Weather Resistance?

blacknosugar · 11-02-2012, 01:22 PM

I'm thinking of upgrading to one of the weather resistant DSLRs but I'm a bit confused about the whole WR thing.

If you put a non WR lens on it, say a DA L one, are you risking just the lens, or the whole camera?
How about if you put an old Pentax-M lens on it, I can't imagine there is much to hurt one of those even if it gets fairly well splashed?

Are the DA lenses any more likely to survive a splash than the DA L ones (I know the DA* ones are sealed)?

Thanks!

JinDesu · 11-02-2012, 01:28 PM

The whole camera. Most lenses have openings at the mounts to allow for zoom action/focus action, and all lenses have some openings for the aperture lever. So even if you have an internal zoom internal focus lens like a Tamron 70-200 F2.8, the aperture lever will allow water to leak through. Now, the chance of water leaking through and damaging your camera may be low if you are talking about splashes, but it can happen (and having water in your mirror box is kinda a bad spot, out of all places). In addition, lenses without WR do not have the seal at the lens mount, so they don't keep water out at that point anyways.

WR and DA* lenses have seals within the lenses to prevent water from entering the lens, and seals at the mount as well.

I don't imagine DA lenses surviving any better than DA L - but maybe the cheaper construction of the DA L allows more water in. I don't know the tolerances allowed for the building of either type of lenses.

Eulogy · 11-02-2012, 03:17 PM

Bear in mind as well, DA* lenses seem to be better sealed than WR lenses.(At least comparing my 18-135 to my 16-50) Tighter on the zooming part of the barrel, and also a better looking seal on the front element.

Can't confirm this with any text put out by Pentax, but I assume one is "All-Weather" and the other is "Weather-Resistant" for a reason.(IE: WR Lens might be good for a tropical storm, but AW will survive better in a Sandy)

Also - DA vs DA L there would be minimal differences in survival. Only thing I can think is less wobble on moving parts, which means tighter build structure.(Less room for water to get in, but honestly, without a rear gasket, your lens isn't going to keep much out anyways)

All in All Though - If you're shooting in light rain, it's fairly easy to protect your non-sealed stuff, so long as you aren't shooting for more than a few minutes.

Na Horuk · 11-02-2012, 03:32 PM

It really depends on where you are shooting and how wet it is. Yes, both the lens and body should be WR for the whole system to be WR. The M 50mm might be made of metal, but it isn't water proof. If you are planning on using your DA or DA-L lenses in situations that would require WR you should at least use plastic bags or a camera case

amoringello · 11-02-2012, 04:06 PM

Just be ware that Pentax will not warranty weather seals beyond "mist or light rain". (of course the terms are intentionally ambiguous to leave legal loopholes)
Yes, most any camera weather sealed or not can withstand mist or light rain if you're careful, but that is all Pentax will say for what their weather seals will withstand. If the weather seals fail (even if it is potentially due to faulty or improperly installed seals) Pentax will not stand by their product and you will need to pay for the repairs.

I've used my K7 and K5 for years in torrential downpours and although never as harsh of an environment as the popular video of the soldier in Afghanistan, they held up exceptionally well. One day, nearly a year out from purchase I sent my K5 in for replacement of the sensor due to sensor stains. Came back better then new -- until I went out in the rain for 30 minutes. Not a torrential downpour, mind you, just steady rain. The camera stopped working.

P.O.'d as hell, I sent in to have the seals and camera re-fixed correctly, but instead I am paying for the repair because it appears that water got inside the camera.
NO SHIT!

If I had a less legally specific word for this than "fraud" I'd use it. But it is pretty darned close to me.
I do not trust Pentax or the service center any longer.

At least the other brands do not send their reps to shows and have them pour bottles of water over their cameras luring you into the belief that they can withstand an reasonable amount of water contact ... they pretty much tell you up front that their weather seals suck and you really should not trust them.

