[habsfanusa]

Hiking the south coast of England at Christmas - definitely rainy season there - I got caught in one of the most impressive cloudbursts i have ever experienced. Since we had to attend to children I had no chance to cover my K5iis that was slung across my body in a simple BlackRapid strap.
The camera and the attached Pentax 18 - 135mm lens were drenched over the course of the next 15 minutes until we reached shelter.
Result ? No problems !

Now - i know that weather-resistance does not equate with weatherproof. (I have an Olympus Tough point and shoot that i use underwater - a line of cameras made and advertised for underwater use - and even with this line of cameras the manufacturer provides lots of warnings and caveats...)

So i usually (not this time) take common sense precautions with my Pentax K5iis and lenses.
I also occasionally check ports and compartments to be sure that the covers are securely in place.

I know other manufacturers make some weather-resistant gear, but Pentax' tradition of attention to weather-resistance is one thing that drew me to it when i started into digital photography a number of years ago. This recent experience (and i've had several others) of being caught in rain and snow with my K5iis underline for me the wisdom of my decision.

[luftfluss]

Nooooo, I can't belieeeeve this!

[BigMackCam]

Thanks for posting this!

It's very rare that people post about their good experiences with WR, but I'm certain many of our cameras have been saved by it (I know my K-3 has). Usually, though, we only hear about WR when someone's camera has suffered water ingress - so it's nice to see a post like this.

Great to note that you're taking sensible precautions, and I've no doubt this helped. You may have already seen the sticky post by @stevebrot on WR best practices? If not, I highly recommend reading it:

About those WR body weather seals...User responsibility and best practice - PentaxForums.com

[aslyfox]

great news

[stevebrot]

It is good to know that the seals did their work. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.


Steve

(...counting the seconds until one of the predictable few posts "but! but!"...)

[victormeldrew]

I shoot most days on the beach here in Devon and there have been very few dry days the last few weeks and some pretty violent storms at times. I haven't even been particularly careful and not had any issues yet. That said, I feel that the camera is there to be used, and if it dies in pursuit of images then it will have served its purpose and died happy. I'm not one to avoid using something for fear of breaking it...I learned that from my grandmother who kept her sofa wrapped in plastic and wouldn't let anyone sit on it, so it wouldn't wear out.

[jumbleview]

weather-resistance works ! Unless it doesn't. The main problem is that, there is no strict technical definition under which conditions it should work and under which it should not. Some got lucky to survive strong rain, some got unlucky to get water inside after occasional splash. If your camera has a big value for you and you cannot afford to buy a replacement at once, better to be careful.

[RDP]

I've had a success story as well. Last spring I slipped in some mud on the banks of the Charles River west of Boston while loading gear into my kayak. I ended up falling into about 18 inches of water, with my K3/18-135 sinking straight to the bottom. After toweling it off, I dismounted the lens, removed the battery, and opened every door and cover, and left it to dry in the trunk of the car while my wife and I went on kayaking. After a few hours when we got back, I reassembled everything, and it worked perfectly! Of course, I understand that if there is a next time I might not be so lucky, but at least on this occasion the WR worked far better than described.

-Robin

[Burnin' Coal]

I read and learn a lot from this forum but rarely get to contribute to a discussion...but now I can...and would like to add another massive thumbs up for Pentax WR...have recently been traveling with a K5 ii and a K3 ii...for two weeks they were both repeatedly exposed to heavy snowfall and never saw temperatures higher than -8C...one day the K3 ii was out for almost three hours in a strong wind with drifting snow at -26C...ice forming where snow was getting blown onto the body and filter was a problem but a fully charged battery lasted well over two hours and even though it is rated for "only" -10C both the camera bodies and lenses performed faultlessly...am one very impressed owner

[MMVIII]

I would just add that beside moisture also dust and sand is effectively kept out of bodies and lenses. Something that is not noticed immediately but I appreciated it a lot during my travels in north african desert areas. It's hard to value the effectiveness of this, because it can be only recognised by the absence of problems over a longer time. And no, occassional dust speckles on the sensor are no evidence it would not work, they can always appear, but I feel pretty more reassured by the presence of the gaskets.

[BigMackCam]

Great to hear these success stories

I'll share my own...

Aside from the occasional situations where I end up shooting in very light rain (drizzle, really) or getting a few splashes from sea spray when shooting around the local coastline, I've given my K-3's weather resistance one very significant test:

I was enjoying a long weekend break to a small island off the West coast of England, and some friends offered to take me out in their fast RIB speedboat so I could get some photos from the water. I had the DA*60-250 and HD DA x1.4 AW rear converter fitted to my K-3 and D-BG5 grip.

