How Wet? (oooeeerrr)

Dale.

Dale.

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Dale.
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I was watching a Thomas Heaton video today, the recent one in the snow. In it, he was out in the snow in the woods and the snow turned into that heavy, wet sticky stuff, that sticks to everything. In a later video, he revealed that he was using his new "vlogging camera", which turns out to be a Canon 200D. It must've been covered in snow and it got me thinking.

I'm guessing that camera has limited, if any weather proofing. I have a 7D and when it was my main camera, if the rains came, the camera went back into the bag with the rain covers on. I now have a 5Div and even with that, I'm reluctant to get it wet and it too goes back into the bag. I may be being paranoid or whatever but the 5D was a huge investment for me being a hobbyist photographer and I'm not risking it.

So, a 200D covered in snow and it still works no problem, Thomas even went on to explain it has also suffered a fall and got bashed and it still works. Me, a 5Div and I won't get it wet.

How good, in your opinion or experience is the weatherproofing (or lack of it) on cameras you've owned and do you worry about it?

:)
 
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A lot of it's to do with pressure i think Dale.
There used to be a leica prop for advertising with a binocular in a what was essentially a fish tank type thing and in the instruction manual, you were shown a drawing of removing sand etc from the eyepices under a running tap ...
Well i did same after a birding session on a gale blown beach and it burst the seal...all sorted by Leica at no cost to me but these seals work up to a point...
 
I have a 7d2 and a 5d2 am hoping to get 5d4 later this year. If there is a single drop of rain appear, camera goes straight back in the bag.
 
I was very brave with my old D90, used to use it out in downpours a lot, I was younger, fitter and healthier myself at the time! Anyway, eventually the info in the viewfinder conked out, as did the top plate LCD .... camera worked fine but the electonics for the displays were knackered. It will happen to non weather sealed bodies eventually if you push them.
 
I'm sure there is a video digitalrev did where a model had a shower with a 70-200L and a 7D was turned into a block of ice ( including the insides )

However its sods law that if you try to do it yourself you get the worst result possible.
 
I’ve always used my gear in reasonable rain and got on with it. I started with a 400D then a 40D (used to shoot outdoor adventure races with a flashgun on too and it never missed a beat), then a 5D Classic (same story). After that I moved to Sony and have shot with an Nex5, A6000 and now A7 with no issues. You need to be sensible and not leave it sitting outside in a downpour but I wouldn’t panic over a few spots of rain or some snow. Just wipe it off and keep shooting.
 
I’ve been out in snow, hail, rain with 5D3/4 and 1DX2 with L lenses and no problems. If the rain is constant then the plastic bag with elastic band helps. Snow generally brushes off quite easily, not had to use the plastic bag for that. I would be much more cautious with salt water spray from the sea I’ve seen that do some damage (to a Sony body as I recall)

This topic came up a few days ago and I’ll make the same point that you’re missing great photo opportunities if the camera goes back in the bag whenever there is any risk of bad weather.
 
I photographed an event a couple of years ago where it was raining, it was that constant fine rain which soaks everything. I was using a 5d3, tamron 24-70 f2.8vc and 430exii. It didn’t miss a beat, after that I was never concerned about rain with it. However I do had specific camera insurance, so if all else fails, in goes a claim
 
If i think the shot is worth having then the camera can, and does, take it - that said, if its truly pishing it down there's no shot for me so the camera is bagged

I remember seeing a red-carpet film release many years ago where it was Biblicalyl peeing it down and all the togs were shooting away with flash on camera too, rain pouring around and off their flashes & lenses and not one had a cover of any kind; they can't all have not cared at all so I guess the answer is that modern cameras can take far more than we'd expect, and that's why they last so long - we chicken out before they do :)

Dave
 
I use my Nikon D3S and 300mm 2.8 lens for football in the rain and haven't had any problems. I take them at their word when they say that those are weather-sealed.

Maybe I should get a rain cover or something though?
 
