Weatherproofing on Canon lenses - wear and tear

[sybren]

Hey folks,

I'm looking for a Canon L lens with weatherproofing - the 24mm f/1.4 to be exact. One of the reasons is that I'd love to be able to shoot in very bad weather without worrying about my gear getting damaged by the water.

The other day I was talking to a photo store guy, and he told me that he wouldn't put too much faith in Canon's weatherproofing. As he explained it, a waterproof watch would need its rubber seals replaced about every other year in order to stay waterproof.

So would I have to get my lens serviced every few years in order to keep the weatherproofing? Or is an L-lens that much better than a mere watch and is this not needed?

Just to be clear: I'm interested in shooting in the rain, and not planning on dunking my camera in the sea ;-)

[OsmosisStudios]

You need to stop listening to that photo store guy.

[tinton14]

There is always the choice of getting a rain cover if you plan on shooting in the rain often. I'm not sure the photo store guy knew what he was talking about with waterproof watch, I've gone everywhere with my watch for the last 4 years (rain/snow/ocean/water) and the watch has never had a problem. I know my old watch that i had for 5 years before this one had no problems. I'm sure the weatherproofing in lenses are different somehow, but I always question how knowledgeable some of these people in the store are since I've had many times when I run into these sales people who don't really know what they are selling. I personally don't have experience with L lenses, but I would say it shouldn't be that big of a problem, as you said, you aren't planning to dunk it into the sea, I would think it wouldn't be as big of a problem since its a prime, less area for water to get it. I'm still a beginner and this is my logic on this, I'm sure someone with more experience could give you a better answer.

[inkista]

Ummm.... you do know that only the 1 Series camera bodies are weatherproofed, right? You need both the body and the lens to have weathersealing. And some of the lenses require a filter to be truly sealed.

[sybren]

Thanks for your answers, it helps me quite a lot

Originally Posted by inkista

Ummm.... you do know that only the 1 Series camera bodies are weatherproofed, right?

Those, and the 7D too.

some of the lenses require a filter to be truly sealed.

Yeah, the 24/1.4 is one of those. I figured that once I can shell out €1500 for such a lens, I can pay for a filter too ;-)

[rharrison]

Get your dry cleaning done. Take the bags you get back and rubber band them around your rig as extra protection. It looks a little ghetto but its cheaper than the camera covers and basically free.

[Jim Bryant]

Yea......you can also get that plastic wrap tape from hardware stores/COSTCO and wrap your bodies and lenses in it too. But, I trust my gear when using Aquatech rain covers.