[Shakey]

Without buying a special housing, does anyone have any tricks for keeping a non-WR lens protected a little...say when you are walking along a seaside beach?
Baggie with rubber bands??? I have no idea. I'm not talking about being out in high winds in a sand storm or severe weather, but on any beach there is always the possibility of a grain of sand blowing by and landing on a persons camera/lens.

Thanks in advance for your ideas.

[darylk]

A proper small, light easily accessed camera bag in use except when actually shooting is probably most advisable. If you're looking for a McGyver approach, a collapsible beer koozie slipped over the lens might provide some protection. If you cut the end off the koozie, you'd likely be able to shoot with some protection. Consider also getting a clear (UV) filter to protect the front element.

[Shakey]

Have the UV filter - thanks.

[ChipB]

Another thing to think about is you ARE going to have salt spray end up on both the camera and the lens. Make sure you wipe both down with a damp cloth once you're off the beach and have some lens cleaner handy to use on the front glass.

[Kozlok]

Those little rubber rings they sell to keep zoom lenses from creeping - put one around the mount end keeps sand out of the important parts. Get a soft brush to sweep the sand away before you unmount the lens. I also like a rocket blower to knock of the larger sand grains before using the brush.

Be super careful changing lenses at the beach.

[ChatMechant]

I go to the beach often and most of my lenses are non-wr. I just keep the lens cap on as much as possible and if some sand happens to get somewhere I use a blower and it comes off. Cat hair is more of a problem.....

[victormeldrew]

To be honest, a fully WR camera kit is still pretty rare, and most people just get on with shooting anyway. Better to just enjoying shooting and get those shots, than fret about a bit of sand or spray here and there. But it's a shame that you have to pick and choose your lenses to get WR to match your body, especially within the Pentax range. I just don't get why, for the sake of a few o-rings, they are not all WR to match.

[Shakey]

I tend to be a little over-protective of things (I'm the kind of guy you want to buy a used vehicle from....it will be in perfect shape no matter how old) but understand that a little precaution can go along way...be sensible and have fun without going overboard worrying about sand and such.

[ramseybuckeye]

OP/TECH Rainsleeves Are available many places, a pack of two costs about 7 or 8 dollars. They are clear plastic with a drawstring on one end to go around the lens hood. The other end is open to put your hand in.

[Shakey]

OP/TECH Rainsleeves Are available many places, a pack of two costs about 7 or 8 dollars. They are clear plastic with a drawstring on one end to go around the lens hood. The other end is open to put your hand in.

Just ordered a pair on Amazon, Thanks for the info.

[Saltwater Images]

Living on an island in the stormy North Atlantic, where RDF (Rain, Drizzle, Fog) is the norm with subtle variations on that theme; sideways rain, freezing drizzle, and ice fog - I have been shooting Pentax non-wr glass on digital for a decade without issue. Keeping my gear in a weatherproof camera bag; taking it out to shoot, placing it back in the bag and wiping it down later - no issues.

[MarkJerling]

Without buying a special housing, does anyone have any tricks for keeping a non-WR lens protected a little...say when you are walking along a seaside beach?
Baggie with rubber bands??? I have no idea. I'm not talking about being out in high winds in a sand storm or severe weather, but on any beach there is always the possibility of a grain of sand blowing by and landing on a persons camera/lens.

Thanks in advance for your ideas.

When simply walking along the beach, I'd trust any lens to stay reasonably clean and dry. Assuming it's blowing a gale and you have horizontal rain and sand blowing about, then you'd want to us a WR lens at the very least, with a UV or similar filter to protect the front element. A cheap fix is a clear plastic bag, large enough for the camera and lens, with some elastic bands around the lens barrel. The camera can be operated perfectly fine though the clear plastic bag.

I've used that technique at the bottom of Niagara Falls where it was certainly wet and wild.

[Shakey]

Thank you Mark. I knew someone would come up with a plastic bag method...it makes so much sense.

[MarkJerling]

Thank you Mark. I knew someone would come up with a plastic bag method...it makes so much sense.

It does, but it also presents a problem. I almost always use a camera strap. That means the that bag needs holes for the strap. So, not as good as I'd like, but hey, it works!

[bertwert]

It does, but it also presents a problem. I almost always use a camera strap. That means the that bag needs holes for the strap.

Found a solution for your problem: