Tale of the Sticky Grip

A couple of weeks ago I had a nice all-day walk in the forest. In my backpack was the Pentax K10D with the DA*16-50/2.8, a lunch box, some extra fruit for boosting blood sugar at need, and some clothes. My backpack was one of those with a built-in collapsable chair, so I could have my break where ever I wanted to.

After some 7-8 km walking, I came to THE spot. A clearing in the forest on a high ridge in the landscape, with a beautiful view across a lake. Muted autumn colours and near-perfect reflections in the water.

"Better take some shots before eating", I thought. As I grabbed the camera in the rucksack I sensed something cold, wet and sticky.

Uh-oh.

Out came the K10D with mashed banana smeared all over the battery grip. I forgot about the scenery and cursed myself for not packing the food separately. I SHOULD have known. Aaargh!

Today I picked up the grip at Pentax Norway after the cleanout. The repairman commented that this was the first time he'd had a K10D grip open for "maintenance", and remarked that it was quite neatly constructed inside. However, he also said that the banana goo had found ways into it that he didn't expect. All the buttons were quite fine because of the rubber seals, but the seams between the plastic parts that make up the hull are not sealed the same way. The goo had slipped through in some places in small amounts.

So, memo #1 to self: Weather protected the K10D may be, but it's probably no more than lightly splash-proof at best.

Memo #2 to self: Cameras do not make good fruit blenders.