just today, i found out that some of the pictures i've taken appear black spots. Not too sure where are this black spots from, but i doubt they are from the lens, because even after changing lens, the black spots still exists at the exact same location.

What could they be? and how can i get them removed as they are affecting picture qualities. Should i make a trip down to Emjay?

Appreciate all advice given !

Thanks

IMGP2392.jpg


Drew Circles to make them more obvious... They might be around more than those that i've highlighted.

IMGP2392-1.jpg
 

Most likely to be dust on the sensor. It's either you clean it yourself or have it cleaned at the service center.
 

Most likely to be dust on the sensor. It's either you clean it yourself or have it cleaned at the service center.

Hi There,

First of all, thanks for the prompt reply ! Hmmm i am very new to this hobby, and i have totally no idea how should i be cleaning the sensor. Most probably will have to make a trip down to Emjay tomorrow. Any idea how long will they take to clean the sensor? Don't wanna miss the outing this weekend :(
 

sensor dust.

you can diy,

this is for DRY CLEANING, which will get rid of 80% of dust. btw, i don't find the artic butterfly anymore useful than the blower. so you can skip that:

[vid]SqmJxyUk_80[/vid]

this is for WET CLEANING, which is required for welded dust, more common in singapore.

[vid]qi6S3jHA21w[/vid]

some points to take note about wet cleaning:

1) you can use alternatives to expensive sensor swabs from photographic solutions: pec pads. keep the spatula from sensor swab.

2) never reuse a sensor swab/pec pads. just use a new one. for pec pads, they are relatively economical. i use high quality cotton buds.

3) do not use too much eclipse solution. i have seen examples where dodos went to drench their sensor with eclipse, some went underneath the protective filter, and the rest they say, is history. they will even blame it on the company, when they are the people making the mistake.


or you can bring down to emjay, not sure if they charge though.... have to ask the rest.

my rule of thumb is to only clean when there are more than 3 spots. other than that, just take note, and very easy, just........ clone it away in photoshop. you will never get 100% dust free sensor all the time.
 

hi nightmare, thanks for the videos and definitely thanks for your advice ! i shall go through the steps to see if i can do them currently. most likely i do not have the tools to get wet cleaning done.

Anyone has more experience with Emjay's service?
 

hi nightmare, thanks for the videos and definitely thanks for your advice ! i shall go through the steps to see if i can do them currently. most likely i do not have the tools to get wet cleaning done.

Anyone has more experience with Emjay's service?

no, you definitely do not. if you want it rushed, you can try going to cathay photo, they should have stock. please listen to advice of video:

1) if you have no confidence to do it yourself, then you should not do it.

2) take your time if you eventually try to do it.

3) it really isnt' that hard, and it saves you trouble of having to run to emjay everytime there is dust, and you will get dust if you use your camera and change lenses regularly.

i think someone mentioned before that kevin (technician) did very good cleaning. not sure if there are charges though, that's the main concern if i were you. :)
 

hi nightmare, your advices has been most valuable. i shall try going to Emjay first, and subsequently try to do it on my own :).

Thanks a million !
 

Goodness! How did you get so much dust on your sensor?
Always try not to change the lens in a dusty or windy environment and if possible point the camera body downwards when doing it. Also, make sure your dust caps on your lens is on. Dust on the lens side facing the camera will end up inside your camera when you attach the lens. Of course, keep a lens in all the time if possible.

But don't waste the effort to go all the way to Emjay if you can resolve it in the first 2 methods.
1. Use the dust removal function in the camera first. (30 seconds)
2. If that fails, use a blower as in the video given by night86mare (1 min).
3. Only if this fails should you consider sensor cleaning at Emjay.

But of course, with so much dust, probably better for you to do a thorough cleaning this time round and you get a chance to talk to Kelvin, Emjay's best kept secret! ;)
 

Just use blower blow away. Settles for this kind of fine dust particles. Just do it in a more "dust-free" environment and angle the camera body down to prevent dust from latching back on when blowing.

If blowing doesnt work, get a lens pen to swap the sensor
 

Goodness! How did you get so much dust on your sensor?
Always try not to change the lens in a dusty or windy environment and if possible point the camera body downwards when doing it. Also, make sure your dust caps on your lens is on. Dust on the lens side facing the camera will end up inside your camera when you attach the lens. Of course, keep a lens in all the time if possible.

But don't waste the effort to go all the way to Emjay if you can resolve it in the first 2 methods.
1. Use the dust removal function in the camera first. (30 seconds)
2. If that fails, use a blower as in the video given by night86mare (1 min).
3. Only if this fails should you consider sensor cleaning at Emjay.

But of course, with so much dust, probably better for you to do a thorough cleaning this time round and you get a chance to talk to Kelvin, Emjay's best kept secret! ;)

I have absolutely no idea bro. :( My guess is, my room's too dusty argh. Anyway, i've tried the blower method, and it's still there... Guess i have to send it to Emjay (let this be a lesson for me)

Thanks all for your wonderful advices !
 

Could also be a lens scratch :-(

He did say when he swapped lens the spots were still there. There's a middle ages method of shooting a blank wall at f/16 or higher to confirm this but these days, we simply use the dust map feature on the kx/K7 ;p
 

Could also be a lens scratch :-(

definitely not :nono: TS has provided sample photos and this case is obviously sensor dust.

btw if you're using a blower to clean the sensor, hold the camera with the mount facing down so the dust falls out instead of settling back onto the sensor. also, check out the "dust alert" function which helps you identify dust spots so you can repeat the process until it is entirely clean.
 

Hmmm i tried using the "Dust Alert" function on my camera, not too sure how accurate is the function, but i can't seem to find any dust spots based on it. Shall try it again to see if there's any difference..
 

Actually there is some information written in KX manual on how to clean the sensor should dust falls on it. I cleaned it myself with a blower after reading it :bsmilie:
 

Hmmm i tried using the "Dust Alert" function on my camera, not too sure how accurate is the function, but i can't seem to find any dust spots based on it. Shall try it again to see if there's any difference..

When using the dust alert function you must shoot at a plain wall or piece of paper ...

Once i was using it and was pointing the camera down , it showed streaks of "dust":sweat: Becuase the floor got light patterns then it showed up as "dust" ...
 

When using the dust alert function you must shoot at a plain wall or piece of paper ...

Once i was using it and was pointing the camera down , it showed streaks of "dust":sweat: Becuase the floor got light patterns then it showed up as "dust" ...

Ya i realised that too. Read through the manual and found out that i was doing it wrongly. Really appreciate all that have contributed in this thread ! Pentaxians are definitely the best community :cool:
 

These black dots will be more obvious if u shoot with aperture >F8.
Normal street candid, indoor shooting you may not notice these black dots. :)
 

crap man ... think i got the same problem as TS ...

2u5807a.jpg

top left hand corner

i look back at my photos and didn't realize they are there for over a month .....

but how come mine looks more like a patch then spot :bigeyes: ?
 

hi cubicon, i just got my K-x down to Emjay for them Kevin to clean up my sensor (damn good job!) I was browsing through some of my older photos, and realised that some of them had similar "patches" like yours. So i believe they are dusts as well? Just bigger ones :p