I once made the mistake of shooting a dust storm with an almost new Canon A620 (Grin :-) Even though the camera was out for barely two minutes, dust went inside (I think) through the lens mechanism and settled on the sensor. Then onwards, every shot I took with the camera had blurring on a largish left-bottom area. I was forced to buy a new camera: this time Powershot A640, for which I ordered a conversion lens adaptor and attached on it a UV filter for all outdoor photography. Never faced dust issues with the lens adaptor and filter on. The A620 experience convinced me that 'serious' outdoor or street photography with a compact is risky without adequate (additional) lens protection as compacts are far from weather-sealed. However, Wouter's experience brings up an important issue: if a compact is made for serious photographers, should it not have some sort of weather sealing (at least around the sensor area)?

Thank you Mayank. I never intentionally shoot in dusty conditions and I never have done so. But I do think so that compact cameras designed for serious photographers should have some sort of weather sealing. You just can't claim as a manufacturer that a particular camera is not designed for outdoor photography despite outdoor photographs in the brochure for the same camera.

You're absolutely right Wouter, a camera like this shouldn't have these problems.

To avoid problems like these I always carry my GRD2 in an old Sony minidisc-recorder pouch with soft interior.