Making use of a Weather Resistant DSLR

[SoreFeet]

For those with Weather Resistant (WR) DSLR gear, how far do you go in exposing it to the elements, whether at Disney or elsewhere? Do you shoot in the rain? Take it on wet rides?

I'll be taking a Fuji X-T2 on my next trip, and also recently picked up the Fujinon 35mm f/2, giving me a weather resistant lens/body combo. I'm just not sure how much water exposure to risk. I don't think I'd do Kali River Rapids...but maybe Splash Mountain? <shrug>. I'd love to hear from DSLR owners who have flirted with the edge on this, and how well your gear survived.

And of course, this being the Photography board, I'd love to see your pictures that were made possible by weather resistance -- or made in spite of not having it.

For the shot below, I didn't have WR gear, but there was just a light mist coming down; I was comfortable keeping a bag over my camera as I walked around with a tripod, and just pulling it off when I was ready to take a shot.

20170712-185810-DisneyMK.jpg by Jamie, on Flickr

 

[bob100]

For those with Weather Resistant (WR) DSLR gear, how far do you go in exposing it to the elements, whether at Disney or elsewhere? Do you shoot in the rain? Take it on wet rides?

I'll be taking a Fuji X-T2 on my next trip, and also recently picked up the Fujinon 35mm f/2, giving me a weather resistant lens/body combo. I'm just not sure how much water exposure to risk. I don't think I'd do Kali River Rapids...but maybe Splash Mountain? <shrug>. I'd love to hear from DSLR owners who have flirted with the edge on this, and how well your gear survived.

And of course, this being the Photography board, I'd love to see your pictures that were made possible by weather resistance -- or made in spite of not having it.
For the shot below, I didn't have WR gear, but there was just a light mist coming down; I was comfortable keeping a bag over my camera as I walked around with a tripod, and just pulling it off when I was ready to take a shot.

I wouldn't worry about it. "weather sealed", weather resistant, weather proof, etc are marketing terms not well defined. I've use Canon DSLR's and Canon mirrorless cameras in Alaska and Florida and places in-between without worrying about rain or temps. But dropping a camera in the ocean .- then you should hope it has the best weather proofing!

www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless


Untitled by c w, on Flickr

 

[mom2rtk]

I love on ride photography. The only rides where I put it away are RnR, Kali and Grizzly River Run. Splash is my favorite and I have taken some fun shots like these:

Crazy Hair Day at Splash Mountain by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Drop Time! by mom2rtk, on Flickr

I typically use one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/OP-TECH-USA-...d=1529843599&sr=8-5&keywords=rain+sleeve+dslr

We just got back from a trip to FL which included a stop in the MK. It almost cost me my Canon 6D. After many years of shooting Splash, I got sloppy and had the back of the camera completely exposed as we waited in a logjam near the bottom of the drop. It was right after this shot after we turned the corner:

Splash Drop by mom2rtk, on Flickr


A wave came up over the side of the boat and got the back of the camera. Reflexively, I wiped the back with my shirt and hit the "review" button to see what it would do. And that button would only engage live view. I hit the quick screen button and it brought up the menu. It was all messed up. For the next few hours, I thought it was toast. It would shoot, but I could only adjust things that didn't require accessing the quick screen. I thought my risk taking had finally caught up with me. But a few hours later, I guess it dried out, because all of a sudden it started working fine again.

Would I take it on Splash again? Yeah, I would. But I'd be more careful to keep it fully covered. And I'd sit on the other side of the log. Of course that might be tempered by the fact that it's 4 years old now, and an upgrade wouldn't be the end of the world.

 

[SoreFeet]

Thanks, bob100 and mom2rtk! mom2rtk, I love the combo of an ultrawide lens and slow shutter speed on a ride, and that you did it on both the west coast and east coast versions of Splash Mountain. - I will definitely try that out on my next trip!

 

[zackiedawg]

As with others, I don't really think too deeply on protecting my camera from light water/rain - it's lightly weather sealed, but not all the lenses I use with it are weather sealed too - but very small amounts of water usually won't harm, and quickly blotted off will usually avoid issues - of course, with very bad luck, one droplet of water placed just right can get through a crack or button or seal and crash a camera - there's no guarantees! Which is why I generally just carry a rain sleeve or Ziploc freezer bag in a back pocket for those occasions when there will definitely be large amounts of water encountered...a big summer Florida downpour, or riding a water ride down a big drop. Even with weather sealed cameras and lenses, I still find it to be simple to just use the rain sleeve as a 'just in case' method. I do a lot of bird and wildlife photography here in Florida, and many times I'm a few miles from a car or shelter when I get caught in a rainshower - the rain sleeve pops on over my camera & lens in about 15 seconds, and I can continue walking or even shooting in the rain.

But sometimes you're not prepared and some water can get you and your camera - with even moderate weather sealing and some careful blotting away of the water before it has a chance to settle deep into the seals, you should be OK. Last month, I got caught on POTC - I've taken the shot a thousand times and never had one of those cannon blasts get me - but this time I was just lucky (unlucky) enough to have one go off right next to the boat just as I was photographing the pirate ship to catch the cannon blast light going off:

See all that water in the left side of the frame? Yep - coming my way! And yes, I and the camera got soaked. My camera has some basic weather sealing, but the lens I was using doesn't. Still, I just quickly used a dry part of my shirt to blot (not WIPE!) the water off the camera and lens, and kept shooting. No damage done to either.

A cheap rain sleeve can provide all the protection you really need, even in heavy downpours and even with a non-weather sealed camera. So I'd advise using one even WITH a weather sealed camera and lens, because a little extra protection can't hurt. I was soaking wet after getting caught in this huge downpour, far from any possible shelter - I slipped the rain sleeve over my 100-400mm lens when the rain first started, and then just walked back towards my car in the rain - I decided to take a shot of this osprey sitting on a tree limb looking about as soaked and miserable as me:

 

[kcp1377]

I have an X-t2 that I have been using with the 35 2 and 23 2. My 2 year old daughter turned the hose on me while I was shooting her and soaked both me and the camera. It was fine (as it should be). I've watched numerous videos of people putting them under running water with no issues. I wouldn't hesitate to take it on even Kali - just bring a microfiber towel to wipe it down after. With my Canon or Nikon dslr gear I am very cautious and don't take it on any water rides at all. They either stay with my husband (we take turns since we still have littles who can't ride all of the rides) or they stay in my water resistant (billingham) bag. I'm thrilled to have a camera I don't have to baby that much. Our next Disney trip can't come fast enough!