are you afraid of your m9/m9-p getting wet? dont be!

[dasjak]

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hello everyone!

 

i read a lot about leica users being worried about their cameras getting wet and stuff...so here is a little field report:

i am now back from a 3 day assignment covering a traditional mountain crossing in austria...first day was perfect weather so no problems...2nd day was not quite as good...it poured down the whole day...and we had to walk down from 2200m to 600m above sea level for about 7 hours...to make it short: everything was completely soaked...i for myself, my backpack and my lowe carrying case (which is of very good quality, but you guys know that...they arent the sexiest bags out there but worth the money)...since i was on an assignment i had to take photos...and my m9-p got really really wet...and not just that...since it was so cold and humid outside, once we entered huts on the way the camera steamed up real bad...it looked like there were 2mm of water around the camera...that left me a bit worried so i wiped it as good as i could until it got warm enough...then out again, then in again and so on...that whole story went on for 7 hours and i tell you again, everything was soaked and i was worried as hell

 

so the good news: the camera was and still works perfect! no worries at all...crystal clear and sharp images!

 

so to make it short for real this time: it might not be weather sealed, but it can take a lot, that little m9-p fella

 

i love this little thing!

Edited August 28, 2011 by dasjak
update

[rscheffler]

Maybe you can report back every three months or so to let us know the camera still works (or doesn't).

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[jaapv]

You are not the only one. Digital ms get soaked, dunked in rivers and everything else. They just soldier on. This whole wethersealing debate is a bit outside reality

[Ronan]

Maybe you can report back every three months or so to let us know the camera still works (or doesn't).

 

Yupp

[dasjak]

i keep you guys updated

[eudemian]

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade but my M8 was sent back to Leica after I was caught out in a sudden shower. It shut down and was categorised as water damaged. I think the M9 is little different in design to the M8 as regards water ingress so your enthusiam may be a little premature, or at the very least blessed with fortunate circumstance.

[kaiwing]

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Really glad to know this.

I tried to take photos in the light rain carefully. Now I am more confident to do more adventures.

Many thanks.

[dasjak]

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade but my M8 was sent back to Leica after I was caught out in a sudden shower. It shut down and was categorised as water damaged. I think the M9 is little different in design to the M8 as regards water ingress so your enthusiam may be a little premature, or at the very least blessed with fortunate circumstance.

 

 

hmmm...thats really bad for you! maybe i was lucky...but i also shot a lot with my old 5D during rain (not heavy showers, but it was raining) and never had problems...maybe i was lucky or you ran out of luck for that matter...anyways, of course i´d try to avoid getting my gear wet but here i had no choice...and i was more afraid that the condensation in the huts would damage my camera than i was afraid of it getting wet in the rain...

 

all i wanna say is that people dont have to be uber-careful with their leicas...

[ho_co]

Tom, I'm sorry for the problem. I think that's only the second camera I've seen reported here with water damage, but I know that doesn't make you feel better.

 

My M8 was in a day-long rain bad enough to make the universal finder unusable (froze up both top knobs), but the camera worked through it all.

Edited August 29, 2011 by ho_co

[jaapv]

Second water damaged, but first rain damaged iirc . The other one was condensation.

[Archiver]

I have heard so many conflicting reports about this. Some say exactly what the OP says, others say that their M9 seized up the minute a drop of water touched it. When I was in Japan last year I was so paranoid about this that it went back in the bag the minute it started to rain. When I got back I read about someone who was using his M9 and Nocti while standing in the pool and taking photos of his kids playing!

[jaapv]

I have heard so many conflicting reports about this. Some say exactly what the OP says, others say that their M9 seized up the minute a drop of water touched it. When I was in Japan last year I was so paranoid about this that it went back in the bag the minute it started to rain. When I got back I read about someone who was using his M9 and Nocti while standing in the pool and taking photos of his kids playing!

That was not on this forum, nor any other I read. Mine sat happily in its own little puddle of water when a boating trip turned rough. Fogged up the viewfinder but it recovered within an hour. The camera still works without a hitch three years later.

[dwbell]

What's the situation with regards repair and warranty?

 

The reason I have more than a little reluctance in really wet conditions is simply that presumable you're not at all covered if the camera does get damaged through water contact. With my 5DII and L lenses I'm very comfortable in monsoon rains mainly because if it breaks (and is in warranty) I can get it fixed as it is supposed to function in those conditions due to the sealing. With the M9 the same return would obviously cost me money as it's not "supposed" to function in those conditions. Worst case up to and including the price of a new camera I fear?

 

So it's not "can it handle it" it's "how freaking expensive will it be IF it can't" that puts me off.

[jaapv]

Water damage is covered by insurance, not guaranty.

Normally the camera will be a total loss.

Edited August 29, 2011 by jaapv

[IkarusJohn]

A very wise fellow told me once, the worst thing you can do if you drop you camera in sea water, is to bend down and pick it up.

 

Granted, that was almost 40 years ago, and I don't apply the same consideration to a bit of rain water, spray or condensation.

 

Cheers

John

[jaapv]

You should pick it up - and then throw it out into the sea as far as you can.

[erl]

If you drop it in sea water, fill a bag with the water and then immerse the camera in it. Then, get it to a mechanic pronto. It's the subsequent exposure to air that accelerates the damage. I saved a Nikon that way. Not sure it was worth it though.

 

Re the condensation thing moving in and out of huts and the exterior envivonment. Leave the camera gear outside (in the bag). That avoids the acclimatisation thing. Condensation will occur inside the camera and potentially cause rust over time that you will never see. Weather sealing is no protection against that eventuallity.

[jsrockit]

I know a woman who dropped her M8 into the water. She fished it out, let it dry, and it still works years later.

[dwbell]

Water damage is covered by insurance, not guaranty.

Normally the camera will be a total loss.

 

Yep. And your insurance premiums do what once you've claimed an M9 back on them a few times? It still costs me. The 5D under warranty doesn't.

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Hallo,

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[jaapv]

They do nothing. That is only with car insurance, where one may lose one's discount. Insurance of goods like these has no discount that can be lost.

Although when one has to claim a camera back several times the words proper care spring to mind.