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01-05-2013, 11:47 AM   #1
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What if 3rd party battery grip gets wet?

Hi need to find a grip for my K5II and wonder if the cheap 3rd party ones are 'safe' to use in the rain or other humid places. I know they are not waterproof,but I wonder if they get wet and short out,will that affect my K5 in a 'bad' way..like fry some circuits in the camera grip is needed for DA300 lens and will be doing birds/animals . Also has anyone tried to 'waterproof' the cheap grips, if that is possible
Thanks again

01-05-2013, 11:52 AM   #2
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The K-5 connects to the grip via contacts on the bottom that are covered by a rubber bung.

It is well known that removing the bung makes the entire camera vulnerable to water damage.

If your knockoff grip lets water into the contacts, then your camera might die.

I wouldn't trust it.
01-05-2013, 12:06 PM   #3
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I own both, long story, and while the 3rd party one works just fine when its dry it has zero weather sealing (despite the packaging saying otherwise). I would never use it in anything but bright clear weather. I would rather go without a grip than make the camera vulnerable via the interface on the bottom or by having the grip short out and damage the camera.
01-05-2013, 12:22 PM   #4
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I have a third party grip. It's just fine in the dry, and for the price is worth having, but I wouldn't use it on a wet day. Despite what it said on the box about being waterproof, there are no seals on it.

01-05-2013, 02:13 PM   #5
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I have a K-5 and K-5 IIs. One has an exact replica third party grip I got from the NewEgg marketplace for <$40; the other is genuine Pentax I also got new. Both are worth what I paid for them. The replica is a great value. Like the others, it has no weather sealing. I'd use it in a light rain, but I'd be careful in a heavy one.
01-05-2013, 02:14 PM   #6
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I have been using all kind of camera gear for roughly 35 years now. Shooting in all kind of weather storm, heat, rain, snow ... to me it never made a difference if any gear was labelled "weather protected" or not (and I don't think any Pentax gear is "waterproof" - it just offers better fairly high resistance against rain). I don't take camera or lens with me in the shower though

Long story short, I never hesitate to use my K5 with a 3rd party battery grip in any kind of somewhat "normal" weather condition - including rain. Of course it is always a good idea to take reasonable care and protect your gear when you don't shoot.
01-05-2013, 02:26 PM   #7
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I had a cheap grip and it was excellent. it was such a tight fit I would not worry about anything short of falling in a river lol

01-05-2013, 02:43 PM   #8
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You spent all that money onto a K-5II, Protect it with a genuine grip, it is your investment man.
01-05-2013, 10:41 PM   #9
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Thanks people..I like shooting hurricanes on the west coast here(DK) and lots of salt as well,even with my pro OLY gear I still used a bag around the cam..I had thought to route out a groove in a cheap grip & put a silicon seal there..but $ experiment if it fails, and the buttoms/dials would be harder to seal and get the most exposure..even in a plastic baggy...so I guess I wait for a good deal on the original one..crazy price here close to $400 bucks..anyone know the cheapest shop for these??
01-06-2013, 01:39 AM   #10
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If you buy a cheap 3rd party grip, would it be possible to DIY weatherseal? Like put some vinyl or something so that when you put it on, it'll seal up any gaps and make it (theoretically) airtight?
01-06-2013, 01:46 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by cpho Quote
If you buy a cheap 3rd party grip, would it be possible to DIY weatherseal? Like put some vinyl or something so that when you put it on, it'll seal up any gaps and make it (theoretically) airtight?
Even if you put sealing on it, it just won't be the same. The plastic feels cheaper and the buttons certainly feel cheaper and different. With the genuine, the buttons feel the same quality and same way as the actual K-5. The markings on the grip of the knock-off also wears out over-time and you won't be able to read it. I know because I owned the knock-off grip when I had my K-7 before the K-5 which I now own the genuine grip for it.
01-06-2013, 05:06 AM   #12
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If you were seriously that worried about water you could easily seal the base with that waterproof thin white tape that plumbers use. I have never heard of one single incident where a grip has failed due to damp or getting wet though. If the grip itself ever did get dammaged... so what.... you could buy 6 of them for less than the genuine artical. I have the original grip on my Nikon. Yes it is good but what a waist of money. Its just a grip at the end of the day. The quality of the cheap ones far exceeded my expectations. I expected it to be cheap and nasty, but it simply is not the case.
01-08-2013, 07:33 PM   #13
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It is very simple to seal the K-5 when used with a 3rd Party Grip. Here is how:-
Just apply a round or two of Teflon Tape at the base of the pins on the Grip. Then attach the grip to the K-5. The Teflon flattens out sealing the K-5. Your K-5 is now perfectly weather sealed. NOTE: no gear is weather sealed in pouring rain or dipped in water, short of using an under water housing. This will not seal the Grip though.
01-08-2013, 08:39 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by nanhi Quote
It is very simple to seal the K-5 when used with a 3rd Party Grip. Here is how:-
Just apply a round or two of Teflon Tape at the base of the pins on the Grip. Then attach the grip to the K-5. The Teflon flattens out sealing the K-5. Your K-5 is now perfectly weather sealed. NOTE: no gear is weather sealed in pouring rain or dipped in water, short of using an under water housing. This will not seal the Grip though.
Nice suggestion. The worry for me would be a short in the 3rd party grip itself and barring that corrosion resulting in inoperability. My suggestion is that if your grip is not weather sealed then take it off in the rain, put it in a baggie in your bag, and use your weather sealed K-5 by itself.
01-08-2013, 08:44 PM - 1 Like   #15
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I am not an engineer but I will defer to any expert opinion on this subject.

That said, I've had one of the cheap grips for almost 2 years and have never used my K5 without it attached. I shoot lots of seascapes and high fog/moist areas and my camera very often gets wet, quite wet.

Occasionally after a drenching, I will detach the grip to check for damage and I never find much more than a little wetness just inside but never near the contacts. The assembly screws have gotten rusty where exposed to seawater, but I don't get too worried about that. Honestly, I still can't believe I got this grip for $45 bucks or whatever it was. It has been worth it!






Last edited by mikeSF; 01-09-2013 at 09:18 PM.
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