[clackers]

Good morning all, it was Halloween recently, when my daughter decided to tell me a joke.

"Why don’t mummies have friends? Because they’re too wrapped up in themselves."

I do miss the days when Halloween was a simple holiday about making ritual sacrifices to evil spirits to ensure a plentiful harvest.

This week I want to talk about cameras and water, to extend last week's discussion on lenses.

In Australia, Chris Hewgill's taken a lot of surf photos from the water itself using Pentax. But always in a super expensive custom built enclosure.

Those enclosures come with warnings to test them with immersion each time before putting a camera in them. The seals age from the first day they were manufactured and must be lubed regularly and replaced on a schedule by the builder.

But we don't do that with our cameras - are they magic?

Hardly. That's why camera manufacturers are loathe to try and get them certified for waterproofing. As the late and sadly missed Stevebrot pointed out, each dial and button connects the outside of the camera with the inside. The microphone port, USB. HDMI, DC-in, SD card door, battery door, grip contact cover, lens mount, remote trigger port - everything must be airtight, fully shut and ideally lined with vaseline to be air tight. Flaps and gaskets must be clear of any dirt.

There is of course the matter of the lens, which we mentioned last week. Below is a picture of the seals in the K-70.

Best to not make any of these the first line of defence against water or dust. An improvised plastic sleeve or even better an umbrella are better, with a dish towel or similar used regularly over all surfaces.

Don't lie to a repairman. They are likely to find inside a certain strip has changed colour indicating that a serious amount of water entered a camera, voiding the warranty repair. They may even find left over salt on the main board indicating the story of splash by a glass of water was more like something bad happened at the beach.

If something bad does happen, best to power off, remove battery and lens, open all flaps, and put in a closed plastic bag with dessicant like silica gel kitty litter or beans or rice grains for several days before trying to power on. Wet electronics can short circuitry, so don't put the battery back in to test until you're sure everything is dry!

To finish our Halloween edition is the story of a conference on the supernatural, where one of the speakers asks, “Who here has ever seen a ghost?”

Most of the hands go up. “And how many of you have had some form of interaction with a ghost?” About half the hands stay up.

“Okay, now how many of you have had *physical* contact with a ghost?” Three hands stay up; there’s a slight murmur in the crowd.

“Gosh, that’s pretty good. Okay, have any of you ever, uh … been *intimate* with a ghost?”

One hand stays up.

The speaker blinks. “Wow, sir, are you telling us that you’ve actually had sexual contact with a ghost?”

The fellow suddenly blushes and says, “Oh, I’m sorry … I thought you said goat!”

Find the rest of the series here: Clackers' Beginners Tips (Collected) - PentaxForums.com

[kypfer]

I do miss the days when Halloween was a simple holiday about making ritual sacrifices to evil spirits to ensure a plentiful harvest.

Around here they call that a bar-b-q

… remove battery and lens, open all flaps ...

Don't forget the card … remove it, wipe it dry and copy the contents ASAP, assuming it's still readable!

[Roadboat24]

I don't know about waterproof. But from personal experience, my k50 is apparently beer proof.

[builttospill]

Why don't monsters eat ghosts?

Because they taste like sheet.

[clackers]

Don't forget the card … remove it, wipe it dry and copy the contents ASAP, assuming it's still readable!

Yep, especially as they may contain the last pictures ever taken by that body!

[clackers]

Next week in Beginners' Tips: Conventional fashion shooting

[35mmfilmfan]

Yep, especially as they may contain the last pictures ever taken by that body!

That applies if the photographer has not survived prolonged immersion as well.


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[clackers]

That applies if the photographer has not survived prolonged immersion as well.


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Love it!

Selfie as he steps backwards towards the cliff face, just trying to get that framing right ...