2 Year Old Got to my Sensor (Don't Ask)

Sagitta · 06-23-2013, 01:59 PM

Long story short, he must have been thinking he was copying Daddy because I was rocket-blowing my camera to clean it, got up to go to the bathroom without shutting down the camera (mirror up, sensor exposed), and came back to find him with a pencil down in the shutter 'helping' Daddy.

I now have a really hideous stain and/or scratch (can't tell which) taking up a good deal of real estate on the sensor.

I think I'm pretty much SOOL, but want advice before I start calling B&H to find out if the drop and dent replacement coverage I paid for covers this kind of stuff.

If its a stain and not a scratch, its gummy pencil eraser that's doing it. I may have made things worse when I panicked and immediately dove in to wet clean it (making a spot of goo a smear of goo instead). What kind of cleaners are safe on the filter glass that I may be able to use at home so I don't lose the camera for a month or two playing repair-tag?

If it IS a scratch, has anyone had experience with B&H's drop and spill coverage to know if I'm safe sending it back in or would it get rejected due to it being what it is?

Thirdly, if cleaning and returning it fall through, I'd probably go to plan 'c' - selling it along with my Sigma 10-20 and OGPS1 to recoup the cost of having to buy a new body (really, REALLY don't want to go that route). Would I be better trying to sell the damaged body/lens/GPS on the forums here or peace mealing it out via eBay or something?

normhead · 06-23-2013, 02:09 PM - **1 Like**

I've always said, it's a good thing babies are so darn cute, because they probably wouldn't live very long if they were ugly. I'd just mail it off to Pentax and ask for a quote...

VisualDarkness · 06-23-2013, 02:33 PM

At least there is a glass in front of the sensor so the sensor is probably safe. I shouldn't be too costly to get a new glass.

faceless_el · 06-23-2013, 02:39 PM

i hope your coverage with B&H covers this. In any case I use SensorKlear LensPens to clean fingerprints off the sensor. Maybe it would work for the smudge on your sensor.

normhead · 06-23-2013, 02:41 PM

Originally posted by faceless_el

i hope your coverage with B&H covers this. In any case I use SensorKlear LensPens to clean fingerprints off the sensor. Maybe it would work for the smudge on your sensor.

OK, I have to ask... finger prints on the sensor? How do finger prints get on your sensor?

Class A · 06-23-2013, 02:50 PM

Originally posted by Sagitta

If its a stain and not a scratch, its gummy pencil eraser that's doing it. I may have made things worse when I panicked and immediately dove in to wet clean it (making a spot of goo a smear of goo instead). What kind of cleaners are safe on the filter glass that I may be able to use at home so I don't lose the camera for a month or two playing repair-tag?

It doesn't look like a scratch to me.

Pretty much everything should be safe to use. You are just cleaning glass.

Some designs have an unexposed ITO coating that will suffer if attacked with the wrong fluids, but I'm not aware of any Pentax camera using this principle.

If I were you, I try some more attempts to clean it myself. Just don't soak the sensor since you don't want to let fluid seep through the outside gaps between sheets on top of the sensor.

P.S.: A new cover glass won't cost much, but the work to replace it will cost quite a bit, I believe.

Kozlok · 06-23-2013, 03:10 PM

Try getting some zeiss wipes from Walmart. They are cheap and plentiful and get almost anything off. I used them to clean some super sticky pollen off of my sensor.

**JimJohnson** · 06-23-2013, 03:50 PM

Sure there is glass over the sensor itself - but who said it is replaceable? My guess that this glass isn't designed to be replaced and the entire sensor unit is replaced. For what it is worth, the sensor glass is also a UV filter, an IR filter, and an anti-aliasing filter.

Jody, you have nothing to lose at this point by investing in one of the official Pentax wet sensor cleaning kits. Okay, that's not true, but the worst case is you pay for a sensor cleaning kit and a sensor replacement ....

calsan · 06-23-2013, 05:54 PM - **4 Likes**

I would claim that the photo shows the Holy Spirit entering a church through the spire and sell it to a magazine.
After all, the image has not been digitally altered and a forensic analysis of the image data will back this up.

I recommend selling the photo for $1196.95.

Which coincidentally happens to be the price of a K5IIs.

faceless_el · 06-23-2013, 06:22 PM

Originally posted by normhead

OK, I have to ask... finger prints on the sensor? How do finger prints get on your sensor?

Norm, not sure if it was you who had asked me this already on another one of my post. **edit** checked and it was someone else who had asked https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/227799-sensorklear...ty-sensor.html

I don't know how one gets fingerprints on their sensor... on mine, well it was a used pentax that i got on evilbay, seller did not divulge the fact that sensor had fingerprints.

