[RonHendriks1966]

Thanks for your lens perspective.

[Plain Skies]

Which firmware version did it come with?

The replacement came with 1.01, same as the defective one I sent them. After conducting the blank wall test, I upgraded to 1.02. I also noticed that a front autofocus issue that was apparent on the original, with the DA70 under tungsten light at least, was absent from the replacement.

[Hound Tooth]

You would think that after selling us a defective product they would hurry up and go out of their way to keep their customers happy (it's not like it takes 2 weeks to take a camera, snap a pic at f22, see that it has bloody Pentax-Ebola and send another cam)... I guess that now that they have our money for their defective product we fall in the "they can wait" category.

You know, when I made that exact same observation, I got yelled at for being "too demanding of Pentax".

I sent my defective K-5 to CRIS in Arizona on January 6th. I used overnight shipping, and they received it on the morning of January 7th. It was examined on January 11th, and they determined a replacement was in order. CRIS orders replacements from Pentax in Colorado on a case-by-case basis. They received the replacement on January 20th, examined it the same day to make sure it had no issues, and shipped it out before the end of the day. As of today, it's scheduled to be delivered on January 27th. So in all, that's exactly 3 weeks without my best camera. And that's assuming the replacement camera doesn't develop more stains like so many other replacement cameras have.

I feel really bad for the guy who said he was on his 5th camera (original + 4 replacements, all for sensor stains).

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting on my refund for the shipping cost to send the camera to them. Since I was never offered a return shipping label when I originally called about these sensor stains, they promised to send me a check for the same amount that UPS Ground would've cost. That was 3 weeks ago.

[Naim Khan]

I don't want you to feel jealous guys but let me tell you about my experience here in the UK. I had bought the camera from a retailer called SRS Microsystems (mail order). When I found out about the stains I confirmed it on my camera and rang them the next day. Below is what we talked (or to that effect):
Me: Hi. The K5 that I bought from you has stains on the sensor.
SRS: (after confirming my name) OK - I will arrange a courier to collect the camera tomorrow and then send a replacement.
Me: How long is the turn around?
SRS: About 1 week.

Guess what - happened exactly as written above
Regards.

[JeffJS]

First time I have seen one like mine.

Mine is a crop. I was using a K lens and wanted to try a shot with the built in flash so the lens was set at f22, An aperture I've shot at with this lens before but this time, there it was. Pisses me off, not so much that I wasn't as lucky as I thought I was but it's my Only normal DSLR. I guess I'll be getting out the MZ-S and loading a bunch of 12 exposure cartridges with the Ilford PanF+ 50. Maybe load up some of that Agfa APX25 I've been moving around my refrigerator.

[Hound Tooth]

Guess what - happened exactly as written above

Well yeah, if we could deal with the retailer directly, we'd have pretty much the same experience. Most retailers have a 30 day no-hassle return policy. Problem is, this defect sometimes doesn't manifest itself for a long time. In my case, it took almost 2 months before it started showing up in my pictures. By then, I was past the 30 day limit for dealing with the retailer. At that point, you're stuck dealing with Pentax warranty.

Also, there's a chance the camera you got as a replacement came from bad stock and will also manifest the sensor stains over time. Pentax hasn't issued a recall for this problem, which means bad cameras are still floating around in inventory all over the place. Most retailers have no clue which cameras are bad, and are just selling them to customers oblivious to the fact that the camera might be defective. I also know of at least one example of someone who bought a "new" camera that turned out to be the same defective camera that someone else had returned for replacement.

From a previous thread I read, it seems that all K-5 bodies assembled through the 50th week of 2010 are candidates for stained sensors over time. How do you know your replacement camera is from good stock? Did you check the "manufactured on" date in the EXIF of your pictures? If it was manufactured before December 18th, you may not be any better off.

[bobell69]

Jeff ... Ouch! Your K5d has it bad


As for mine Pentax Canada has had it in their posession for over 2 weeks now and I have not heard a peep from them. Yesterday morning I sent them an email to find out what the heck can be taking so long. but no answer yet.

You would think that after selling us a defective product they would hurry up and go out of their way to keep their customers happy (it's not like it takes 2 weeks to take a camera, snap a pic at f22, see that it has bloody Pentax-Ebola and send another cam)... I guess that now that they have our money for their defective product we fall in the "they can wait" category.

Pat

I returned by through London Drugs yesterday. I was told by Pentax Canada that return time is about 15 days depending on whether they have fresh cameras in from Japan. Up to now she said that the supply has been pretty good. So here's hoping. I need the camera before my Hawaii trip.

[Naim Khan]

Well yeah, if we could deal with the retailer directly, we'd have pretty much the same experience. Most retailers have a 30 day no-hassle return policy. Problem is, this defect sometimes doesn't manifest itself for a long time. In my case, it took almost 2 months before it started showing up in my pictures. By then, I was past the 30 day limit for dealing with the retailer. At that point, you're stuck dealing with Pentax warranty.

Actually I had bought the camera well over a month before - nearer the 2 months mark. The one week turn around time was because they were waiting for stock from Pentax. The date of manufacture is 23 December 2010.

