[Emirena]

Hi everyone,

I bought the K-70 last week as my first foray into DSLRs - step up from older Sony cybershoot I got very comfortable with in manual mode. A big draw was the weatherproofing - saltwater shooting season after season of sailing killed off my Sony after ~4 years. I've made some amateur mistakes already - took it out thrice in aforementioned sea conditions without a UV filter installed yet, then rubbed lens with microfiber cloth. I'm putting the UV filter on from now on, and awaiting a lens cleaning kit from amazon, since manual warns against organic and ammonia based cleaners.

Question:
How best can I remove salt build-up from the body? I read while poking around these forums that some users "rinse" their cameras gently, but I'm chicken to do it without specific instruction.

I found this thread with a purported video demo but the file seems broken now: How to clean ?salt? out of the shutter release button? - PentaxForums.com

Also, can distilled water be used to clean lens or should I just wait til official "lens cleaning solution" arrives to attempt to perfect my lens?

Thanks! Nervous about this fine investment.

[pentaxus]

Distilled water can't hurt. Wiping the camera with a clean towel moistened with distilled water is good also.

[h4yn0nnym0u5e]

Not specific to your K-70, but here's a thread: Weather Sealed? - PentaxForums.com. It includes a link to the classic video of covering not one but two cameras with sand, then rinsing them off.

Judging by other threads on here, the main thing to avoid is zooming while rinsing, as it could pump water through the seals. Personally I'd tend to rinse rather than wipe, as wiping might push salt into the cracks instead of washing it out.

So long as you don't overdo it you should be fine!

Cheers

Jonathan

[LensBeginner]

Washing machine, gentle cycle, no fabric softener.

[clickclick]

You want to flow dirt of, not grind it in, so you will want to use a dampened cloth to gently wipe down the body, and I think you could go as far as gently spraying a cleaner on parts as long as you are not directing it at openings, just to be safe. There are some cleaners specifically designed for marine cleaning. Purosol makes a Marine Optics Cleaner I have used:

Purosol Sport/Marine Optics Cleaner (4 oz Bottle) PUOC-10009 B&H

[DW58]

Remember that your K-70 is Weather Resistant. Not Water Proof. There are limits. I pushed the limits of my K-3's WR in the rainforests of Costa Rica. The K-3 did not survive. Not the cameras fault. Also if the lens you're using is not WR you increase the chances of water damage. Then you add into the equation SALT water? I think your Sony did fantastic taking it for four years.

[grog85361]

Good luck, I hope everything works out.

[AtitG]

My k-s2's (similar to k-70) fully articulating screen went blank recently after exposing it to rainfall (lots of it)! Camera is still taking pictures though, only the screen died. You might want to go easy on that screen.ü

[clackers]

Washing machine, gentle cycle, no fabric softener.

The late and great Rupert claimed he'd been banned from DPR when someone took to heart his instructions to clean a sensor with a high pressure hose …

[pakinjapan]

Hi everyone,

Question:
How best can I remove salt build-up from the body? I read while poking around these forums that some users "rinse" their cameras gently, but I'm chicken to do it without specific instruction.

I found this thread with a purported video demo but the file seems broken now: How to clean ?salt? out of the shutter release button? - PentaxForums.com

Also, can distilled water be used to clean lens or should I just wait til official "lens cleaning solution" arrives to attempt to perfect my lens?

Thanks! Nervous about this fine investment.

I would use relatively warm (not hot) water on a sheet of clean cloth to clean it up.
Or spray warmwater on the lens and camera body then wipe it with a soft cloth. And it should be OK. ...wait... not the high pressure water spray, ok?

My K5 and K3+ DFA100 wr has been working ok in heavy rain (typhoon) multiple times. I haveone time leaving one small circular shape plastic nob open (on one side of the body below pop up flash, I don’t even know what is it for but I removed it to dry thing up from a trip in a rain the day before, and forget to put it back.stupid me!) the whole trip, LOL
My K3 built up internal condensation which showed on the images I took later on the trip.

Back home and I dry it with a hairdryer a fewminutes then leave it inside a rice bag a night and the zombie comes back to life kicking butt like not thing ever happen.