PS. Like the OP, i guess you could leave the mirror up and have your child do whatever they do to the sensor when it is exposed (fingers or pencils)

panoguy · 06-23-2013, 06:29 PM

Ouch! Mental note to self: "Only clean camera gear when kids are asleep."

cali92rs · 06-23-2013, 08:12 PM

Ahhh two year olds....I am surprised he didn't leave you a melted gummy bear in the mirror box!

SyncGuy · 06-23-2013, 08:48 PM

Erm...

People talk of selling their kidneys for new gears, perhaps you might want to consider that or selling off that naughty kid? ;P
KIDDING!

I know this is evil.. But why not spend less than $2 and buy a water mister?

Then spray the whole body and into the mount, wipe the exterior down, and claim for WR issues?

Edit: Useful only if you still have warranty for the kit.

**Schraubstock** · 06-23-2013, 09:10 PM

Hi

First take a deep breath, relax, chances are it is not the end of your sensor. (In fact I am quite sure it will not be, I have seen and repaired worse.)

First try to replicate the problem on a piece of glass so you can practice with it and find out what works best. This means confiscate the pencil from your talented kid and start from the beginning by working it over the piece of glass like he did. Then follow with all the steps on it that you did subsequently. This should replicate what is on your sensor. Now you can try all possibilities available to you. If need be repeat this procedure always starting from the beginning to try different methods.

Once you are satisfied with one method you can apply this to your sensor knowing it wont harm it. Also remember these little buggers (sensors) are more robust than people think.

You could also practice on a new CD, as its surface is pretty week and if your cleaning doesn't result in any damage you will be good to go. Either of these two practice sessions will give you a fair clue.

Have a look at these two threads I posted some time ago.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-5/176442-stubborn-dust.html (Post No.6)

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-5/219921-i-need-dust-spot-id-ple...ml#post2335984 (Post 11)

Greetings and good luck and keep us posted

Sagitta · 06-23-2013, 09:52 PM

After going in and trying to do a nice good clean, I discovered that yes, that is indeed a scratch and not dirt. Mostly because I managed to expand the sucker by about twice its size. The glass was practically crumbling under even the least bit of pressure to it.

Luckily its still under warrantee with Pentax, and if they laugh at me, I have the Squaretrade coverage through B&H which should replace it if Pentax won't fix it. I just wish the timing was better, because I know it'll be at least three or four weeks minimum to get this all straightened out.

06-23-2013, 01:59 PM	#1
Sagitta Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Maine Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,081	2 Year Old Got to my Sensor (Don't Ask) Long story short, he must have been thinking he was copying Daddy because I was rocket-blowing my camera to clean it, got up to go to the bathroom without shutting down the camera (mirror up, sensor exposed), and came back to find him with a pencil down in the shutter 'helping' Daddy. I now have a really hideous stain and/or scratch (can't tell which) taking up a good deal of real estate on the sensor. I think I'm pretty much SOOL, but want advice before I start calling B&H to find out if the drop and dent replacement coverage I paid for covers this kind of stuff. If its a stain and not a scratch, its gummy pencil eraser that's doing it. I may have made things worse when I panicked and immediately dove in to wet clean it (making a spot of goo a smear of goo instead). What kind of cleaners are safe on the filter glass that I may be able to use at home so I don't lose the camera for a month or two playing repair-tag? If it IS a scratch, has anyone had experience with B&H's drop and spill coverage to know if I'm safe sending it back in or would it get rejected due to it being what it is? Thirdly, if cleaning and returning it fall through, I'd probably go to plan 'c' - selling it along with my Sigma 10-20 and OGPS1 to recoup the cost of having to buy a new body (really, REALLY don't want to go that route). Would I be better trying to sell the damaged body/lens/GPS on the forums here or peace mealing it out via eBay or something?

06-23-2013, 06:22 PM	#10
faceless_el Senior Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: BC Photos: Albums Posts: 138	Originally posted by normhead OK, I have to ask... finger prints on the sensor? How do finger prints get on your sensor? Norm, not sure if it was you who had asked me this already on another one of my post. edit checked and it was someone else who had asked https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/227799-sensorklear...ty-sensor.html I don't know how one gets fingerprints on their sensor... on mine, well it was a used pentax that i got on evilbay, seller did not divulge the fact that sensor had fingerprints. PS. Like the OP, i guess you could leave the mirror up and have your child do whatever they do to the sensor when it is exposed (fingers or pencils) Last edited by faceless_el; 06-23-2013 at 06:37 PM. Reason: Added more things to say

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06-23-2013, 02:09 PM - 1 Like	#2
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	I've always said, it's a good thing babies are so darn cute, because they probably wouldn't live very long if they were ugly. I'd just mail it off to Pentax and ask for a quote...

06-23-2013, 02:33 PM	#3
VisualDarkness Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Uppsala, Sweden Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,439	At least there is a glass in front of the sensor so the sensor is probably safe. I shouldn't be too costly to get a new glass.

