How waterproof is a K10/20D?

I was chatting to a friend who also has a K20D and she told me that it can be dunked in a bucket of water and still be fine as long as you have the waterproof sealed lenses on, not that she has tried it yet.!

I am interested, as a few weeks back I was photographing some surfing event and really wasn't confident about risking being dunked by a wave and stayed safe, I kinda thought it was just rainproof only.

Any comments please?
Lilly

The K10/20D and K-7 bodies are said to be weatherproof, not waterproof.

Weatherproof essentially means that they can withstand water falling onto them, as in rain.

When dunked in a bucket, the water at the seals is under pressure, albeit a very low pressure depending on how deep the bucket is, and the weatherproof seals might be compromised.

The deeper the camera goes into the water, the greater the pressure of water on the seals and the greater the risk of the water breaching the seals.

Hmmm. I thought I was right! Thanks Peter

Lilly

Also bear in mind that all seals will take a 'set' over time, so the cameras will become less weather resistant as the years roll by.

Steve

I've held my K10D under the shower and have been in rain storms more powerful than the shower. I suspect a quick dunk, once, may be OK. You're not talking about leaving it there for long periods of time where water would definitely be forced past the seals.

A wave slightly catching your camera or splash from a nearby surfer really should not be an issue. Totally being dunked by a large wave on the other hand... dunno I'd probably try to avoid it.

Of course if the wave or splash was salt-water, that adds a whole other level of potential danger. Salt water will eventually damage most anything and is difficult to clean.

Smart choice to stay where it was safe.

I washed the camera under the tap once to wash some mud of the camera, that was a year ago and I still have the same camera.
For me it's waterproof enough.

How weatherproof are the DA* lenses, somehow I ain't so confident about them.

Interesting advert in Russia, not sure I'd want to put my kit through that, but good to know that Pentax thinks its fine!

[IMG]http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/attachments/pentax-news-rumors/43011d1252772218-pentax-ads-k-7.jpg[/IMG]

now thats more like it! quite reassuring

I took my K10D out on a Lifeboat not long after i purchased it, Massive waves got very wet indeed, I was wearing a Berghaus jacket underneath a yellow Waterproof one with a lifejacket over that and i was soaked through!
The Camera kept on working though did throw a couple of wobblies when a few buttons failed to work for a couple of days but sorted itself out , The only lasting legacy was a few rusty screws, Though i guess i should have wiped it down more thoroughly with a damp cloth when i got it home.

Regards - Pete

All depends if the Russian advertising standards are the same as ours,it could be makeup/cosmetic.

Nic

Maybe worth considering that weatherproof is even a loose term.

For any realistic claims, the camera would have an IP (Ingress Protection) rating. Normally expressed as a two digit number as explained here.

link

Regards

Dont go near salt water without a filter to protect the lens, I once saw a very expensive Carl Zeiss movie lens that had to have the front group replaced and I'd rinse the camera thoroughly in clean water afterwards.

I had my first encounter with heavy rain at the end of August.
I was outside in it for 3 hours.
I kept wiping my K10 down with a towel, but I was more concerned about my smc 100-300 not being up to it.
My friend had a new D700 and cut off a leg from some cheap waterproof trousers to cover his camera.
You can see his lens pop in to view on the right to ruin my pic...bugger.

K10/20D can withstand torrential rain pretty well for an extended period and you can still use the built in flash! I wouldn't dare dunk my K10 but rain, spray, etc. I'm fine with.

I'd hate my camera to end up as muddy as in that advert, grime like that is hard to get rid of and when it dries the dust ends up going everywhere.