Micro Scratches on the Pentax KII-5 LCD Screen

creizi · 11-03-2013, 04:32 AM

Hello fellow pentaxians,

Three days ago I bought a Pentax K5-II of which I am very proud. Although being a very responsible person with my equipment, while having a closer look at the LCD in stronger light I have already noticed some micro scratches (some 5 mm long). To be honest, I am not really sure how they ended up there as I have been very careful not to touch the screen with the cord, zippers and so on.

Most probably these can't be fixed and I wouldn't attempt to repair them with any solution as I presume I would do more damage to it. The question is, if I will ever want to exchange the LCD screen surface sometime in the future, will it be possible since it is an air-gapless screen? Do you have any experience doing this?

Thank you in advance for your answers!

Razvan

alamo5000 · 11-03-2013, 07:35 AM - **1 Like**

If you are talking about the LCD screen on the back of the camera... it depends on how deep the scratches are...

I went on a trip to Bogota and I carried a point and shoot with me only... I had other stuff in my pocket and it it scraped up my LCD screen pretty bad.

What did I do? I took it to one of the street vendors who had an electric buffing wheel used to polish stuff up. He taped off the edges of the camera to where just the LCD was exposed (he used plain old masking tape)....

Then he put rubbing compound on the wheel and buffed away. In about 5 minutes or less he took out almost all the scratches. It looked good as new.

You could accomplish the same thing in this case I imagine. The compound he used was a bar of red rouge buffing material that can be purchased in a big bar (almost like a bar of soap) from the local hardware store.

It works!

If you want to skip the buffing wheel then that's ok... you can get a piece of leather and rub that same buffing compound into it on both sides....tape off the entire LCD and gently rub it back and forth... rougher side first and then the smooth side.... this is a common practice (called stropping) to get knives super sharp and polish them to a mirror finish.

It won't harm your camera at all. Just don't put a lot of pressure. It will take out the majority of minor scratches and make the LCD look like its factory new.

Plus it's not liquid. It will just take some time and care if you do it by hand. A rag will not work.. just a piece of leather with one rougher side and one smooth side that is used for stropping knives....be careful though to not buff the other parts of the camera by accident. I would say a piece of leather about a couple inches square would be fine and big enough for that job easily. Make sure to use enough compound though.

Action Jackson · 11-03-2013, 08:18 AM

2 words - screen protector.

Unlimited · 11-03-2013, 08:41 AM

Originally posted by Action Jackson

2 words - screen protector.

Screen protector cannot remove the marks on his screen, but I agree it can prevents others from appearing. Anyway this is a little strange as I was under the impression that the new screen of K-5 II was more difficult to scratch than the one in the K-5.
Congratulations on your purchase Razvan. Where have you bought it from? If the K-3 IQ does not satisfy me I'll do the same as you.

Best regards,
Ciprian

**jatrax** · 11-03-2013, 09:28 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by alamo5000

I took it to one of the street vendors who had an electric buffing wheel used to polish stuff up. He taped off the edges of the camera to where just the LCD was exposed (he used plain old masking tape).... Then he put rubbing compound on the wheel and buffed away. In about 5 minutes or less he took out almost all the scratches. It looked good as new.

Never thought of this! I've got buffing gear and red rouge in the shop. Not that I have scratches, but thanks for the tip just in case. I do wood turning and use the buffing wheels to put final polish on bowls and things. Never thought of using it on LCD screen.

alamo5000 · 11-03-2013, 10:03 AM

Originally posted by jatrax

Never thought of this! I've got buffing gear and red rouge in the shop. Not that I have scratches, but thanks for the tip just in case. I do wood turning and use the buffing wheels to put final polish on bowls and things. Never thought of using it on LCD screen.

You are very welcome! I was being resourceful (and it was only a point and shoot) but the results were relatively good. I had some pretty deep gouges in that LCD from my pocket knife inadvertently rubbing my camera. (I was going into some seedy areas so I needed something small camera wise to carry and easy to be put away)

I figured why not give it a go so I gave the guy a couple bucks and it worked like a charm.... and it took out most of them and left an even polish. Some of the gouges were pretty deep but I got about a 95% or better improvement.

