Originally posted by distudio The following thread (on another forum) is a great example of what can happen when information is misconstrued. Essentially a K10D took a spill into some mud and was then washed off and still worked, however there is no later follow up to indicate how it fared after the initial dunking. I'd speculate that the mud got into a lot of places that it shouldn't have seals or not. This mud and grit would eventually pass the seals on moving controls (due to its abrasive nature) which would lead to failures through dust deposition and/or corrosion if moisture was to find its way into the body.
This is why you want K10D - ClubSNAP Photography Forums While I can't speak of the durability or long term reliability of the camera you mention, I can speak from personal experience of the long term durability of a non-weatherproof DSLR.
I have both a K10D and *istD.
My *istD got totally soaked when my kayak was swamped. water got in and shorted out the power switch, leaving the camera on full time, and triggering the shutter continually.
I had to take the batteries out to turn it off.
So much water got in, the top display clouded over.
When I got back to base camp, I turned it upside down, since I suspected most water entered the top, and left it in the sun to dry.
After about 4 hours, the display was clear, so I put the batteries in and everything worked fine. The only thing I have done since june 2004 when that happened, is periodic cleaning of the sensor with a blower to get dust off. It has been occasionally put in a bag with silica gell but nothing else.
more than 7000 shots later, it still goes out in hot, cold and humid environments with no ill effects.
If the *istD electronics can sithstand this without long term effects, I seriously doubt what ever minute amounts of water sneal past the seals could do anything at all on a K10D.
I don't recommend doing what I did to any camera, but they are a lot tougher than you think. (as long as you don't expect it to withstand being dropped on the rear display as some people think)