weather resistant lenses & bodies...

[back alley]

i've been shooting in snow for many years now and never had a winterized kit. today, everyone loves the wr bodies and lenses and wants them in all our kits...i'm not against this at all but i am curious about it all.
is it because today's gear is all electronic and we fear water ruining it? did rain or snow ever ruin any of your old mechanical gear?

 

[presspass]

Never had rain, snow, or spray from fire hoses damage or ruin gear. There have been times when the Nikonos came out of retirement during especially challenging weather, but everything from a Nikon F to digital Canon SLRS works in rain and snow. I've never had any of them completely submerged and I don't live in an arctic climate, however.

 

[Jake Mongey]

When i went to Iceland I took 2 cameras an "entry level" canon AE1 with PW and 35mm f2.8 it kept going even in the lowest temp of -10 degrees. Meanwhile the "weather Sealed" sony a7 conked out and the lenses fogged up very easily - it even killed an SD card. I think theres just something about the mechanical design even in the AE1 which still has a lot of circuits as opposed to the fully electronic A7.

FYI both cameras got equally soaked at one point near a waterfall

Just an interesting story.

 

[Brian Atherton]

I’m out in all weather but to date never had a camera or lens fail due to challenging weather (famous last words!).

This said, I’m all for WR equipment, not least to help stop the ingress of dust and grit etc into viewfinders, lens elements, card and battery slots, and condensation after being out in freezing weather.

I find the X-Pro2 and my two WR lenses (16mm f1.4 & 35mm f2) to be excellent in this regard.

 

[Pablito]

Had a Sony NEX-7 fail after using it in a very hot climate. No rain but lots of sweat. Yes, it was really hot and humid. Sony claimed the camera had water damage but it was never dunked or in the rain. Just covered in human sweat, corrosion inside. Never happened to any other camera in similar situations.

 

[robert blu]

I have exactly the same question, why such a great demand for weatherproof cameras and lenses?
In film days I never had any, my only digital is a small Leica x1 which I used with rain and snow without problem.
Of course when it rains I use an umbrella to protect myself and the camera is also protected, in the mountains with snow I keep it under my wind jacket and take out only when there is a photo opportunity, this is just common sense...
Are the more sophisticated cameras more sensible to weather ? Just curious to know...

robert

 

[kermaier]

After shooting for a few days around the WTC area in NYC a couple of weeks after 9/11/2001, my Canon A-1 had absorbed so much dust and grit from the air that the film advance felt like a pepper grinder. It never actually failed, but it was definitely taking damage. I don't think weather-sealing is at all silly -- it's a useful feature, and is particularly welcome on equipment that is expensive to repair or replace.

 

[Emile de Leon]

I'm afraid now of getting my A7 wet at all...took it out in a snowstorm today..just dryed it off...still works..whew...!

 

[Ko.Fe.]

It is matter of choice due to real situations.
For real WR I've started with diving case for DSLR, then switched to water-sealed disposable film camera, then to film P&S in divining case and if I still need it for next summer I'll buy 80$ Vivitar water sealed camera at local Walmart. I have no need for digital 400$ WR P&S camera or GoPro in the plastic box.
And I'm not considering snow as something to be protected from. Long hood does the trick which is only really needed to protect lens front from falling snow.
But I recall some pictures of Canon 1D series with L lenses on them and this rig placed on the snow. Those pictures are usually taken by mobile phones. I'm finding those to be superior to any camera for snow. iPhone in OtterBox case. Somehow I managed to drop it once in water during wet printing, it still works 🙂

 

[Huss]

Just get a Nikonos. I'm using a Nikonos V right now. Not only is it unfazed by any kind of weather, it is basically indestructible and makes things like Nikon Fs etc seem like fragile little doilies. It also works great as a regular camera, and with its zone focussing, massive OVF and AE, makes one of the best street photography cameras. If the orange is too bright, get a green one.
It's also near silent, as the metal ingot body muffles the shutter.

 

[Archlich]

The peace of mind alone can be liberating.

I won't trade portability just for it though. It's a feature that would be nice to have as an addition...hope we'd see it on the next Ricoh GR.

 

[narsuitus]

I once used a Nikon EM as my bad weather camera until it failed on me when I used it to shoot a soccer match in the rain. After that, I used a Nikonos III as my bad weather camera.


Nikonos III by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[kxl]

I have and continue to shoot my DSLR's in somewhat wet conditions and just tuck it in under my parka when not shooting. Of course, in a downpour I usually just seek shelter because I don't want to get too wet myself.

I would be less confident to shoot my A7R and RX100 under the same conditions.

One of these days, I might get one of those small ruggedized cameras (e.g., Oly Tough TG-4) for all-conditions shooting.

 

[back alley]

i bought a panasonic ts30 all weather camera with the idea of using it as a pocket cam in blizzards and rainfalls...but it's too small for my hands and i rarely get a sharp pic out of it.

 

[kxl]

i bought a panasonic ts30 all weather camera with the idea of using it as a pocket cam in blizzards and rainfalls...but it's too small for my hands and i rarely get a sharp pic out of it.

I hear you... while I like the compactness of the RX100, the small size does make it difficult to hold. A wrist strap helps.

 

[back alley]

I hear you... while I like the compactness of the RX100, the small size does make it difficult to hold. A wrist strap helps.

actually the rx100 fit perfectly into one hand for me...i regret selling mine.

 

[tunalegs]

The only time I had problem with rain was once when using an Edixa SLR - after shooting for about an hour in continuous drizzle a large water droplet appeared in the viewfinder.

After drying out all was fine again.