[hooferinsane]

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Hi
Have never ever cleaned the sensor on my K10d, but two spots are now beginning to bug me, but I can clone them out. Just wondering what products people would recommend . I googled it and apparently the sensor size is 28.2
I am UK based

Cheers


Brian

[oxidized]

The normal progression should be:

1) rocket blower --> least involving. however some dust spots stick to the sensor and it may not be enough
Amazon.com: Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster Large - Black: Camera & Photo
2) a brush --> some people report success with it. i have one. never worked me. i consistently got sensor stains every time i used it.
Amazon.com: D-SLR Sensor Cleaning Brush for 1.5x & 1.6x Sensors: Electronics
3) wet clean --> this is kinda scary when you think about it, however you get over it pretty quick. in reality it is rather safe since you are not actually cleaning the sensor, but rather the glass right above it. They sell the pre-packaged wet clean swabs:
Photographic Solutions Sensor Swab Plus with Eclipse PE2C B&H
In my opinion this is way overpriced. I would recommend you make your own:
Eclipse 2oz Optic Cleaning Fluid and PEC Pad 4"x4" Wipes 100 Pack Photosol | eBay
WIth the combo above you can make yourself hundreds. Here is some more info on the wet clean approach:
Copper Hill Images - CCD/CMOS Cleaning Tutorial - Introduction
Good luck!

[GibbyTheMole]

Here's what I do... I've done it many times. It's a piece of cake, it's safe, & it works great:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/165819-eureka-fina...an-sensor.html

[rbefly]

Hello Brian, Welcome to the Forum!
First off, do you have the 'Dust Removal' function on? That may not remove the spots you now have (they sound a bit more stubborn) but will help keep the sensor clean in the future.
Under Menu, toggle to 'Set Up' and scroll to the 3rd page. Highlight 'Dust Removal' and click it on (right-hand arrow) Click OK to 'Start Up'.
Now the camera will vibrate slightly each time it's turned on.
Next step, as Oxidzed mentioned, is the Rocket Blower, the genuine Giottos brand is best. An invaluable piece of photo gear! On the same menu set-up page, right after dust removal is 'Sensor Cleaning'. Click the right arrow (no lens mounted, of course) and the mirror will rise, revealing the sensor, actually the plate covering it. Hold the camera so the lens opening is facing downward and give the sensor several strong blasts from the blower, being careful to not touch the sensor plate with the blower nozzle.
Next, the brush: Here, my experiences have been different from Oxidzed's. I have both a mirror brush and sensor brush, and have seen good results from both. It is important that you blast each brush tip with the blower before use. Apparently this generates a static charge which helps the brush attract dust. Sounds crazy, I know, but it works! Carefully wipe the brush across the sensor plate and make sure to blow out the chamber once it's clean. You don't want to merely MOVE the dust motes around, you need to remove them. Also, keep the brush bristles perfectly clean and stored when not in use.
Nearly done! If all else fails, a quality sensor-cleaning kit (wipes) is necessary. This isn't the trembling, bypass surgery it's made out to be, but it should be done carefully and cautiously. The wipe kits are expensive, no doubt, but remember they are a last resort and do last for dozens of cleanings. Besides, they are less than the price of ONE professional cleaning!
Finally, I use a small magnifying glass and micro flashlight to check every mm of the screen, occasionally one stray dust speck will magically 'reappear'.
A final tip; Clean (blower) the rear of each lens faithfully. I believe that's how much of the dust is introduced to the camera body.
Good Luck!
Ron

[Dark_Mist]

I've been using the Arctic Butterfly brush to clean the sensors in my Pentax DSLRs for around 10 years. I have not had to use a wet clean in all that time.

I'm pretty sure if you search the forum you will find plenty of posts from people who are happy with this product.

Cheers
Col

[ambrosius]

I often use ethanol with fujifilm lens cleaning paper, but recently I got lazy and just let the specs be

[Digitalis]

I'm pretty sure if you search the forum you will find plenty of posts from people who are happy with this product.

And I am one of them, I have used visible dust products in my studio and recommended them to my students - I have exacting standards, and I don't endorse anything If I don't consider it to be worth its cost. But the Visible dust products have been essential for cleaning my cameras for years.

