[WMBP]

My K20D arrived this afternoon. Poking around in the menus, I found a command for analyzing dust on, I think, the sensor. Didn't look dangerous so I hit the OK button. Camera had to think for a good long while, and then it generated the attached jpeg.

At the time I did this, I'd had the camera out of the box for about five minutes. I'd carefully removed the plastic cover on the body and put on a lens (Pentax 35 f/2).

What gives? I have taken a couple of shots and look at 'em on the computer and I don't see anything like a scratch on the photos....

Will

Attached Images

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[DAZ]

I did the same thing then I read the manual. The manual tells you to point the camera at a blank wall and stay pointed until it closes the shutter. When I did this all the bad stuff went away.

[WMBP]

I did the same thing then I read the manual. The manual tells you to point the camera at a blank wall and stay pointed until it closes the shutter. When I did this all the bad stuff went away.

READ THE MANUAL??? You gotta be kidding.

OK, I'll check out the manual this evening. Thanks for taking the scare out of this. I was afraid my sensor had been in a knife fight.

Will

[-=JoN=-]

i did the same thign and it looked at lot worse, then i skimmed throught the manual, and as what daz had mentioned, i did it wrong...

[davemdsn]

It comes with a manual?

[SpecialK]

I think you need to put it on "M" (for manual), then read, but I'm not sure as I have the KHundredD and use "P" mostly.

[petez]

What gives? I have taken a couple of shots and look at 'em on the computer and I don't see anything like a scratch on the photos....

Will

That would scare me!
I dont know how dust alert can tell that there isnt something on the lens, but is there any way it's on the lens?? Do you have another lens that will work? The Dust Alert menu is not enabled w/ K mount lenses.

Pete

[MJB DIGITAL]

It comes with a manual?
__________________
Has anyone seen my pants?

Now there is a combo of sentences!

[WMBP]

By the way, I should add, in my own defense, that am normally a manual reader. But I purchased the K20D from Amazon knowing that there was a small possibility that I would not keep it, so I'm doing everything I can to keep all the stuff in the box in perfect condition and don't want to open up any more of those bags than I have to. I'm disappointed that the K20D manual does not appear to be online in PDF form, or I would have it.

THanks again for the help.

Will

[RBellavance]

You can get the manual from the Pentax Germany website:

http://www.pentax.de/downloads/photo/de/Pentax%20K20D/K20%20D%20Operating%20Manual.pdf

It is in english.

[WMBP]

You can get the manual form the Pentax Germany website:

Fantastic. Thanks for the link.

It is in english.

Or as close to English as we have any right to expect from a camera manual. ;-)


Thanks again, very glad to have this.

Will

[Reps]

1. Does not work with manual lens;
2. Closes aperture to F16 when measuring dust spots- so that's why exposure is so long;
3. As exposure is long the shake is even good not bad- lens related spots are smeared :-)
4. After 4 days of use could not get a speck on sensor despite of ca. 200 lens changes in all kind of conditions (but have sensor dust removal on startup- lesson learned from desert shootings with K10D)- so no idea how effective it is :-)
5. My first try was even worse: reversed an A4 sheet which had some coffeecup rings on the other side- took a "dust" shot- and all my invisible (but still 3D) cup rings were detected as DUST :-)

Anyway a great idea and feature- remember the first times I wanted to remove dust via image on monitor- and of course forgot how optics work (bottom versus top).

Best and happy dust analyzing, JR