Canon R5 ii - advice needed

[mark.roper]

Hello, haven't visited these forums for a good long while, but hope this might be the place to get some advice ...

I've recently purchased a Canon R5 ii, having used Olympus cameras for several years, and have a couple of questions:

1. My Olympus EM1-X is / was extremely weather-proof, used it in many a torrential downpour and it never missed a beat, is the weather sealing on the R5 ii of a similar quality, or would I be advised to purchase a rain cover, and if so any pointers on good covers for an R5 ii with 70-200mm f/2.8 attached?

2. I need a flash, but I don't use flash much and don't want to spend loads of money, and Canon flashes seem expensive. What would be a good alternative for this camera? I understand the R5 ii has a different hot-shoe design, but I also have an R8 and would like a flash that can be used on both (with adaptor for the R5 if required). Ideally the flash would also need to be weather-proof, though that's not an absolute must-have.

Bit of background, I shoot motorsports mostly, what we call Short Oval in the UK, or if you like, Stock Car / Banger racing. The 70-200mm is for the on-track action, the flash for taking winners / trophy shots (many meetings take place in the evening or in poor light).

Any advice gratefully received! Thank you

 

[Phil V]

The new Canon hotshoe is compatible with older Canon compatible flashes, so the advice is a Godox flash (best bang for buck flash system by far).

I’d expect the Canon to be as weatherproof as the Olympus, but I’d use nothing short of a 1 series in a downpour without a rain cover.

And I advise rain covers like flash brollies, buy cheap and treat as ‘reusable’ rather than permanent kit. I think mine are OpTech. Only used a handful of times

 

[Mintchocs]

In a nutshell if Canon at the very least don’t officially give an IP rating all you get is a vague weather sealed marketing claim. These cameras are now like mini computers so moisture whether from condensation or ingress are going to cause issues with the electronics. My advice keep it dry as possible and after drying, stick in a case with desiccant packs

 

[JohnStewart]

Whilst the body and lens may have some weather sealing, I wouldn't risk using them unprotected in a heavy downpour. Eventually water will find a way in (even on a 1 series body after a few hours), normally through the top LCD or battery compartment.

What myself and many other photographers at Knockhill (where we get our fair share of rain!) use is a simple chamois leather. Fold it up and keep it in your pocket if it looks like there's a chance of rain during the day. If it starts raining heavily, then simply drape the chamois over the top of the camera body and lens to soak up most of the raindrops.

In very heavy rain, simply wring out the chamois from time to time, and use it to dry off any drop from the buttons and rear screen that may have blown in there with the wind.

The advantage of this over a rain cover is that once your hands get wet, you introduce warm moist air/condensation inside the rain cover and this will mist up the viewfinder and rear LCD after a while. Using a chamois, the camera and lens can "breathe" and misting up is far less of an issue. It also means that it can be deployed and put away again in seconds without faffing around, meaning you don't miss any of the action.

If you were doing photography, where the lens was mounted on a tripod and pointing at the same subject for long periods in torrential rain, then a rain cover would be better suited., but for normal motorsport use a chamois is a cheap and very effective solution.

 

[mark.roper]

What myself and many other photographers at Knockhill (where we get our fair share of rain!) use is a simple chamois leather. Fold it up and keep it in your pocket if it looks like there's a chance of rain during the day. If it starts raining heavily, then simply drape the chamois over the top of the camera body and lens to soak up most of the raindrops.

John, I know someone who does this, and others who've made their own rain covers out of bin bags taped to the lens etc., I've just never used one and was hoping not to have to, and wondered if anyone here had any real world experience with the R5 ii in the rain.

Never been to Knockhill but visit Lochgelly regularly, and got soaked to the skin there more than once!

 

[JohnStewart]

John, I know someone who does this, and others who've made their own rain covers out of bin bags taped to the lens etc., I've just never used one and was hoping not to have to, and wondered if anyone here had any real world experience with the R5 ii in the rain.

Never been to Knockhill but visit Lochgelly regularly, and got soaked to the skin there more than once!

Taping a bin bag to lens does work, but you need to do it in advance and before the rain starts otherwise the tape won't stick. There's also the issue of swapping lenses during the day as well, though that might not be an issue on oval tracks. I use an R3 which would likely be similar to the R5II in terms of weather sealing. I've not had any issues with light rain on the body but always played safe with the chamois during heavier showers, and even extended heavy rain where an event has had to be cancelled because of it.