albertwang Posted August 23, 2006 Share #1 Posted August 23, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) I noted that Cannon, Nikon, Olympus, and many other companies advertise their cameras as being weatherproof. What is Leica's claim on this issue? How weatherproof is the gear in practical use? e.g. Would a Summicron outlast a 5 hour downpour? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 23, 2006 Posted August 23, 2006 Hi albertwang, Take a look here How weatherproof are Leica lenses/bodies?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Guest guy_mancuso Posted August 23, 2006 Share #2 Posted August 23, 2006 Albert the question is can you. LOL Seriously either could a canon or nikon with weatherproofing . Eventually water will get in. I think if you want to relate it to something think more like a watch that says water proofed compared to a dive watch that says 600 ft depth. a water proof watch may handle a 3 second dip in a pool but after that it maybe toast or should I say, it drowned. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat_mcdermott Posted August 23, 2006 Share #3 Posted August 23, 2006 I have used my M6 in temperatures in the -14°F range (camera stuck briefly to my nose...) as well as above 100°F. I have gotten it pretty well soaked by both rain and snow, gotten it pretty well coated with dust--all were fine. It's certainly not a scientific study of weatherproofness but I never worry about my Leica's ability to withstand any weather condition. That said, I once flooded at Canon SLR body to the point that when you looked through the viewfinder all you saw was water. I thought it was done for, but once it dried out it worked perfectly. I have had a Canon autofocus lens ruined by the dust while shooting in a rodeo ring though, all the dials gritty and more or less non-responsive. I have more faith in the manual focus Leica lenses in this regard. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted August 23, 2006 Share #4 Posted August 23, 2006 Albert - Sometimes you can get lucky with fresh water as Matthew describes above. No such luck in the ocean, or in that lake near where you live. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat_mcdermott Posted August 23, 2006 Share #5 Posted August 23, 2006 Salt water is certainly the kiss of death. My Canon went swimming in a river. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertwang Posted August 24, 2006 Author Share #6 Posted August 24, 2006 Sounds good... Leica needs to figure out a waterproof shell for their DMR then! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodaktrix Posted August 24, 2006 Share #7 Posted August 24, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) Albert, years ago I photographed a heron with a Nikon F2A with MD2 motordrive attached during an extrem rain. I was soaked in seconds, but was able to shot about half a roll before the motordrive was soaked too and quit. The film was ok. After some minutes the rain stopped, the heron fled and I dried me and the equipment in the sun for about 1 hour. It has since then worked without any problems. Well, it is not a Leica M, but all mechanical with simple electronic circuits too. With my Leicas M2 and M6TTL I do not care either if it is raining and I want to get a picture. Never had problems. I just try to keep the front lens free of rain drops. Best regards Oliver Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pascal_meheut Posted August 24, 2006 Share #8 Posted August 24, 2006 Albert, I shot a whole day under heavy rain. All my Leica lenses were ok. The R6.2 was ok too. At some point, the R8+winder started to have problem advancing film but a few on/off solved the problem. A friend of mine shooting with a Nikon F5 had no problem with the body but its 80-200/2.8 AFS stopped focusing after a few hours. He had to let it dry for 1 or 2 weeks after that. BTW, when Salgado was shooting the Koweit's on-fire oil rigs, he was using a R6.2 and some primes. He said that oil was everywhere, even in its mouth and that he removed it from the Leica by pouring gas over it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gylee Posted August 24, 2006 Share #9 Posted August 24, 2006 See "Two Anecdotes about Reliability" at the bottom this M6 review: Leica M6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest leica_mage Posted August 24, 2006 Share #10 Posted August 24, 2006 See "Two Anecdotes about Reliability" at the bottom this M6 review: Leica M6 Precisely! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_x2004 Posted August 24, 2006 Share #11 Posted August 24, 2006 To be honest, anything following the R6.2 you would have to say, "not very" By the way of their design all the Ms should be fine. Someone certainly needs a kick in the pants for coming up with the body shell of the R8/9. Another thread was along the lines "What are Leica doing to promote M users" The answer is simply they released the R9. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertwang Posted August 24, 2006 Author Share #12 Posted August 24, 2006 Where can you find a R6.2 anymore? Why can't there be a digital version of that? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddp Posted August 24, 2006 Share #13 Posted August 24, 2006 Well, you won't find an R6.2 new...but they are floating around out there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted August 24, 2006 Share #14 Posted August 24, 2006 Where can you find a R6.2 anymore? Why can't there be a digital version of that? Ffordes - ffordes photographic : Main Index - have 4 available at £999 a pop. Given that it's major selling point was that it was a mechanical camera that could operate without batteries, I doubt that it was ever the prime candidate for Leica's thrust into the digital world. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertwang Posted August 24, 2006 Author Share #15 Posted August 24, 2006 Indeed, I would be glad to settle for R6 still. I need something which isn't battery dependent Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted August 24, 2006 Share #16 Posted August 24, 2006 Leica's dropping the R6 and R6.2 had nothing to do with quality or market acceptance. The pprblem was that Seiko stopped making the shutter for them. Incidentally, R8/R9 users are as avid as M users. Some people just prefer SLR or RF views on the world. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
waileong Posted August 25, 2006 Share #17 Posted August 25, 2006 They won't die since there's no electronics, but the moisture inside the camera and lenses won't do you any favours. Fungus just loves moisture. If you could dry out the camera next to a heater or something after it's been rained on, I think it's ok. But if moisture gets between lens elements, it's time for a CLA or you can watch your fungus grow. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xray Posted August 25, 2006 Share #18 Posted August 25, 2006 I've watched my repairman disassemble one of my M's and there are no moisture seals. I certainly would not expose it to heavy rain. On the other hand my 1 series Canon digital bodies and some of the L series lenses that I have like the 24-70 have rubber seals at most points where water could enter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertwang Posted August 25, 2006 Author Share #19 Posted August 25, 2006 Most of the Oly digital lens are nearly waterproofed. The E-1 kicks major buttocks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
palaeoboy Posted August 25, 2006 Share #20 Posted August 25, 2006 Its a bit of a loaded question because I think that Leicas are no more or less water resistant (to brief rain) than any other brand that also dont possess special seals. Models that do have weatherproof seals will naturally exell because they were designed to do so. I have a Yashica T5 compact with weatherproof seals and it keeps the sand and rain out all day. A contax T2 is the slightly better camera in general terms but it wouldnt do well at the beach in sand and rain compared to a T5. So its horses for courses really. I do find a small Pelican case the size of a lunchbox holds a CLE and a backup CL body with a few lenses in a very tiny package. It will protect the camera from rain sand and hard knocks, just not with the camera out of the box. But you can certainly snap a shot quickly in the rain and pop it back in the box without getting it soaked. This has worked out well for me on many dusty field trips here in Australia and harsh ones to the Antartic as well. If you do take your M to extreme places I would recomend a Pelican case. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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