[fbacim]

Hey guys,

It's my first time posting in here, but unfortunately it's because I'm having problems with my new K-5

There are two issues: random freezes and sensor stains.

I've had the camera for less two weeks, and I saw it freeze 2 times already. First time when I was in a football game shooting RAW, it froze in review mode and I waited for approximately 2 minutes because the SD card light was still on. I tried turning it off, changed modes, pressed every button I could think of and nothing. Removing the battery was the only thing that worked, and then I lost the last picture I had taken, but that was all.

The other time was when I removed the SD card (it was turned off with the battery in place), the camera suddenly turned on and froze again, saying that there was no card inserted and the top LCD had random symbols on it. I tried turning it on, turning it off again, pressing buttons, etc. Nothing helped, except taking the battery off.

I suspected this was an issue with the SD card (Sandisk Extreme HD Video 30mb/s). The SD card is new, and I had not formatted it before or after putting it in the camera. So, I haven't had any problems after formatting it, but it has only been a day, so I'm unsure if this will solve these issues. Has anyone else experienced similar problems?

For the sensor stains, I've checked for it using the recommended method: used my longest lens at 300mm so I could get an uniform background, f/22, pointing to the sky and focus on infinity. Also tried my 18-55mm, 35mm and others, and the stains are still there, in the same places, which means it has nothing to do with the lenses. I thought it could be dust on the sensor, but cleaning it up didn't help at all. The picture is attached. Could someone with more experience on this confirm to me if these are really sensor stains (look for them near the top right and bottom left corners).

Felipe

Attached Files

IMGP0411.png.zip (1.11 MB, 176 views)

[Wheatfield]

Those aren't the stains that plagued the k5's early on. It looks more like a small oil stain or similar. I have one on my K5 which I decided to live with because it's in an area that doesn't show, and the camera works otherwise.
With the K5, you have to choose your battles, simply because it is such a buggy camera.
Freezing is another known issue with the K5, but do make sure you have formatted the card in camera before you use it again and see if that helps.
If it does, and you are lucky enough to find no other flaws, then you might want to just use the camera as is, since you might end up replacing it with a camera which is more flawed.
OTOH, if the freezing doesn't go away after formatting the card, then get yourself a replacement camera and hope you get a good one.

[Staffan]

fbacim, what i see on the picture is not sensor stains, it is some dirt/dust of the "traditional" kind.

[Couscousdelight]

For the freezes, you ahve to update the firmware, it should resolve the problem.

[Rupert]

For reasons unknown to me, or apparently anyone else, the K5 is sensitive to certain SD cards. I have two that will not work in the K5 but do fine in the K20D?
Sounds like a dirty sensor, not sensor stains....they have been gone for ages now.

I recently read a story about an elementary school where a couple of kids got very ill at lunchtime and puked all over the place in the cafeteria......In no time most of the other kids were puking and holding their stomachs, crying and screaming...enough that the Medics were called in and the school was quarantined and closed, kids being rushed to the hospital in ambulances...the whole neighborhood was in total hysteria...we're all going to die! No children other than the first child to puke were found to have any medical problem, just hysteria.

Turns out the two original kids had shared a sandwich brought from home, one had an allergy and it caused his reaction, the other puked as a result of the puke from the first kid landing on him..........getting the picture yet?

Anyhow, what stuck with me was a couple of Key Words....schoolchildren and hysteria. Enjoy your K5, if there are real problems, which is very unlikely, there is a fine warranty to make it right....and if you ar still not satisfied a refund is possible or the coveted Otis Guarantee for those that just can't be pleased, and it is 100% foolproof!
The K5 is a fantastic camera, I refuse to let anyone puke on my joy with it...and I am not alone! Join the crowd!

Best Regards!
Rupert

[Wosp]

I had one of those stain on everyone of my Paris shots =o/ and i tried to blow it away, but still the stain was still there.
I also thought it was one of those "oilstains" that appeard on the early K5:s.
I then ordered the Delkin Sensorscope kit, and using this i could see that it was just a piece of dust that was stucked (glued?) to the sensor.
I cleaned it with a wet pad, and no spots/stains since then...

You Tube

You Tube

"Apologize 4 my crappy english"

[Ex Finn.]

That magnifier is a great tool for inspecting the AA filter/sensor surface. Just make sure you turn it off when placing back in the case to conserve batteries.

[bobmaxja]

That is dust

[Toobz]

I had something similar and took the camera to the Pentax service facility which is fortunately relatively near and had the sensor cleaned. The stain appeared a short while after I started using the camera, so it wasn't the same as that reported as afflicting the earlier production models. Since then all has been fine but 'just in case' I bought the Pentax sensor cleaning kit.

[fbacim]

Thanks everyone for your help.
I was able to clean the sensor, thankfully it wasn't a stain.

[fbacim]

Oh, and updating the firmware definitely helped. Haven't had a single freeze since I updated.
Thanks again!

[Ex Finn.]

That is good news, happy shooting.

[rtpguy]

Hey guys,
...
The other time was when I removed the SD card (it was turned off with the battery in place), the camera suddenly turned on and froze again, saying that there was no card inserted and the top LCD had random symbols on it. I tried turning it on, turning it off again, pressing buttons, etc. Nothing helped, except taking the battery off.
...

This happened to me the other day, of course scaring the heck out of me, just as my wife wanted to use the camera to take some pictures... it was the first time using a new Transcend 16GB class 10 card.
"Garbage" on top LCD, no buttons did anything at all. This was on the latest firmware. Popped the battery and card out, re-inserted the other card, put the battery back in, all was well. Swapped the card out for the new one, all's well.
No problems since. I'm thinking it's down to a not quite 100% card contact (and really crappy programming to detect/give note of such a condition if so), and possibly the camera wanting to write to the card (such as creating the directories) the first time a new card is inserted. No problems since - unless it starts to happen with some regularly, this at least isn't something I'd worry about much.

[mokey]

In case the firmware update doesn't fix the freezing issue....mine didn't....I'd send it in. My K5 was freezing on and off. Pentax Canada tried to say it was a lens, or my SD card- but it happened with multiple lenses, and 2 SD cards (high end class 10). I've been using a "loaner" K5 (thank you Don's Photo) and it hasn't frozen once with those same lenses and SD cards. So it's not always an easy fix. We'll see what it was when I get mine back. BTW.... I LOVE MY K5! Everything and anything has issues...including me!