Sooo… “Makesure you don’t leave a socket opened”. Make sure you close everything before apply water.

[twilhelm]

I live in Florida and spent a lot of time by the Gulf and dealing with salt water spray. My K10 D and K5 have both seen a light spray off in the sink with Luke warm water with no ill effects. I prefer to use a spray bottle and mist it to rinse it off. Once it’s well cleaned, a blow dryer on the lowest heat setting works great to dry it.

I always worried about wiping them down for fear I would “push” the salt into areas around buttons etc.

[Emirena]

Thanks for the tips.

Before the Marine Max cleanser arrived I just poured some distilled (room temp) water over the whole camera and lens (UV filter ON) and let air dry.

Marine max recommended towel drying so I used one of these towels: amazon.com: VibraWipe Microfiber Cleaning Cloths, 4 Colors, 8-Pieces. HIGH ABSORBENT, LINT-FREE, STREAK-FREE: Automotive?tag=pentaxforums-20&

Both water and the marine max fluid left streaks etc on my UV filter so I added some lens cleaning solution to the magic fiber cloth that came with my lens cleaning kit and wiped.

How gentle should I be on the UV Filter? It took a couple of passes with the lens cleaner moistened magic fiber cloth before all the streaks were removed, so I got a little nervous I might have used too much elbow grease. Cleaning

kit ( amazon.com: Altura Photo Professional Cleaning Kit for DSLR Cameras and Sensors Bundle with APS-C Sensor Cleaning Swabs and Carry Case: Electronics?tag=pentaxforums-20& ) also came with "cleaning tissue paper" but I feel like those would be pointless when I'm in seaspray and rain that is blowing enough to get under my lens hood and make the lens/UV filter all wet. Guessing they're more for dust / small drops / minimal cleaning...?

Yesterday's rain made me stop shooting because I couldn't keep droplets off the glass for more than 30" and didn't feel like continuously opening my pocket for a microfiber cloth that would also end up sodden with seawater in the end...

[clickclick]

How gentle should I be on the UV Filter?

I'd treat it like any optic, but since you can unscrew it, I'd be tempted to take it to the sink and with lots of water flow off any salt water residue. You can probably use a gentle soap without too much worry. I think the key is to flow off the dirt so you can then follow up cleaning it like any other lens with microfiber cloth or lens tissue and a traditional lens cleaner.

[Valantar]

I'm by no means an expert, but this approach has always worked for me, even for non-sealed cameras:

Cleaning dirt and grime off a camera or lens housing: using a fluffy microfiber cloth, moist but not wet, wiping in short motions (don't rub/scratch the dirt in!) and shaking out dirt/dust if needed. Rinse, repeat. Literally.

Cleaning dry stuff (like sand, windblown dirt, road dust, so on) off a camera or lens housing: first go at it fiercely with an air blower. If you have a compressor or one of these things, that should work better, but be careful not to force dirt into potential openings like zoom lenses or around buttons (which might make them less responsive/not work at all). After blowing off as much as possible, see above.

Cleaning dust off lenses: air blower. If it sticks, a clean, smooth microfiber cloth or the brush on a lenspen.

Cleaning stains, spots, light salt spray off lenses: air blower, then a large size lenspen. Don't apply pressure, work in a spiral from either the centre out or outside in. Repeat as necessary. The lenspen also has a nice soft brush that's great for clearing off light dust without getting your microfiber cloth out.

Cleaning filters (except for variable ND filters, unless you want a funky "trapped water" effect in your photos): rinse under the sink in lukewarm-to-hot water. After rinsing and air-drying, see above.


I've never had to clean a really grotty front lens element, but I would likely go at it very carefully with a moist, fluffy microfiber cloth (fluffy to pick up dirt well; the smooth ones are good for polishing, not so good for picking up dirt, and it might grind the dirt into the lens' coating) before removing any residue with the lenspen.

[jeallen01]

For cleaning lenses and filters, I find that sensor cleaning swabs dampened with sensor cleaning fluid do quite a good job - sometimes do that after cleaning a sensor, so getting a "2 for 1" on cost.