How sealed is weather sealed?

SThornton

SThornton

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I know weather sealed doesn't mean waterproof but what battering could a weather sealed camera take and is the lens connection also "weather sealed" more so than on a non-weather sealed body?

And a final note, are lenses weather sealed? I guess they would need to be to an extent (or at least the Nikon AF-S lenses with inbuilt electrics).
 
'Environmentally Sealed' - It depends on which camera you're on about as they all differ in terms of how well they're 'sealed'.

Same goes for the lens. Despite taking the gasket into account which completes the seal between lens and body some weather sealed lenses require a screw in filter on the front to complete the sealing.
 
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I used my 1 dx in heavy rain the other day with no problem I wouldn't have trusted my 5 dmk3 under the same conditions.
 
So take the D7000, would you be able to stand out in the pouring rain while still using it?

To be honest, I don't know exactly how much of a battering my current camera could take but I know as its not weather sealed it won't be as much as the D7000.
 
I can't speak for current Nikon body expectation I'm afraid. I'm sure some D7000 owners will pipe up though.

I trsut my 1D2 in rain with the right lens but I don't take the pee - It's nice to know getting wet isn't a problem but I still take measures to keep my kit dry.

That said - my little old Nikon D50 got caught in the rain and took a good shower more than once as did my D80 and Canon 40D and never had any issues.
 
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My D3100 has been out in the pouring rain during the Thames Pageant (although I did keep it covered when not in use) and exposed to a very dusty 3 days on safari in Africa and has stood up to both but I'd never want to push it.
 
Dropped my canon 1D mkiv with 600f4 in a lake at the weekend.

Was completely submerged but only briefly.

Seems fine.





Pheeeeeeeew.
 
drexyl said:
Dropped my canon 1D mkiv with 600f4 in a lake at the weekend.

Was completely submerged but only briefly.

Seems fine.

Pheeeeeeeew.
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I bet your heart skipped a beat when that happened lol
 
Olympus and Pentax weathersealing = may as well take it diving. I know a guy who uses a K20 underground and cleans it off by taking it in the shower afterwards!

Panasonic I've taken into extreme rain and snow before and no issues arose (though it doesn't claim any weathersealing). Champagne shower gummed the buttons up but cleaned out and carried on going...

Fuji (Nikon) only had the opportunity to test the S3 in light rain, it's still alive. S5 claims better weathersealing but I wouldn't drop it in a puddle.

Dave got his D700 a bit damp in a lake and that killed it.
 
The Pentax K10/20/7 and 5 are weathersealed so Pentax claim, I think the other models have some weather protection but just not as much as the K-5 for instance

The only slight vulnerability is in the bayonet mount - not a problem with lenses with o-rings... But after a trip to sandy/sea/set/dusty areas I have no issues holding the camera beneath the shower and then drying it with a cloth. Whalewatching with the otherhalf in choppy seas ends ups with us both having to stop taking photos - her EOS 50D goes mental and I go green
 
K5 has 70 odd seals, the K30 has 81.
Think I read it on another forum, someone commented Nikon has been 'proofing their lenses and not making any reference to it.
Pentax DA* and WR monikered lenses are the ones 'proofed, the rest are not, but from what I remember seeing mentioned elsewhere, they all will be as part of an ongoing improvement process.
Or in plain English, as opposed to marketing speak, once current production stock levels have dwindled.
Not much point having new old stock of something no-one wants if there's something better to be had instead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNh3wLJydAI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo61t5fH6Qw - didn't know or even think about the battery grip!
 
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Weather Resistant/Sealed means -

"We hope to make you think that you can use your gear in the middle of a monsoon. However, any water damage isn't covered by the warranty."
 
SThornton said:
I know weather sealed doesn't mean waterproof but what battering could a weather sealed camera take and is the lens connection also "weather sealed" more so than on a non-weather sealed body?

And a final note, are lenses weather sealed? I guess they would need to be to an extent (or at least the Nikon AF-S lenses with inbuilt electrics).
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Magnesium alloy employed for the body, and superior weather-resistant and anti-dust capabilities the D7000 employs light and rugged magnesium alloy for top and rear covers for high durability. Furthermore, connected parts and various points are securely sealed, achieving superior weather-resistant and dust prevention performance.
Click to expand...

http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/dslr/d7000/features03.htm#f01

I think it would be like the canon range, the 60D, 7D etc has weather sealed area's but its not true weather sealed like the 1D series bodies and yes to achieve the full weather seal effect, you need the specific lenses as well. The body will give a certain amount of protection with a non sealed lens but I wouldn't trust the D7000 out in a down pour without a cover.
 
can't speak for others, but pentax's are pretty well sealed...seen a video of a soldier in Afghanistan using one, covering it in sand then to clean it shoved it under a shower!
 
