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02-01-2020, 03:46 PM   #1
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Sensor Cleaning Advise K1MII

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So far cleaning the sensor with the rocket blower isn't working. Still have several spots on the sensor. Any advise on what to use next.?

02-01-2020, 04:20 PM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by Smoke665 Quote
So far cleaning the sensor with the rocket blower isn't working. Still have several spots on the sensor. Any advise on what to use next.?
For regular spot cleaning, I use the Pentax stick with a blob of goo on it. I think it’s called the O-Ick or something like that. If you are like me, you will not believe it works until you use it; then you will be impressed.

When I got several blobs of something on the sensor on the other side of the planet from home, I bought a set of single use wet sensor cleaners and that worked a treat as well.

-Eric
02-01-2020, 04:44 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by TwoUptons Quote
For regular spot cleaning, I use the Pentax stick with a blob of goo on it. I think it’s called the O-Ick or something like that. If you are like me, you will not believe it works until you use it; then you will be impressed.

When I got several blobs of something on the sensor on the other side of the planet from home, I bought a set of single use wet sensor cleaners and that worked a treat as well.

-Eric
On Amazon there is a negative review of this Pentax stick:
Pentax image sensor cleaning kit O-ICK1 39357: Amazon.co.uk: Camera & Photo
02-01-2020, 05:09 PM   #4
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I use the O-ICK1 stick. Works pretty good. Just make sure you take a stiff drink before using it. It feels a bit unnatural, like you're going to pull the cover off your sensor. So far mine has remained it tacked, ha!


It works pretty good but I too have a few stubborn spots that don't want to come up. So I just deal with them in post with with the spot healing brush.

02-01-2020, 06:13 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by myrdinn Quote
On Amazon there is a negative review of this Pentax stick:
Pentax image sensor cleaning kit O-ICK1 39357: Amazon.co.uk: Camera & Photo
I saw a German review that Amazon helpfully translated for me... that was a very unhappy man... that was the only one I saw on the US/Canadian one I can see from my hotel room in Montreal...

My experience was much more positive. It is a weird experience, however, and it probably won’t remove everything that can get on a sensor, but in my experience, it has worked well for the small particles and fibers I tend to get on my sensor.

-Eric
02-01-2020, 06:57 PM   #6
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Not sure the nerves will handle the goo stick. Any goid recommendations on the single use wet sticks
02-01-2020, 07:22 PM - 1 Like   #7
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Another vote for the O-ICKI.
My K10d was practically unusable after getting pollen sucked inside it using a non weather sealed zoom lens. Rocket blower was useless. Was up in the hills around Tokyo for a holiday... Pollen everywhere from the trees like an orange cloud. O-ICKI fixed it and I think that after you use it a couple of times, you almost never get dust on the sensor again. Seems to decrease the stickiness of the sensor somehow.
Pentax Image Sensor Cleaning Kit, O-ICK1 reviews - Pentax Camera Accessory Review Database

02-02-2020, 12:20 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Smoke665 Quote
Not sure the nerves will handle the goo stick. Any goid recommendations on the single use wet sticks


For the wet stick method, I use the VSGO DDR24 DSLR or SLR Camera Full-Frame Sensor Cleaning Kit I bought on Amazon amazon.com : VSGO DDR24 DSLR or SLR Camera Full-Frame Sensor Cleaning Kit (12 X 24mm Sensor Cleaning Swabs + 15ml Sensor Cleaner) : Camera & Photo?tag=pentaxforums-20& It works fine, I'm just not very talented at the wet method, I just seem to sort of push everything to one side, and leave streaks.



You should also have some sort of sensor scope so you can actually look at the sensor.
02-02-2020, 12:25 AM - 1 Like   #9
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I've used the O-ICKI with success a couple of times. It really isn't too hard.
02-02-2020, 01:05 AM   #10
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I used the 0-ICK1 on my K50 and found it was much easier to use than I expected. There was no need to press hard and no feeling of applying force to the sensor when removing it. I think the important thing is to not move it laterally in an attempt to wipe away the contaminants.

02-02-2020, 05:11 AM   #11
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Sorry, but no love for the O-ICK1 kit for my part. Tried it on my K-3 once, and it was leaving more sticky garbage on my sensor than it was taking dust away from it (possibly due to user error, but I didn't apply undue pressure). Therefore, I perform a wet cleaning whenever there is any bother with sensor dust that the Dust Removal feature the K-3 cannot remove, which happened on no more than two occasions in all the 5+ years I've shot the camera. I should note that I keep my photo equipment meticulously clean, including lens caps and mounts, and have Dust Removal enabled as startup and shutdown action. As for sensor swabs and cleaning liquid, I exclusively trust those by VSGO (see david94903's post #9 above) and Rollei. VSGO is OEM supplier of cleaning kits for Nikon, and Rollei seems to source its own from VSGO.

I normally don't link to Ken Wheeler videos because I don't like his self-obsessed style, but this one struck me as pretty instructive about wet cleaning technique:
02-02-2020, 06:22 AM - 2 Likes   #12
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I use the O-ICK1 exclusively. The secrets are:
  • Use a light to “see” the particle(s) you want to remove
  • Touch the particle as gently as possible. Exert no pressure - just the weight of the stick
  • Touch the cleaning pad on an unused spot after every touch of the sensor
My experience has been wet cleaning doesn’t remove much, it just moves it around and streaks the sensor. I assume if Pentax thought wet cleaning was the best solution there would be a Pentax-branded wet cleaning product.

Last edited by monochrome; 02-02-2020 at 06:28 AM.
02-02-2020, 07:26 AM - 2 Likes   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by monochrome Quote
My experience has been wet cleaning doesn’t remove much, it just moves it around and streaks the sensor. I assume if Pentax thought wet cleaning was the best solution there would be a Pentax-branded wet cleaning product.

Again, a matter of technique and practice, I'd wager. The video I linked to summarizes some of the wet cleaning "secrets", and picking dependable swabs and fluids is another thing to look out for. Replying to an email enquiry, VSGO expressly confirmed to me that their cleaning liquid was safe for use on AA-filterless sensors like the one of the K-3. Properly executed, wet cleaning will give you a squeaky-clean sensor without anything that could be detected by the Dust Alert feature nor by extreme pixel-peeping.

It may be just a feeling, but I am also under the impression that the wet cleaning makes it less likely for something new to stick on the sensor for quite a while after the procedure. But as with so many things, it ultimately boils down to what works for the individual user, I guess.
02-02-2020, 10:14 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Madaboutpix Quote
Again, a matter of technique and practice,
I've seen various comments alluding to streaking with the wet method, but never actually read any that encountered it. How about you, any streaking???
02-02-2020, 03:35 PM - 1 Like   #15
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I've only used the O-ICK 1 with great success. Really simple to use, and much less complicated than wet cleaning. @Monochrome hits all the right points above. However, I will add, to best see dust spots take an out of focus photo of a light coloured background with the lens stopped down (ie, f/22 of a clear blue sky), and the dust spots should be pretty easy to see. Just remember that the sensor is flipped in relation to the photo taken, so a dust spot in the top right of an image will be on the bottom right of the sensor.
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