Like I said though, don't be shy on the masking tape. Protect everything you don't want buffed and then go for it. You could use a drimmel tool but I don't recommend it... why? Because those little cotton buffer wheels are too narrow and too small. If you linger in one spot too long it could cause a cosmetic problem. The big wheels are the way to go. They are much easier to get an even buff going on.

And like I also said, if you are shy about trying it out use a little piece of raw leather with the red rouge. It's slower but you have control.

**jatrax** · 11-03-2013, 10:20 AM

Originally posted by alamo5000

You could use a drimmel tool but I don't recommend it... why? Because those little cotton buffer wheels are too narrow and too small. If you linger in one spot too long it could cause a cosmetic problem. The big wheels are the way to go. They are much easier to get an even buff going on.

I wouldn't recommend the dremel either, they spin way too fast and it's hard to keep good control on such a small sized wheel. Easy to get too hot and melt the plastic. I turn pens as well which are often made of acrylic blanks or if wood then the finish is cyanoacrylate based. Either way you can ruin 10 hours work in seconds if you buff a little too hard and melt the finish.

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DogLover · 11-03-2013, 10:56 AM

I find it pretty shocking that the OP was able to scratch the screen on a K-5II. I haven't scratched any screen in years, and many of those were not nearly as tough they are now. I don't even use a protector on my iphone. Over 2 years old and not a scratch.

creizi · 11-03-2013, 11:23 AM

Hello all again and thank you for the responses!

@DogLover: trust me, it was shocking for me too since I kept the body in its box most of the part and when I got it out I left a few fingerprints on it by accident and a trails of my nose

. After gently cleaning the LCD screen with a glasses cleaning wipe I noticed the respective scratch. I can see it only in strong light, when the LCD is turned off and only from a certain angle. Also, it is thinner than a hair and 5 mm long. So, I have two possibilities:

1. either the screen was not correctly protected (almost 0% chances?)
2. the K5-II is resistant to scratches but not to micro scratches

From what I read here, the only possibility is to repair it using the above mentioned tricks since the K5-II LCD surface cannot be changed because of its design?

@Ciprian, thank you! I bought it from Focus94 - Aparate foto, camere foto Pentax, Sigma. The shop owner is really a great guy. Since we are from the same country we can use the PM system to exchange impressions

.

alamo5000 · 11-03-2013, 11:29 AM

Originally posted by jatrax

I wouldn't recommend the dremel either, they spin way too fast and it's hard to keep good control on such a small sized wheel. Easy to get too hot and melt the plastic. I turn pens as well which are often made of acrylic blanks or if wood then the finish is cyanoacrylate based. Either way you can ruin 10 hours work in seconds if you buff a little too hard and melt the finish.

You nailed it. And that pen looks awesome! Did you make that?

**jatrax** · 11-03-2013, 11:36 AM

Originally posted by alamo5000

You nailed it. And that pen looks awesome! Did you make that?

Yes. Actually the only reason I got into photography was that I needed to make product shots of my turnings

. Now I spend more time photographing than turning. Oh well.

alamo5000 · 11-03-2013, 11:36 AM

Originally posted by creizi

From what I read here, the only possibility is to repair it using the above mentioned tricks since the K5-II LCD surface cannot be changed because of its design?

No one said that it's the only way... its just one way. In all reality I think it will be the easiest to just gently buff it out. There may be other options out there for sure.

On that note, I baby my gear... but at the same time over time gear will pick up little things like this over time. They aren't museum pieces. Take it out into the mud and get us some photos!

alamo5000 · 11-03-2013, 11:37 AM

Originally posted by jatrax

Yes. Actually the only reason I got into photography was that I needed to make product shots of my turnings

. Now I spend more time photographing than turning. Oh well.

How would one converse you out of such a pen? I like those!

I had an old man make me a pen once and I carried it everywhere...but then it was stolen. BOO!

DogLover · 11-03-2013, 11:48 AM

Originally posted by jatrax

Yes. Actually the only reason I got into photography was that I needed to make product shots of my turnings

. Now I spend more time photographing than turning. Oh well.

Beautiful! I especially like the burled one.

creizi · 11-03-2013, 11:48 AM

Thank you very much for the encouraging words, alamo5000! You know how it is during the first few days when you get a new thing!

