Thanks for these, the advantage of The Kirk L-plate is that it is purpose made for each model to ensure that all ports are accessible although it is rather more expensive. Interesting that the earlier post bemoaned the lack of such a product for Pentax but Kirk Enterprises have rectified that (and I love that name!). Mine has just arrived together with the Arca Swiss tripod fittings but not had a chance to open them yet.

You’ve got some weird wildlife down there! Great shot.

********!! Now you tell me!

The Kirk L-bracket is tailor-made for each body so sits snugly against it and allows access to the various ports, and it can be left on the camera all the time if you wish. Weight and space are a big consideration which is why I have avoided a battery grip, nice to see a company making purpose-made products for Pentax (as well as the others!).

After much consideration I have ordered a Kirk L-bracket for my K-1 as I often use a tripod in portrait mode. Problem is I have two Manfrotto heads I use regularly but need an Arca Swiss mount; the Manfrotto conversion for each is about £75 and I have read reviews that some plates don’t fit which put me off. For about the same price I have ordered two Sunwayfoto conversions which has excellent reviews but doesn’t locate into the anti-twist slot on the Manfrotto stem; for that you need a boss adapter - from China! Hopefully all will arrive ok and go together as it should. I would add that the U.K. Sunwayfoto outlet CGUK have been very helpful in this regard.

What an interesting and original set! I generally dislike monochrome but I can see why you have used it here and it works well.

I often like to shoot on the coast especially when it’s windy and there’s plenty of spray. Even on a calm day it’s surprising how often I need to clean a salty film from my filters, and sand gets everywhere. I have also on occasion been caught out in the rain. In such conditions I never change lenses until I am in the car or shelter, keep a microfibre cloth in the bag to regularly wipe over the camera and lens body, avoid the use of a remote to keep the seal in place, and finally bring the affected body and lenses with the zoom fully extended into a warm and dry room as soon as I can for a few hours.

From the horse's mouth, or the official Pentax K-1 brochure:



The same claim is made for the K3II on the Ricoh website and “the best photo camera for expedition shooting”.

The f2.8 70-200mm and 150-450mm lenses are both AW, several others are WR.

Remember the magazine ads with the K1 in a steamy jungle? When the K50 was launched the promo video from Ricoh showed a couple horsing around with a hose to demonstrate it’s sealing. Come on, these products are marketed for their robustness so our perception is that they can take everything except being dunked in a river.

Obviously Jak if the lens and body are separated in a humid environment then you need to take the necessary measures and no-one is pretending they are waterproof.

However the larger flashes are designated as WR but the instructions state they mustn’t be used in wet conditions due to risk of electric shock. I asked the retailer and he said that was just a standard precaution and they were ok, but the hot shoe isn’t sealed with a flash on. Same concern goes for a pop-up flash.

JAK, I was talking about weather resistance not waterproofness.