'Rain Coat' for wet weather

[Steve Ricoh]

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Much has been said and written about the M240 (and its derivatives) and the M lenses in the wet. Read as much as there is, there's no definitive answer to the wet weather capability of the M; after all it's a computer-camera and electronics can and do malfunction if wet.

 

I've been looking on line for a suitable plastic bag, one made for a camera rather than a food bag, but many are way to big for the M and look more suited to a big beast of a camera, like the canikons with the bazooka type lenses.

 

If anyone has found one suitable for the diminutive M, please let me know.

[edwardkaraa]

I looked very hard for something similar to shoot the water festival in Thailand with my M. The closest I could find was a kind of regular plastic bag open from below with a clear filter that fits to the lens. Finally opted not to do it, not in fear for the camera but because of my limited patience for completely wasted crowds

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[jaapv]

Much has been said and written about the M240 (and its derivatives) and the M lenses in the wet. Read as much as there is, there's no definitive answer to the wet weather capability of the M; after all it's a computer-camera and electronics can and do malfunction if wet.

 

I've been looking on line for a suitable plastic bag, one made for a camera rather than a food bag, but many are way to big for the M and look more suited to a big beast of a camera, like the canikons with the bazooka type lenses.

 

If anyone has found one suitable for the diminutive M, please let me know.

There is a definitive answer by Leica - the M is sold as weather- and splashproof.

Even before the M240 the digital Ms, although formally not weather-sealed, performed quite well in adverse circumstances.

The only cases of water damage I recall over the years on this forum were one or two cases of extreme condensation, and a salt-water dunking.  A small number got totally submerged (amongst them Tina Manley's M8) and survived.

[Steve Ricoh]

Thanks Jaap - where about is the definitive answer provided by Leica?

 

I remember another thread where I questioned this, the answer provided was rather anechdotal than definitive. I also queried the M lens with the response being the lens is loaded with grease and is designed and manufactured to close tolerance. Al true I'm sure, but it doesn't state on the lens data sheet that the lens is weather proof.

 

Of course, weather and splash proof aren't scientific statement, to be so it has to be quantified, eg mm/s blown with X m/s. However I don't expect such a quantified description for a consumer product, so anecdotal evidence is probably as good as it gets. However I remember reading here, someone returning their camera due to weather damage, hence my question relating to rain wear for the camera.

[LocalHero1953]

There is a definitive answer by Leica - the M is sold as weather- and splashproof.

Even before the M240 the digital Ms, although formally not weather-sealed, performed quite well in adverse circumstances.

The only cases of water damage I recall over the years on this forum were one or two cases of extreme condensation, and a salt-water dunking.  A small number got totally submerged (amongst them Tina Manley's M8) and survived.

Maybe yes, maybe no.

I have seen it written by Leica that the M body is weather and splash proof - but not to a defined technical standard.

I have heard of a comment by someone at Leica that "the lenses" (what, all of them?) will come to no harm in wet conditions - which is a long way from adherence to a technical standard.

And I have also read the thread about light leak around the M mount during long exposures, to be cured by wrapping a piece of soft material (my daughter's scrunchy) around the mount. If light can get in, then I'd expect water to get in under the wrong conditions. - remembering that the mount was designed 60+ years ago.

I take much more care of my M and lenses in the rain than I do my SL: I'd be happy to rinse off the SL after salt spray, but not the M.

 

All that said, I would expect Leica to stand by anyone whose M was damaged by water ingress during bad weather.

[jaapv]

Thanks Jaap - where about is the definitive answer provided by Leica?

 

 

 

 

 

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[pico]

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So, Steve Ricoh take the Leica into the weather. Tell us how it works out.

 

A shower cap solution here.

 

[bocaburger]

Raincoats are more problematic with the Leica because not only must the lens be covered with something optical neutral, so also must the viewfinder and rangefinder windows or else focusing would be difficult.  Unless you restricted to using the EVF of course.  With an AF SLR as long as the lens has a good filter on it, the rest of the camera can be covered with a clear plastic bag and still get sharp shots. 

 

What I have always carried and used with my Leicas is a shower cap of the type often found in a little cardboard package in hotel bathrooms. I keep one in each of my (many) bags.  It slips over the entire camera, and pulls off easily for quick shooting, then cover up again.  (Credit for this tip goes to John Shaw the nature photographer and author.) 

[edwardkaraa]

I have shot with various Ms under the rain many times without problems. I keep the camera under my arm until I'm ready to shoot. However I don't go out walking around under a downpour, so if it's good enough for me it's good enough for my camera .

[250swb]

The only problem you are going to have with an M240 in the rain is if you put it under a coat or seal it in a bag because then it will fog up inside and you'll have to wait many hours for it to clear. Have an absorbent cloth in your bag to wipe the viewfinder windows dry every now and again and it will be fine. I suspect however the OP wants some sort of iron clad guarantee that neither Leica or anybody here can give regarding the weather and common sense, so another case of 'bought wrong camera'. Perhaps the answer is to assess how comfortable you are while getting wet, and take that as an indication of how comfortable your camera is? But taking a camera into many situations and most people know where the switch is in their head that operates the 'this is ridiculous' lightbulb.

