Weather proof NEX?

What with sony still continuin with APSC alpha mount cameras what do you think the chances are of sony bringing out a weather proof NEX.

I'm currently tearing my hair out trying to decide whether to swap systems from m4/3. Both systems are starting to have a fair numbr of lenses but I'm not sure which wait would be longer, peaking in m4/3 or weather sealing in NEX.

Have to agree - a weather-proof NEX could only be considered a good thing. I can't use my '3' in conditons my old Pentax LX would laugh at.

Fret not.  Given NEX's popularity, they'll soon be waterproof-housings for it.  And actually, I'm sure there are already universal camera housings available too.  Or, for the cheap and not-so-pretty, there's plastic baggies or condoms.

How would that help, when there are no weather sealed lenses, neither for NEX or m4/3?

New line of lenses? With Sony everything is possible though. Such a WP 18-200 PZ LE wouldn't surprise me at all...

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/viktor_viktor/
http://verybiglobo.blogspot.com/

OP is questioning weather proofing, not water proofing. There's a huge difference.

http://matthewdurrphotography.com

I'm sorta hoping if they do a weather sealed camera they'd do weather sealed lenses. After all, the higher end alphas are now weather sealed, but AFAIK there is only one weather sealed (DT) lens. It seems as they refresh the linup though more are planned to become weather sealed.

There is always this thought and it's sort of a chicken and egg sort of senario. People said it when olympus announced that the 12-50 would be weather sealed, and everyone was moaning that there was no weather sealed camera to go with it. Now we have the 12-50, 60mm macro, 12-35 and 35-100 along with the EM-5 and GH3 which are all weather sealed.

I am not following m4/3, as I have no interest in that format, but it is great if there are weather sealed lenses already. I didn't know that. However, I don't expect same to come to NEX soon, which is certainly a shame.

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http://verybiglobo.blogspot.com/

weatherproof cameras and lenses are sealed to block not only moisture but also dust dirt and anything else that can ruin a camera.  on a beach or in the desert sand get everywhere.  sea salt and humid air do too.  i have always wanted a weather proof camera.  you have to have the sealed lenses too or else it doesn't mean much.

Keep in mind that weather sealing is relative. Olympus says theirs is "dust and splash proof". In enough rain it will still fail. And you need weather sealed lenses, I think Olympus only has one (the kit 12-50).

I'd love a weather sealed NEX, but if you really want to shoot in bad weather, even a weather sealed camera needs a rain jacket at some point.

The 12-50 is the kit lens for the weatherproof OMD M-E5 camera, their top of the line.

Because the OMD is NEX's biggest competition, I also believe that Sony should incorporate that feature. But that wont be easy as it means a partial re-design. So hoping the next generation.

I have a Pentax K20d which I routinely would get soaked in the rain along with the non-weather sealed lenses I have.  Never caused any problems because lenses are mostly round and smooth and tend to shed water whereas camera bodies have all sorts of bumps and cracks where water can collect and enter the camera more readily (plus the camera has a lot more sensitive electronics than the lens.)

Bart

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http://bhimages.zenfolio.com

none.

Brian,

The Oly bodies have been tested by users more than often enough to prove the contrary. I own an Oly E-3 (but mostly shoot with my nex-5n due to high iso) and I have spilled beer and coke all over it once by accident. In fact, it was lying in about an inch of the stuff. This was on a beach as well, to make things interesting. I simply hosed the camera off under the beach shower. Keep in mind, this was a shower without shower head, so it was a powerfull jet of water. No rainfall can match that. This was several years ago. Body and lens are still going strong. I have been in storms with it where I gave up long before the camera. There's even a guy on youtube taking underwater photos with his!

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It's not the size of your sensor but how you use it that counts...

It has to be intimidating to contemplate making such a change knowing you will be instantly skewered by people hollering about how the lenses aren't sealed, but one versatile, high quality weather proof lens would be good enough to start. They should launch the new NEX-7 with a sealed constant-aperture G standard zoom.

If Sony wants to push more market segments towards mirrorless, they have to make sure their top of the line cameras have all the features people expect in such a product.