SThornton said:
So take the D7000, would you be able to stand out in the pouring rain while still using it?

To be honest, I don't know exactly how much of a battering my current camera could take but I know as its not weather sealed it won't be as much as the D7000.
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Speaking from experience, I have only managed to kill 1 D7000 and that was when it got hit by a solid jet of water from a pressure hose, I have taken my other two out in monsoon rain for 2hrs+ at a time on multiple occasions, taken them into the mekong river and used them everyday for approx 8 months in the extreme humidity of monsoon season in SE Asia and despite them looking rough they still work perfectly well. They are a lot more robust than people give them credit for but I still wouldn't recommend getting them wet if you can avoid it.
 
I use my two D7000s in all sorts of weather, lots of torrential rain, dust, sub-zero temps, general horribleness...

Combined with a good set of lenses (mainly 11-16mm, 17-55mm, 70-200mm but also 35mm DX, 60mm AF-D and several other lenses in the past) I've yet to have issues with the cameras. Coming from a pair of D2x bodies my expectations were low in terms of how they'd fare in bad weather but I have to say I'm impressed. One of my main concerns was about having the audio input flap open while filming with a mic plugged in.... effectively, the rubber flap is one of the environmental seals but again, I've not had an issue.

This was shot on a D7000 and was basically two full days of non-stop rain. Roads to the venue were flooded halfway up your car door and even our team Gore-Tex suits got to the point where they just couldn't take any more. A thoroughly miserable two days:

[YOUTUBE]gWXs0jRuYk[/YOUTUBE]

Can't seem to get the video to embed so here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gWXs0jRuYk&feature=share&list=UU0TvnAKz0Dh17O8htO7a4VA

There is definitely a piece-of-mind to be had from extensive weathersealing and those cameras that play on it (D3/D4 etc) but it's amazing what you can put consumer-grade cameras through; we've used Canon xxD bodies for years at work and most have fared well in the hands of journalists who really don't care about them, as they're the company's property and not their own (my kit is my own). We've recently had a glut of 30D and 40D bodies going down with an intermittent shutter button issue, but I put that down to overuse than any weather-based issues. You also can't account for a journo who, when the pop-up flash kept popping up when they didn't want it to, glued the flash in place :lol:

Personally, I still trust my Nikons more than the Canons I've used but nonetheless, how much abuse 'regular' cameras can take is often underestimated
 
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'Weather sealing' seems a very vague term and in some cases seems a bit meaningless when it comes to the companies themselves. I found the Olympus E-1/E-3 and their weather sealed lenses very tough as they never missed a beat even when used extensively in very wet conditions. Olympus seem to stand by their weather sealing as well, when there was a fault where water could get into the LCD screen they repaired the cameras under warranty without issue.

The D700 hasn't been so good, I hadn't tried it in poor conditions when the on/off button started really sticking. So I sent it back to Nikon and they insisted it had been water damaged which wasn't covered by warranty which I wasn't too impressed by. I pointed out the camera was meant to be weather sealed and asked how had water managed to get through the seals to damage the internals of the camera and they had no answer. They also claimed the advertised weather sealing was meaningless as it referred to no particular standard and I couldn't expect the camera to withstand wet conditions. I'd been without the camera a couple of months by this time so I gave in and paid for the repair (they didn't fix it and damaged two other parts) so needless to say I don't trust the D700 at all in poor conditions.

John
 
Use a D3 and 24-70mm regularly in heavy rain. Not had a problem yet. Well, not with the camera and lens. Managed to fry a SB800 once. That was quite interesting :)

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=451225

This was possibly one of the worst days I've had. Managed to ruin a brand new and rather expensive pair of shoes
 
I remember laughing at Kipax being scared to take his Canon out in the rain.

He made the point that all his fellow professionals used numerous waterproof covers.

My 1DMk3 has been at home in ALL weathers, one of the reasons for buying it!
 
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