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01-01-2011, 08:20 AM   #31
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The K7 is an amazing and beautiful machine and I expect mine to last a long time (purchased in July 2009). I am taking it on a fifteen day winter backpack next month in the Grand Canyon (with the 16-50 DA*), and it will get dirty, wet with rain and snow, very cold and maybe hot. I will try not to drop it, but at some point in the hike I will trip, slip and fall down. I will do what I can to protect it and I have to fully trust the weather seals. HOWEVER, the seals will age, get dried out and eventually crack. That is what weather seals do and it occurs natually in the course of doing its job to protect the insides. Although it is considerably heavier than most Canikons, I bought the K7 so it could take great pictures in some great places, and not just from inside a car or a building.

01-01-2011, 11:04 AM   #32
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QuoteOriginally posted by zerodaze Quote
Although it is considerably heavier than most Canikons, I bought the K7 so it could take great pictures in some great places, and not just from inside a car or a building.
Do you mean consistently smaller and lighter than any comparable canikon?

5DmkII - 810g
7D - 820g
50D - 822g
60D - 755g
D7000 - 780g
D300s - 840g (without battery)
K-7 - 750g
K-5 - 740g

It is also by far the smallest of the bunch, almost definitely the best sealed, and arguably the toughest.
01-01-2011, 11:11 AM   #33
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HOWEVER, the seals will age, get dried out and eventually crack. That is what weather seals do and it occurs natually in the course of doing its job to protect the insides. Although it is considerably heavier than most Canikons, I bought the K7 so it could take great pictures in some great places, and not just from inside a car or a building.

I would not worry about them aging too much. I have a 11 year old Kodak DC5000. Its weather sealed (rated IP54 and for 3' drops onto concrete) and as big and heavy as a K10D with a prime on it; an old 2mp digital P/S. The seals which are rubber are still very pliable and soft, not brittle. The camera still holds off water.

Pentax dSLRs use silicone seals in most places where there is movement, buttons, doors, dials. More simple weather-sealing is used on seams as there is no wear and tear on those areas unless you remove them. The service manual tells the tech to check the weather-sealing and replace if it shows any signs of wear from de-assembly/re-assembly. There are a few areas of the body parts (like the seals for the dials) that need special attention by the tech if the camera is taken apart.

In any case silicone will last a long time, and so should the seals between the seams. Now if your serious about life time, perhaps not, how about a long time?

BTW this is IMO, Happy New Years
01-01-2011, 01:45 PM   #34
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My only real question abut the weather sealing is this - how can they possibly seal the control dials? Here we have a knurled flat disc on its side spinning into the camera body. It seems to me that the knurls (think teeth) would make it impossible to seal.

01-01-2011, 02:46 PM   #35
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This is K10 image (not a very good one) of front and rear e-dials/seals, (courtesy Pentaxhacks ).
K7 and K5 most likely use the same method. The dials sit in compartments that are not directly open to inside of the body.
Can`t tell from the picture but there should be O-rings under the wheels.

Last edited by Ex Finn.; 11-11-2014 at 05:49 PM.
01-01-2011, 04:08 PM   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ex Finn. Quote
This is K10 image (not a very good one) of front and rear e-dials/seals, (courtesy Pentaxhacks ).
K7 and K5 most likely use the same method. The dials sit in compartments that are not directly open to inside of the body.
Can`t tell from the picture but there should be O-rings under the wheels.
Ahh! Very enlightening! Thank you! I had envisioned something similar, but in my mind it was too big to fit in such a small camera.
01-29-2011, 09:11 PM   #37
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I was certainly hoping for my K-7 to last a lifetime. But alas, on the first really (REALLY) rainy day on my vacation in New Zealand it leaked, and hasn't worked since. I bought it second-hand, in very nice condition, in October... I was using it with a 16-50mm lens, which luckily looks fine. So once I get home, in a few days, I'll have to see what, if anything, can be done. Worst case: I can always buy a K-5...

01-30-2011, 11:05 AM   #38
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Sorry to hear that, any idea on the location of the leak?.
01-30-2011, 12:40 PM   #39
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QuoteOriginally posted by JeffJS Quote
Probably K7 owners looking for a reason (other than money) not to get the K5. Or worse yet, people who have never held either camera or any other weather sealed Pentax for that matter.

As a K-7 owner, I don't need to look for a reason for not to buy a K-5, K-5 is doing that for me very well, up to now..
01-30-2011, 01:12 PM   #40
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It's nice to see a salesperson pimping the K-7. haha. Most of the posts I've see are about big-box retailers trying to convince people to buy one of the two big brands.

While the sales person was giving you some exaggerated information, the K-7 is one of the best in regards to quality for the price. My K-7 has been through cold (northern IL winters), hale storms (on an island while hunting in the morning), hot direct sunlight (airshows), and other outdoor conditions without an issue so far.

Lens wise, I'd wager that the few Internal focus ones provide the best sealing. Such as the DA*50-135, DA* 300mm, and DA* 200mm. The DA* 55mm is probably one of the better ones as well.
01-30-2011, 01:20 PM   #41
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I bought the K-7 largely for its rough and tumble toughness. I don't treat it too poorly, because you don't want to try your luck with complicated electronics, but the thing easily survived a 6-month, 2200-mile backpacking trip attached to my hip, none the worse for the experience save a few signs of surface wear and scratches.
01-30-2011, 09:13 PM   #42
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ex Finn. Quote
Sorry to hear that, any idea on the location of the leak?.
No idea where it leaked; I may have to do a bit of testing when I get home. But I liked the camera so much that I'd have no hesitation buying another one or a K-5...
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