[Tom S.]

I don't want you to feel jealous guys but let me tell you about my experience here in the UK. I had bought the camera from a retailer called SRS Microsystems (mail order). When I found out about the stains I confirmed it on my camera and rang them the next day. Below is what we talked (or to that effect):
Me: Hi. The K5 that I bought from you has stains on the sensor.
SRS: (after confirming my name) OK - I will arrange a courier to collect the camera tomorrow and then send a replacement.
Me: How long is the turn around?
SRS: About 1 week.

Guess what - happened exactly as written above
Regards.

Well, it sucks to be you! See, after it takes them 3 or 4 weeks to return mine, I'm going to sue them for willful neglect. As long as I get Pentax users on the jury, I'm a shoe in for a large settlement.

[creampuff]

...
Also, there's a chance the camera you got as a replacement came from bad stock and will also manifest the sensor stains over time. Pentax hasn't issued a recall for this problem, which means bad cameras are still floating around in inventory all over the place. Most retailers have no clue which cameras are bad, and are just selling them to customers oblivious to the fact that the camera might be defective. I also know of at least one example of someone who bought a "new" camera that turned out to be the same defective camera that someone else had returned for replacement.

From a previous thread I read, it seems that all K-5 bodies assembled through the 50th week of 2010 are candidates for stained sensors over time. How do you know your replacement camera is from good stock? Did you check the "manufactured on" date in the EXIF of your pictures? If it was manufactured before December 18th, you may not be any better off.

I spoke to my local Pentax tech who took time off to join us for our Pentax Singapore user outing today (click here). To his knowledge there is no evidence that stains will show up over time on the sensor. If it was stained, it was already there from at manufacture. Most likely most users might not have noticed the stains were already there on the sensor until the problem was first pointed out and the user did detailed tests on their cameras. That was certainly the case for me, because it wasn't obvious until I tested.

We don't have such a liberal no questions asked return policy here where I am and having bought a lot of gear worldwide over the years, I can tell you plenty of returned gear for online sales gets resold or passed on to new buyers. So it does not come as a surprise if some buyers got cameras with stained sensors getting theirs replaced with similarly affected ones because most internet sellers got no time to check their stock, can't be bothered to inspect the sensor or assume another one in their stock might be good.

Everyone who encountered a K-5 with a stained sensor here in Singapore got a replacement of the camera internals direct from Pentax Japan with a shutter count of 0, not a replacement camera in a box with a new serial number. Everyone I know who has a K-5 (and we have really a lot of K-5 users over here) say they got a perfectly clean sensor when they got theirs back.

[Hound Tooth]

I spoke to my local Pentax tech who took time off to join us for our Pentax Singapore user outing today (click here). To his knowledge there is no evidence that stains will show up over time on the sensor. If it was stained, it was already there from at manufacture. Most likely most users might not have noticed the stains were already there on the sensor until the problem was first pointed out and the user did detailed tests on their cameras. That was certainly the case for me, because it wasn't obvious until I tested.

Then the rep is misinformed. I guarantee you the stains develop over time. This has been confirmed by many on this board. Specifically, by members who received a replacement, tested it right away, found no stains, and then had stains develop over time as the camera was used. I saw new stains develop as I was testing the camera because I was using Live View during testing.

Everyone who encountered a K-5 with a stained sensor here in Singapore got a replacement of the camera internals direct from Pentax Japan with a shutter count of 0, not a replacement camera in a box with a new serial number. Everyone I know who has a K-5 (and we have really a lot of K-5 users over here) say they got a perfectly clean sensor when they got theirs back.

Must be nice to be a Pentax user living in Singapore, then. That's not what's happening with anyone here in North America. Here's a direct quote from the company that handles Pentax warranties in the US:

YOUR PENTAX PRODUCT HAS BEEN REPLACED UNDER THE TERMS OF YOUR ORIGINAL
MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY WITH A PENTAX PRODUCT OF EQUAL OR GREATER VALUE
REPLACEMENT MODEL = PENTAX K-5 COMPLETE KIT

That sounds nothing like the experience you describe.

[Hound Tooth]

Actually I had bought the camera well over a month before - nearer the 2 months mark. The one week turn around time was because they were waiting for stock from Pentax. The date of manufacture is 23 December 2010.

Ah, so your retailer has a more liberal policy. That's great for you. Congrats! Retailers around here have a 30 day policy. And my retailer (Adorama) told me "It's been more than 30 days, take it up with Pentax"

[cats_five]

In the UK the shop is responsible for 6 months, plus if it was brought with a credit card there is extra protection there so long as the seller is based in the UK - which isn't the same as being a .co.uk website.

It?s NOT the manufacturer?s responsibility | Consumer Information

[Hound Tooth]

In the UK the shop is responsible for 6 months, plus if it was brought with a credit card there is extra protection there so long as the seller is based in the UK - which isn't the same as being a .co.uk website.

Maybe we need such a law in North America, rather than having to depend on Pentax.

[Tom S.]

Maybe we need such a law in North America, rather than having to depend on Pentax.

Not unless you want to pay for it. That would cost the shop money and you know who the ultimate cost will be passed on to.