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09-17-2012, 04:23 PM - 1 Like   #76
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Well, I guess I may as well throw my 2 cents in here...

I just got back from a week in Bermuda yesterday... I took several shots while I was there of course, a number of them taken in the rain... some of them under extremely high energy wind driven rains. In fact, at one particular point in the trip a quick 15-20 minute squall came through the area with some really high force winds. Blue sky one minute, followed by blackness, then blue skies again… The force of the wind & rain during the brief squall was so great in fact that it literally ripped an NCL cruise ship from its pier, snapping big heavy mooring lines and setting the ship adrift. The big cruise ship then collided with a neighboring Royal Caribbean cruise liner that had been moored at the same pier.
I got some nice shots of the entire event using my K30 and a Sigma 10-20 lens which was mounted on it at that particular moment. The UV filter on the front of the lens got pretty nasty from the rain & salt and I had to wipe it down frequently, but other than that... no issues whatsoever. All the seals on the camera held tight, and amazingly enough, even the Sigma was no worse for wear... probably due to the fact that both the camera strap and my hand were wrapped around it pretty tightly, protecting it. I did my best to protect the camera as well during this brief event, but it still got a pretty good bath.
Most of the time however, the K30 and standard 18-55 WR lens were hanging from my shoulder out in the elements be it rain or shine. I even ventured out into the surf itself on several occasions when photographing the beaches, waves crashing against me splashing salt water all over me and the camera, again with no issues to report. I couldn't be happier with the camera!
I also received a gazillion comments on the K30 with its bright white body… people just loved it! I think I definitely sold more than a few while I was there.

Shot of NCL ship hopelessly dragging it's anchor after snapping it's mooring lines. The winds were already slowing down at this point, but they were still so strong the anchor couldn't hold it in position




Last edited by Fastback67; 09-18-2012 at 05:05 AM. Reason: Added image
09-17-2012, 04:27 PM - 2 Likes   #77
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QuoteOriginally posted by Fastback67 Quote
Well, I guess I may as well throw my 2 cents in here...

I just got back from a week in Bermuda yesterday... I took several shots while I was there of course, a number of them taken in the rain... some of them under extremely high energy wind driven rains. In fact, at one particular point in the trip a quick 15-20 minute squall came through the area with some really high force winds. Blue sky one minute, followed by blackness, then blue skies again… The force of the wind & rain during the brief squall was so great in fact that it literally ripped an NCL cruise ship from its pier, snapping big heavy mooring lines and setting the ship adrift. The big cruise ship then collided with a neighboring Royal Caribbean cruise liner that had been moored at the same pier.
I got some nice shots of the entire event using my K30 and a Sigma 10-20 lens which was mounted on it at that particular moment. The UV filter on the front of the lens got pretty nasty from the rain & salt and I had to wipe it down frequently, but other than that... no issues whatsoever. All the seals on the camera held tight, and amazingly enough, even the Sigma was no worse for wear... probably due to the fact that both the camera strap and my hand were wrapped around it pretty tightly, protecting it. I did my best to protect the camera as well during this brief event, but it still got a good bath.
Most of the time however, the K30 and standard 18-55 WR lens were hanging from my shoulder out in the elements be it rain or shine. I even ventured out into the surf itself on several occasions when photographing the beaches, waves crashing against me splashing salt water all over me and the camera, again with no issues to report. I couldn’t be happier with the camera!
I also received a gazillion comments on the K30 with its bright white body… people just loved it! I think I definitely sold more than a few while I was there.
Now that's a feature! Fight for your right to have seals that work!
09-18-2012, 12:47 AM   #78
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I think that testing camera WR feature is a must, since it may lead to a big problem, if it will fail in the field because of some rainstorm.

I have used camera in a small rain without problem, but im worry about battery door. It is sealed, of course, but i have a feeling that it doesnt closing tight. I think i will test it without battery inside to see, if water comes inside or not.
09-18-2012, 03:34 AM   #79
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Yup - one of the reasons I went for the K-30 was because it's advertised as being able to be used *IN* the rain. Having said that though, I will still be very weary of using and operating my ~$700 piece of equipment in the rain.
After reading this thread though, I have an urge to want to test it while I still may be able to get it replaced via Amazon. I've had to do that for something before - and they sent the new item while I still had the old, and only required me to return the old item within ~30 days of receiving the replacement. ... It was a memory-foam mattress pad for ~$120 though, so I'm not sure if they'd do that for ~$700 item.

Another thing I would suggest is getting the extended warranty for $25 from Adorama... If it's been within 30 days of the original purchase date - and it isn't required that you had to buy the camera from them.

When buying my K-30, a requester popped up asking if I wanted to purchase a ~$200-300 warranty.. While it would have covered accidental damage, I couldn't see paying 1/3-1/4 the price of the camera for a warranty. I was considering getting the warranty directly from Pentax for $90 (IIRC), but then I Googled it and found the $25 warranty! And it's the exact same one as the one from Pentax: an additional 2 years + the original 1-year, for a total of 3 years.

For $25 - it was a **NO BRAINER** to get that!!

09-18-2012, 08:03 AM   #80
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Actually the camera's from Pentax should already have a 3 year or X shutter count warranty, its one of our points of contention. Even the outboard motor manufacturers have standard 3 year warranties with optional 2 or 3 year extensions to buy, and when used for commercial purposes they have a 1 year warranty, and those things cost as much as a car in come cases and are far easier to damage in use.