During the trip, my camera and lens got drenched with sea water (so did I ). After taking numerous photos of the grey seal colony and the island I was staying on (which looked amazing from the water), we returned to shore. I wiped everything down with a microfibre towel, then used a damp cloth to get rid of any remaining salt deposits.

I had no issues whatsoever with the camera, grip, lens or rear converter at the time, and everything has worked perfectly since then.

Would I plan to use the camera this way in future? It would depend on the photo opportunity, and whether I thought the benefits outweighed the risks... but in the right circumstances, I'd go for it

EDIT: I'd encourage all of us who've benefited from Pentax's WR and/or AW features to add to this thread. It helps to maintain the balance of views on the forums (as we normally only hear about the failures)...

[aslyfox]

weather-resistance works ! Unless it doesn't. The main problem is that, there is no strict technical definition under which conditions it should work and under which it should not. Some got lucky to survive strong rain, some got unlucky to get water inside after occasional splash. If your camera has a big value for you and you cannot afford to buy a replacement at once, better to be careful.

from Pentax:

Dustproof, weather-resistant construction
to assure solid performance under demanding outdoor conditions

The K-3 features a dependable dustproof, weather-resistant construction to prevent the intrusion of water, moisture and dust into its interior. A total of 92 special seals are applied to the crucial areas of the K-3 body, including control parts, panel joints and cover hinges, to assure an airtight body. The optional D-BG5 Battery Grip also features the same weather-resistant, dustproof construction.

AW/WR-series lenses
to complete the weather-resistant, dustproof digital imaging system


To optimize the benefit of lens interchangeability, PENTAX offers an extensive lineup of the weather-resistant, dustproof AW and weather-resistant WR series.
* AW stands for All Weather; WR for Weather Resistant;.

Feature 4?K-3 | RICOH IMAGING

of course some of that could just be " puffery "

but don't confuse Water Resistant with Weather Resistant

and from a member's reported email with pentax, there is the following:

official statement from Pentax on WR

To quote Pentax

" There is no standard/classification of weather resistant, because it is not waterproof product.

Weather resistance is a material's ability to hold up against deterioration from exposure to harsh elements.
This may include strong sun, wind, rain, humidity, snow or extremely hot and cold temperatures.
Although a material may be determined to be weather resistant, this does not mean that it will not incur any damage.
You can find more detail information how to carrying the camera in the operating manual page 147 "


Read more at: Ks2-warranty and water - PentaxForums.com

Ks2-warranty and water - PentaxForums.com

Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/6-pentax-dslr-discussion/359124-k3ii-fai...#ixzz54FeU9uyM

[victormeldrew]

If your camera has a big value for you and you cannot afford to buy a replacement at once, better to be careful.

Or better still... get insurance. Adding my camera kit to my home insurance, including taking out and about, including abroad (30 days/year), including theft/loss and accidental damage, including new for old replacement, cost me the grand total of £20 extra per year.

[aslyfox]

Or better still... get insurance. Adding my camera kit to my home insurance, including taking out and about, including abroad (30 days/year), including theft/loss and accidental damage, including new for old replacement, cost me the grand total of £20 extra per year.

I found it was better to get a " rider " to my home owner's insurance for better coverage - " personal article " I think it was called

but by all means

check out insurance coverage for your equipment

[photoptimist]

Excellent thread! Yes, too often it's the negative stories that seem to dominate. An unlucky few taint the reputation of an excellent product.

Where WR is concerned, Pentax creates its own luck with solid construction and good weather sealing. My K-10D, K-5, and K-1 have all survived miles upon miles in my sweaty hands and hiking in rain, sleet, and snow. The K-5 even took a direct hit by an ocean wave and kept on shooting.

But I also know that weather resistance is just that. My Pentax cameras can resist some amount of aquatic assault but they are not 100% water proof. Every time I take the camera outside, there's a low chance that something might happen.

I subscribe to victormeldrew's philosophy that cameras are meant to be used and that many of the best photographs are outdoors where it may be wet, dusty, salty, misty, muddy, etc. A camera that sits indoors or in a backpack takes few pictures and that defeats it's purpose for me.

I'd rather my cameras died shooting but I also know that with Pentax that's a lot less likely than with other brands.