Originally posted by geomez Last week I had my 18-135mm WR at the beach. When I got back to my room I ran it (attached to my K-3) under the faucet to clean off the sand. Afterwards I wiped all but the front element off with a towel, extended it to max zoom, and left it on the counter to dry off. It's still perfect as of today.
Lastly, I don't think Pentax would advertize like this if they weren't confident in their products' water resistance...
Yes, they advertise their products this way, and they advertise them at trade shows by pouring water on them.
My camera has been used in torrential rain and has been under the faucet for cleaning for several years without problems.
I sent it in for cleaning and repair (K5 needed sensor replaced for sensor stain issue... not too bad so I waited two years until the warranty was reaching its end). Shortly after, while photographing in light rain, the camera stopped working. Apparently the seals failed. Two+ years in truly wet conditions without a problem, then ruined by light rain.
I honestly believe the repair people damaged the seals as the light rain should never have caused a problem.
At the very least, if the seals were *that* bad due to age, they should have been replaced.
Of course, Pentax naturally did not warranty the repair (warranty not yet expired).
Pentax refused to believe any such advertising of the weather resistance by pouring water on the cameras even though I sent them videos of their own reps doing exactly that. They even stated it was never meant to be used in the rain.
The cameras are great when they work and there are lots of example of how outstanding it is... but don't rely on the weather sealing.
Pentax is a lying sack of s---.
Of course, so are the alternatives... except they don't start by over-advertising their weather sealing like Pentax does.