Weather sealing - why bother?

ancient_mariner

ancient_mariner

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This seems to be one of the features that delineates a 'pro' camera from beginner (the line seems blurry for enthusiast) and sounds like a great idea.

But why bother? If you don't take your camera out in a rainstorm or through waterfalls is there an advantage in having weather sealing? Does it also keep dust off the sensor & mirror when the camera is in normal use *compared with an unsealed camera* or is there no difference in that respect?
 
ancient_mariner said:
This seems to be one of the features that delineates a 'pro' camera from beginner (the line seems blurry for enthusiast) and sounds like a great idea. But why bother? If you don't take your camera out in a rainstorm or through waterfalls is there an advantage in having weather sealing? Does it also keep dust off the sensor & mirror when the camera is in normal use *compared with an unsealed camera* or is there no difference in that respect?
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You can't control the weather so what do you do if you get caught in a downpour and your bag isn't designed for rain that lasts more than a minute? That's the benefit of weather sealing for all users, regardless of ability of career.

Weather sealed lenses are especially useful as they are less prone to letting moisture in that usually leads to fungal growth long term
 
James J said:
Weather sealed lenses are especially useful as they are less prone to letting moisture in that usually leads to fungal growth long term
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And most of these will deal with internal dust a lot better.
 
I remember watching the recent brilliant BBC series "The Great British Year".
At the end of one programme they showed how some of the photography was done, including some footage of a tog using an unprotected camera on a tripod, out in the open, in pouring rain.
Not something I would do but I guess it puts 'Pro' spec into context.

I don't think anything will keep dust off the sensor, some cameras have a 'clean sensor' mode whereby the camera 'shakes' dust of the sensor every time it is powered up/off/manually but inevitably the time will come when it needs a blow or a clean.
 
gramps said:
I don't think anything will keep dust off the sensor, some cameras have a 'clean sensor' mode whereby the camera 'shakes' dust of the sensor every time it is powered up/off/manually but inevitably the time will come when it needs a blow or a clean.
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I meant inside the lens. Shouldve clarified.
 
There was a lovely post about how forums 'clamour about weather sealing when most folks have the good sense to get out of the rain'.

I don't shoot waterfalls from underneath, or tropical rainstorms from the jungle floor. I'd suspect from some forums (not so much this one, mind) that i'm in a minority... have always carried a transparent shower cap if caught out, never had any worries even with so called 'lower end' bodies and lenses.

Weather sealing is a nice-to-have, but for the great majority of us it's bragging rights rather than a genuine concern, IMO.
 
Thanks guys. It *sounds* like there's no benefit for the careful user with a water resistant bag, although there may be long-term benefits for lenses.
 
That's kind of like saying "padded bag, why bother? I'm not going to drop it." there will come a time where you drop that bag by accident and you'd wish you had gotten a better one.

If you've got the option for extra protection, whatever it is, why take chances? Especially if it means that not only is your gear protected, but you might get an awesome shot which you otherwise wouldn't have because there was a bit of drizzle and you left your plastic bag at home.
 
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AESamuel said:
That's kind of like saying "padded bag, why bother? I'm not going to drop it." there will come a time where you drop that bag by accident and you'd wish you had gotten a better one.

If you've got the option for extra protection, whatever it is, why take chances? Especially if it means that not only is your gear protected, but you might get an awesome shot which you otherwise wouldn't have because there was a bit of drizzle and you left your plastic bag at home.
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While I understand that approach, there's always a trade off in equipment.

Why would we not buy the very best quality lenses available, the cameras with the highest resolution sensors, the fastest frame rates, the quickest autofocus etc. I'm about to invest in an outfit and I'm trying to balance up all the various factors that I can juggle with a limited budget. Weather sealing is highly desirable to me, but will add 50% to the price of a new camera, or if buying used, will require compromises in other areas.

From *my* perspective of being someone who does photography for fun and a record, rather than it being my passion or profession, I'm OK with good enough. So if I miss an awesome shot, I'll wait until another comes along - not ideal, but acceptable. Now if I were a pro then it would be quite different, and compromise would not be acceptable in a variable I could predict.

:thumbs:
 
Yup, ***** happens, usually when it's least convenient. Weather sealing isn't one of my must haves, although it seems it comes with the bodies I now use. Not being a great fan of cold, wet and miserable, I tend to get myself out of the foul weather before it gets to be a problem for my kit but there have been times when I've been a mile or 2 way from shelter when the heavens have opened!

