Too shake or not - that is the question

from a naive user the question is ..

on my K10d the dust removal feature shakes the sensor every time i start the camera, would it be better to disable this feature and let it shake once a week / month.

This question is asked from a product durability point, shaking the senser all the time must be worse for the life expectancy of the parts ??

anyone have any thoughts ?

Logically, if you vibrate the snsor every time the camera is switched on it must reduce the life of some components in there compared to if you don't.

I switched it off and use the cleaning process ocassionally.

Switch it off. It's not that useful anyway. I use an Arctic Butterfly.

The dust removal system has not proved worthwhile in my opinion.
Don't know of anyone who is truly pleased with the results.

That with the fact, like John pointed out, extra use results in extra wear. Without any substantial benefit, I'd suggest turning the feature off.

The dust removal system can shake loose a certain small amount of loose dust, but much better and consistent results are obtained simply from using a RocketBlower or similar item to blow the dust free. (almost a year and have not had to use wet or other method to physically touch the sensor area... air alone has been enough)

Ditto. Rocket blower for me.

I use a Rocket Blower (rarely) on my lenses. I prefer the Arctic Butterfly for the sensor because it physically removes the dust from the camera body. The blower may only move it to somewhere else within the mirror box, only to get stuck to the sensor again on a future occasion.

I have it set to shake on startup and I have had far fewer problems with dust than on my DS. As to degrading the lifetime of the unit, I suspect that by the time it fails I'll be using a K1D Super [Lewis Hamilton Edition] (or whatever!)

The camera may last longer/have less problems if it is off but I don't think Pentax would have put it there if it was likely to cause problems.

Kim

I don't have such luxuries, as I still have my Ds, but I have a question. Can you also set it to shake when you switch off? It seems to me that would be better, otherwise you have to wait for it to shake before you can use it and may not be able to grab that once in a lifetime shot as result.

You can only set it to shake when switched on rather than switched off, however, the duration of the shaking is about 1/2 second - about the same as it takes to pick the camera up and place the viewfinder to your eye - so I doubt you could use this as an excuse for missing a once in a lifetime shot.

Thanks, I know that some cameras have the option of sensor cleaning at switch off, thereby delaying switch off until the cleaning is done. It just seems a more logical time to do it to me, but hey I'm a woman so maybe logic doesn't come into it

Gwyn, I think you're right. It makes better sense at switch off as it won't interfere even for a half a second with the photography.

I've switched it off anyway, which is something else again!

I turned mine off eventually once i worked what that rattling noise was everytime i turned it on It gave me the heeby jeebies.

Goodness there is a lot of nonsense in this thread.

I have dust removal switched on and I've noticed it works. I was constantly bugged by dust on my *istD which remained until manually removed. However, on the few occasions I've noticed specs in pictures on the K10D, they have vanished on their own. I have yet to have to clean it manually.

Secondly, fears about undue wear from shaking are completely misplaced and show a total lack of understanding about how things are made.

If something is manufactured to vibrate you can bet that it has been tested to destruction by vibrating it a whole lot more than it will ever be subjected to in normal use.

Manufacturers do this because a reputation of unreliable products is a killer and takes a long time to shake off (no pun intended).

I wonder if these fearful, timid people push their cars everywhere? Internal combustion engines vibrate an awful lot too. Ever seen a washing machine on spin cycle? That's a cracker.

Sure things wear out but just how often is a camera thrown away because it was simply worn out? Obsolescence is a much nearer threat. How often do you change your camera?

Lighten up. Look after it but use it!

Sensor cleaning at switch-off is not such a good idea.

Dust gets into the camera when you change lenses. After changing the lens, you turn your camera on and that's when you need to clean the sensor. Not after you shot a load of pictures with dust on the sensor.