Rugged 7D -- Survived Antarctica

[inTempus]

Intempus, it was user error to bring the 5D Mark II to Antartica. Along with the Sony. haha

Bringing a 5D2 to a hard weather shoot probably isn't the smartest idea. If it were me, I would bring D700.

Hey, the Sony survived without any problems! That's more than can be said about the Nikon 80-400mm that spontaneously self destructed.

 

[icassell]

I think you heard of a story that was widely circulated on the internet from Feb of 2009.

There were 77 photographers. Of them, 54 were shooting Canon and about 21 were shooting Nikon. Most of the 5D2's (26 total) that had problems (6 total, 3 of which were serious and the cameras stopped working) had the battery grips installed. It was reported that water was gathering between the grips and bodies. It's pretty common knowledge that the 5D2 isn't weather sealed all that well, and when you have the battery grip in place you open up the camera to the ingress of moisture. So I would say it was user error that caused the problems.

There was one Sony Alpha and a Hasselblad (which also had a failure) as well.

Antarctica 2009 - What Worked

Yup, that's the one story I was talking about. Are there others? You said you've heard of several.

I'm looking for something I read that talked about 50D's and 40D's now ... can't find it. Yes, I guess that would count as user error (bringing a non weather-sealed camera to such a hostile place). I guess, when you're paying the kind of $$ that such a trip entails, the addition of a high-end weatherproofed body to the trip expense would not be such a dumb idea. I guess I would have to buy new glass if I took such a trip because, although I have a 7D, none of my glass is weather resistant.

 

[icassell]

Intempus, it was user error to bring the 5D Mark II to Antartica. Along with the Sony. haha

Bringing a 5D2 to a hard weather shoot probably isn't the smartest idea. If it were me, I would bring D700.

Hey, the Sony survived without any problems! That's more than can be said about the Nikon 80-400mm that spontaneously self destructed.

I think that the Sony survival was interesting.

 

[MrLogic]

I've heard several stories of xxD cameras and 5D Mk II failing on Antarctic trips. I would hate to spend all that money to get there only to have my camera fail!

I think you heard of a story that was widely circulated on the internet from Feb of 2009.

There were 77 photographers. Of them, 54 were shooting Canon and about 21 were shooting Nikon. Most of the 5D2's (26 total) that had problems (6 total, 3 of which were serious and the cameras stopped working) had the battery grips installed.

Are you sure that most of the 5D II's had the grips installed?

I've already found 2 (out of 6, as you say) that didn't and I'm only on page 3 of just one of the many threads on this issue:

canon 5d mk11 in Antarctica - Luminous Landscape Forum

and:

canon 5d mk11 in Antarctica - Luminous Landscape Forum

Hey, the Sony survived without any problems! That's more than can be said about the Nikon 80-400mm that spontaneously self destructed.

The Nikkor 80-400 is an overpriced piece of ****, basically.

 

[Wolverinepwnes]

that focusing system is insane

 

[Montana]

Out of 77 photographers, 54 were shooting Canon? Wow!

 

[Antarctican]

Heehee, did you notice the image where the seal is biting the tripod leg (here)?

I loved that. He was doing that because he was trying to swear off penguins and using a 12 step program.

Better than the 'penguin patch', I guess! [FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]

 

[MrLogic]

Out of 77 photographers, 54 were shooting Canon? Wow!

This guy just doesn't quit. I love it. Your old sig had me rolling as well. :mrgreen:

 

[icassell]

Heehee, did you notice the image where the seal is biting the tripod leg (here)?

I loved that. He was doing that because he was trying to swear off penguins and using a 12 step program.

Better than the 'penguin patch', I guess! [FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]

Is that next to the pumpkin patch?

 

[Montana]

Out of 77 photographers, 54 were shooting Canon? Wow!

This guy just doesn't quit. I love it. Your old sig had me rolling as well. :mrgreen:

Its all in fun, I could easily see myself shooting either system (Canon or Nikon). LOL Both are outstanding by anyones standards. What old sig? The Sony one?

 

[Derrel]

Yup, that's the one story I was talking about. Are there others? You said you've heard of several.

Yes, there was the 2007 trip that Luminous Landscape members took to Antarctica in 2007. Antartica 2007 – What Worked? What Didn't

As Reichmann wrote,"About 85% of the trip's members were shooting with Canon gear, mostly 1Ds MKII. There were a couple of 1D MKII and 5D's, with several people having Rebel XT and XTi bodies as backups.
There were quite a few camera failures, most of them occasioned by our shooting in rain on the first day ashore in The Falklands. The rain was not heavy – more a persistent drizzle than a heavy rain, but it took its toll. In all, 90 minutes of wet shooting produced six 1Ds MKII cameras which stopped working for one reason or another. Three of them recovered after a night of drying out. Three remained hors de combat for the rest of the trip."

"Three Canon 5D's died that day, with one subsequent recovery. Two Rebel XTi's lost their rear LCD's, though otherwise continued to work (which is a real hassle, because though one can keep shooting, there's no way to change any settings, or at least to know what the changes are)."

"We also lost two video cameras, one with a dead sound board and the other a total cardiac arrest. Several lenses bit the dust during the trip, including two Canon 70-210mm f/2.8L IS, and a Canon 28-135mm."

photo-not shown here

"There were 5 Nikon users on the trip, with various bodies – mostly D200's. There were no reports of any Nikon problems or failures."

"There were four H series Hasselblad users onboard, including me. Three of us used H1 and H2 bodies with Phase One P45 backs, while one person used an H3D with its included 39MP back. There were no camera failures or back problems, but one person's 210mm Hasselblad lens bit the dust early in the trip, for no apparent reason."

 

[Atlas77]

I've heard several stories of xxD cameras and 5D Mk II failing on Antarctic trips. I would hate to spend all that money to get there only to have my camera fail!

I think you heard of a story that was widely circulated on the internet from Feb of 2009.

There were 77 photographers. Of them, 54 were shooting Canon and about 21 were shooting Nikon. Most of the 5D2's (26 total) that had problems (6 total, 3 of which were serious and the cameras stopped working) had the battery grips installed. It was reported that water was gathering between the grips and bodies. It's pretty common knowledge that the 5D2 isn't weather sealed all that well, and when you have the battery grip in place you open up the camera to the ingress of moisture. So I would say it was user error that caused the problems.

There was one Sony Alpha and a Hasselblad (which also had a failure) as well.

Antarctica 2009 - What Worked

"No Nikon bodies (mostly D700s) failed in any way."

Nikon-1
Canon-0

:lmao::lmao:

 

[Montana]

So basically not very many people shoot Nikkon. Must be that pink stripe on the body.

 

[Derrel]

I bought the AquaTech camera raingear for my "big stuff" for shooting outdoors in the rain. I noticed the fellow who went to Antarctica also equipped his large telephoto lens with a similar rain cover. Snowy, freezing cold weather is actually not nearly as bad as rain....rain seeps into crevices....when it's so cold the water is snow, you can wipe or blow the snow off. There is almost no "moisture" whatsoever in extremely cold conditions--all the water is frozen!

A 200 f/2 or 300/2.8 or 400/2.8 lens costs more than most professional bodies; the AquaTech camera raingear costs less than a single speedlight flash. Manufacturers make all sorts of claims about the water resistance of professional cameras and lenses, and yet, professional sports and nature shooters quite often turn to camera raingear when it is raining.

$10,000 to $18,000 camera and lens combo...is it worth a $300 set of raingear for the investment, or is it better to rely on "seals" and "weatherproofing"?

 

[Atlas77]

So basically not very many people shoot Nikkon. Must be that pink stripe on the body.

Red....