[jammyG]

BTW, K5 is a great camera

[Bramela]

1. Mount your longest lens on the camera. You can run the test using an 18mm lens, but longer is more convenient; I use either 300mm or 400mm.
2. Set the camera to manual focus and focus the lens to infinity.
3. Select matrix metering on the camera, set the shooting mode to Av and choose the smallest aperture (highest f number) available, set the ISO to its lowest value, set EV comp. to +1EV.
4. Point the camera at a piece of blank sky (either blue or grey, just choose a uniform spot). If you don’t have access to a daylight sky, then point at an evenly lit, light-coloured wall, standing as close to it as possible without casting a shadow on your image.
5. Take the shot! Don’t worry if the shutter speed chosen by the camera seems too slow for the focal length you’re using; you’re not taking a sharp picture of whatever is in front of your lens, but rather an image of what’s on the sensor, which will not be affected by motion blur.
6. Load the image into your favourite viewer and zoom in to 100%; increase contrast if you want. Scan the whole image looking for marks.

Source: Review – Pentax K-5 | Enticing the Light

And then, just maybe, once, in the next 10 years or so, you may need to use the same settings and procedure to take a single photo.

I t is sad that, though there has been a problem with some K5's, the over the top comments made by a small number of parties, some of them extreme that has produced the hysteria and paranoia that exists over every K5 camera.

My camera SN 384.... has been excellent from the beginning and I have taken many very pleasing photos with it.

I say purchase with confidence....... and enjoy.

[gtxtom]

My K-5 arrived from Adorama and it is, too, start with 393xxxx!
The production date is 1/23/2011 on mine and come with firmware 1.01. I am NOT HAPPY!

My K-5, shutter count is 2 and everything looks new. You can download the exiftool:
ExifTool by Phil Harvey

it will tell your the production date, etc.

I also have to go through stain test.... not happy to say the least.

Lee

If you're not happy, return it! I bet you there's a 99% chance your camera has/will have staining.

I have a 399XXXX serial number, but it has a 1/15/11 pro. date. Serial numbers mean nothing. DogLover's K-5 was built 1/25/11, but with a serial number of 393XXXX

[Armanius]

1. Mount your longest lens on the camera. You can run the test using an 18mm lens, but longer is more convenient; I use either 300mm or 400mm.
2. Set the camera to manual focus and focus the lens to infinity.
3. Select matrix metering on the camera, set the shooting mode to Av and choose the smallest aperture (highest f number) available, set the ISO to its lowest value, set EV comp. to +1EV.
4. Point the camera at a piece of blank sky (either blue or grey, just choose a uniform spot). If you don’t have access to a daylight sky, then point at an evenly lit, light-coloured wall, standing as close to it as possible without casting a shadow on your image.
5. Take the shot! Don’t worry if the shutter speed chosen by the camera seems too slow for the focal length you’re using; you’re not taking a sharp picture of whatever is in front of your lens, but rather an image of what’s on the sensor, which will not be affected by motion blur.
6. Load the image into your favourite viewer and zoom in to 100%; increase contrast if you want. Scan the whole image looking for marks.

Source: Review – Pentax K-5 | Enticing the Light

Thank you and everyone for the feedback. I'll do it when I get home tonight.

Hopefully, I'll be out and about using my K5 this weekend! Wohoo!

[Ubuntu_user]

My K-5 (which I just got last Friday) is 393xxxx and clean/clear as a whistle!

[Arn]

Mine is 384xxxx, bought in December here in Vancouver. Photos showed no problem. Did the test quoted above (and looked really carefully), and no problems.

[GregK8]

My K-5 arrived from Adorama and it is, too, start with 393xxxx!
The production date is 1/23/2011 on mine and come with firmware 1.01. I am NOT HAPPY!

I'll throw one more comment in about not getting paranoid.

If you take a deep breath and look at the serial number database, you will see that all of a sudden the red disappears and turns to green somewhere around 392xxxx. There are a few reds after that, but I'd bet a lot of money that it is a couple of specks of dust that were resistant to cleaning and those folks were just super-sensitive because they previously had a stained sensor.

