[gut1kor]

I think I did something stupid while changing the lenses. Now I see a lot of dust on my k-x sensor and it is so horrible. I tried dust removal several times but it did not go away. After some time, if I check the dust again, i see a lot of it.

How can I get rid of this? should i take it to service centre?

[ducdao]

I think I did something stupid while changing the lenses. Now I see a lot of dust on my k-x sensor and it is so horrible. I tried dust removal several times but it did not go away. After some time, if I check the dust again, i see a lot of it.

How can I get rid of this? should i take it to service centre?

Try the blower with the brand name "Giotto". Quick search in this forum should give you plenty of details.

[tibbitts]

I think I did something stupid while changing the lenses. Now I see a lot of dust on my k-x sensor and it is so horrible. I tried dust removal several times but it did not go away. After some time, if I check the dust again, i see a lot of it.

How can I get rid of this? should i take it to service centre?

You might post a picture to demonstrate the problem you're seeing.

You should have a sensor cleaning blower and try that, although I find that sometimes wiping with a brush or swap is necessary. There are products for that purpose that are not terribly expensive. If things are really bad you may need a liquid cleaning solution, although again you need to purchase one specifically made for the purpose.

You absolutely should not take the camera to a service center, since you may ind yourself having to clean the sensor almost daily under some circumstances.

I found that on my K100 I needed the liquid solution occasionally, but so far the brush has sufficed on the K200. That might have been somewhat due to the K200's dust removal feature, or just luck. But I have definitely need the brush/blower combo on the K200, even with the dust removal feature.

Paul

[gut1kor]

I found that I am seeing the dust starting from aperture f22. Beyond that the dust looks like some black scratches on the dust alert image. I ordered a Giottos rocket blower and try that. Some people on other forums discourage frequent sensor cleaning. They say one should clean the sensor only if it is necessary. Is there any danger in that? Also I am scared a bit - if I dont clean the existing dust for long time isn't there a possibility that the dust *cling* to the sensor?

Also I feel there will be some residual dust on the sensor even for a new camera (Mine is only 3 weeks old). The mount cap for k-x doesn't properly close the circumference. :-(

[tibbitts]

Yes, you should only clean it if necessary. If you can see non-trivial amounts of dirt on the sensor, it's necessary.

I have one spot on my K100 that simply won't come off, and I've literally scrubbed. I've scrubbed hard enough that I'd say it's pretty unlikely that you'll harm the sensor (or more precisely the filter covering it) if you're careful and use the proper materials.

If you can't blow the dirt off, it must be clinging to the sensor. The next thing to try is a dry brush. Only if that doesn't work would I resort to wet cleaning.

You do have to be careful with a brush or cleaning pad to not touch other surfaces in the camera that might have lubricant or other material on them. And of course with a brush you have to be careful not to contaminate the brush.

Paul

[Jodokast96]

I don't recommend the canned air either. That said, I must admit I was just forced to do it as neither the built in sensor shake nor my LensPen was up to the task, as the problem was quite bad and I had no wet cleaning method available to me. While it worked ok this time, I will have a wet method on hand, as it's not worth taking the chance in the future.

[Wheatfield]

Just for interest's sake, I do my routine sensor cleaning with canned air (Dust-Off to be exact).
I try not to buy the knock offs.
I have yet to do any damage to a camera with it, and some time ago I challenged this forum to find any verifiable incidents of sensor damage from canned air.
I think I got one positive, but IIRC, it was also a case of PhotoDarwinism at work.
I don't think these things are as delicate as people like to portray. Consider that when the camera is turned off, the sensor is bouncing around loose in it's locator, since the magnets aren't holding it centered (the rattling sound in your powered down camera is the sensor knocking around).

[JeffJS]

Just for interest's sake, I do my routine sensor cleaning with canned air (Dust-Off to be exact).
I try not to buy the knock offs.
I have yet to do any damage to a camera with it, and some time ago I challenged this forum to find any verifiable incidents of sensor damage from canned air.
I think I got one positive, but IIRC, it was also a case of PhotoDarwinism at work.
I don't think these things are as delicate as people like to portray. Consider that when the camera is turned off, the sensor is bouncing around loose in it's locator, since the magnets aren't holding it centered (the rattling sound in your powered down camera is the sensor knocking around).

I tend to agree with you there but I do know people who have damaged their sensor screens (the filter covering the sensor) even using Proper cleaning methods. 2 to be exact and the cost to replace was well over $400 each (one Pentax and one Canon). I the case of the Canon, at the time, it would have been cheaper to replace the camera. The repair cost, I'm sure it what scares people so much.