Do I have to worry about stains on K5 sensor?

[tsammyc]

Seems to be an issue on pentaxforums with a few people returning their cameras for repair/replacement. Anyone know how to test for stains on the sensor?

Found this example on pentaxforums

 

[aaron80]

I read about this at the Pentaxforum too. Think shld be a non-issue for us since no complaints from K5 owners so far. I know I do not have this issue.

 

[pinholecam]

IMO, just test it under normal usage conditions.
Eg. Normal shots of skies at f8, f11.
I don't often use f16 (maybe 2-5 times a year) and certainly not higher.
Above f8 to f11, the lens sharpness drops significantly so f16, f22, etc have no practical use for the photography I do.

If said problem does not occur for normal usage, then to me that is fine enough. YMMV
Looking though high mag scopes and such is just not the right way. Anyone who has looked under high mag scopes enough will know that you find lots of things with high enough mag.

For me, I've not noticed anything in my 10k worth of shots within 2 months :sweat:

 

[night86mare]

could be improper cleaning...

can always get the techs to try to clean it up for you, if it can't be done, then replace lor.

 

[CorneliusK]

You can just test your K-5 yourself, put it on a tripod, set a very high aperture (f11-f22), point it at a clear bright sky and shoot. See if there are any black dots or smudges which shouldn't be there.

Keep in mind that you will usually rarely shoot at such apertures, and that usually the marks will not be visible at lower apertures. So its not really a critical issue.

But if your sensor has bad stains, or if you really want peace of mind then you should get it checked by our local friendly pentax technician.

 

[ricsal]

This is one must ask yourself. Can live with it? Can always clone that blardy dot? is yes. No need change.

 

[pinholecam]

This is one must ask yourself. Can live with it? Can always clone that blardy dot? is yes. No need change.

If must clone out dot every pict :sweat:. Then better change the camera. :bsmilie:
No need to suffer like that.

 

[detritus]

If must clone out dot every pict :sweat:. Then better change the camera. :bsmilie:
No need to suffer like that.

yah... and that one is not a dot... its a streak :sweat: i would find it a bit hard to clone off if it shows up in a more cluttered bg...

 

[ricsal]

actually the dot depends. Some when go f22 will see the dots. While some has more darker dot stain that by using f8 will already see.

 

[fengwei]

First of all, make sure your sensor is clean w/o any dust before you do the test. Many users mix up sensor dusts and those reported stains. I think normal dusts are far worse than those sensor stains, not to say you can't even see those stains during normal shooting (aperture wider than F16).

Best suggestion is, if you can't see any problem in your photos, don't bother. Most if not all toys got some problem under extreme condition.

 

[Francis Lee]

I have the same issue with my K7 too & brought it to kelvin for a check. Despite many attempts, the 'stains' simply cannot be remove... Kelvin says that the stains are marks (from air), resulting from using the blower too close to the sensor.

 

[Kusum Kangguru]

I have the same issue with my K7 too & brought it to kelvin for a check. Despite many attempts, the 'stains' simply cannot be remove... Kelvin says that the stains are marks (from air), resulting from using the blower too close to the sensor.

From pentaxforums, it seems that these are adhesive or lubricant marks. Using a blower close to the sensor? Hmmm ....

I can't be totally sure, you better check out PF.

 

[zoom3]

Mine has similar problem. If look hard, can see at f8. Quite obvious by f10. Will show up on a plain background, regardless of whether light or dark background. For those who shoot regularly with plain background, like portraits, product shots will be upset with this

 

[night86mare]

I have the same issue with my K7 too & brought it to kelvin for a check. Despite many attempts, the 'stains' simply cannot be remove... Kelvin says that the stains are marks (from air), resulting from using the blower too close to the sensor.

that's interesting, how does that work?

 

[fengwei]

Mine has similar problem. If look hard, can see at f8. Quite obvious by f10. Will show up on a plain background, regardless of whether light or dark background. For those who shoot regularly with plain background, like portraits, product shots will be upset with this

Your camera is still under warranty. Just give Kevin a call, I'm sure he can 'fix' your problem (otherwise you can have mine ). That's one good thing about buying from local

 

[Francis Lee]

that's interesting, how does that work?

I have no idea at all, he tried over & again for a good 30 mins trying to remove the 'stains' similar to the pixs shown here & gave up saying that its deep marks... Well... So be it.

 

[pentaxme]

Found this at Photorumours.com, apparently Pentax is aware of the issue, I think Pentax is currently investigating the stain issue:

http://enticingthelight.com/2010/12/01/review-pentax-k-5/#stains
http://photorumors.com/