I really think Sony should bring out a weather sealed NEX and lenses to go with it. In my own case because because I want a nice camera to take diving so it would be in that damp and salty atmosphere. But also the main killer of all my electronic toys seems to be dust. The new wide angle zoom, for which Nauticam are going to produce a port, and the announced 50mm macro have suddenly made NEX an interesting system for underwater. But if it's not weather sealed I'll probably end up with m43, and I rather doubt that Sony will bother. It does seem odd that with so many models none of them are sealed

I agree that some Oly bodies are weather sealed, but there are limits. Even pro Nikon and Canon bodies have limits. I've read about several Anartica boat photo trips where pro bodies weather sealing was not enough. I'm not trying to say anything against weather sealing. Simply that it has limits and needs sealed lenses.

I'd love a sealed NEX and lenses. Somehow I don't think that is happening anytime soon.

It's up to each person to decide how worried they're going to be with 'weather' - but long before the days of 'weather sealed' cameras, normal cameras were used in atrocious conditions by photographers around the world - it's just a matter of protecting the camera.  Weatherproofed bags for storing and transporting, rain sleeves and lens gloves, waterproof enclosures or bags, filters to protect end-glass against blowing sand, and so on.

I've actually never owned a weather-proofed camera or lens...but I've carted dozens of cameras and lenses through rainstorms, blowing beach sands, deserts, freezing ice and blowing snow, dust clouds, ocean spray, and more.  Not a single failure so far.  I've used everything from Ziploc Freezer bags to UV filters to Kata Rain Sleeves to plastic waterproof enclosures, or simply an umbrella to hide under while shooting...depending on the conditions, the need, and the camera.

Despite best efforts, I've been caught out in rainstorms without the protection, and just run for 2 miles in pouring rain with my camera stuck under my cotton shirt, lens barrel sticking out the bottom - just keeping direct water from pouring into the seams of the camera was enough to avoid any issues - even when the camera was wet all over and the lens was soaked - I kept it pointed down where the seals didn't take all the pressure, and the camera body covered so only some moisture got onto it rather then being pelted with direct raindrops...a good blotting with a cloth or towel to remove the water, then a wipedown and storage with dessicant and a heat lamp, or even outside in the sun to avoid trapping any moisture inside...voila!

It's really just down to some logical precautions, a few preventative actions (like bringing a spare rain sleeve along when shooting on a day that might face rough conditions, or having a waterproof bag along that you can quickly toss the camera into if conditions get too bad), and some care and attention when shooting in those conditions to keep water from accumulating on the camera body or lens near the seals, or contacting the body with force.

The NEX is especially convenient, because even with the bigger eMount lenses, there's always plenty of room in a large ZipLoc Freezer bag to fit the camera and lens.  When out shooting in the wetlands with my NEX, I keep one of these folded up in a back pocket.  In light rain or drizzle, sand, dust, etc, I'll keep shooting - maybe I'll make a little more effort to cover the camera a bit with my hands, or throw a microfiber towel over the top of it as I shoot.  If the skies open up in a downpour, I can quickly toss the camera and lens into the Ziploc bag, close it up, and just stand there getting soaked to the bones, knowing the camera's fine!

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Justin
galleries: www.pbase.com/zackiedawg

Did you have to let it dry out first?  Virtually all electronics can get wet as long as they aren't wet while in actual use.

Bart

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http://bhimages.zenfolio.com

OK for your E-3, but not a current issue camera. Far as I know the only EVILS with weatherproofing now are the OMD and the GH3. NEX needs to do weatherproofing not because it works, but in order to keep up with the competition with marketing features so that they can retain their market share. Weatherproofing feature = more sales. That is similar to More Megapixels = More Sales. (Even when more megapixels may not be necessary.)

I like and use the same approach. I do like to do hazardous things with my cameras, like swim and ski and sled. So far I've been lucky, but I did have to dive over a kid on the sledding hill last weekend and though I tried to roll and keep the camera safe, I did get a fair amount of snow on the NEX 7. It kept working but I got the "Viewfinder overheated, allow it to cool..." message for the rest of the day. It finally cleared and all is well, but I get the sense the NEX is not happy getting wet. All that densely packed circuitry…That said, I haven’t had any trouble in the rain.