It is super easy to update the firmware to 1.03, so that really is a non-issue too. Just copy firmware to memory card, insert in camera, hold menu button while you turn the camera on, wait about 90 seconds, turn off camera, turn on camera, format memory card.

My advice is to not go looking for problems, because you will surely find a hundred small defects that have no effect on functionality. Just upgrade the firmware and enjoy the camera. The warranty starts the day you received it, not the day it was manufactured.

[calluses]

Not sure if anyone else would care besides myself, but I've just tested my S/N 3941793 (build date 02/14/2011 according to PhotoME).

Found no stain in the center.

Found a black spot to the left, which I assume is just dust? Can any experienced individual comment? I reckon this won't show up in normal photos unless I shoot in f/22, which is never...

(Sorry, I'm still a newb here, so not sure how one should upload complete/original jpegs. I uploaded to sendspace)

Download IMGP0044.JPG from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way

[DogLover]

Not sure if anyone else would care besides myself, but I've just tested my S/N 3941793 (build date 02/14/2011 according to PhotoME).

Found no stain in the center.

Found a black spot to the left, which I assume is just dust? Can any experienced individual comment? I reckon this won't show up in normal photos unless I shoot in f/22, which is never...

(Sorry, I'm still a newb here, so not sure how one should upload complete/original jpegs. I uploaded to sendspace)

Download IMGP0044.JPG from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way

Mine came with a little dust on it. No biggie. One time with the automatic sensor cleaning and it was gone. Some have said that they had to run it more than once.

[calluses]

Mine came with a little dust on it. No biggie. One time with the automatic sensor cleaning and it was gone. Some have said that they had to run it more than once.

Yep. Showed up on Dust Alert. Ran Dust Removal a few times (by accident), and it's clean. Being a former K-x owner and a lazy bum (didn't read the manual), I was expecting the camera to vibrate during dust removal, so I ran it multiple times thinking the dust removal function was broken...

Glad to report that there are no issues on a 3941xxx.

As others have mentioned, the serial is misleading, because despite the low serial, the build date was 02/14/2011. For those interested, I bought my K-5 from Henry's.

[skyoftexas]

And then, just maybe, once, in the next 10 years or so, you may need to use the same settings and procedure to take a single photo.

This is my thought process right now. I just bought a K5 from B&H, delivered 3/17, with a 3938xxx serial number, and it reveals a couple of spots using the methods listed above. Are they stains? One looks too intense to be dust. But I very rarely use the camera settings I had to employ to see them. So maybe I will just live with it. Kind of a bummer though.

Michael

[deadwolfbones]

This is my thought process right now. I just bought a K5 from B&H, delivered 3/17, with a 3938xxx serial number, and it reveals a couple of spots using the methods listed above. Are they stains? One looks too intense to be dust. But I very rarely use the camera settings I had to employ to see them. So maybe I will just live with it. Kind of a bummer though.

Michael

If it's a single spot, it's almost certainly not a "stain" and is probably dust.

[DogLover]

This is my thought process right now. I just bought a K5 from B&H, delivered 3/17, with a 3938xxx serial number, and it reveals a couple of spots using the methods listed above. Are they stains? One looks too intense to be dust. But I very rarely use the camera settings I had to employ to see them. So maybe I will just live with it. Kind of a bummer though.

Michael

Did you run dust removal? Bet it will take care of it. If it doesn't the first time, keep runnin' it til it does.

[metungnasi]

Just got mine today. I tested it and it seems okay, unfortunately I forgot to put the ISO into a lower setting. Just found out while looking at the exiftool. Im going to test it again over the weekend.

Serial # is 3937xxx, bought from prodigital (ebay) manufactured date is 01/24/2011.

Question guys. when I bought my k-7 last year it has already 200 shutter actuations. Im surprised my k-5 has zero. Don't they supposed to test the camera first? Any comments would be appreciated.

[Rupert]

3936XXX here, and absolutely perfect! No stains, no focus problems, no flash problems...just a Pure Delight!
Regards!