Posted by Wayne Simpson on February 21, 2009 at 7:12 PM
I'm on the fence about getting a 5d mark II but have heard a few comments on the web about cameras quitting due to moisture. I would like to know if anyone here has subjected their 5d mark II to any poor weather conditions and how the camera held up. My 5d Mark I cameras have seen light rain a few times and lots of snow without any problems, I'm wondering if the new 5d will be as forgiving. Thanks for any feedback you can send my way!
Wayne
Posted by John Mumaw on February 21, 2009 at 8:00 PM
Posted by Wayne Simpson on February 22, 2009 at 12:15 AM
John,
This was actually the article I already saw! I was hoping for a more intimate explanation from people on this forum who have had the 5d Mk II in crappy weather and if they had problems or not. The article is a little broad and does not explain individual experiences. Thanks for the link though!
The 5D Mk II is not sold as a weather sealed camera to my knowledge.
If I were going to Antarctica and knew that some of the access to whales and penguins would be via a motor driven raft then I would think twice about taking a good piece of equipment which would be subjected to the harshest environments possible and the possibility of being dropped in the water.
I salute those people who take their equipment onto rafts, canoes, and Kayaks. Not with my equipment.
Batteries are notorious for not functioning in cold weather.
It all depends on wether, or not, you want to take your chances.
Posted by Steve Sieren on February 22, 2009 at 12:18 PM
I've taken the old 5D to the limits twice and had it fixed for saltwater corosion so it's best no matter what to cover it clean it or do what you can.
Posted by Greg Barteluk on February 22, 2009 at 5:37 PM
I'm also undecided about the 5DII and was surprised by the high failure rate on that particular trip. Was it a blip or an example of a larger problem? It's possible that it was warm and damp inside the ship when people had lenses off, causing internal condensation problems when the camera bodies cooled outdoors.
Not the most thorough testing by any means so FWIW.
• Dropped mine in the snow from about 2’ up last week (5d mkii and 70-200 f/2.8). No problems. Wiped most of the snow off right away.
• Covered in light snow and then snow melting in snowstorm last month. Most everything on the camera got wet – even the back buttons. No problems.
• Snow again this week, water in button indents on back of camera and across top panel. No problems.
• Various splashes of rain, etc. No problems.
Yeah, the failures on the Antarctica trip worry me a little bit; but not too much. You take your chances in some environments and, as Joseph states, it isn’t sold as a sealed camera. What worries me the most is that cameras were failing in protective covers - that just sounds odd.
To add after reading Greg's post - I've gone from cold and wet to hot and humid without problem; but I've never changed the lens before the temperatures equalized. I changed them while the camera and lens were damp (not dripping mind you and I was careful).
Short of dunking it in the ocean aren't most of these failures covered by your warrenty?
Posted by Brad Kargus on February 22, 2009 at 11:02 PM
I don't think there is enough information given about the 5D2 failures to draw firm conclusions. How were the cameras cared for by the individual users? Did certain users make a number of lens changes in less than ideal conditions? Were the usual precautions taken after a day of shooting to avoid condensation in a warmer environment? What number of non-failing cameras had rain covers?
I recognize that a detailed look at this would have been beyond the scope of MR's Antarctica recap, however, I'm not a fan of a partial presentation of statistics. It leads people to draw any number of varying conclusions based on incomplete information.
Canon DSLR users don't seem to have the best luck on MR's Antarctica trips. The failure rate of 1DSIII's from a previous trip was also rather bizarre.
Wayne, I wouldn't weigh that article too heavily in your decision. My gut feeling is that overall, the 5D2 will perform about the same as the 5D in the outdoors when all is said and done. As for myself, I would be looking to pick one up, but a camera body upgrade is further down the list of priorities, atm. Good luck with your decision!
The figures in that report are wrong also, do the math 20% not 25% as stated, also half of them recovered when dried out so a 10% falure overall, 3 out of 26 and one of those was a demo model.
From most repoorts it was water getting betwen the battery grip and body that caused the failures, something to check there I think.
Discussion
8 repliesWayne
Scroll down to 'Failures'.
This was actually the article I already saw! I was hoping for a more intimate explanation from people on this forum who have had the 5d Mk II in crappy weather and if they had problems or not. The article is a little broad and does not explain individual experiences. Thanks for the link though!
Wayne
The 5D Mk II is not sold as a weather sealed camera to my knowledge.
If I were going to Antarctica and knew that some of the access to whales and penguins would be via a motor driven raft then I would think twice about taking a good piece of equipment which would be subjected to the harshest environments possible and the possibility of being dropped in the water.
I salute those people who take their equipment onto rafts, canoes, and Kayaks. Not with my equipment.
Batteries are notorious for not functioning in cold weather.
It all depends on wether, or not, you want to take your chances.
Not the most thorough testing by any means so FWIW.
• Dropped mine in the snow from about 2’ up last week (5d mkii and 70-200 f/2.8). No problems. Wiped most of the snow off right away.
• Covered in light snow and then snow melting in snowstorm last month. Most everything on the camera got wet – even the back buttons. No problems.
• Snow again this week, water in button indents on back of camera and across top panel. No problems.
• Various splashes of rain, etc. No problems.
Yeah, the failures on the Antarctica trip worry me a little bit; but not too much. You take your chances in some environments and, as Joseph states, it isn’t sold as a sealed camera. What worries me the most is that cameras were failing in protective covers - that just sounds odd.
To add after reading Greg's post - I've gone from cold and wet to hot and humid without problem; but I've never changed the lens before the temperatures equalized. I changed them while the camera and lens were damp (not dripping mind you and I was careful).
Short of dunking it in the ocean aren't most of these failures covered by your warrenty?
I recognize that a detailed look at this would have been beyond the scope of MR's Antarctica recap, however, I'm not a fan of a partial presentation of statistics. It leads people to draw any number of varying conclusions based on incomplete information.
Canon DSLR users don't seem to have the best luck on MR's Antarctica trips. The failure rate of 1DSIII's from a previous trip was also rather bizarre.
Wayne, I wouldn't weigh that article too heavily in your decision. My gut feeling is that overall, the 5D2 will perform about the same as the 5D in the outdoors when all is said and done. As for myself, I would be looking to pick one up, but a camera body upgrade is further down the list of priorities, atm. Good luck with your decision!
From most repoorts it was water getting betwen the battery grip and body that caused the failures, something to check there I think.