Odd that the ship couldn't get its nose into the wind and hold under power, must be more than can be seen from the picture. Modern cruise ships are actually quite overpowered and usually have bow thrusters too.
09-18-2012, 08:49 AM   #81
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QuoteOriginally posted by PPPPPP42 Quote
Odd that the ship couldn't get its nose into the wind and hold under power
Looks like they used anchors and tugboats to get it secured pretty quickly according to this article.

When I googled it, one of the links made me laugh because the author of this story had no idea they were typing a pun 3 days prior when they wrote,
"The tropical storm only put a slight dent into the schedule with most vessels simply opting to come in a little later than planned."

Anyway, glad everyone is ok and thanks for yet another reassurance that the K-30 is to not to be babied in the hopes that WR may provide some level of protection in a pinch but rather used to it's fullest advertised potential.
09-18-2012, 09:23 AM   #82
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The screen on my K-7 mists up in the rain. It all started when I reckoned I'd be ok changing the lens on a misty beach in January. It now happens every time I go out in the rain. Camera seems fine though.

Should just add that the lens I put on when it started wasn't WR, although the one that came off was.

09-18-2012, 09:33 AM   #83
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QuoteOriginally posted by PPPPPP42 Quote
Odd that the ship couldn't get its nose into the wind and hold under power, must be more than can be seen from the picture. Modern cruise ships are actually quite overpowered and usually have bow thrusters too.
The ship was not powered up at the pier... It takes time to start and warm up the engines. The engines were readied, but after hitting the other ship, divers had to be sent into the water to check for damage before bringing the props on line. Once the damage was assessed and the thrusters were put into service, it was just a matter of unfouling the anchor chain and bring her back to the pier.

Last edited by Fastback67; 09-18-2012 at 04:12 PM.
09-18-2012, 11:13 AM   #84
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After reading these experiences, I just had to test my K-30. Happy to report that there was absolutely no issue washing it under the shower for a few minutes, with a 18-135 WR.
I live in a place where it rains a lot during May-August. Big reason to get a K-30. Also a big reason not to deliberately test the camera's WR, because there are no pentax dealers or repair centers here. But I just got the camera and I don't want to find out in 6 months to a year it can't handle it.
Anyways, I found the flap covering the USB port, right next to the LCD, is a bit hard to close. And the battery and SD covers don't have locks, like they did on e.g. the K10D. Fantasysage, are you sure everything was closed properly?
09-18-2012, 06:54 PM   #85
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QuoteOriginally posted by altopiet Quote
Can anyone tell what this is?
This is probably Pentax weakest QC issue. The back of the K5, K10D, K200, K20D, K30 is polycarbonate. This means it can flex. The LCD cover is also polycarbonate but clear. Its held down by a thin, narrow piece of double sided tape.

Its obvious Pentax does not always seal the LCD cover good. When you push buttons on the right of the screen this causes the screen and body to flex making an area for ingress of dust/water if the screen was not put on tight. If put on right it will last years with no water or dust getting pass it.

You have several options. Including fixing it yourself (its easy) but your camera is under warranty so I won't go there. You can google and find the info you need if you do that. Lay the camera with the LCD down! There are seals around the LCD itself to keep water out of the camera. That's why the water is stuck between it; and why Pentax drops the ball often in this area. Its gotten worse with the smaller bodies and bigger screens.

Send it back or in for repair.

Last edited by jamesm007; 09-18-2012 at 07:01 PM.
09-19-2012, 09:54 AM   #86
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There is a lot of videos showing off WR feature of k-30, but i had added my own little test: Testing pentax k-30 weather resistance - YouTube
09-19-2012, 03:41 PM   #87
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QuoteOriginally posted by Dachiko Quote
There is a lot of videos showing off WR feature of k-30, but i had added my own little test: Testing pentax k-30 weather resistance - YouTube

Correction as you show the OP did nothing wrong!

To the OP more on subject of your rear LCD protector
You did nothing wrong. Pentax WR bodies can withstand that no problem.

I had a K10 with no LCD problem, I had a K20D that leaked in dust the first few months. I could have sent it; in fact Pentax support wanted me to. But I just did it myself. No water (and I put it in bad weather a lot) or dust has entered the LCD protector area. No water has entered your K30, only gotten under the LCD protector! It needs to be cleaned and have the double sided tape replaced and done right. Then you can wash it under your shower no problem. Most K10D and K20D did not have this problem. It became more of an issue with K7 and K5. Logic says its because of the smaller area around the larger LCD; and the back is still polycarbonate. which allows flex, that can compromise a less than perfect LCD sealing at the factory.

I would say over 99% do not leak. But when you do have a leak its just the double sided tape. Send it in as it should not have leaked.

I have owned my K20D for almost four years. I have over 50,000 shutter clicks on it. Its a workhorse, very reliable. No water or dust has ever gotten past any of the seals or LCD cover since I changed it. I know becuase I had the camera inspected by CRIS a few months ago. All is OK.
09-19-2012, 03:51 PM   #88
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QuoteOriginally posted by Dachiko Quote
I think that testing camera WR feature is a must, since it may lead to a big problem, if it will fail in the field because of some rainstorm.

I have used camera in a small rain without problem, but im worry about battery door. It is sealed, of course, but i have a feeling that it doesnt closing tight. I think i will test it without battery inside to see, if water comes inside or not.
I agree and did just that long ago if my K20D was going to leak...

09-19-2012, 04:24 PM   #89
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I do not have a K-30 but it should not have failed like that.
K-5 works pretty good in rain. Tropical storm Isabel last year.

edit: that might be K-7.

Last edited by Ex Finn.; 11-11-2014 at 05:47 PM.
09-19-2012, 05:15 PM   #90
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The AF-540 needs an upgrade to WR status.

Last edited by Ex Finn.; 11-11-2014 at 05:47 PM.
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