[ShutterPro]

Hi,
I´m going to try to keep it short, while I write down everything of any possible significance.
So, to get to the matter, I am an idiot.
Some context... My camera a 5-year old K-70 went through some tough adventures with me. I shot it in -20 () C, in snow-rain, in blazing heat, in extremely foggy and also very dusty conditions. Until today it was fine and I could just tell everyone of the marvel Pentax weather sealing is.
Today, a huge rainstorm came to my area with so much water coming, that my feet were submerged under water, when I walked the inner city streets. Somehow I had the idea to take my camera and the 18-135 kit lens and to shoot some unique street moments. I had no protection whatsoever for my gear, which was out of my camera bag. I took some photos and the camera did completely fine. The pictures seemed ok, AF worked as precise and fast as ever. (The display was facing out, and I didn´t turn it, so the hinges didn´t move at all). I didn´t zoom too much, however I zoomed 3-4 times, as 18mm was too wide. I felt, that the zooming, which got easy over time (I have a total lens-creep), got stiffer again. I didn´t like that, but I decided to go wide only and went on. After some more shots the display started flickering slightly, and I got alarmed, trying to move to some kind of shelter. I just saw one more great shot I had to take - I almost couldn´t review it, as the screen visibly faded to black. Then the shutter went on firing, eventough I had single-shot on, but I can´t tell if just my fingers were stiff and shaky.
Then I ran to shelter myself and my camera. I took out the battery, and checked all the compartements, they were dry, except under the hot-shoe cover, where there was some moisture (I don´t know how it got there). I blew the water off the camera, put it in my bag and got home the fastest possible way.
At home I took off the lens and wiped the camera, it was completely dry from the inside. Somehow I got the idea to wipe the lens contacts, and the paper got wet. The same thing also happened, when I wiped the bayonet of the lens. I haven´t turned the camera on since it went completely black and unresponsive, as I fear to short-circuit it somehow. It is drying for a few hours now.
Could you please help me? Should I dry it a few days, or overnight? Is it dead, or may it work again after a temporary black-out? Have you experienced something similar?
Thanks a lot,
Jan

[robgski]

Take the battery and SD card out, leave the doors to those compartment open, dismount the lens, let everything dry in a warm and dry place.

[Pentax Syntax]

I have recovered my K-3 several times from drenching. As mentioned take out the battery and cards, leave everything open and let things dry out. Mine came back each time. If still wet use a seal lock bag around the camera with desiccant inside.

[c.a.m]

Rain-swept city streets offer all sorts of interesting and enticing photo opportunities.

Sorry to hear of your camera's problem.

In the situation you describe, it seems that the weather conditions exceeded your camera's moisture protection. The K-70 is "weather-resistant," not weather-proof and certainly not waterproof, but there are no definitive specifications for its level of protection. It's possible that the lens sucked in moisture as it was being zoomed; water may have entered through one or more seals on the camera body when exposed to the rain for an extended period; or blowing the camera dry may have forced water into the body.

It's difficult to say whether there is any permanent damage. There are numerous discussions here concerning weather-resistance and camera failures. Here's a thread in which the user reports their K-3 II came back to life after being exposed to heavy rain: K3II failed under rain - PentaxForums.com

I would suggest to be patient and let the camera dry for a couple of days. Good luck.

- Craig

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Last edited by c.a.m; 08-16-2021 at 11:25 AM.

[sergysergy]

Get an eva-dry dehumidifier or some silica packages for cheap and put them with the camera in a sealed container with it for a few days.

[i_trax]

I had similar problem years ago in Warsaw / Poland , sudden heavy spring storm.
My K-5 and Sigma 17-70 2.8-4.5 Macro were both saturated.
I had to improvise , a large plastic container with lot of rice.
It did work!
K-5 and Sigma are both still working years later.

[AfterPentax Mark II]

My father was a watch and clock maker. If an expensive watch got immersed in water he taught me to put it under a lamp to warm the watch up to damp it out. With your camera and lens you can do that as well, certainly now you have those Led-lamps that gives a pleasant warmth, not too hot and put camera and lens under it and let it damp out. Ventilate a little bit when doing so to get rid of the damp will also help this good cause.

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Last edited by AfterPentax Mark II; 08-16-2021 at 12:48 PM. Reason: unquoting the quote

[Not a Number]

Ricoh says somewhere, perhaps the warranty or other literature that the weather sealing can be compromised by water impact. Examples would be heavy, driving rain, surf or even enough water pressure from a faucet. With enough force water can get past the seals.

As recommended above remove the battery, leave all doors open, remove the lens and place in an airtight container with desiccant packs for at least 48 hour perhaps even up to a week. You can use those closet dehumidifier containers that can be found with cleanings supplies and other household goods.

[pschlute]

Let it dry out and it should be ok.

a huge rainstorm came to my area with so much water coming, that my feet were submerged under water

The AW sealing did not fail. If you want to take pictures in this environment you should by a water-proof camera.. Nowhere do Pentax claim any AW cameras are waterproof.