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Last edited by Digitalis; 06-10-2013 at 05:38 PM.

[hooferinsane]

Thanks for all the input and advice. I do have the dust removal on at startup always. Interestingly, on my DL2 that I still have, that doesn't have a dust removal function, I have never seen any specks on the images. OK, will bite the bullet and try some sensor cleaning.....

[Ceremonsen]

Hello everyone!

I'm new here on Pentax Forums as well as in digital photography.

Just recently tested my new Pentax K-30, and got artifacts, ugly dark spots, on shots, which were taken with aperture from f/4 through f/22.
I shot sky for test, and was surprised to found a lot of dark spots of different sizes all over the image.
Shaking the sensor feature, as well as using a blower, and running the Pixel Mapping function didn't make any difference - the artifacts still remain there.

Contacted with Pentax Customer Service - they advised me to sent the camera to them for examination.
Well, have to send them my camera. It's good it still under the manufacturer's warranty.

I wonder what technology Pentax uses, if a new camera come out with dirty sensor.
I'm kinda disappointed.

[Digitalis]

I wonder what technology Pentax uses

Pentax makes the O-ICK1 sensor cleaning tool. When I visited Leica in Solms a few years ago I noticed their cleaning techs were using these to clean the sensors on M9 and S2 cameras.

[altopiet]

Hello everyone!

I'm new here on Pentax Forums as well as in digital photography.

Just recently tested my new Pentax K-30, and got artifacts, ugly dark spots, on shots, which were taken with aperture from f/4 through f/22.
I shot sky for test, and was surprised to found a lot of dark spots of different sizes all over the image.
Shaking the sensor feature, as well as using a blower, and running the Pixel Mapping function didn't make any difference - the artifacts still remain there.

Contacted with Pentax Customer Service - they advised me to sent the camera to them for examination.
Well, have to send them my camera. It's good it still under the manufacturer's warranty.

I wonder what technology Pentax uses, if a new camera come out with dirty sensor.
I'm kinda disappointed.

How long have you had it and how many times have you changed lenses, how and where did you change lenses? Show us what you see...

[Ceremonsen]

Thanks for your response guys!

How long have you had it and how many times have you changed lenses, how and where did you change lenses? Show us what you see...

I bought the camera in December, 2012, but could use it just recently - a month or something ago. I have changed lens twice at my home.
Here is a test image I made (f/22):

[altopiet]

Ok, what you see is a few dust spots at the bottom of your sensor (although in the image on top...mirror...) This is normal if you change a lens and you are not very careful how you go about it. Remember that dust is floating in the air all around us, we just don't always see it. You might think the house is clean, well...think again. I always try do change my lens where dust should be minimal, and the cleanest room in the house is usually a bathroom. Close the door to prevent any dust swirling around as a result of a draught. Clean the lens you are going to fit with a rocket blower, especially around the mount that is going to be fixed to the lens you notice the red line-up dot on the lens... place the lens with the mount facing up and the red dot in about the 2 o'clock position. Hold your camera facing down, and remove the lens you have on it, put it down and while keeping the camera facing down, move it over the lens you want to put on. The red dot of the lens should more or less line up with the red dot on the camera. Pick the lens up and engage it with the camera by feel, without turning the camera...at first it seems difficult, but with a bit of practice it comes natural. The whole process is to keep the area that is open on the camera, open for the least possible time, thus preventing dust from entering...
Regarding the dust spots you have now, a rocket blower should fix that(google) Read the manual (p261) to see how to do it, just make sure that your battery are properly charged when you do it..
Dust is not only a Pentax problem, but of any DSLR, where you expose the inside of the camera when changing lenses.

[GibbyTheMole]

This is normal if you change a lens and you are not very careful how you go about it.

It's also normal if you change a lens and are very careful how you go about it. Dust is just about everywhere & it will get in eventually. :-)

[faceless_el]

i used a lenspen's SensorKlear Pen to clean the sensor on a K100D (dust/dirt and fingerprint) as im not brave enough to try the wet method.
took 3 passes for it to be clear. I was worried about the sensor but those things are tougher than most people think.