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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
06-14-2011, 02:21 AM
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Hi all, I purchased a K-5 recently, primarily for its resistance to the elements. Now that I've taken it out in some harsh environments, I thought I'd share my experiences. (Sorry if this is in the wrong place.)
This includes heavy rain, waterfall misting, semi-heat (high 90s), semi-cold (mid 20s), sand, dust, and even paintballs. The K-5 is always exposed, hanging from a sport strap on my hip and I don't use any special protective gear for it (it doesn't hide away in a bag until I'm ready to shoot, I like it ready at all times). All these shots were taken with the DA* 50-135 (the only WR lens I have until I get the 16-50 next month).
The first "test" I gave the K-5 was near a 40+ ft. waterfall. I didn't have the guts to take it in, but it got plenty of spray by taking it pretty close (maybe 10-15 ft). My sister actually took this one of me running into the waterfall for a bit (very cold since it's ice melt, haha).
Next, I hiked Hidden Canyon at Zion National Park in Utah, in the rain. It started as a light drizzle (at the bottom) and got pretty heavy as I got closer to the top (and very humid). On the way back it really started coming down. Once I got back to the trailhead, I did another, shorter, hike and then headed back to camp. I was drenched from top to bottom, as was the K-5.
I'm not fond of the idea of having to baby my gear when I'm out hiking, so the K-5 was exposed the whole time, with no covering (though in this kind of rain I'd usually keep it covered with something, I just wanted to really test it out). This was a solid 5 hours in the rain. When I changed cards I used a cloth to pat dry the K-5 and provide cover over the card slot. The K-5 got so wet and it felt so humid out that I figured it would develop a problem later on (it didn't).
Sure enough, 100 ft from the trailhead the shutter button got stuck half way down (where you'd AF). Fortunately I use back button AF only so it didn't affect my shooting at all. I stopped for a few seconds, puckered my lips around the shutter and sucked the water out (which pulled the shutter all the way out). I did that a few times and patted it dry around the area and it was back to normal the rest of the day!
By the way, if any of these images look grainy, it's because of the rain. :)
There was quite a bit of sand everywhere that did a great job of sticking to my hands whenever I touched the chains going along the edges or scrambled over rocks/ledges. That, of course, made its way onto the camera. It cleaned off pretty easily, but did get into the crevices around the LCD cover and where the rubber (for your hand) meets the plastic of the camera casing. I've managed to clean most of it out but there's still a few little bits stuck in there.
A couple shots (semi-HDR, single exposure) from some random hiking the following day.
Next, I drove down to Vegas and took a couple friends on a popular hike that ends with a nice overlook of Vegas. It was mid 90's, so not crazy hot but decent enough for sweaty hands and, of course, a dusty/sandy and rough environment for the camera. Piece of cake for the K-5 (I took the K-x out in this stuff all the time.)
Next up, I took the K-5 paintballing in Boise, Idaho. (Part of a bachelor party.) Thank goodness I have quick reflexes, otherwise the K-5 would've been hit a lot, haha. I used a blue cloth draped over the lens so they all knew it was me, but they were still shooting at me until I waved the blue cloth around, haha. The camera got hit once and picked up some decent splatter but it all cleaned off with water very easily.
And in case anyone else wants to do this, and you're new to taking these expensive toys like this into harsh environments, keep the lens pointed down. The lens hood does a great job of protecting the lens (I don't use filters for protection).
Lastly, I thought I'd drop in a couple high-ish ISO night shots from my cousin's wedding (6400). :)
Not high-ISO but one of my favorite photos from that trip. :)
Jumping from the K-x to the K-5 has been spectacular. Not because the image quality is all that much different, but because the build quality and external controls make it the difference between a toy and a tool. So far the K-5 has easily survived some solid abuse (even my nephews climbing on my camera bag, which the K-5 is stored in vertically with the 50-135 mounted) so far and given me the confidence to take it anywhere, any time. It's worked flawlessly so far! :)
And if you're wondering, I had several people stop me and ask about the camera being completely rain drenched, haha. One guy: "Oh, it's a Pentax. I didn't know they made DSLRs that could handle rain."
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
01-23-2012, 06:17 PM
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Hi again everyone! Thanks for the kind words, glad you all have enjoyed the photos and info. Here's a shorter update that sort of completes the seasons of abuse for the K-5 — winter.
I went snowshoeing with my sister this weekend with the K-5 and shot with the DA* 16-50. I'm not exactly sure how cold it got while we were out there but when we headed back home the Jeep said it was 18 F out. We were only out for about 2.5 hours or so (well, the camera was out for about that long). As usual, I didn't cover the camera the whole time out. I had it hanging just in front of me so I could grab and snap quickly.
Needless to say, it got very wet and very cold — but it worked flawlessly! The only thing I really noticed was the batteries took a bit of a performance hit.
A couple photos with my iPhone of the K-5 enduring the snow/cold. A bit hard to see in the first one but the K-5 is hanging on my front right hip.
And a couple shots from the K-5 and 16-50.