Lloydy · 11-02-2012, 05:06 PM

Originally posted by amoringello

Just be ware that Pentax will not warranty weather seals beyond "mist or light rain". (of course the terms are intentionally ambiguous to leave legal loopholes)
Yes, most any camera weather sealed or not can withstand mist or light rain if you're careful, but that is all Pentax will say for what their weather seals will withstand. If the weather seals fail (even if it is potentially due to faulty or improperly installed seals) Pentax will not stand by their product and you will need to pay for the repairs.

I've used my K7 and K5 for years in torrential downpours and although never as harsh of an environment as the popular video of the soldier in Afghanistan, they held up exceptionally well. One day, nearly a year out from purchase I sent my K5 in for replacement of the sensor due to sensor stains. Came back better then new -- until I went out in the rain for 30 minutes. Not a torrential downpour, mind you, just steady rain. The camera stopped working.

P.O.'d as hell, I sent in to have the seals and camera re-fixed correctly, but instead I am paying for the repair because it appears that water got inside the camera.
NO SHIT!

If I had a less legally specific word for this than "fraud" I'd use it. But it is pretty darned close to me.
I do not trust Pentax or the service center any longer.

At least the other brands do not send their reps to shows and have them pour bottles of water over their cameras luring you into the belief that they can withstand an reasonable amount of water contact ... they pretty much tell you up front that their weather seals suck and you really should not trust them.

I know this link I'm posting is about the K30 - but I'm assuming you've seen this post on this forum ? The utube video that I linked on that topic was apparently commissioned by Pentax Canada, and the UK advertising that I've seen is now stating the word 'waterproof'

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-30/198996-water-resistant-my-ass.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qtF4z7uKYoY ( direct to utube )

I've had good experience with my old K10 and it's WR capabilities, it's the main reason I want to stay with Pentax.

blacknosugar · 11-02-2012, 05:20 PM

It was the k-30 I was thinking about.

Originally posted by Lloydy

the UK advertising that I've seen is now stating the word 'waterproof'

Interesting, though it would be hard to argue they weren't claiming that given the photo of the levitating k-30 being drenched.

11-02-2012, 01:22 PM	#1
blacknosugar Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 58	Weather Resistance? I'm thinking of upgrading to one of the weather resistant DSLRs but I'm a bit confused about the whole WR thing. If you put a non WR lens on it, say a DA L one, are you risking just the lens, or the whole camera? How about if you put an old Pentax-M lens on it, I can't imagine there is much to hurt one of those even if it gets fairly well splashed? Are the DA lenses any more likely to survive a splash than the DA L ones (I know the DA* ones are sealed)? Thanks!

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11-02-2012, 01:28 PM	#2
JinDesu Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: New York City Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,638	The whole camera. Most lenses have openings at the mounts to allow for zoom action/focus action, and all lenses have some openings for the aperture lever. So even if you have an internal zoom internal focus lens like a Tamron 70-200 F2.8, the aperture lever will allow water to leak through. Now, the chance of water leaking through and damaging your camera may be low if you are talking about splashes, but it can happen (and having water in your mirror box is kinda a bad spot, out of all places). In addition, lenses without WR do not have the seal at the lens mount, so they don't keep water out at that point anyways. WR and DA* lenses have seals within the lenses to prevent water from entering the lens, and seals at the mount as well. I don't imagine DA lenses surviving any better than DA L - but maybe the cheaper construction of the DA L allows more water in. I don't know the tolerances allowed for the building of either type of lenses.

11-02-2012, 03:17 PM	#3
Eulogy Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick Photos: Gallery Posts: 632	Bear in mind as well, DA* lenses seem to be better sealed than WR lenses.(At least comparing my 18-135 to my 16-50) Tighter on the zooming part of the barrel, and also a better looking seal on the front element. Can't confirm this with any text put out by Pentax, but I assume one is "All-Weather" and the other is "Weather-Resistant" for a reason.(IE: WR Lens might be good for a tropical storm, but AW will survive better in a Sandy) Also - DA vs DA L there would be minimal differences in survival. Only thing I can think is less wobble on moving parts, which means tighter build structure.(Less room for water to get in, but honestly, without a rear gasket, your lens isn't going to keep much out anyways) All in All Though - If you're shooting in light rain, it's fairly easy to protect your non-sealed stuff, so long as you aren't shooting for more than a few minutes.

