Originally posted by mediaslinky 
Like "no worries if you get caught in a drizzle" or "stand out in the downpour and take pictures."?
Your post is listed under SLR lens discussion, but one cannot dissociate between the camera and lens: you want your system (camera+lens) to be WR to shot in all-weather. If you like to shoot outdoor, and do not want to be restricted to some nice weather conditions only, then WR is a must. I have myself used my camera under atrocious conditions (rainpour, mud, dirt) and my system survived although I was careful even with a WR system.
More generally, I have the opinion that the WR camera body is a requisite. For lenses, there are WR lenses, but there are also some very solid lenses that are sturdy and that can take a lot. As long as you take good care (TLC) to the lens, a sturdy lens can take a lot...
However it must be stressed that WR does not mean waterproof: this is sometimes a misunderstanding. When working outdoor, we always need to be careful with the camera and lenses, even WR systems.
Most Pentaxians will add that a further major risk when working outdoor or in rainy/dusty conditions is the lens swap. It can be very tricky to swap lenses in bad weather. I work a lot outdoor when I cannot restrict myself to nice weather conditions. My prefered setup is a single camera-lens setup : ie I do not swap lenses. Some Pentaxians use two camera bodies to have two lenses but avoiding the lens swap.
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