[Digitalis]

For a home made desiccant use Epsom Salts. Place a small amount (say 100g) of Epsom salt on a clean baking tray, and bake it in your oven for an hour or two at 230°C (450 F). This will convert the Epsom salt to the anhydrous MgSO4 form, which is an excellent desiccator. Allow to cool and set aside a portion for any future drying needs you may have ( such as drying the lens you had attached) and enclose 50g of the MgSO4 in a coffee filter, and place it in a sealed bag along with the item to be dried. This solution is faster than using Silica gel pellets and safer than using Lye crystals (sodium hydroxide, NaOH) as I have heard some (impatient) people use on electronics. Sodium hydroxide is well known for being a powerful desiccant and is able to pull water out directly out of the air, and is also sufficiently caustic enough to melt your face off even in dilute amounts.

[tokyoscape]

Have you experienced something similar?

Yeah, more than one with K3 and DFA100wr and DA*55.
Open every compartment, face it down and "gently" blow it with hair dryer until it dry. Don't use high-heat. Don't blow directly into the lens mouth! You just want to dry up the outer shell on this step.

Next, close every compartment and sink the camera into a bowl of rice, leave it there about 24 hours and test it. I did leave battery door open but no rice in it. Just make sure your rice is clean and no small bug in it!

I was once unknowingly loose the shutter release socket's cover while shooting in a typhoon category 2. I got condensation built up on the top of the sensor. I know that because every photo turn out with foggy glow effect. I though it was a cool built-in effect but I just want a normal photo so I tried to find a way to turn it off for a while! Another 3-4 times it was just too much water I guess. The autofocus always stop working first and pretty much similar to what you descried happen next if I still keep on shooting.

Before go out in the rain, check if you close every socket. Some time I just tape every socket with black tape. Check if you not lose the shutter release socket cover. Check every screw on the camera to make sure they are not loosened. Don't trust kit lens if the rain is heavy. And last, bring a few towers with you and keep wiping water off the camera and lens whenever you can.
While shooting, you better protect the camera as good as you can from the water. Don't forget, it is a weather sealed, but it is not a waterproof system. I shoot in heavy rain often, but the camera will get wet only when I shoot. I don't walk with camera and lens exposed to the rain, and try to dry it up as often as possible.

Hope your camera turn out OK.

[RobA_Oz]

Take the battery and SD card out, leave the doors to those compartment open, dismount the lens, let everything dry in a warm and dry place.

This is good information. I had a similar experience with my K-1 and DFA*50/1.4, but it was only subject to a fine rain at the time. Performing the above brought it back. I must admit to being a bit puzzled, as the only possible and visible point of entry I could see was through the uncovered hotshoe, but there are other seals that are hidden from view, so I’m now even more cautious with carrying my gear in wet weather.

[Digitalis]

If an expensive watch got immersed in water he taught me to put it under a lamp to warm the watch up to damp it out.

This is assuming the metals used in the watch mechanism have reasonable ability to inhibit corrosion such as high grade stainless steel or Invar. The magnesium in the alloys that camera bodies are made of tends to be a bit more reactive at elevated temperatures, especially when reactive ions are present in the water (such as in salt water, or chlorinated mains water) so I'd still suggest drying the camera exterior off as much as possible with a towel and using a sealed bag with a desiccant packet to take care of the rest at room temperature. There are also some ambient environments where high humidity is common: this increases the chance for mold and fungi to grow and this can be especially problematic for lenses, so adding heat should be avoided to prevent your lens from becoming an expensive incubator for fungi.

[Lowell Goudge]

The urban legend is that rice is an adequate substitute for silica gell.

I had my *istD and FA28-105 completely soaked, when my kayak got swamped in 2004. The camera began shooting repeatedly and acting weird. I pulled the battery, and when I got back to my base, I opened all the covers, took the lens off the camera and set it in the sun to dry.

4 hours later it was dry and worked just fine, I still have the camera and it still works.

I have had my K1 and tamron 28-75/2.8 fog badly twice, once in Dublin and once in New Orleans. Both times it was cold and rainy.

The tamron almost doubles in length and volume when zooming from 28-75 mm, and just sucks moisture in. Both times it has dried out but you could see water in as far as the aperture, which is close to one element and it was leaving visible water marks when wet.

Weather resistance for me, is insurance not a functional benefit. I treat my camera and lenses like they are not WR and rely on the sealing if my primary protection fails.

Somewhere in the forums if you search back far enough is a guy with a K10 who washed his camera every day under the kitchen tap, to get the dust and salt residue off, and complained after almost 2 months of this process that the seals failed. As others have said, WR is NOT water proof

[ThorSanchez]

For a home made desiccant use Epsom Salts. Place a small amount (say 100g) of epsom salt on a clean baking tray, and bake it in your oven for an hour or two at 230°C (450 F). This will convert the epsom salt to the anhydrous MgSO4 form, which is an excellent desiccator. set aside a portion for any future drying needs you may have and enclose 50g of the MgSO4 in a coffee filter, and place it in a sealed bag along with the item to be dried. This solution is faster than using Silica gel pellets and safer than using Lye crystals (sodium hydroxide, NaOH) as I have heard some (impatient) people use on electronics. Sodium hydroxide is well known for being a powerful desiccant and is able to pull water out directly out of the air, and is also sufficiently caustic enough to melt your face off even in dilute amounts.

Aw, come on, lye isn't so bad. Sure, the packaging advises you to keep it off clothing, skin, children, pets, valuables... But it works exceptionally well for certain things like kick-starting the maillard reaction for spectacular pretzels and bagels, and cleaning clogged drain pipes. Just don't bathe you or your children in concentrated lye solutions.