Durability and weather resistance

[Flon18]

I am in the proses of choosing my first DSRL and was wondering if any one had suggestions on makes or models they would call more durable. I am a avid sailor and outdoors man. I will have the camera on boats in the summer and in the field in the fall and winter. Im looking at cameras in the introductory or amateur levels and price range. May be a good place to start is cameras to avoid. Thanks in advance

 

[KmH]

Entry-level cameras generally don't have weather sealing. However, they still keep water and dust out pretty good.
Will you be on salt or fresh water?

Durability is less of an issue.

 

[bhop]

Entry level cameras won't have any weather resistance. Sorry..

If you don't mind buying used, a 'prosumer' camera such as as a Nikon D300/D700, or Canon equivalents, for example, will have a little weather sealing, which is more for dust and light raindrops, (not quite weatherproof), but I would avoid getting it wet in a downpour (or wave splash while on a boat).

 

[Flon18]

Salt, thanks

 

[MLeeK]

I'd probably have to invest in a water sealed bag at the very least.
The 7D or better are magnesium alloy with weather sealing in Canon. I believe the D7000 and above in Nikon. Don't take my Nikon info as the gospel... the nikon guys will know for sure!

 

[Josh66]

Weather sealing isn't the same as waterproofing. Invest in a waterproof box of some type (Pelican comes to mind) if you're going to be on the water.

Throw everything in there, ASAP, if the weather gets bad.

 

[Village Idiot]

Olympus and Pentax have cheaper cameras in than the other companies in this category, IIRC.

I remember someone saying that the weather sealed Oly bodies had reps dumping a bucket of water over them at trade shows to show how well their weather sealing worked.

 

[Destin]

Weather sealing isn't the same as waterproofing. Invest in a waterproof box of some type (Pelican comes to mind) if you're going to be on the water.

Throw everything in there, ASAP, if the weather gets bad.

Yeah, you can get waterproof, floating storage boxes made for kayaking for like ?30-40 at any dicks sporting goods store. They're life savers sometimes.

Now if you want a waterproof housing that will allow you to still take photos, be prepared to spend well over $1,000 on the housing alone...

 

[MReid]

this is kind of from left field...but...you can buy a pro quality weather sealed 35mm film camera for a couple hundred bucks these days.

 

[Jeremy Z]

For this kind of use, I'd probably go with one of the Olympus or Pentax point & shoot cameras that are waterproof. These have the added advantage of being much more portable than an SLR.

Otherwise, if it's got to be an SLR, maybe a used Pentax K-7 would be a good call. Since the K-5 came out, K-7 prices should be dropping like an SLR in a dropped into a lake.

 

[Flon18]

The Pentax K 7 Looks like a good option. How will the camera do with the sigma 150 - 500 for wild life and birding?