Regarding the photos, you asked for it!

This one is done with the K5-II: 500px / Putty tat! by Razvan-Alexandru Duta
The rest, with the good old *ist DL 500px / Razvan-Alexandru Duta / Photos

11-03-2013, 04:32 AM	#1
creizi New Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bucharest, Romania! Posts: 21	Micro Scratches on the Pentax KII-5 LCD Screen Hello fellow pentaxians, Three days ago I bought a Pentax K5-II of which I am very proud. Although being a very responsible person with my equipment, while having a closer look at the LCD in stronger light I have already noticed some micro scratches (some 5 mm long). To be honest, I am not really sure how they ended up there as I have been very careful not to touch the screen with the cord, zippers and so on. Most probably these can't be fixed and I wouldn't attempt to repair them with any solution as I presume I would do more damage to it. The question is, if I will ever want to exchange the LCD screen surface sometime in the future, will it be possible since it is an air-gapless screen? Do you have any experience doing this? Thank you in advance for your answers! Razvan

11-03-2013, 07:35 AM - 1 Like	#2
alamo5000 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2,962	If you are talking about the LCD screen on the back of the camera... it depends on how deep the scratches are... I went on a trip to Bogota and I carried a point and shoot with me only... I had other stuff in my pocket and it it scraped up my LCD screen pretty bad. What did I do? I took it to one of the street vendors who had an electric buffing wheel used to polish stuff up. He taped off the edges of the camera to where just the LCD was exposed (he used plain old masking tape).... Then he put rubbing compound on the wheel and buffed away. In about 5 minutes or less he took out almost all the scratches. It looked good as new. You could accomplish the same thing in this case I imagine. The compound he used was a bar of red rouge buffing material that can be purchased in a big bar (almost like a bar of soap) from the local hardware store. It works! If you want to skip the buffing wheel then that's ok... you can get a piece of leather and rub that same buffing compound into it on both sides....tape off the entire LCD and gently rub it back and forth... rougher side first and then the smooth side.... this is a common practice (called stropping) to get knives super sharp and polish them to a mirror finish. It won't harm your camera at all. Just don't put a lot of pressure. It will take out the majority of minor scratches and make the LCD look like its factory new. Plus it's not liquid. It will just take some time and care if you do it by hand. A rag will not work.. just a piece of leather with one rougher side and one smooth side that is used for stropping knives....be careful though to not buff the other parts of the camera by accident. I would say a piece of leather about a couple inches square would be fine and big enough for that job easily. Make sure to use enough compound though. Last edited by alamo5000; 11-03-2013 at 07:41 AM.

11-03-2013, 11:37 AM	#13
alamo5000 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2,962	Originally posted by jatrax Yes. Actually the only reason I got into photography was that I needed to make product shots of my turnings. Now I spend more time photographing than turning. Oh well. How would one converse you out of such a pen? I like those! I had an old man make me a pen once and I carried it everywhere...but then it was stolen. BOO!

11-03-2013, 11:48 AM	#14
DogLover Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 2,054	Originally posted by jatrax Yes. Actually the only reason I got into photography was that I needed to make product shots of my turnings. Now I spend more time photographing than turning. Oh well. Beautiful! I especially like the burled one.

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11-03-2013, 08:18 AM	#3
Action Jackson Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Markham, Ontario, CANADA Posts: 243	2 words - screen protector.

11-03-2013, 08:41 AM	#4
Unlimited Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Cluj-Napoca, Romania Posts: 53	Originally posted by Action Jackson 2 words - screen protector. Screen protector cannot remove the marks on his screen, but I agree it can prevents others from appearing. Anyway this is a little strange as I was under the impression that the new screen of K-5 II was more difficult to scratch than the one in the K-5. Congratulations on your purchase Razvan. Where have you bought it from? If the K-3 IQ does not satisfy me I'll do the same as you. Best regards, Ciprian

11-03-2013, 09:28 AM - 1 Like	#5
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Originally posted by alamo5000 I took it to one of the street vendors who had an electric buffing wheel used to polish stuff up. He taped off the edges of the camera to where just the LCD was exposed (he used plain old masking tape).... Then he put rubbing compound on the wheel and buffed away. In about 5 minutes or less he took out almost all the scratches. It looked good as new. Never thought of this! I've got buffing gear and red rouge in the shop. Not that I have scratches, but thanks for the tip just in case. I do wood turning and use the buffing wheels to put final polish on bowls and things. Never thought of using it on LCD screen.

