Weather sealed lenses

I'd like one weather sealed lens the ideal one would probably be the 12-24 but it's only the star lenses that are weather sealed I believe? I am right that the limited range aren't weather sealed?

So at the wider end I'm limited to the 16-50 and I have the Tamron 17-50 that covers that range and I rather like that lens.

Anyone got any good suggestions what I can do? This is prompted by the prospect of going out in filthy weather tomorrow and wanting the confidence that if well when the camera gets wet it won't suffer.

At the moment I'm just careful to wipe off water before it accumulates but that's not always an option.

All suggestions welcomed!

Mike

You've got it spot on, only the DA*'s are weather sealed, the FA Limited's and others mentioned are not.

Unfortunately your only options at the moment for a wide weather sealed lens are the 16-50, or wait and hope that Pentax get round to doing a DA* version of the Tokina 11-16 f2.8. Seeing as though the 16-50 & 50-135 are Tokina lenses this would seem very logical, but we can only wait and see what happens!

Radical alternative suggestion:

Not a sealed lens, but a spare DA 18-55mm. These are cheap enough on the second-hand market to replace in the event that one got damaged by rain.

I've not tested this, but I guess it would take a LOT of heavy rain for the lens to be ruined.

Would recommend a small bit of caution there as the weather sealed lenses also have a rubber gromit type seal on the bayonet end where it connects to the body, therefore making the system completely weather sealed.

Good idea though iceblinker, they most definately are cheap enough to throw away, so go for it, just be a little careful and keep an eye around the mount!

Good point about the mount. How about self amalgamating rubber tape wrapped around the joint?

I would try that right now, except I just sold my K10D! ...To pay for a K20D - which I'm looking forward to very much.

ziplock bag round the lens?

Thanks guys so it's as I thought - Heath Robinson protection or a 16-50 which I don't really want.

Mike

No good for tomorrow, but maybe you could buy a couple of Optech rain covers for future occasions. I used the on the Ds with no ill affects to camera or photos.
For tomorrow find a big plastic bag and either some elastic bands or gaffer tape.

Self amalgamating - a great idea, but how will he get it off after ?

The simple way to protect camera and lens is to let the lens peep out of a hole in a plastic bag. Camera and your hands are inside the bag. The bag is kept in place on the lens by trapping it around a filter.

Another way is for an assistant to hold an umbrella over you and the camera.

Lever a bit up with a screwdriver, then tear/cut, pull and rip. The tape only sticks to itself rather than anything non-rubber it is applied to. It forms a tight seal if stretched as it's applied.

EDIT: No need for a screwdriver. Just tug it off by hand.

A small thermo-nuclear device should work

It sticks extremely well to a lot of plastics and gets into every little imperfection or groove. It is designed to work with the cable or connectors it is sealing - if it did not stick properly then it would not remain waterproof. In my time I have used a lot of it and there is no way your method will work.

I'll let you try it on your camera. Leave it in place for a few hours then try and remove without scratching the camera or lens, pulling painted lettering off and coming out of every groove or mark. Maybe take a video of it so we can see you cry when you scratch the camera.

I have used a lot of PIB tape (aka self amalgamating rubber) on various things and never had it bond to plastic or anything but itself even after it's been on for months. In fact the longer it's been on, the more cleanly it comes off because it hardens with age.

It forms a seal by compressing like an elastic band, not by sticking to the object. That's the beauty and reliability of it, that it has no adhesive and no adhesive is required. I don't believe it will stick to the hard shiny plastic the lens is made of, even if left on for a year. I regularly use it on plastic and carbon fibre bicycle components with no problems.

[IMG]http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr298/lime501/P1010242.jpg[/IMG]

We'll see what it's like in a few hours. I don't have the camera to try it on at the moment, but we'll at least see if the tape has stuck to the lens.

Some hours later.........

Tape removed by hand in one go. It closely conformed to the lens but DID NOT STICK AT ALL. The lens is completely unharmed.

[IMG]http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr298/lime501/P1010248.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr298/lime501/P1010247.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr298/lime501/P1010244.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr298/lime501/P1010245.jpg[/IMG]

You're wrong, and lucky I'm not a betting man

I was confindent that the tape would be fine because I have used it on similar materials before. I don't make suggestions that I think might be unsafe (at least without suggesting that they might be unsafe).

Search eBay for "PIB tape".