Weatherproof entry-mid range DSLR?

Hello,

I'm looking to buy my first DSLR for night (astrophotography) and landscape shooting in the 1000-2000 dollar price range. However, due to the fact that I live in a place that gets as many as 250 rainy days a year, I am looking for a DSLR that is weatherproof. Not waterproof, as I have no plans whatsoever to submerge my camera or shoot underwater. I do, however, want the camera to be able to withstand light rain and/or splashes of water.

I would also like the potential camera to be capable of shooting 1080p video at 30fps.

And last, but not least, I would prefer to buy a recent model. I plan to keep the camera for at least a few years, so I don't want to buy something that is outdated or will be replaced by a newer model soon.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

I must add that after looking around a bit I am somewhat tempted to get Canon EOS 7D. It seems to has received generally good reviews, is within my price range, has weatherproofing and 1080p video. What puts me off somewhat is the fact that all the reviews were published 8-10 months ago, which means that the model is already around a year old.

Now, I am not at all familiar with DSLR release cycles, but when it comes to the vast majority of other consumer electronics (mobile phones, mp3 players, GPS, etc), a one year old gadget is usually considered old...

igneous said:

I must add that after looking around a bit I am somewhat tempted to get Canon EOS 7D. It seems to has received generally good reviews, is within my price range, has weatherproofing and 1080p video. What puts me off somewhat is the fact that all the reviews were published 8-10 months ago, which means that the model is already around a year old.

Now, I am not at all familiar with DSLR release cycles, but when it comes to the vast majority of other consumer electronics (mobile phones, mp3 players, GPS, etc), a one year old gadget is usually considered old...

Click to expand...

The 7D is a professional level APS-C sensor camera. It competes favorably with the Nikon D300s (which obviously doesn't have the video requirements you have stated) and very little else (as in nothing else really comes close). You could do much much worse.

As for weather sealing, yes, this is offered on the 7D, but be aware that you must also buy weather sealed lenses for that to mean anything and these are going to cost quite a bit (and probably drive the package out of your price range). The only company that does weather sealing on lower cost cameras is Pentax, so I would check them out too.

About the product cycle, from all I've seen Canon and Nikon are both on about a 2 year release cycle for most of their DSLRs and I have personally neither seen nor heard anything that would indicate that the 7D will be replaced any time soon. But even if it is updated the day after you buy yours, that hardly means that the 7D will suddenly stop being an excellent camera.

The Pentax K7 is worth considering.

--
StephenG

Pentax K100D
Fuji S3 Pro
Fuji S9600

igneous said:

Hello,

I'm looking to buy my first DSLR for night (astrophotography) and landscape shooting in the 1000-2000 dollar price range. However, due to the fact that I live in a place that gets as many as 250 rainy days a year, I am looking for a DSLR that is weatherproof. Not waterproof, as I have no plans whatsoever to submerge my camera or shoot underwater. I do, however, want the camera to be able to withstand light rain and/or splashes of water.

I would also like the potential camera to be capable of shooting 1080p video at 30fps.

And last, but not least, I would prefer to buy a recent model. I plan to keep the camera for at least a few years, so I don't want to buy something that is outdated or will be replaced by a newer model soon.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

Click to expand...

Hi

I am fairly sure that the only two cameras that meet all of what you have asked are the Canon 7D and Pentax K-7.

Weather proofed dslrs in your price range with 30fps 1080p video.

As stated, to take full advantage of weather proofing you need weather sealed lenses.

The Canon would be the better camera for the most part (it is a slightly higher level) but the K-7 would do somethings better...either would be great and both would have their advantages and disadvantages...read the reviews of each and see how they fit your needs.

There are more sealed lenses for Canon but still plenty enough for Pentax...most sealed lenses are quite pricey (for any brand)...Pentax has two cheaper weather sealed kit lenses though and even a weather sealed 100mm macro lens now as well that gets rave reviews but again, is expensive but not overly so for what it is.

If you relaxed your criteria you would get cameras like the Nikon D300s...all your needs but video is not 30fps 1080p.

Other cameras without sealing would be ok with weather shielding/raincoats sort of things..

The K-x and 7D are around a year old but the latest in their lines at their levels.
good luck with whatever you get.
neil

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26884588@N00/

I was out a few weeks ago in drenching rain, you might find something useful in this post

http://lensaddiction.wordpress.com/2010/07/04/in-which-we-all-get-wet-and-muddy/
--
Kiwi Gal - armed and dangerous with a 40D

igneous said:

Hello,

I'm looking to buy my first DSLR for night (astrophotography) and landscape shooting in the 1000-2000 dollar price range. However, due to the fact that I live in a place that gets as many as 250 rainy days a year, I am looking for a DSLR that is weatherproof. Not waterproof, as I have no plans whatsoever to submerge my camera or shoot underwater. I do, however, want the camera to be able to withstand light rain and/or splashes of water.

