[Paunel]

I make a great effort to by this model, thinking in a more safe Q.C. No stains in the beginning, but from, about 4000 shots, voila. I don't intend yet to change/repair the camera because the stains are small(yet?)
Hey, proud owners of Silver K5, is time to verify yours camera and if it's clean, remember: the stains can come back. Verify from time to time yours lovely camera to be sure.
Yes, no problem with focus in low&low temperature light (1.02 firmware), no button disappearing (yet?).
K5 is the most remarkable model of Pentax, indeed. A great fame between the lovers of Pentax.
The picture is a 1:1 crop format and has the exif data. Lens M135/F3.5 at f32. No need to convince me there are garbage on the sensor because is my lovely "pearl string".

---

Last edited by Paunel; 09-28-2011 at 01:55 PM.

[DogLover]

Well, that's disappointing. More for you than me, of course, but still.

[Adam]

Yup, there it is. Pentax probably looked the other way on this

[twitch]

This is the second credible report I've seen of a Silver K-5 having stains.

[philippe]

What I don't understand is why Pentax has these stain issues and Nikon doesn't, although they have the same sensor?

[dexmus]

What I don't understand is why Pentax has these stain issues and Nikon doesn't, although they have the same sensor?

Stains are not a defect in the sensor itself. They come from the glue used in sensor assembly.

[rawr]

At what general position in the image do the stains appear? Dead centre? Top left?

I haven't followed all the stain reports, but do the stains always appear in the one region of the sensor?

[pscl57]

Have you tried cleaning the sensor with tne pentax O-ICK1 kit ?

[Jasvox]

One thing is for sure, the hefty price the for the silver K-5 certainly isn't getting you any additional QC from Pentax. This is disgraceful considering all the bad press about when this originally came to light...almost a year ago. Pentax needs to get their crap together regarding this.

Jason

[séamuis]

One thing is for sure, the hefty price the for the silver K-5 certainly isn't getting you any additional QC from Pentax. This is disgraceful considering all the bad press about when this originally came to light...almost a year ago. Pentax needs to get their crap together regarding this.

Jason

limited edition and higher price or not, its probably assembled right alongside the standard black model an thus subject to anything that may affect the other cameras rolling off the assembly line. of course that doesn’t change anything in regards to the issue, or possibly QC problems, but I think its unreasonable in modern times to expect anything more in this regard for a higher priced ‘limited’ model. these aren’t hand assembled ‘al a carte’ leicas, regardless of how they are presented. just some fancy paint and a few individual ‘accessory touches’ crammed into different boxes. people put far too much emphasis on such marketing terms so often used today, such as ‘limited’ ‘limited edition’ special’ etc.

either way, I’m sorry about your stain, as I’m sure the silver body wasn’t the easiest to come by.

[RonHendriks1966]

It is a pitty. Checked my K-5 Silver when I got it and after this message and have no stains. On the other hand it can also be just a fluke in the productionprocess where they changed things so not all (or most) camera's had this, but that there is still a small percentage of sensors that can have due to the used materials (it was a fluent that vaporised or something).

[Paunel]

To "rawr" (not exclusive):
Position of the string bubbles (pearls if you prefer) is near central, down and right.
What glue can be there if it appears from month to about a year (see a post there) from the moment of assembly? The glue must dry rapid in the moment of assemblage and before the general assemblage of all parts. This can be a silicon fluid component for optic coupling, escaping from its non hermetic place. Sure is not glue or oil (oil can not penetrate the optic assembly (sensor +all optic layers) direct in the center zone). Sure is something fluid who rest fluid in time, between any two optic layers of the sensor ensemble. This can explain the delay of apparition of sweat drops of about 10-15 micrometers in diameter migrated through pores in one layer between others layers. But the formation of the pores is the true cause of this defect and this can be a molecular reaction between the fluid and the walls of layers, chemical reaction unverified (because the lack of time=competition for money-ours money) by the technical stuff.
Sure is, and the time will confirm that = the strings of pearls will appear sooner or later because this fluid not dry in time.
Why is the great reduction in price of K5? Can be this explanation: the rush to sell before the sensors of cameras came to sweat.
Yes, I hope like you, to be wrong in my supposition because I love my K5 camera, my K7 and GX20. But from K20 (GX20) to K5, I see a lot of problems appearing in this string and also in that of the lens production (from Q.C. to construction but not exquisite engineering design)...

[dgaies]

FWIW, I just picked up a Silver K-5 yesterday (serial 400xxxx) and sure enough I have some very small stains in the center of my sensor. Looks like it will be heading back to Pentax sometime before the warranty expires

1:1 crop, taken at f/22

[Paunel]

Relative to "dgaies show":
Looking now at this picture (clearer than mine), the spots have the same dimensions. But, more important is the aspect: the central dark "point" must be the pore-a channel in a layer penetrated by the fluid and the more light round zone must be the diffused fluid between others layers, of thickness equal to the distance between this layers. The pore itself has the thickness of an entire plastic layer wider than the distance between plastic layers and this is showed by the intensity of blue color. This is the aspect of a micro-fountain of fluid migrations from its stratum to the surface, passing via a rock layer.

[Raffwal]

Just a few months after the mob here was bashing people for wondering whether it was finally safe to buy a K-5... I haven't really checked my silver, but certainly will before the end of my warranty.