The next day I shot a little red carpet event at Sundance and the K-5 was still working flawlessly! Needless to say, I'm very pleased with the performance of the K-5 and pushing it in environments like these give me much more faith in its weather surviving capabilities. If/when it dies, I'll be sure to update this post. :)
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
01-17-2012, 04:51 PM
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Hey all, thanks for the comments. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the post and that it helped a few of you decide which camera to get. :)
Since these photos (original post) were taken I've done a whole lot more traveling and put the K-5 and DA* lenses through some quite brutal weather. I figured I could update this post with some of my more recent adventures that continued putting the K-5 to the test. The K-5 has worked flawlessly so far and it goes with me everywhere. People often ask, "Do you ever NOT have your camera?" My answer, "Rarely." haha
Anyway, my most recent trip included 14 airports, over 35K miles flown and 3.5 months away from home. I went to Budapest, Hungary; Barcelona and Terrassa, Spain; Rome, Italy (was there during the OWS riots that turned violent too); and Melbourne, Australia (then back home to Utah of course). The K-5 went along with me the whole way, either on my back, in my hands or on my shoulder. :-)
Most of these photos are from Melbourne, Australia since that's where I took the K-5 through the worst weather. Although I did drop the K-5 on the concrete while waiting for the metro in Barcelona. It was right in front of about 30 people who all went, "Ohhh!!" The strap slipped out of my hand and it fell about 2 ft. landing first on the top corner of the flash. Aside from a minor scratch there's no other damage and everything still works perfectly!
No visit to Australia can be had without a visit to the beach!
Yup, I was one of the weird dudes running around the beach with a "big camera" taking pictures of everything. (A friend of mine here.)
One of the best parts for me was shooting a few of the surfers. The longest lens I own is the 50-135 which makes it a bit more challenging to get surfers from the beach, so I had to get a bit wet. To get some of these shots I went a bit more than waist deep with waves soaking me up to about my upper chest. Yes, the K-5 got wet, several times. We were out there for around 6 hours but I forgot to rinse off the K-5 every couple hours (having too much fun). When I got back to the hotel I gave it a good cleaning though. (Been working flawlessly for months after.)
This girl and her friend came up to me asking why I was out there with such a "huge camera" (her words, not mine). Anyway, after the short and humorous conversation she wanted a photo. What you don't see here is that she almost fell over on the landing — quite entertaining.
I took the K-5 out Snapper fishing for a day with a few guys I work with in Melbourne. Of course I had to make a few people nervous by leaning off the side of the boat a bit with the K-5 (was trying to get a few interesting photos, didn't really work). This wasn't really a tough environment for the K-5 other than the heat, slight humidity and a couple splashes. But, still some fun photos. ;)
I went hiking a couple times but again, not much of a test for the K-5 with only dust/dirt to deal with.
I did, however, purchase the 31mm ltd before one of the hiking adventures, which is a stunning lens and worth every penny. I luckily managed to capture this shot, with a bee mid-flight and butterfly nearby. (And plenty of bees buzzing around my head...)
I went over to the Royal Melbourne Zoo while it was raining on and off all day, a good chance to see things without tons of people around.
And another shot I really love with the 31mm ltd. You'd never know it from this shot but there's some really thick and scratched up glass between the camera and this guy... Again, a stunning lens.
The rest of these were with the 50-135
Later that day we went for a trek into the rainforest when it decided to downpour. Fortunately I was with some adventurous people that wouldn't let a "little" rain stop them (it was like taking a shower in a muddy forest). We were all soaked from head to toe within 15 minutes and half covered in dirt or mud (especially our shoes and pants). It was awesome! The K-5 had no protection the whole time (only out there for a little over an hour) but was as wet as showering with it the whole time. We also had to check for leeches after we got back, haha. I shot with the DA* 16-50 here.
Not content with some silly water, we ventured out into a storm another day by a beach. The wind was blowing like crazy depending on where we were at, enough that the rain was sometimes nearly coming in horizontally. I didn't expect it but by the time we got back to the car the K-5 even had sand on it (but it never touched the ground). Needless to say, we didn't stay out there long.
And most recently I've been travelling between Las Vegas and Salt Lake City to visit friends and family before I leave again. After driving back from Vegas one weekend I got the sudden urge to get away from people so I drove out to Park City at 3am and then out to the edge of the Wasatch National Forest just past Kamas. I didn't stay for long since I didn't find a spot I liked but on the drive back to Park City I stopped off for this quick early morning shot.
These next couple weekends the K-5 will get the real cold/snow treatment so we'll see how it handles that. :-)
In Feb. I leave for Europe and Australia again, but this time for 6+ months, so we'll see what kind of stuff the K-5 goes through this time! :-)
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
04-28-2011, 08:51 PM
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Awesome thread! So many great photos. :) Here's a few of mine.
Pentax F 50mm 1.7, first shot the day it arrived. Total luck shot, spur of the moment. Roommate's cat, Max.
18-55mm kit lens a few weeks after buying the K-x and adopting her (Pixel).
DA* 50-135mm, my cat, Meco.
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