I use my D7100 in light rain with no issues. If using my 70-300 I use a rain cover, but don't find them effective on short zooms. My biggest worry is getting rain drops on the lens filter and degrading the image, wide angle lens hoods aren't very effective against rain. In heavy rain I have shot from under a brolly. A chamois leather is great for wiping off the wet.
 
Been out in rain with a 5D2 on many occasions. It is alright for short periods but the danger tends to occur if you are outside for a longer protracted periods of time. Issues, if you are going to have them, "usually" don't occur immediately, but after a couple of days. Usually it is minor corrosion to the internal circuitry that will cause glitches. Tends to be gradual moisture ingress through joints like the buttons etc. Obviously that is not desirable, although it usually can be fixed by a technician.

In terms of short term exposure to rain they are generally ok, but It is long duration and heavy rain, that can cause damage. The think about a 200D is that it is a fairly "low cost" camera compared to others, which is probably why they are using it.
 
My 7d2 had over a £300 repair bill after getting a lit bit wet in rain, not much I might add, but there was corrosion after rain had somehow got in around the flash button area, it was working before the repair, but the camera kept thinking I was using flash and nothing worked, the whole top plate had to be replaced.

So now I am always cautious of how wet I let it get,.
 
I got caught in a light shower using my 7d a couple if years back on a forest shoot. It wasn't particularly heavy and lasted about 10 minutes and I continued through it and finished up, turned off the camera and drove home. I then turned the camera on again.... And nothing! It wouldn't turn on. I had a look for a solution on the web and followed the advice to submerge the camera in rice in a sealed plastic dish and put it in the airing cupboard for a couple of days to draw out the moisture.... Worked a treat and turned on straight away. Suffered no ill effects thereafter.
 
As a general rule of thumb, I’d use a camera in the rain unless it’s so hard that I don’t want to be out in it myself, but wouldn’t leave a camera out longer than necessary and use a rain cover where possible.
I do wipe down lens barrel and body with a microfibre towel immediately afterwards including twisting the lens barrel back and forth on zooms and wiping until they appear dry. Front element I would leave until dry and always use a lens hood. When back home I leave the camera out to air overnight rather than let it fester in the bag until the next shoot.

I do cringe a bit when I see people take cold or wet cameras indoors and they just become condensation magnets, so use a plastic bag until temperature equalises.
 
I took this with my 7D2 (and 100-400 Mkii) when I got caught out in torrential rain with no bag/cover etc; I was a good ten minutes from the car. It was getting soaked anyway (as was I) so I thought I might as well use it. I gave it a quick wipe when I got home and it suffered no ill effects whatsoever. I think Pip the dog suffered more than the camera! IMG_1242.jpg
 
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I frequently shoot sports out in the rain with my 70D but I always use a rain cover if it's more than a drizzle. I also try and keep the cover ventilated to stop condensation. No ill effects so far ,touch wood.
 
If you're afraid to shoot in the rain then you're going to miss a lot of opportunities in this country.

I was out the other day with my D850, the camera setup in a river to take a waterfall when it started raining. I left the camera there and sheltered under a tree :)

My approach to photography has/is changing this year I'm getting out no matter what the conditions are and I have no worries at all about the D850 being fine.
 
I used to use a pair of EOS1D for football, they had rain covers over them, but I used to take everything out of the bag when I got home and dry the lot. Worst problem was trying to dry the hot shoe to use flash at half time for pr work!
 
I have a number of Canon bodies, the ones I use most are 7D2 and a 5D4 and I'll shoot outdoors regardless of the rain or otherwise. I do try to use the lenses which have deeper hoods to keep the rain spots at bay unless it compromises the subject I want to capture and then it's just the inconvenience of cleaning the rain off one with a short hood.
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Can't see a lot of point owning a camera which can only be used on dry days. Photo opportunities are not weather dependent.
 
Watching the varied experiences and thoughts has eased my concerns a lot, I don't think I'll be quite as worried from now on, especially with the 5D but I'll still be cautious but maybe not quite as much.

Thanks for the comments everybody, interesting reading.
 
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