Is the D700 weather sealed as well as the D3?

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Wail
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Hi,

In another thread I ask about the D300, which I may buy in the next few days, but I want to make sure that I don’t overlook the D700 all too easily. At the price it’s going for, the D700 vs. the D300, I would need it to be as well sealed as the D3. Does anyone know how well it is sealed?

Thanks
 
According to Nikon its better sealed than the D300, but not as good as the D3.

If you get water in any of them, you're stuffed. They are not sold as "water proof", actually Nikon are quite tricksy about this, they do not warrant against water damage.
 
Thank you for the feedback. It is not just water I am worried about, there is condensation, moisture & humidity , sand, etc.

I am guessing that I may need something better than the D200 which I thought was good enough but it really isn't!
 
Mostly I shoot here in UK, and you know how the weather is here; but as I am from Saudi Arabia you can guess what's it like over there ... VERY hot, VERY humid, and A LOT of sand. Though I am not moving back to Saudi for a few more months, still, I want it for at least a couple of years.

While I am here, the D200 with a StormJacket is barely OK ... I always pack it away when it starts to rain heavily, as such I would like something better sealed against the invironment.
 
Thank you for the feedback. It is not just water I am worried about, there is condensation, moisture & humidity , sand, etc.

I am guessing that I may need something better than the D200 which I thought was good enough but it really isn't!

D200 water sealing is great :)

I dropped my D200 in a lake, it was under for over 5 seconds, it dried out, lens was destroyed, camera was fine!



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I sent it in for a checkup to Nikon UK, and they said there was no damage, despite total immersion :love:
 
OMG ... was the camera working when you took it out of the water? How well did the sensor come out of that, and how long did you leave it to dryout?
 
Is there just the one Nikon service centre in UK? If so, would you please give me their contract details (address and telephone) ... that would be very much appreciated.
 
OMG ... was the camera working when you took it out of the water? How well did the sensor come out of that, and how long did you leave it to dryout?

Not immediately - it wouldn't switch off without turning off the battery, when I put the battery in the rear LCD was dead, and AF was continually hunting even without me pressing a button.

I towelled it down, and put it on the car dashboard to dry out. I was able to start shooting again in under 8 hours. I actually got shots the same day it took a dive actually :)

The lens was a write off though, so I always think that when looking at weather sealing check your lenses too, not just the body.
 
That is amazing, I keep telling this story over and over to my daughter. How well made the D200 is, touch wood.
 
Recently on a trip to Africa I stayed in Zambia briefly by the Victoria falls. I had my D40X on me and suddenly the wind turned and i was showered in massive amounts of spray (muddy river water spray :eek:). Within the 20 seconds it took for me to run to cover my jeans and tshirt were so wet that I could ring water out of them and my D40X had been on top of my tshirt. I feared the worst when i checked under the pop up flash and water dribbled out and thought it would be a matter of time before it would stop working.

However to finish the story, let it dry out on the balcony and its been 100% fine since then which was a good two weeks ago. :D Bear in mind the D40X has NO weather sealing!
 
How come its soo dam hard to get waterproof cameras, i thought they would have designed this around there new technology. I understand fully submerged is extreme, but just to be out in the showers and have that peacce of mind would be nice...
 
I understand fully submerged is extreme, but just to be out in the showers and have that peacce of mind would be nice...

I've been out in heavy rain and snow with my 10D, it's got pretty wet and i've never been worried about it getting damaged and it has always been fine :shrug:
 
Yeah, I wish they would make all SLRs more weather proof than they currently are. I would happily pay a bit extra for a version that has better sealings over the "conventional" version.
 
They do, they are called pro bodies.

lol .. yeah, I saw that coming .. but I was hoping for a lot more sealing that even the pro. grade bodies. Remember, the weakest part of the body is where the lens mounts as that part isn't ever airtight! I am sure manufacturers can make this part better sealed and hence even a dip in a pond (say up to 5 feet deep) wouldn't cause any water to leak into the body.
 
D200 water sealing is great :)

I dropped my D200 in a lake, it was under for over 5 seconds, it dried out, lens was destroyed, camera was fine!



515982753_0354947b5e_o.jpg


I sent it in for a checkup to Nikon UK, and they said there was no damage, despite total immersion :love:

Saltwater is the real killer though, my d200 had less than a seconds partial immersion and promptly packed up almost permanently, was iffy for a couple of weeks and then died completely.

Perversely though, the sigma 10-20 went fully under and is still working fine today :shrug:
 
Saltwater is the real killer though, my d200 had less than a seconds partial immersion and promptly packed up almost permanently, was iffy for a couple of weeks and then died completely.

Perversely though, the sigma 10-20 went fully under and is still working fine today :shrug:

That could explain it, it went into Lake Powell which is fresh water (from the Colorado river).

Having said that the lens filled up with silt and loads of manky stuff immediately.
 
lol .. yeah, I saw that coming .. but I was hoping for a lot more sealing that even the pro. grade bodies. Remember, the weakest part of the body is where the lens mounts as that part isn't ever airtight! I am sure manufacturers can make this part better sealed and hence even a dip in a pond (say up to 5 feet deep) wouldn't cause any water to leak into the body.

Seems excessive really. Pro bodies and lenses are designed and built to with stand pretty torrential weather. In what situation are you going to get your kit submerged in 5 feet of water though?

I can't imagine the price premium you would have to pay to have a totally sealed camera, would probably work out cheaper just to buy the lower end, less sealed body and then if the worst happens just replace it, or get insurance.
 
Yup, 5 feet of water seems excessive; but I often go out hicking and have to get into waist deep water ... if I dropped my camera in there it would be dead for sure. Even a D3 wouldn't stand waist deep water. Other times I am under a waterfall and the splash of water can be quite too much for any pro. level body too.

I say 5 feet of water, but now thinking about it this would be impossible since the lens needs to "breath" as such it is impossible to build. I guess the alternative would be to use a full underwater case such as those used by divers.
 
Andy - Would you mind buying another D300 and chucking that in a river - I'd love to know just how badly I can treat mine without it breaking. Pretty please?

Chris
 
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