How weather sealed are non-weather sealed lenses?

[cuthbert]

i know this might sound like a really stupid question, but how weather sealed are they?

for instance, i'd never use my 70-200 f2.8 non is if it was chucking it down, but if i'm out and about and it suddenly starts to rain, surely a few spots isn't going to do any harm whilst i get it back in the bag or finish the shot?

'weather sealing' in the canon sense is such a woolly term anyway in that i've never really seen it defined in absolute terms - i've read of weather sealed lenses and bodies taking a complete dunk and surviving unharmed and others not- but i'm not talking about that sort of abuse with a non-sealed lens, surely they can take a few spots without worrying?

anyone care to share experiences of using non-weather sealed lenses in adverse conditions?

 

[itsdavedotnet]

unless it's the cheapy kit lens, it'll be fine in a few spots of rain...

judgement call for you to make really, but I haven't managed to kill anything yet, and my kit's been covered in mud, spit, rain, sweat and bubble mixture!

 

[TCR4x4]

mud, spit, rain, sweat and bubble mixture!

Sounds like one hell of a party!

 

[Photogo!]

You'd like to presume a few splashes wouldn't cause harm.. If I feel any rain coming I get out the cover.. £8.99 for 2 clear plastic ones lol

 

[Craikeybaby]

I thought the weather sealed designation was related to the seal at the lens camera interface that when used with a 1D (and 7D?).

I can't seem to find anything that states what else is weather sealed on lenses.

 

[itsdavedotnet]

Sounds like one hell of a party!

and that was just the first 20 minutes.


I have a couple of hotel disposable shower caps in my bag. With a small hole torn in for the viewfinder hole, they're a useful rough and ready camera waterproofing... very rarely need to bust it out though.

Worst was download festival last year... I was shooting video and it was ****ING it down. Fortunately managed to blag one of those ponchos that's basically a transparent bin liner from one of the press people, kept my expensive video camera dryish...I was still soaked mind!

 

[Vertigo1]

I think a lot depends on whether it extends. The 70-200 has internal focusing and zooming so I'd imagine it'd be a lot more resilient to a bit of water than say, a 17-55 which has an extending barrel. On such lenses, I'd not be too comfortable about water getting on the extending part and then getting "drawn" back inside the main lens housing when zooming.