 

 

Steve

[LocalHero1953]

It's not just rain and whether you'd go out in it - the water can be part of the shot you want.

The scenario that made me think twice was getting a shot of the Dettifoss waterfall in Iceland. There was no way one could approach it without getting soaked by the fine penetrating spray it gave off, yet this is one of the most spectacular sites in the country. In the end, with my M (and a modern lens - offhand I can't remember which) I did it anyway, and wiped it all dry after I'd retreated a few hundred metres.

One of those tourist boats that approach the Niagara Falls would experience something similar.

Edited July 29, 2016 by LocalHero1953

[jaapv]

Eh  - If Leica says it can be used in all weather and can take anything thrown at it, I will take it anywhere. Mine has been soaked by rain, taken onto the beach in a force 11 storm with sand and salt flying everywhere. Even my non-sealed M9 has been through the rainforest in Congo - yes, the viewfinder does fog up but the M240 should be more resistant- and my M8 has sat in a puddle of water in a sudden storm on Lake Nyassa with waves breaking over a small open boat. Don't treat them like they were made out of sugar - they are not.

[honcho]

Leica M lenses do not have a seal between the mount flange and the camera.  Unless you're happy to  believe every word of Leica's marketing bumph, I'd take any claim by Leica that M cameras (and lenses) are genuinely weatherproof with a pinch of salt.

 

By comparison Fuji make no such claim about the X100T, yet I have used it in the teeth of Storm Abigail in the Outer Hebrides and Storm Frank on the Cornish Coast where it was exposed to considerable rain and salt spray with no apparent ill-effects.  You take the risk that with care you might get away with it in the knowledge there may also be a price to pay. 

 

I doubt a Leica M is appreciably more weatherproof than the Fuji X100T.

[jaapv]

If they make the claim they are bound by it. And I have never seen a complaint about water ingress on an M 240. I think that a German company would be very wary of making such claims if they were not pretty sure. I have no interest in second-guessing Leica and should it come to pass that despite their written specification the camera would be water damaged I would expect full recompensation. Under German law I would get it too.

[honcho]

If they make the claim they are bound by it.

 

Put that one to VW.

 

Using any camera that isn't genuinely weather sealed is an assumed risk.  As has already been pointed out, common sense is an obvious asset.

[jaapv]

No risk with this text for a company in Germany. The customer has the right to expect the camera to function as advertised, for far longer than  the guaranty.

[pgk]

Of course, weather and splash proof aren't scientific statement, to be so it has to be quantified, eg mm/s blown with X m/s. However I don't expect such a quantified description for a consumer product, so anecdotal evidence is probably as good as it gets. However I remember reading here, someone returning their camera due to weather damage, hence my question relating to rain wear for the camera.

 

Actually there are quantified descriptors for water resistance and waterproofness for consumer product - they have IP ratings and a common one is IP65 (look it up).

 

The problem with all these is that real world conditions are not so easy to measure so even an IP rating has to be taken for what it is - a prescribed test under specific conditions. And proving that water ingressed in 'lower' damp conditions than a prescribed test would suggest is not an easy thing to do.

 

Bottom line is that water and electronics don't mix well - so use common sense. That said I have seen a Canon EOS1D camera stop working due to rain (it literally misted up inside the screen and stopped functioning) but revive after being left on a radiator overnight. I use my M9s in damp/wet conditions but keep them as dry as I can (under a raincoat or in a dry bag) and dry them thoroughly when I get home (I sit them next to a dehumidifier - a useful bit of kit where I live). Bottom line for me is that they must be usable and used when I want to use them - including in the wet - and they get used accordingly.

Edited July 29, 2016 by pgk

[jaapv]

Put that one to VW.

 

Using any camera that isn't genuinely weather sealed is an assumed risk.  As has already been pointed out, common sense is an obvious asset.

Well, they are, to the tune of 15 Billion and counting...

[LocalHero1953]

If they make the claim they are bound by it. And I have never seen a complaint about water ingress on an M 240. I think that a German company would be very wary of making such claims if they were not pretty sure. I have no interest in second-guessing Leica and should it come to pass that despite their written specification the camera would be water damaged I would expect full recompensation. Under German law I would get it too.

If you have quick and easy access to Germany and Leica's HQ you may have confidence that German standards of customer care and consumer obligations will always apply. 

Those who do not (e.g. the UK in 2 years time ) might prefer something more enforceable under local/national legislation.

Even if you are correct, Jaap, it would be in Leica's marketing interest to relate their statement about weather proofing to a recognised international standard. 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[jaapv]

Well, there was a interview with Mr Daniel when the 240 was introduced, reinforcing the claim and confirming that Leica did test the camera including  lenses.