dust

so does no one elses dust alert come up like this with k200d or k20d then, just waiting for sensor cleaning kit to come and see if it makes a difference i hope so.
also i can't see it in pics

Nope. Funnily enough, my dust alert entry in the menu is grayed out. Haven't got round to look in the manual why that could be.
I had once used it, though, and it just came up with some specs that I had previously identified in some small aperture shots.
The Arctic Butterfly now get's rid of dust whenever I see too many blobs appearing in my pics.
To be honest, I don't really need that dust alert.

What do the pictures look like when you take an out of focus pic of a white(ish) wall with, say, A22? What does it look like when you use "auto levels" or "auto contrast" on it in your post processing software?
Same picture?

Prieni

Make an overexposed photo with a high f-number, you will see almost everything that's on the sensor or the lens.
You should be able to compare the result with that of the dust-alert.
I hope you'll find out what it is.

Install a "modern" lens on your camera. You must be using old glass with no communication or limited communication with the body ( and, no, I'm not talking about your wife's body).

Well, communication with my wife is sporadic at the moment (she's on a research cruise).
I don't think, however, that the lenses are the problem. I only have fairly recent ones and I think the last time I checked I had the DA*16-50 on the (camera)-body.
As I said, I need to have a look in the manual but I can't be bothered, really.

Thanks for the hint, though,
Prieni

hi people dry cleaned sensor today with no difference so the dust alert said, so wet cleaned and the dry cleaned again, this has made no difference again but now the dust alert is greyed out and wont do nothing i wonder if the camera is working properly

Dust alert isn't reliable. It tends so see many dust specs on a flawlessly clear sensor.

the dust feature must be pants just tryed it came up with 2 specs then 1 spec then about 50 specs then none specs. its doing my head in now 1 spec.
now its acting as an etch a scetch.

hyholday have you had this prob coz i have really give sensor a good clean and i only use one lens.
oh and sensor stuff cost 50£.

Mine on the K20 is spot on!...........works perfectly.........Ken

yeah well mine keeps changing its mind from dust to no dust, and i have cleaned sensor very well and cant see nothing at all, even tested with white paper at f22 at iso 100 and cant pick nothing out,
so does dust just jump off then back on coz its got me pullibg my hair out.

I think you have developed a return to suppliers problem Scott!...................Ken

You must be doing something wrong. Just use Dust Alert as if you were taking a picture of a sheet of white paper. It should be OK. I used it in the wrong way and it indicated that the sensor had some specs on it. In reality there were no specs. Just take a picture of a blue sky, a white door, or something like that. Forget about Dust Alert.

scottthehat mate, just forget the Dust Alert your driving your self mad, you have cleaned the sensor and there's not spots on your photos. Stop using it, it's clean ok. I dont know some mothers do have them.

i just wont be using the dust feature, my old k200d had problems with it and so has this one, one moment its full of specs, the next its got one or two or no specs at all, and i know its clean because i only just cleaned it.