Back in the mid '90s I had a Contax RX and a batch of nice glass to go with it. I attended a Contax Day, run by the UK branch of Kyocera. They laid on kit to use, an endless supply of free film and "masterclasses" with experienced photographers - Stu Williamson and James Bareham in particular. It was a shocking day, but James B still took us outside into the rain with our own and the loaned equipment. He told us not to be worried about shooting in the rain, as long as we dried our kit off and aired it thoroughly afterwards. The Kyocera people looked on and smiled. After an hour or so in the pouring rain we returned inside. James was adamant that it was OUR responsibility to dry the kit and nobody else's, and moved among the group showing people how to get everything thoroughly dry. The organisers had already arranged for a couple of large tables to be readied on which we could put the equipment to air while we listened to the next session. James Bareham's parting shot was not to be afraid of using your kit, but to respect it and ALWAYS to clean it and dry it and air it after use and before putting it away. My RX wasn't particularly waterproofed, as I recall, but it worked flawlessly on the day and for years thereafter.
Good advice, and common sense.
Of course as my mother used to say, the funny thing about common sense is that it is not very common.
Reiner, methinks you doth protest too much.
Regards,
Bill
