dust extraction

Hi i would like to talk about dust extraction on the k10.I have used various other camera systems such as the canon eos 400d and tried a nikon d80.I had real dust problems on the canon and the dust extraction system was poor at removing it the fact that canon have made software built into the camera system to edit out any dust particles seems to me that even they dont have any faith in their own system.I have had a couple of dust particles on the the k10 but the dust extraction along with a giottos rocket blower has solved the problem every time(I am probably tempting fate here)so put your hands together for pentax dust extraction.Thanks for listening.

I found the K10D's dust removal function to be abslutely useless. It has never removed a thing from my sensor.

hi pete do you have dust system set to go when you turn on the camera?

I use Dust-Aid from www.dust-aid.com it's easy to use and it always gets the crap off. Approx £26 depending where you buy it from.

No, because it seems a waste of power and time.

I've only tried the camera's dust removal once I have discovered dust, and then it has done nothing - with large and small particles.

I think it's fair to say that you're going to get dust on the sensor from time to time, but compared to my old *istD, the dust on my K10D's sensor is minimal. I use to have to wet wipe the *istD every week or so, the K10D get a rocket blast once a fortnight at most, often not for a month or more. I take that to show that the anti-dust system in the K10D makes a BIG difference.

Dan

Hi dan i think the dust extraction on the k10 works a treat and the fact that you dont get much dust and only have to clean once a month or more.I only clean mine about the same which is a lot less the canon i used to own..

The function that is supposed to shake dust off the sensor doesn't work at all with my K10D, let alone work a treat.

What you may be finding, Sandie and Dan, is that the camera is less prone to getting dust sticking to the sensor than some other cameras due to the anti-static treatment. That is different matter from the cameras ability to remove dust from the sensor once you have got some on there.

Next time you spot dust on the sensor, try to remove it with the camera alone. Only then will you know how well it really works. Not getting dust doesn't prove that Dust Removal is working!!!!!! You may actually not be getting dust in the first place.

Mine has done absolutely bugger all - with tiny dust specks to large bits of debris. You wouldn't have to use a blower if the thing did work.

Hi pete i dont want start an argument but i have got rid of dust with camera alone .I only use the blower when i am changing lenses to blow out the mirror area.

You've had better luck than me then.

I have the sensor shake every time it switches on, I haven't compared the amount of dust I get on there now with the amount I would get if I didn't have this setting enabled, so don't know if it makes a difference or not, but I would guess that it does for the less sticky dust. I could be wrong.

Basically, I'm more than happy with the way things are, and you're not. We obviously have different expectations! I can't remember if you had a DSLR before your K10D - if you did, how do things compare to your experiences with that, dust-wise?

Dan

I only expect the dust removal function to do SOMETHING. Mine does absolutely nothing whatsoever to move a speck a mm let alone completely off the sensor.

I've tested it many times with various sorts of particles - some of which were removed easily with a blower. Either I've got a faulty camera or the shaking feature is a marketing gimmick.

If you have more dust with other cameras, it could be because the sensor was more statically charged, rather than it being anything to do with the K10D's physical dust removal system when it shakes the sensor.

The shaking seems rather feeble to me. I think it needs to use a higher frequency vibration.

I previously had an *ist DS. I'm not sure I get any less dust with my K10D. I've stopped checking frequently because I'm fed up with always finding dust and always failing to remove all of it. (I can remove some with a blower or Arctic Butterfly, but not all).

here's a test.....raid your toolbox, or (presumably your wife's) dresser for anything that vibrates. hold that against your camera, and see if it shakes the dust out...(esp for those with *ist dlsrs...).

probably more gimmic than function if you ask me... but if I had shaky hands, or was not mechanically inclined, or worse yet, a technophobe, then the built in sensor shake, would be better than taking it in to a repair shop to have it cleaned.....

ignore the test...it was a joke...

Oh. I was just about to order an Ultra 7 Romantic Rabbit.

Once a bit of dust settles on your sensor, it will tend to become more firmly attached the longer it remains.

That is why Pentax recommend having the anti-dust mechanism set to operate every time you switch on the camera. It is what I do with my two K10Ds, and I find I hardly have to bother with dust-removal at all. Dust was much more of a problem with the *istD.

G