[Ben Hunt]

Hey all, whats up?

Darn LBA's Kickin' in again....so it looks like i wont be eating the next few weeks...I want to replace my current 18-50 f3.5-5.6 sigma, Got my eye's on the DA*16-50 and the DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL WR, Just wondering what the weather seals are like, they say the WR is 'weather resistant' while the DA* has about half a page on it's seals
'The tightly sealed, weather-resistant and dust-resistant construction enhances durability for use in both rainy and dusty conditions, making the DA Star 16-50mm lens a perfect companion for the weather-resistant PENTAX DSLR bodies.'
PENTAX DA Weather Resistant Lens for Digital SLRs and Compacts: smc PENTAX DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL WR


I've got a choice of waiting a while (like till Oct) for the DA* or get the 18-50 DA WR now (or when they start shipping it) and save up again for the 16-50DA* and grab that later on... either way the sigma need to go...

Weather sealing is a big factor in deciding what lens next, and would love it if anyone could shed some light (no pun intended :P) on the WR's?

thanks all
Have a good one!
Ben

sorry if something simmilar has alread been posted, if so just point me in the right direction...

[Ben Hunt]

Or maybe the Tamron 17-50 with a plastic bag over it when it rains?

[RawheaD]

Haha, so funny, I guess a lot of us are thinking the same thing. I'm thinking about ditching my Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 (which I love, btw) for the DA*16-50mm because of the K-7 (also, SDM should be good for the video). Good thing is that Pentax priced the K-7 affordable enough so that it's not going to be too painful of an upgrade financially to

(1) sell K20D & Sigma 18-50mm f2.8

and

(2) purchase K-7 & DA*16-50mm f2.8


So long as the copy I get is good :-)

[Ben_Edict]

Haha, so funny, I guess a lot of us are thinking the same thing. I'm thinking about ditching my Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 (which I love, btw) for the DA*16-50mm because of the K-7 (also, SDM should be good for the video). Good thing is that Pentax priced the K-7 affordable enough so that it's not going to be too painful of an upgrade financially to

(1) sell K20D & Sigma 18-50mm f2.8

and

(2) purchase K-7 & DA*16-50mm f2.8


So long as the copy I get is good :-)

I have gone the same route already. I just kept my Sigma, as it is much smaller than the Pentax 15-50. Well, that was my thinking, but as I never again used the Sigma as the 16mm wide-end is so much more useful, than the 18mm to me, I might sell it off. In terms of sharpness and overall image quality the old (non-macro) Sigma is a real winner.

Ben

[robjmitchell]

I think the weather sealing will be plenty good enough, lenses are pretty weather resistant to start with. I'm going to pick one up with a k-7 and compare its use with my sigma 17-70. I'm hoping the lighter weight pentax will encourage me to carry my da14 when I go hiking. I find the 14mm perspective to be much more interesting than 17mm. Still I hope they seal the pentax 17-70, Thats the lens I really want!
Cheers

[Ben Hunt]

Still I hope they seal the pentax 17-70, Thats the lens I really want!

I agree, i don't mind suffering with a 4 instead of a 2.8 for that little bit extra reach...why cant sigma and tamron make weather sealed lenses...(sobs in a corner)

[mrcrontab]

User Usuqa here has a youtube video where he puts his GX10 and 50-135mm in the shower, and then shoots with it:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/57867-washing-my-g...ick-video.html

Direct video link: YouTube - gx10/k10d has a nice shower...

That is the most convincing demonstration of WR that I've ever seen, he gives it a real good rinse.

Still waiting for someone to take a video where they dump it a lake and fish it out, any takers?