cameras to use in the rain/snow

msbarnes

msbarnes

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Sorry if this question is a little dumb but...

1. Are any not-so-expensive film cameras/lenses weather sealed? I seems like a lot of digital cameras are advertising this, these days.

2. Is it generally OK to use a mechanical camera? I assume that photojournalists in the pre-digital era used their Nikons and Leica's and in pretty much all weather conditions.

I don't plan on going snorkling but I don't want to refrain from photography when the weather is not its best. In the past I just used my epics but mostly because they are so cheap that I consider them "disposable". I figured that if I'm ever in this situation I would just bring any inexpensive camera/lens combination that i'd risk damaging .
 
When shooting outdoors in light rain, I bring a chamois leather cloth and just drape that over the SLR camera and lens. It's heavy enough to stay put in wind, will absorb water and once it's all saturated you can simply wring it and start over again.

A trick I learned from a fellow who shot car races professionally and spent a lot of time outdoors.
 
ferider said:
Use your Leica.

Put it underneath a jacket when you don't use it. Dry it overnight when home.
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this

used my M6 in heavy rain last sunday, I was soaked and well the M6 did get quite a bit of it...

works like new, just put it in a warm room for the rest of the day to ensure it's getting perfectly dry but water doesnt bother the Leica pretty much:cool:
 
My rain camera is a manual focus Nikon N2000 with a 50/1.8 pancake cheapie lens on it. Works great and I tend to protect it with a little plastic bag if it's really coming down. I have a F100 that I'm sure would be fine, as would the FM2N, but it's more fun to really not worry about a $25 camera that works like a charm :)
 
A Leica may well be fine, but my Leica kit is worth maybe £1000, and I would not let it get wet. It may survive, but it may not, and it's not like it has a warranty, or Leica even ever said it would be OK.

I'd much rather a camera which was made for the job, and cost a lot less.
 
Never worried one wit using mechanical Nikons or Leicas in any kind of weather. None ever had a problem as long as I let them dry out properly if they got soaked, took normal precautions like stowing them under a jacket for carrying and shielding them with a hat or plastic bag otherwise. Even then, they're simple to have cleaned if something rusts up. Very rare.

Electronic and digital cameras I take more care with in inclement condition ... it's the electrical connections I worry about, which are subject to corrosion and other issues. These can be very hard to clean, so a weatherproofed electronic camera is a good idea. (My Olympus E-1 is beautfully weather proofed, and a fine camera to boot.)
 
As long as the weather isn't too crazy, most cameras will hold up to rain and snow. I used to take my EOS 400D and non-weather sealed lenses with me everywhere when I lived in Finland, no damage. I've spilled part of a glass of water water on my M6 by mistake once too and a few months later when I took it in for servicing unrelated to water the technician said there was only minor signs of water intrusion but that was probably from shooting in the hard rain the night before I took the camera in for servicing. Just be smart - remove any batteries if the weather gets too intense for your liking, dry it off, leave it to rest with some of those anti-moisture packs (What's the real name for them?) and you should be good to go
 
Nikonos IV-a or Nikonos V with a 35mm f/2.5 lens. both are very inexpensive these days and just about indestructible.

Phil Forrest
 
Pentax later DSLRs K10d, K20d etc are all well weather sealed. The K10d or its Samsung clone are really quite cheap these days.
 
Phil_F_NM said:
Nikonos IV-a or Nikonos V with a 35mm f/2.5 lens. both are very inexpensive these days and just about indestructible.

Phil Forrest
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^^What he said^^

The 35/2.5 is an amphibious lens. Equally great above/below the waterline.

The bodies are indestructible. If you are not going below ~12'-0" depth, I would not worry about the rings (if they are good to start) so a wee bit of rain is nothing.

Interestingly, I recently sold my V and was looking to do the opposite -replace it with an Olympus TG-1!
 
Another vote for a Nikonos, Either the IV-A or V. Silly cheap and incredible build quality. I regret selling my Iva but I used it for two rolls in 12 months.
 
Just about any mechanical camera when placed into its ever-ready case is reasonably safe from rain and snow. Just flip the top up over the camera when you're not taking a shot.
 
Couple of years back I went out in NY City during the blizzard with my M6. Folks with ski on the sidewalks. Sometimes I had to scrape out the snow from the lens hood. I just went inside a Sarbucks to change the film. No complaints what so ever.
 
I think Leica's being touted as the standard go-to war journalist camera for so many years says a lot about what they were designed for and what they can put up with environment wise.
 
The Olympus OM 4T might not fit your price requirements but it was advertised as featuring gaskets to make it water resistant if not waterproof. I'm not sure how well the gasketing actually works. I once spent a morning photographing in a rainstorm, with water running off of me and the 4T, and after several hours of "gentle immersion" the camera died. Once dried it worked fine so I assume some water got into the camera and caused problems; that was about 20 years ago and it is still working without any trouble since (although I have been a little more careful about getting it wet). The batteries might be an issue in cold weather. For that there's always the OM 1, pretty cheap these days and durable enough for most use.
 
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