11-02-2012, 03:32 PM	#4
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	It really depends on where you are shooting and how wet it is. Yes, both the lens and body should be WR for the whole system to be WR. The M 50mm might be made of metal, but it isn't water proof. If you are planning on using your DA or DA-L lenses in situations that would require WR you should at least use plastic bags or a camera case

11-02-2012, 04:06 PM	#5
amoringello Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Virginia, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,562	Just be ware that Pentax will not warranty weather seals beyond "mist or light rain". (of course the terms are intentionally ambiguous to leave legal loopholes) Yes, most any camera weather sealed or not can withstand mist or light rain if you're careful, but that is all Pentax will say for what their weather seals will withstand. If the weather seals fail (even if it is potentially due to faulty or improperly installed seals) Pentax will not stand by their product and you will need to pay for the repairs. I've used my K7 and K5 for years in torrential downpours and although never as harsh of an environment as the popular video of the soldier in Afghanistan, they held up exceptionally well. One day, nearly a year out from purchase I sent my K5 in for replacement of the sensor due to sensor stains. Came back better then new -- until I went out in the rain for 30 minutes. Not a torrential downpour, mind you, just steady rain. The camera stopped working. P.O.'d as hell, I sent in to have the seals and camera re-fixed correctly, but instead I am paying for the repair because it appears that water got inside the camera. NO SHIT! If I had a less legally specific word for this than "fraud" I'd use it. But it is pretty darned close to me. I do not trust Pentax or the service center any longer. At least the other brands do not send their reps to shows and have them pour bottles of water over their cameras luring you into the belief that they can withstand an reasonable amount of water contact ... they pretty much tell you up front that their weather seals suck and you really should not trust them.

11-02-2012, 05:06 PM	#6
Lloydy Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Shropshire, UK Posts: 1,114	Originally posted by amoringello Just be ware that Pentax will not warranty weather seals beyond "mist or light rain". (of course the terms are intentionally ambiguous to leave legal loopholes) Yes, most any camera weather sealed or not can withstand mist or light rain if you're careful, but that is all Pentax will say for what their weather seals will withstand. If the weather seals fail (even if it is potentially due to faulty or improperly installed seals) Pentax will not stand by their product and you will need to pay for the repairs. I've used my K7 and K5 for years in torrential downpours and although never as harsh of an environment as the popular video of the soldier in Afghanistan, they held up exceptionally well. One day, nearly a year out from purchase I sent my K5 in for replacement of the sensor due to sensor stains. Came back better then new -- until I went out in the rain for 30 minutes. Not a torrential downpour, mind you, just steady rain. The camera stopped working. P.O.'d as hell, I sent in to have the seals and camera re-fixed correctly, but instead I am paying for the repair because it appears that water got inside the camera. NO SHIT! If I had a less legally specific word for this than "fraud" I'd use it. But it is pretty darned close to me. I do not trust Pentax or the service center any longer. At least the other brands do not send their reps to shows and have them pour bottles of water over their cameras luring you into the belief that they can withstand an reasonable amount of water contact ... they pretty much tell you up front that their weather seals suck and you really should not trust them. I know this link I'm posting is about the K30 - but I'm assuming you've seen this post on this forum ? The utube video that I linked on that topic was apparently commissioned by Pentax Canada, and the UK advertising that I've seen is now stating the word 'waterproof' https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-30/198996-water-resistant-my-ass.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qtF4z7uKYoY ( direct to utube ) I've had good experience with my old K10 and it's WR capabilities, it's the main reason I want to stay with Pentax.

11-02-2012, 05:20 PM	#7
blacknosugar Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 58 Original Poster	It was the k-30 I was thinking about. Originally posted by Lloydy the UK advertising that I've seen is now stating the word 'waterproof' Interesting, though it would be hard to argue they weren't claiming that given the photo of the levitating k-30 being drenched.

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