[Tas]

I don't shoot in the rain often. But if it's going to rain, or potentially rain, I'll choose a lens to suit.

For example, I was watching the weather radar one day and knew a storm was coming in so I went looking for a place to capture the storm before the storm front arrived. I got to that location and took a variety of images as the storm approached but my timing was off so I was caught in the storm front passing overhead.



I'd have got no images if I didn't have some confidence in the kit. The pain in the bum bit is cleaning/drying afterwards so I usually try and shoot before/after the rain, but am okay with the correct lens on (AW/WR) if that happens too.

I did choose to pause shooting when the worst of it was coming down and there didn't seem to be much to capture. All I did was turn the camera face down to protect the front of the lens.

I will shoot with a third party lens like my Zeiss's if it's a light shower or similar but if it's serious rain I'll be fitting something with weather sealing to shoot with.


Tas

[othar]

I sometimes end up photographing in the rain unplanned when mountaineering, but as the lighting conditions are usually not that great during a rain I rarely take pictures then.
That said, depending on the intensity of the rain I sometimes even use non-WR lenses covered with my hand for those occasions. When I plan on shooting in the rain I usually bring an umbrella though.

[steephill]

WR is useful for more than just rain. I have left my K-1 ll and DFA15-30 out overnight trying to capture meteor showers and it is usually dripping wet with condensation by the morning.

[Sandy Hancock]

Often enough.

This one has been seen in a few other threads....



....but in this one (mind you, it's not a K-1 shot - taken years ago with a K-5) it's seriously bucketing down



Seriously, with a top end Pentax body and a star lens, you need never be worried about "a bit of rain"

[Fogel70]

I do not often shoot in the rain, but it is usually because my clothes are not as weather proof as my camera gear.

But if I plan to shoot in the rain I trust my weather sealed gear.

[Michail_P]

I get out there and shoot with the K-70 in all kinds of weather. Rain is a great condition to shoot. A good cleaning of my gear after that and we are as good as new.

[ProfessorBuzz]

A golf umbrella and plastic bag for the camera are handy accessories... that said, I generally hate the rain. I love to shoot after its done, when everything is still wet, droplets on the leaves etc.

[JimJohnson]

I try to not expose my gear to flowing water. If shooting where the camera is exposed directly to heavy rain, I have a cheap thin plastic bonnet. I can use LV and manipulate controls through the bonnet and I always use a lens hood I trust Pentax's WR when shooting in mist, fog or snow, or when carrying the camera through dripping foliage.

[Kobayashi.K]

I avoid rain in all circumstances, I'm sort of allergic for it. I live in the Netherlands and it can rain for weeks continuously. Formerly I went out in all weather conditions, but I got too much crap. So gradually I became more picky about the lighting conditions and now I only go out in sunny weather and preferably with a cloudless sky (yellow filter mounted). The result is that I only shoot 50% of what I did before, but I have 50% more keepers. With that most of my photos became crisp and clear with plenty of contrast and good tonality, without needing tricks developing them (film) and/or extensive post processing (scanned film, digital) which always compromises the result. That said, I only shoot monochrome so contrast is essential.

[Viking42]

I shoot in the rain occasionally, and mostly when traveling. In those cases, when I know I may not get to that place ever again and I really want a shot, then I will most definitely shoot in the rain. Iceland trip a couple of years ago was a great example -- stunning scenery, rained half the trip....so I either had to shoot in it or head home with hardly any shots. Besides, the rain added to the otherworldly moodiness of the scenes there.

But more often than rain, and due to living in Canada, I'm out shooting in winter when it's snowing. This happens at least half a dozen times each winter.

I am grateful to Pentax for making electronic cameras that actually work in rain, snow, sleet, and -30C temps, and just keep on going and going....

[Reijnaart]

My K-50 with 55-300PLM had no problem with a downpour in Budapest.

[11GTCS]

I laughed when I saw this title. Probably half the time I’m out it’s raining. Both my K-1 and K-P have seen routine rainy duty. In addition, they often get called out on the water for waterfowl shots, both in land and in the canoe, and spray is common.

[Sidney Porter]

For those that recommend an umbrella... I am struggling with how you hold an umbrella and a camera. I would need a third hand.

I am more of a rain jacket person. Even when I don't have a camera


I use this cover. I have shot in downpours. The camera stays dry.
amazon.com : Altura Photo Professional Camera Rain Cover for Canon Nikon Sony DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras - Altura Photo Camera Accessories for Photography Rain Gear : Photographic Equipment Rain Covers : Camera & Photo?tag=pentaxforums-20&

[bertwert]

For those that recommend an umbrella... I am struggling with how you hold an umbrella and a camera. I would need a third hand.

Here you go...

[barondla]

Wow. More people are using their Pentax in the rain than I anticipated. In all these stories not one equipment failure. Good to know.


Thanks,
barondla