K20D sensor problem

Hi
I am devastated. I got K20D few weeks ago. It was great. i sold my k100d which I loved by the way.
I just today I noticed something that looks like a dead pixel, but it is quite large. When on long exposure it even adds a line running through most of the picture. I looked at my previous photos and it developed suddenly about a week ago.
What do I do? Fix it anywhere? Send it to Pentax? What are to costs of replacing the sensor?
Thank you.

100% crop:



100% crop on long exposure:

Really bad luck. The cost of replacing the sensor would be almost certainly more than the camera is worth. That looks serious and I can offer no more than sympathy. Johnson's Photopia are the repair centre, I have found them to be very good with all the warranty repairs that I had with my K20.

It doesn't look quite like a sensor defect to me, since those would normally consist of totally-black or totally-white pixels. The line in the second shot looks slightly uneven in tone for it to be completely-dead pixels.

What does it look like if you take a normal exposure shot with the lens cap on? I'm wondering if it needs light to show up or is generated by the image processing from the sensor. Where in the frame is it situated?

It looks similar to this issue: link

Karma:

I posted dark image so that you can see where this is. Look on the right side of the tower, on the sky. (photo above is rotated)

the line goes through the entire length on one side, but fades away on the other side. On short exposures this dot is smaller and the line is not visible.




thanks

I think I've seen this problem before on here but can't find it now.

Where did you get the camera?

If it's lasted only a few weeks, did the supplier give any kind of warranty?

Somewhere in the setup menu there is a function called 'pixel mapping' or 'defect removal' depending on camera. This allows the internal image processing to identify bad pixels and map a value to them based on their neighbours. You've got nothing to lose by trying it.

Maybe the situation that elvisboy showed in a picture of a robin?
link

That's what I meant by a 'hard' line of pixels, as opposed to this case where it looks like a much softer effect so maybe not the same cause.

Camera was bought second hand on other photo forum and worked well for first few weeks.

thanks Karma, I will try this tonight. To be honest, I cannot see any hope but as you said - nothing to lose. If it does not work, I will be cloning this out on every picture until I get new camera (probably never?) :/

Found the thread I was thinking of here.

The OP's images have gone but there is close up of the 'bright spot' part way down the thread.

Looks identical to me, and in that thread the poster said he'd already tried pixel mapping so can probably scrap that idea.

Bad news I think, unless there is some warranty

s**t

When I scratched the sensor of my K10D they quoted mt £189 plus VAT.

Can't see a K20D being any cheaper.

Im impressed .. that was nearly 3 years ago.

I have a hard job remembering last week these days.

Looks like I am done then. I better go and practice cloning in photoshop.