A bad case of GAS?

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Cupotea

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Peter
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Good morning all,

I'm hoping someone can tell me my nagging thoughts are unfounded and to get my bum out in the countryside.

I've had my Sony A7riii and Tamron 28-70 for about a month so far and am very happy with the pictures I'm getting out of it so far. I have an itchy order finger to pick up the 70-200 but I have an awful fear of committing to spending any more because on one thing......weather sealing! Living in this beautiful country has the side effect of frequent and random moistness in a downwards and sometimes horizontal direction and I'm worried by the tales of poor sealing on the Sonys. Worried to the point of thinking of a change to a Nikon Z or even a Fuji X-T3, though I've waited to long to scratch the full frame itch so the Fuji is an outsider.

Could someone please tell me it's a stupid idea, or that the sealing is actually ok? I'm not proposing to shoot in monsoons, but being capable of withstanding drizzle would be nice. I know that the Tamron isn't sealed but I think the 16-35 and 70-200 are.

Many thanks, Pete
 
My current camera is the first one I've had that's weather sealed (D7100) and I've been taking pictures since the sixties. None of my lenses are sealed though.

I've always carried a plastic bag for emergencies (although I recently bought a waterproof cover) and if I want to take pictures in the rain, I'll use a shelter.

It's entirely up to you whether you 'want' a waterproof camera or whether you 'need' one. ;)
 
2 of my bodies & 1 of my lenses are weather resistant.
I've never had any of the others fail from water, but I've used the WR ones in conditions I wouldn't have risked a standard set-up in. (Heavy rain & spray in an exposed location where an umbrella etc. wasn't an option.)

The standard kit I will use in light drizzle, just keeping it under cover (tucked in my jacket) when not in use, and wipe it dry a soon as practical.

The degree of protection you get with different manufacturers weather proof cameras varies significantly, and seals will also degrade as you change lenses etc. It offers a degree of extra protection but sometimes not a big improvement, I don't think any of the sealed DSLRs offer any sort of guarantee wrt water. (I even know of an expensive diving enclosure that's leaked & killed a camera...)

IMO sealing is a useful extra, but dangerous to rely on.

One extra point - water inside is not always fatal. My son dropped his phone in a fountain apparently killing it. Carefully drying it on his return, got it working again with no noticeable issues.
 
Cupotea said:
Good morning all,

I'm hoping someone can tell me my nagging thoughts are unfounded and to get my bum out in the countryside.

I've had my Sony A7riii and Tamron 28-70 for about a month so far and am very happy with the pictures I'm getting out of it so far. I have an itchy order finger to pick up the 70-200 but I have an awful fear of committing to spending any more because on one thing......weather sealing! Living in this beautiful country has the side effect of frequent and random moistness in a downwards and sometimes horizontal direction and I'm worried by the tales of poor sealing on the Sonys. Worried to the point of thinking of a change to a Nikon Z or even a Fuji X-T3, though I've waited to long to scratch the full frame itch so the Fuji is an outsider.

Could someone please tell me it's a stupid idea, or that the sealing is actually ok? I'm not proposing to shoot in monsoons, but being capable of withstanding drizzle would be nice. I know that the Tamron isn't sealed but I think the 16-35 and 70-200 are.

Many thanks, Pete
Click to expand...

I have shot with thw A7iii and 70-200 2.8g is some pretty bad rain - even being splashed up to my eyeballs in water whilst taking pics in the water jump at cross country! No issues!
 
I've used my original Sony A7 anywhere I want to take a picture, in blizzards on a sandy beach, in wind and rain I could hardly stand up in, in heavy pouring rain, in snow and in the heat and humidity of Thailand. I've always taken common sense care of it and apart from that... nothing :D

I've never had a weather sealed camera but with just common sense other than misted shots through condensation and blobs caused by snow or water on the front of the lens I've never had a serious weather related problem. I could have just been exceptionally lucky but 've been using cameras for a long time now and as long as the kit isn't drenched by a wave or in standing water I think it'll be ok. The bottom of the Sony's is as far as I know known to be the weak point but even if I had a weather sealed body I don't think I'd want it to be in standing water.
 
Thanks you all, everyones comments have been very reasuring. I do have a tendency to be overly precious with things. I suppose I need to just be reasonably careful and get out there!
 
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