06-23-2013, 02:39 PM	#4
faceless_el Senior Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: BC Photos: Albums Posts: 138	i hope your coverage with B&H covers this. In any case I use SensorKlear LensPens to clean fingerprints off the sensor. Maybe it would work for the smudge on your sensor.

06-23-2013, 02:41 PM	#5
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Originally posted by faceless_el i hope your coverage with B&H covers this. In any case I use SensorKlear LensPens to clean fingerprints off the sensor. Maybe it would work for the smudge on your sensor. OK, I have to ask... finger prints on the sensor? How do finger prints get on your sensor?

06-23-2013, 02:50 PM	#6
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Originally posted by Sagitta If its a stain and not a scratch, its gummy pencil eraser that's doing it. I may have made things worse when I panicked and immediately dove in to wet clean it (making a spot of goo a smear of goo instead). What kind of cleaners are safe on the filter glass that I may be able to use at home so I don't lose the camera for a month or two playing repair-tag? It doesn't look like a scratch to me. Pretty much everything should be safe to use. You are just cleaning glass. Some designs have an unexposed ITO coating that will suffer if attacked with the wrong fluids, but I'm not aware of any Pentax camera using this principle. If I were you, I try some more attempts to clean it myself. Just don't soak the sensor since you don't want to let fluid seep through the outside gaps between sheets on top of the sensor. P.S.: A new cover glass won't cost much, but the work to replace it will cost quite a bit, I believe.

06-23-2013, 03:10 PM	#7
Kozlok Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Albuquerque Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,148	Try getting some zeiss wipes from Walmart. They are cheap and plentiful and get almost anything off. I used them to clean some super sticky pollen off of my sensor.

06-23-2013, 03:50 PM	#8
JimJohnson Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Summer:Lake Superior - Michigan Winter:Texas Hill Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,772	Sure there is glass over the sensor itself - but who said it is replaceable? My guess that this glass isn't designed to be replaced and the entire sensor unit is replaced. For what it is worth, the sensor glass is also a UV filter, an IR filter, and an anti-aliasing filter. Jody, you have nothing to lose at this point by investing in one of the official Pentax wet sensor cleaning kits. Okay, that's not true, but the worst case is you pay for a sensor cleaning kit and a sensor replacement ....

06-23-2013, 05:54 PM - 4 Likes	#9
calsan Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,548	I would claim that the photo shows the Holy Spirit entering a church through the spire and sell it to a magazine. After all, the image has not been digitally altered and a forensic analysis of the image data will back this up. I recommend selling the photo for $1196.95. Which coincidentally happens to be the price of a K5IIs.

06-23-2013, 06:29 PM	#11
panoguy Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Washington, D.C. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,327	Ouch! Mental note to self: "Only clean camera gear when kids are asleep."

06-23-2013, 08:12 PM	#12
cali92rs Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 3,354	Ahhh two year olds....I am surprised he didn't leave you a melted gummy bear in the mirror box!

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06-23-2013, 08:48 PM	#13
SyncGuy Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 821	Erm... People talk of selling their kidneys for new gears, perhaps you might want to consider that or selling off that naughty kid? ;P KIDDING! I know this is evil.. But why not spend less than $2 and buy a water mister? Then spray the whole body and into the mount, wipe the exterior down, and claim for WR issues? Edit: Useful only if you still have warranty for the kit.

06-23-2013, 09:10 PM	#14
Schraubstock Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,386	Hi First take a deep breath, relax, chances are it is not the end of your sensor. (In fact I am quite sure it will not be, I have seen and repaired worse.) First try to replicate the problem on a piece of glass so you can practice with it and find out what works best. This means confiscate the pencil from your talented kid and start from the beginning by working it over the piece of glass like he did. Then follow with all the steps on it that you did subsequently. This should replicate what is on your sensor. Now you can try all possibilities available to you. If need be repeat this procedure always starting from the beginning to try different methods. Once you are satisfied with one method you can apply this to your sensor knowing it wont harm it. Also remember these little buggers (sensors) are more robust than people think. You could also practice on a new CD, as its surface is pretty week and if your cleaning doesn't result in any damage you will be good to go. Either of these two practice sessions will give you a fair clue. Have a look at these two threads I posted some time ago. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-5/176442-stubborn-dust.html (Post No.6) https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-5/219921-i-need-dust-spot-id-ple...ml#post2335984 (Post 11) Greetings and good luck and keep us posted

06-23-2013, 09:52 PM	#15
Sagitta Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Maine Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,081 Original Poster	After going in and trying to do a nice good clean, I discovered that yes, that is indeed a scratch and not dirt. Mostly because I managed to expand the sucker by about twice its size. The glass was practically crumbling under even the least bit of pressure to it. Luckily its still under warrantee with Pentax, and if they laugh at me, I have the Squaretrade coverage through B&H which should replace it if Pentax won't fix it. I just wish the timing was better, because I know it'll be at least three or four weeks minimum to get this all straightened out.