If I intend shooting in really bad conditions, I'll use a properly waterproof camera, currently a Canon D10 but soon a Nikon 1 AW (I hope!) - no niggles as to whether the weather will be too much for it to handle, even if it gets dropped in a puddle.
 
ancient_mariner said:
While I understand that approach, there's always a trade off in equipment.

Why would we not buy the very best quality lenses available, the cameras with the highest resolution sensors, the fastest frame rates, the quickest autofocus etc. I'm about to invest in an outfit and I'm trying to balance up all the various factors that I can juggle with a limited budget. Weather sealing is highly desirable to me, but will add 50% to the price of a new camera, or if buying used, will require compromises in other areas.

From *my* perspective of being someone who does photography for fun and a record, rather than it being my passion or profession, I'm OK with good enough. So if I miss an awesome shot, I'll wait until another comes along - not ideal, but acceptable. Now if I were a pro then it would be quite different, and compromise would not be acceptable in a variable I could predict.

:thumbs:
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For me, also as someone who is an amateur and doesn't make any money from my photography, I want to ensure that whatever money I put into this hobby is safeguarded; if my camera gets ruined then that's £££ down the drain so if I spend extra as insurance on my investment (of which I won't see a return) that's money worth spent.
 
To be fair, I shot several outdoor events with my old Canon kit (40D and Tamron 17-50), neither or which were fully weather-sealed and had no issues. One event I even had to leave a flashgun on the hotshoe due to the poor light and it held up ok.

I wouldn't go swimming with it but an average rainstorm shouldn't be a major issue for a mid-range setup unless you're leaving your kit sitting on the floor in the middle of the downpour without taking even basic steps to shield it a bit.

Steve
 
TBH it's not really something I've thought about when choosing bodies or lenses. I decide on what I want and if it's weather sealed (like my 5D3 and 70-200 f2.8L IS MkII for instance) it's a bonus. I absolutely hate getting raindrops on my bare arms, it makes me feel sick, so I'm the first person to dive in when it starts raining so my gear doesn't get wet, but that's the least of my thoughts.
 
danbroad said:
have always carried a transparent shower cap if caught out,
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....It keeps your head dry but what about the camera?









Sorry, I couldn't resist that one, Dan :D
 
This is a very interesting topic.

I am soon buying a Canon DSLR body and Canon L lens. As you know, Canon's L lenses are weather sealed. However, the body which suits my needs best is a crop-frame 70D which isn't to the same standard of weather sealing.

As nearly all my photography is outdoors in the countryside and I am mostly in England with its notorious weather, should I be concerned? I plan to buy a Lowepro bag but don't know how weatherproof they are. 'Water Resistant' labels don't impress me.
 
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It's an interesting question Robin.

Earlier this year we visited Victoria Falls, and were quite unprepared for the sheer amount of water falling from the sky as a result of windblown spray. My wife's camera actually stopped working for a while, although my (non-sealed) camera did not. The bag I took was also thoroughly saturated (as were we - it was like someone turned on a hose at one point). I'd say that if I expected to be taking photographs under very wet conditions then sealed camera and lenses would be essential.

Gramps - good link, even if it looks funny.
 
Well, i have some weather-sealed/proof bodies, but i always take precautions, i bought cheap rain covers and they and didn't test it, but they sounds very good to use from some reviews, so i can protect my camera body and even the lens with that cover to a percent, maybe %85-95, so i couldn't be happy.

If you want that cover product i will tell you, i bought it from USA online store and most here are using UK/Europe store, so not sure if you can get it anywhere there.
 
gramps said:
Always THIS option avaiable for emergencies.
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....Hmm, a nice plastic bag from someone on eBay - Apart from the fact that I wouldn't welcome the sweaty sticky feel inside one of those cock socks (Ooops! i mean rain sleeves), why don't I feel attracted?

I use an Aquapac on my compact - They make them for a variety of cameras and devices:

https://store.aquapac.net

Ariel_Aquapac_IXP8_zpsb4672080.jpg
 
I've always shot in torrential rains if needs be, none of my equipment is sealed, save for a Pentax LX but the lenses for which have no sealing at all. I don't worry most of the time, the only thing that bothers me is water getting into the film and making a mess of that, I have no worries about the cameras themselves at all.
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
I've always shot in torrential rains if needs be, none of my equipment is sealed, save for a Pentax LX but the lenses for which have no sealing at all. I don't worry most of the time, the only thing that bothers me is water getting into the film and making a mess of that, I have no worries about the cameras themselves at all.
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I understand that, and you people are living in that part of the world were rains are more expected a lot, here in my country is the opposite, dusty and sometimes that sand wind, so in all cases, any extreme weather we need to have that kind of protection regardless of our bodies is weather sealed or not.

