The colours and angles of the second looks a bit Union Jackish (new adjective there) - the more I look at it the more I like it. I prefer the b/w version of the third.

I'm not a great fan of the effect but I appreciate it as 'digital art' and it's fun to play around.

Having said that I think the first snail pic looks absolutely amazing (I recall seeing it here before somewhere. It's a little bit of a shame about the tight framing otherwise I'd happily stick that very large on my wall.

They only had one left when I visited a few days ago. And that's the last one ever.

I agree, there must be a cutoff point where common sense prevails. Also, I'm sure many owners will find it not that straightforward to distinguish between regular dust and this genuine problem. However, the instances of the genuine problem are clearly sufficiently widespread to induce some level of paranoia and, regardless of the root cause, that is entirely the fault of a failure of proper QC procedures. I hope Pentax offers replacement for sensors obviously affected and a free inspection available for any other owner concerned.

On the other forum there has been confirmation from some owners that cleaning sensors couldn't remove these stains and technical analysis suggests that particles are embedded within the layers that make up the sensor assembly.

Spotmatic?

Looks like a new life form developing on the sensor.

If Pentax has been previously unaware of this issue then any new K5 you buy (or have replaced) could be affected.

If Pentax was aware of this issue then they didn't inform the distributors, in which case any new K5 you buy (or have replaced)could be affected.

Serial 3824, affected. Photo on other thread.

Help! (there's whacking great black dot on my K5 sensor)

Very, very good.