I have a D7000 and the Nikkor 18-200 at the moment. I know that the D7000 has weather seals but I'm not sure about the lens. So what really does "weather" refer to here?
I had a watch once that was water resistant and I managed to water ski with it many times and never had a problem. Another watch that I had died after washing my hands that was also water resistant.
I was out shooting in light rain on the weekend and light, but wet snow today. I did my best to limit the exposure of the camera to the elements and kept it in my jacket when walking. But it did get wet on both outings.
the obvious answer is don't get it wet at all and you will be fine but that just isn't practical if you want shots in anything but perfect conditions. So just how much is too much? Consider that I'm not a pro, obviously, and I really can't for that reason risk the system for a shot as it will not pay for the loss.
One thing to consider is that most lenses aren't weather-resistant; I'm pretty sure the 18-200 isn't.
Treat weather resistance as a way to get in an urgent shot when it is raining before you can get a plastic bag over the camera. You shouldn't expect it to protect the camera from hours of rain. If you want a weatherproof camera, go for a Nikonos or a water-tight case.
Dropped a huge glass (large Tervis Tumbler) of milk right onto the top and front my D7000 with a 35mm 1.8 AF-S mounted. Poured all over the back too, but the front got the most. Got sticky, but Windex fixed everything. No internal damage. Didn't get through any of the body seals, even after sitting in milk for like 3 seconds. Didn't even mess up the lens. The worst thing that happened was the aperture slider for older lenses needed a bit more cleaning than the rest of the camera (stuck in position every now and then). My cable modem wasn't so lucky...
I guess I can count myself lucky. This past September I shot an Equestrian jumping show with my Nikon D300 and Nikon 80-400 for about 7 hours of steady hard rain and didn't have any problems with water getting into the camera or lens. I did try to put the camera and lens in my jacket when not shooting and was constantly wiping it dry with paper towels but both did get wet to a great amount. Both camera and lens managed to survive the day without any problems.
The definitions are deliberately vague. It is a CYA move on their part to avoid fixing things free.
My watch is water resistant and has been in both oceans and lakes. It's been in the shower just as much as I have. It cost about 10 bucks. Would I take a $2,000 camera in the ocean or shower with me? If you pay me $20,000 I will!
I ordered Rainsleeves from B&H to cover my camera when it is wet outside. They are $ 7 for a pack of two. I believe they will cover up to a 200mm lens at least. They also have ones that will work with the flash up, probably a little more.
I've used my D7000 in moderate rain with no issues what so ever. I did make sure I was in it as little as possible though. Here's an example shot of the amount of rain I was in.
They are weather proof until they malfunction. Make sure to dry out tghe lenses especially after use. The older ones without the rubber gasket can fail later on. Been there done that.
runamuck wrote:
My watch is water resistant and has been in both oceans and lakes. It's been in the shower just as much as I have.
My wife forgot to take off her Citizen Evo Drive watch when we went scuba diving. Took it down to 50' depth and she looked at her watch and realized it was still ticking away. Funny part is that was our second dive of the day. So it actually went scuba diving for a total of about 90 minutes that day and is still working just fine...and it's "water resistant"
As for camera gear, I've been out in pouring rain with the D3s and my 300mm 2.8 and never had any troubles. I just love the reflections:
Be careful with the D700 and a battery grip. The seal between them isn't watertight, especially with the off brand grips, and there are many electrical contacts down there. If water crosses the contacts, could be trouble.
EB-1 wrote:
They are weather proof until they malfunction. Make sure to dry out tghe lenses especially after use. The older ones without the rubber gasket can fail later on. Been there done that.
EBH
Thinking back, I believe that's what happened to my D700 LCD that just went to El Segundo for replacement.
Make sure to dry out tghe lenses especially after use. The older ones without the rubber gasket can fail later on. Been there done that.