I recommend you to buy a rain covers just in case, why not pay less for the cover to protect your expensive body and lenses?!!!
 
I have pro cameras.. canon 1dx and a canon mkIV .

The two cameras with a canon 70-200 mkII 2.8 and 400m 2.8 prime total cost to me around 15 thousand pounds (plus)

for my job I have to sit in pouring rain for 2 hrs at a time with both cameras and lens..or maybe just showers..


Guess what? ..thats +15k of equipment.. not only am I not going to rely on weather seal.. I am also not going to rely on a plastic bag either.. when it rains I put thinktank rain covers on.. I wear wet gear.. after 2 hrs of bad weather I go back to my car.. I am bone dry and so is my equipment..

Wether seal for me is backup....

Can anyone tell me one good reason why you wouldnt just use a rain cover when it rains?
 
I would like to know the extent camera's can go to and not just people's opinions or what they would or wouldn't do...why? So I know what my gear will be able to withstand.

I think I should rely on the sealing a bit more since I tend to put my camera away at the slightest amount of rain.
 
KIPAX said:
Guess what? ..thats +15k of equipment.. not only am I not going to rely on weather seal.. I am also not going to rely on a plastic bag either.. when it rains I put thinktank rain covers on..
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....You say "thinktank" - Is that a brand? If so, it would help us all if you posted either a link or clarified the word. Not everyone can be expected to know every product on the market.

Thanks :)
 
KIPAX said:
sense of humor alert ?
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It can be hard to tell sometimes. Possibly using a wink smilie instead of a grin or finishing off with "only teasing" might have helped.

That's the problem with writing stuff - no face or tone of voice to guide. :thumbs:
 
ancient_mariner said:
This seems to be one of the features that delineates a 'pro' camera from beginner (the line seems blurry for enthusiast) and sounds like a great idea.

But why bother? If you don't take your camera out in a rainstorm or through waterfalls is there an advantage in having weather sealing? Does it also keep dust off the sensor & mirror when the camera is in normal use *compared with an unsealed camera* or is there no difference in that respect?
Click to expand...

You are missing out on a lot of fun if you can't take it out during a thunderstorm, rain or shoot waterfalls and coastline. If you only shoot inside your house you will probably never need it.
 
KIPAX said:
sense of humor alert ?
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....Just a different sense of humour perhaps.

No harm or insult meant - I'm sure we all know how only written words on a forum can be easily misinterpreted. Smilies usually help but misinterpretations can still happen.

I looked at the thinkTANK web site and there are some useful products there - Thanks :thumbs:

I agree with your advice - Think of a camera's own weather sealing as a backup.
 
ancient_mariner said:
It can be hard to tell sometimes. Possibly using a wink smilie instead of a grin or finishing off with "only teasing" might have helped.
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You havent used one so I am guessing your serious? Sorry but thats way over the top.. if a grin doesnt show I am happy and smiling then I am afraid its a dead loss.. dont think I need extra icons and an explanation...
 
ancient_mariner said:
But why bother?...
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Angst! :D

I found, I love to shoot in the fog. And after the shock seing, how wet the little D70s became, I just had one more reason to look forward to the upgrade...

Now I don't mind being in either fog or rain. And in heavy rain, I give up far before the camera do!

So for me, weathersealing gives peace on mind...

danbroad said:
...Weather sealing is a nice-to-have, but for the great majority of us it's bragging rights rather than a genuine concern, IMO.
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That too, of course! :lol:

And don't forget the golden rings!!! :naughty:

ancient_mariner said:
Thanks guys. It *sounds* like there's no benefit for the careful user with a water resistant bag...
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It's a pain to operate camera with...

daugirdas said:
You are missing out on a lot of fun if you can't take it out during a thunderstorm, rain or shoot waterfalls and coastline...
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+1000! :thumbs:
 
Most people wear a waterproof watch, even if it's just splashproof. However, most people don't get their watch wet every single day. I don't see how anyone could actually complain about weather sealing like the OP is... I suppose he must drive a convertible with no roof at all too?

I would think weather sealing is a major benefit... especially if the weather is as it as whilst typing this!! :D
 
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