bwcolor wrote:
My M11M goes in the bag, but my other cameras must stay under the umbrella and go in the bag when the rain goes horizontal. What water sealed small camera has a flexible range of water sealed lenses and produce great files?
Only two cameras come to mind - The Nikonos camera or the Leica underwater camera-don't remember the name..
If I was prepping now for a deluge I would probably put my camera in an Outex soft waterproof kit.
I use an Aquatech Edge Pro housing (surf housing) in the water (but my personal rule is to not put a camera/lens setup over $2500 in it in the water). It would be good in a deluge, flood, rainstorm etc.
Leica and OM are the benchmark. I have literally hosed off my SL cameras more than once. Remembering most lenses need a front filter to achieve their rating.
Generally though I expect my gear to work in any conditions I do, with some care. If I’m expecting particularly brutal conditions like Holi in India or working in salt water I’ll add some protection to the system. Otherwise I use common sense and keep my camera under a jacket when not actually shooting but I just expect it to work as advertised in drizzle or a short downpour.
The only issues I’ve had have been with some of the older A7 Sony’s where the EVF fogged up and the camera stopped working for a bit. But I haven’t had a problem in years with any camera. I’m not particularly precious with my gear so even M cameras will get a run in lousy weather if required.
Quick Tip. Next time you’re in a hotel steal the shower caps and drop them into your camera bag. They make an excellent emergency rain cover for most cameras.
I use the NIKONOS-V for film. The 35 and 80 lenses are unreasonably good.
For digital, I've always just used whatever my current Nikon body is with a pro lens like a 24-70. Right now, that's a Z8 and a 24-70 f/4S. I choose to believe Nikon's little plastic-mounted 40 f/2 is also weather resistant to some degree as they claim, and I use it freely in lighter rain. But if I look outside and the word "deluge" comes to mind, I probably would just bring the NIKONOS.
flash wrote:
Otherwise I use common sense and keep my camera under a jacket when not actually shooting but I just expect it to work as advertised in drizzle or a short downpour.
Camera under a jacket in rain can be an issue with condensation buildup especially if you're also active and sweating a lot. While it might not really affect a sealed camera/lens combo, the condensation on the viewfinder and/or front lens element can be annoying to deal with when everything else is already wet.
Apparently with the M series, Leica improved weather sealing with the M240, which I have used a fair amount in poor conditions. IIRC, the M9 was not intentionally sealed and apparently the cable release socket on the shutter release was an open, upwards facing port that would allow water directly into the camera... so a soft shutter release would definitely be a good accessory with that camera. With the M240, I'd typically cover it with a plush microfibre cloth between shots, swap and wring them out as they became saturated. My theory being the water would primarily be absorbed in to the cloth rather than seeping into the camera/lens seams. Weakest point on the M240, and perhaps also later, is the EVF port.
Back at Photokina 2012 one of the Leica product managers stated that M lenses are considered well sealed due to the tight assembly tolerances and internal lubrication. Being purely mechanical they can probably endure more abuse with fewer consequences.
As well sealed as many cameras and lenses are, if you're particularly using a zoom, the air displacement by the zoom, whether fully internal or an extending design, will pull humid air into the lens. If the lens is stored cold, say overnight, and used again the next day in warm conditions, it can fog up internally until the humid air is displaced and the lens warms somewhat. The first time this happened to me with a Canon EF 70-200/2.8, an internal zoom design, it was a hot sunny day and I was baffled until I remembered I'd been out for hours the previous cold, damp, rainy day.
Related to this, an important consideration is thoroughly drying gear when it's possible to do so. Numerous times after photographing very wet sporting events, the drive back would have the gear in the front passenger footwell with the heat cranked to maximum and/or leaving the gear beside a forced air furnace register overnight (during colder seasons). Through experience I learned it's not a good idea to pack a wet super-tele lens back in its airtight travel case, forget about it and just let it sit in a cool, damp basement. Unless you're looking to start a fungus colony.
I wish more cameras used IP ratings like Leica. Nikons are notoriously built tough. This video from Nigel with his Z8 kit literally partially frozen and still shooting is great. I haven't seen Sony's beaten like this, but I have used mine in light rain. You have to imagine they're capable of surviving that stuff as photographers and videographers use them in the arctic for all kinds of stuff.
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Halftime, Snow Bowl, Dec 2017, Colts vs. Bills. IDXII & 200-400:
IMO snow and ice is not nearly as bad as rain. If the equipment is cold enough for snow to gather on it, it's staying on the outside and not seeping inside. It looks bad, but it's just looks. What's probably worse is the hit on battery performance.
I also have a photo of my M240 covered in snow buildup, but don't have it conveniently online to share.
Lastly, one of the best 'innovations' in recent lens features has been fluorine lens coatings on front and/or rear elements. The above 200-400 has it and simply never had issues with water collecting on the front element in driving rain conditions. It was always a problem with lenses prior to this feature.
Yes, Roger from Lens Rentals has a love/hate relationship with the relative fragility of the fluorine coatings...
Action cams are really the ideal solution to shooting in a total deluge. The next step up would be the OM "Tough" series. OM MFT is the least weather vulnerable interchangeable lens system. But a ziploc bag or proper storm cover can protect any camera if you're careful.
Yeah Nikonos is a good answer for film, but also there are some good waterproof point-and-shoot film cameras like the Fuji Work Record.
I've used the Fuji in sideways rain and blizzards, no problem; the user manual says to just run it under the faucet if it gets dirty. The image quality from its Fujinon 28/3.5 lens is outstanding; I've shot it side by side with my Leica M2-R using the same film stocks and a Voigtlander 28/1.5 Nokton on the Leica and often preferred the photos from the Fuji. Huss (aka Desmolicious) used it as the B camera for one of his art photography projects; his A camera was a Hasselblad.
It's my travel camera of choice as I don't have to worry about it, it can handle any weather (but will break if you drop it). It has little bumpers to protect the lens as well as a glass plate over the lens. The shutter button feels a little mushy due to the waterproofing and it's not the most attractive camera in the world but I don't care about style, I care about good pictures and this camera delivers.