11-03-2013, 10:03 AM	#6
alamo5000 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2,962	Originally posted by jatrax Never thought of this! I've got buffing gear and red rouge in the shop. Not that I have scratches, but thanks for the tip just in case. I do wood turning and use the buffing wheels to put final polish on bowls and things. Never thought of using it on LCD screen. You are very welcome! I was being resourceful (and it was only a point and shoot) but the results were relatively good. I had some pretty deep gouges in that LCD from my pocket knife inadvertently rubbing my camera. (I was going into some seedy areas so I needed something small camera wise to carry and easy to be put away) I figured why not give it a go so I gave the guy a couple bucks and it worked like a charm.... and it took out most of them and left an even polish. Some of the gouges were pretty deep but I got about a 95% or better improvement. Like I said though, don't be shy on the masking tape. Protect everything you don't want buffed and then go for it. You could use a drimmel tool but I don't recommend it... why? Because those little cotton buffer wheels are too narrow and too small. If you linger in one spot too long it could cause a cosmetic problem. The big wheels are the way to go. They are much easier to get an even buff going on. And like I also said, if you are shy about trying it out use a little piece of raw leather with the red rouge. It's slower but you have control.

11-03-2013, 10:56 AM	#8
DogLover Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 2,054	I find it pretty shocking that the OP was able to scratch the screen on a K-5II. I haven't scratched any screen in years, and many of those were not nearly as tough they are now. I don't even use a protector on my iphone. Over 2 years old and not a scratch.

11-03-2013, 11:23 AM	#9
creizi New Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bucharest, Romania! Posts: 21 Original Poster	Hello all again and thank you for the responses! @DogLover: trust me, it was shocking for me too since I kept the body in its box most of the part and when I got it out I left a few fingerprints on it by accident and a trails of my nose . After gently cleaning the LCD screen with a glasses cleaning wipe I noticed the respective scratch. I can see it only in strong light, when the LCD is turned off and only from a certain angle. Also, it is thinner than a hair and 5 mm long. So, I have two possibilities: 1. either the screen was not correctly protected (almost 0% chances?) 2. the K5-II is resistant to scratches but not to micro scratches From what I read here, the only possibility is to repair it using the above mentioned tricks since the K5-II LCD surface cannot be changed because of its design? @Ciprian, thank you! I bought it from Focus94 - Aparate foto, camere foto Pentax, Sigma. The shop owner is really a great guy. Since we are from the same country we can use the PM system to exchange impressions .

11-03-2013, 11:29 AM	#10
alamo5000 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2,962	Originally posted by jatrax I wouldn't recommend the dremel either, they spin way too fast and it's hard to keep good control on such a small sized wheel. Easy to get too hot and melt the plastic. I turn pens as well which are often made of acrylic blanks or if wood then the finish is cyanoacrylate based. Either way you can ruin 10 hours work in seconds if you buff a little too hard and melt the finish. You nailed it. And that pen looks awesome! Did you make that?

11-03-2013, 11:36 AM	#12
alamo5000 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2,962	Originally posted by creizi From what I read here, the only possibility is to repair it using the above mentioned tricks since the K5-II LCD surface cannot be changed because of its design? No one said that it's the only way... its just one way. In all reality I think it will be the easiest to just gently buff it out. There may be other options out there for sure. On that note, I baby my gear... but at the same time over time gear will pick up little things like this over time. They aren't museum pieces. Take it out into the mud and get us some photos!

11-03-2013, 11:48 AM	#15
creizi New Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bucharest, Romania! Posts: 21 Original Poster	Thank you very much for the encouraging words, alamo5000! You know how it is during the first few days when you get a new thing! Regarding the photos, you asked for it! This one is done with the K5-II: 500px / Putty tat! by Razvan-Alexandru Duta The rest, with the good old *ist DL 500px / Razvan-Alexandru Duta / Photos

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