Somthings that bugged for a while...

[Eventer]

I was out at a horse show (this was about 18 months now) and the weather was just horrible. Constanlty raining and windy etc. anyway i wasnt riding at the time i was helping my trainer with her young horses, but I was intriqued by a photographer there, i didnt know nothing bout photography then ( haha and clearly by the end of this you will think i still dont!) but this guy just had his camera out in the rain! it was an impressivly big pro camera and i definatly couldnt see an obvious underwater housing system in place!
Someone please put me out of my miserey?! lol can you just get waterproof cameras! whats the deal!?
Dont laugh if this a really stuid question!

 

[Stormchase]

I was watching the makeing of that show Life. This guy had his canon full frame in the POURING rain snapping away. They were talking about bearing the weather and Im screaming "cover your camera!" lol I dont know maybe they just buy a few for the shoot and toss them out when they are done. Major Disney production so. In your case tho im sure he didnt have disposable cameras. I have wondered the same thing since i saw that.

 

[Eventer]

oh thats good! now i dont feel like a complete retard now as this isnt a super obvious question after all! lol
i remember the guy saying as his partner horse started sniffing the camera "Rain wont wreck my camera but horse slobber might!!" so im still confused! LOL

 

[fokker]

Canon 1 series bodies are pretty weatherproof, as are most of their L lenses (some only with a UV filter).

Nikon undoubtedly has weather sealed bodies but I don't know what they are.

 

[magkelly]

You can get a waterproof rubber cover for a lot of the more expensive cameras, but me I've always found a couple of clear storage bags and some duct tape works pretty well. I just use a bigger one around the whole camera body and I duct tape a smaller one fairly snugly over that to cover the lens. That way I can still see to push the appropriate buttons, but the lens and camera stay dry. You do have to make sure the plastic baggie over the lens stays really taut though.

Going back and forth from a regular to a zoom lens can be difficult if not impossible. That always means having to go back inside to change out the lens, refitting using new bags and new tape, but as long as you are sticking with the same lens you are generally okay. One last thing, I never use generic plastic bags for this. They tend not to be as clear or as waterproof as the good ones. But if you can't afford one of the real casings, which can be pricey, plastic storage bags make a good substitute.

Ditto, keeping a big plastic non-generic garbage bag and duct tape handy for yourself in case of emergency. People might give you strange looks if you're walking around in a makeshift garbage bag poncho. But it will keep you dry and it's easily tucked into a backpack, unlike a proper rain coat.

 

[KmH]

In Nikon's current lineup you get weather sealing starting with the D300/D300s.

Here are some weather stories:

Nikon User Weather-Related Experiences

 

[emh]

There are also some quite inexpensive weather-sealed options (cameras and lenses) from outside the "big 2". Pentax K-7 comes to mind...

 

[gsgary]

In weather like this http://gsgary.smugmug.com/photos/562612398_p2b5Y-L.jpg My 1Dmk1 and mk2's handle it no problem

 

[Derrel]

Here are two articles that will give you an idea of how reliable manufacturer claims of water proof capabilities stack up.

Antartica 2007 – What Worked? What Didn't

Antarctica 2009 - What Worked

 

[Eventer]

ooh that antarctica article was good.
I didnt even know you could get all these weather resistant cameras! lol they look awesome!