I would also like the potential camera to be capable of shooting 1080p video at 30fps.

And last, but not least, I would prefer to buy a recent model. I plan to keep the camera for at least a few years, so I don't want to buy something that is outdated or will be replaced by a newer model soon.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

Click to expand...

Hi... the rain here (same country as you) is indeed an issue.

You're going to have to "give" on something. There is no camera which meets all your criteria.

The closest is the Nikon d300s. It is fairly well sealed. And most nikon lenses have at least some sealing. With the nicer lenses have quite good sealing.

But, you do not get 1080p, only 720p in movie mode. Right now this one is on sale check prisguide.no to get it under 10,000 kroner.

The next closest is the Canon 7d. It is fairly well sealed. But only Canon's most expensive lenses are sealed (most of the L lenses). This will put you well over budget. The body is only slight more expensive than the d300s, but the lenses will not be cheap.

Then there is the Pentax k-7. This is not the ideal solution for photography in Norway. The camera is simply very bad in low light. ISO performance is the worst in class between these cameras. Also, it has the fewest sealed lenses of the three, and does not do 1080p, but some weird 75% version of it. It is by a long ways the cheapest all around solution. And it is very well sealed. So if you can live with the few sealed lenses and the fewer lenses in general, it is a bargain.

Do not forget to check foto.no and finn.no for used deals. Can save you a lot of money. Nikon is supposedly going to release a new camera within a month (or so), which is expected to have even better low light performance and 1080p. But since it is to replace the d90, it will probably not be sealed.

In the past year, I took 11,600 photos mostly outdoors with a Nikon d90. I made myself something like this:
http://www.fotovideo.no/aspx/produkt/prdinfovnet.aspx?plid=112818

With that you can with a reasonable bit of care take just about any camera out in the rough stuff. I had my unsealed d90 out in that really bad storm we had around 2 months back and got some fun photos. The d90 is currently on sale as it is about to be replaced. Another option is the Canon 550d. It has a really nice sensor, but it is in a very entry level body (I used to own the same body, and did not care for it, try before you buy). Not on the same level as the 7d, d300s, k-7 or even the d90. But it does take nice photos, and does well in low light. Just get a raincoat for it.

--

See my plan (in my profile) for what I shoot with. See my gallery for images I find amusing.

Bjorn_L said:

igneous said:

Hello,

I'm looking to buy my first DSLR for night (astrophotography) and landscape shooting in the 1000-2000 dollar price range. However, due to the fact that I live in a place that gets as many as 250 rainy days a year, I am looking for a DSLR that is weatherproof. Not waterproof, as I have no plans whatsoever to submerge my camera or shoot underwater. I do, however, want the camera to be able to withstand light rain and/or splashes of water.

I would also like the potential camera to be capable of shooting 1080p video at 30fps.

And last, but not least, I would prefer to buy a recent model. I plan to keep the camera for at least a few years, so I don't want to buy something that is outdated or will be replaced by a newer model soon.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

Click to expand...

Hi... the rain here (same country as you) is indeed an issue.

You're going to have to "give" on something. There is no camera which meets all your criteria.

The closest is the Nikon d300s. It is fairly well sealed. And most nikon lenses have at least some sealing. With the nicer lenses have quite good sealing.

But, you do not get 1080p, only 720p in movie mode. Right now this one is on sale check prisguide.no to get it under 10,000 kroner.

Click to expand...

NO, it is not the closest....I do think it would be good but wrong again.

Bjorn_L said:

The next closest is the Canon 7d. It is fairly well sealed. But only Canon's most expensive lenses are sealed (most of the L lenses). This will put you well over budget. The body is only slight more expensive than the d300s, but the lenses will not be cheap.

Click to expand...

But it DOES meet the Ops specs (it CAN be found in budget as in the second post)....with sealed lenses it would be out of budget but the camera is not...could possibly get a kit with body only and a second hand lens in budget or close.

Bjorn_L said:

Then there is the Pentax k-7. This is not the ideal solution for photography in Norway. The camera is simply very bad in low light. ISO performance is the worst in class between these cameras. Also, it has the fewest sealed lenses of the three, and does not do 1080p, but some weird 75% version of it. It is by a long ways the cheapest all around solution. And it is very well sealed. So if you can live with the few sealed lenses and the fewer lenses in general, it is a bargain.

Click to expand...

While the K-7 is not as good as many other cameras in low light, it is still actually not bad and only a few years ago would have been called very good....and low light is not mentioned in the opening post..

It has plenty of sealed lenses and can be purchased WITH sealed lenses in budget...and there are thousands of dollars more worth just waiting to NOT be bought.....I am sure there are far more sealed lenses for pentax than Bjorn has purchased for his Nikons.

