Weather Sealing

Hi POTN - A thread regarding weather sealed bodies and lenses, what kind of extremes are we talking here? Mild downpours? Major storm? Wind and dust? Snow etc...

I'm wondering because I've recently been bitten by the L bug, and while it's built like a tank, my current body is dwarfed and no way as robust.

I'd like to in the near future shoot in the rain etc if I wanted or felt like (planning to get a 5D MKII). What is the range of weather sealing?

I remember seeing a pic posted on here a while back, someone running 1D series body under a tap

i believe the only body that is weather sealing is probably the 1d and on. i don't believe the 5Dii is a crazy weather sealer.

My 1DMKIII + 24-105L have been drenched onboard the Maid of the Mist ride at Niagara Falls. I got so much water on me, I could wring out water from my op/tech strap. After towel drying the gear, it was ready to go. That was over a year ago, and it's still going strong.

Last winter, I shot during a heavy snow with my 1DMKIII + 200L f2 IS. By the time I was finished I had 2 inches of accumulation on my lens. Never missed a beat.

The 5DMKII isn't as nearly as weather protected as the 1DMKIII...

Wow, so the 1's are rock solid in that aspect - the 5D's can take a standard downpour though right? And say if you quickly got out of it, instead of a prolonged periods.

HSK wrote in post #7895290
Wow, so the 1's are rock solid in that aspect - the 5D's can take a standard downpour though right? And say if you quickly got out of it, instead of a prolonged periods.

Depends on your definition of a "standard downpour." When I think downpour, it is rain that is heavy enough that I need a proper waterproof jacket or else I'll be soaked in a few minutes. Regular rain (ie. can walk around comfortably in a fleece or sweater for 5 minutes without being soaked) and less is what I would consider taking a non weather-sealed body/lens into as long as I had proper protection (plastic bag etc) if the duration exceeded 10 minutes, or if I was only going to be out for a few minutes.

My 1DII and 17-40, 24-70 (since sold) and 70-200 have all been out in downpours or worse (west coast rainforest downpour) with no protection for 6 hours at a time, and I never had a problem. My handstrap takes close to 2 days to dry out after each time in weather like that.

Make sure you have a filter to complete the sealing on L zooms though, especially the 17-40 as the lens hood doesn't provide nearly as much protection as the 24-70 and 70-200 hoods.

Well, I'm in the UK so we get rain often, but I wouldn't say it was often bone soaking, more like drizzle.

Here's what Canon had to say about the 5DMk2's weather sealing in a white paper:

Looking at my camera's CF door (which to me looks to be identical to the 40D or 50D which aren't weather sealed) I would say you would be well served to keep it out of modest to heavy rain. I've read that the 5DMk2 can handle 10mm of rain for 3 minutes (DPReview specs).

Canon does not say it's "weather sealed" they just say that "weather sealing has been improved". The 5D has no weather sealing at all, so anything above nothing is an "improvement". With that said, $2700 is a lot of money to piss away testing out their idea of a little weather sealing.

Get a rain bag and protect your camera, or by a 1D which can easily handle rain.

I also have shot in everything from mist to heavy rain with my 1DMIII and my last primary a 1D MII N and have never had an issue (in all cases used 2.8 L glass that has that rubber gasket sealing it against the body). I drape plastic over the body and root of the lens in heavy rain just to be safe but still lots of water gets in with out harming the body at all.

thanks for that tharmsen! Clears it all up for me.

A word of caution here.... not all 'L' lenses are weather sealed. Check the specs on individual lenses.

Yea, I noticed some them where not

HSK wrote in post #7895290
Wow, so the 1's are rock solid in that aspect - the 5D's can take a standard downpour though right? And say if you quickly got out of it, instead of a prolonged periods.

Ive shot with a 5D classic and a 85mm 1.8 in mild rain for about 20 minutes with little cover and just had to dry it all off. It held up ok and no side effects but thats from my uses, I dont think I would do it often.

elysium wrote in post #7898237
Ive shot with a 5D classic and a 85mm 1.8 in mild rain for about 20 minutes with little cover and just had to dry it all off. It held up ok and no side effects but thats from my uses, I dont think I would do it often.

Yea, I think I would only go out in really mild rain/drizzle - or have it there for times i get caught in the rain (but then run in). I'm too paranoid with these things incase they just fail and frazzle.

elysium wrote in post #7898237
Ive shot with a 5D classic and a 85mm 1.8 in mild rain for about 20 minutes with little cover and just had to dry it all off. It held up ok and no side effects but thats from my uses, I dont think I would do it often.

Considering the 5D has absolutely no weather sealing around any of its buttons or dial, I would say you got pretty lucky. It doesn't take much water to get in around a button to toast something.

The 5DMk2 has seals around the buttons now, which is good. But if you look at the specs of the 1D vs. the 5DMk2 there's a lot of places the 1D seals that the 5DMk2 doesn't. All it takes is moister getting in one of the many unsealed areas and bye-bye 5D.

HSK wrote in post #7898266
Yea, I think I would only go out in really mild rain/drizzle - or have it there for times i get caught in the rain (but then run in). I'm too paranoid with these things incase they just fail and frazzle.

To be honest, it may look naff but pick up a rain cover. It would hold up for light drizzle. Not too sure how great they are against heavy rain. I think Aquatech do some great rain covers.

http://www.aquatech.co​m.au/

tharmsen wrote in post #7898608
Considering the 5D has absolutely no weather sealing around any of its buttons or dial, I would say you got pretty lucky. It doesn't take much water to get in around a button to toast something.

The 5DMk2 has seals around the buttons now, which is good. But if you look at the specs of the 1D vs. the 5DMk2 there's a lot of places the 1D seals that the 5DMk2 doesn't. All it takes is moister getting in one of the many unsealed areas and bye-bye 5D.

No doubt about that hence my experiences were very lucky. I wouldnt do it often or again just in case im pushing my luck.