Originally posted by pjtn Thanks pxpaulx and FullertonImages.
The weather sealing sounds great on the K5. I only recently paid $900 to repair my 5D MKII from water damage. It was only a slight drizzle too, Canon wouldn't warrant it though.
However I think I would use it with the little Limited primes which aren't sealed. But on the other hand that's not where the water even got in on the Canon.
It's sounding good so far. I just find it hard to believe this camera can give as good results at a much cheaper price. Not to mention it's a smaller sensor.
You've picked up on an achilles in the limited system - no sealing. Personally, while I am (certainly) no pro, I have challenged the K-7 and 21/40mm to rain and snow (with associated very cold temperatures) in travel and hiking, and can report no issues. This may be due to the very tight build tolerances and metal construction of the limited series. There is also not a lot of lens protruding out for the water to hit (especially with the 40mm).
I have heard others here, who have used rubber bands around the lens mount to further prevent water incursion, with good success.
You do have the option of using the DA* 55mm, which is sealed. Depends on your FL requirements.
I too had a DS first up. The K-5/K-7 is a bit bigger than that, but still very portable with a couple of limiteds along for the ride.