And it DOES do 1080p ....it is certainly more 1080p than the Nikon D300s is....so it is certainly closer than the D300s for what the OP has stated...in fact meets the stated requirements. (once again, Bjorn has just made stuff up).

I would not get a K-7 for video but it is there and it is 1080p.

If video was a very important part, then the Canon 7D is the one if sealed....the 550d if overlooking sealing.

I actually DO think the OP should look at the d300s (and said that) but shoud get a hold of as many cameras as possible and see which is the best fit and read the reviews and see what weather protection is available for non weather sealed cameras.

I do not need sealing on either my Pentax dslrs or my Nikon one so I am happy with lower cameras and since I DO shoot a lot in low light I use a Pentax K-x for that....( for the OPs budget you can get a K-7 AND a K-x for a low light/fine weather/light weight/back up AND sealed lense(s)!)

neil
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26884588@N00/

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I have decided to go with 7D (for the lack of better options). The more I read about that camera the more I realize that it is an excellent choice that is likely to last me several years.

As some of you have pointed out here, the price of most EF weather sealed lenses will put the total price well over my budget. So for the time being I have decided to get myself a Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens and be very careful not to get it wet (from what I understand, there are no weather sealed EF-S lenses). My plan is to replace it with EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM or even EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 L IS USM some time in future.

Last, but not least, I have a few questions about filters and lens hoods.

1. Can I install both a UV and a polarizing filter on a 77mm EF-S lens, or are they mutually exclusive?
2. Can I use a filter together with a lens hood?

Thanks in advance.

--

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.

igneous said:

1. Can I install both a UV and a polarizing filter on a 77mm EF-S lens, or are they mutually exclusive?

Click to expand...

Not recommended. Filters always detract at least a tiny bit from the image. You do not want to have the light passing through extra layers of glass unless you NEED to. Also, there is on a practical level no need to have both a UV & a CPL. If you need to stack filters (for example a CPL and a gradient ND for sunset on the water shots), then you need to be aware of vignetting, and not shoot at maximum width. (ie:15mm, zoom in to 20 or so). Try to get the ultra thin filters as they will be less of an issue on such a wide lens. And, do not get plastic cheap filters. Get nice ones that will cause less flare, etc.

igneous said:

2. Can I use a filter together with a lens hood?

Click to expand...

Yes, the exception is rotating filters with out a knob. In which case you will need to remove the hood, rotate the filter (for example circular polarization) and then re-attach the lens hood.
--

See my plan (in my profile) for what I shoot with. See my gallery for images I find amusing.

I've got the thinktank 70-200 rain cover. Keep it nearby (takes 48.3 seconds to put on), and you don't have to worry about whether your camera or lens can take a light rain (which could always turn heavy).

igneous said:

I must add that after looking around a bit I am somewhat tempted to get Canon EOS 7D. It seems to has received generally good reviews, is within my price range, has weatherproofing and 1080p video. What puts me off somewhat is the fact that all the reviews were published 8-10 months ago, which means that the model is already around a year old.

Now, I am not at all familiar with DSLR release cycles, but when it comes to the vast majority of other consumer electronics (mobile phones, mp3 players, GPS, etc), a one year old gadget is usually considered old...

Click to expand...

First, the 7D came out in October of '09 so it isn't quite a year old. Second, this being a higher end camera than the xxD there's very little chance it will be replaced again this year. The xxD bodies were replaced every 18 months except for 2 upgrades that were 1 year. Canon's 1 series bodies go even longer between replacements. Don't worry about the upgrade cycle; if the 7D is the camera you want it will serve you well for many years.

Also, keep in mind that only Canon's L series lenses are sealed as well. If you use 3rd party lenses or non-L Canon lenses, the weather sealing on the body will do you no good.

Mark

igneous said:

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I have decided to go with 7D (for the lack of better options). The more I read about that camera the more I realize that it is an excellent choice that is likely to last me several years.

As some of you have pointed out here, the price of most EF weather sealed lenses will put the total price well over my budget. So for the time being I have decided to get myself a Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens and be very careful not to get it wet (from what I understand, there are no weather sealed EF-S lenses). My plan is to replace it with EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM or even EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 L IS USM some time in future.

Last, but not least, I have a few questions about filters and lens hoods.

1. Can I install both a UV and a polarizing filter on a 77mm EF-S lens, or are they mutually exclusive?

Click to expand...

You can, but it greatly increases the chances of flare & other IQ problems. Use one filter at a time. Personally I never use a UV unless I'm in a crowded area or in a very dusty environment.

igneous said:

2. Can I use a filter together with a lens hood?

Click to expand...

ALWAYS use a lens hood, whether or not the filter is mounted. I use a hood even with a polarizer. Yes, it means removing the hood to adjust the polarizer but that's better than leaving the front element open to flare or dust/debris.

Mark