Canon + Nikon bias in outdoor photographer

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Ukwildlifeo

Yea, this was kind of the point I was making in my intial post - basically Canon and Nikon arn't the only choice and arn't always the best, at least when dealing with cameras of comparable level/price. Oly and pentax Dslr are weather proof with many weatherproof lenses, how many Nikons and canon are truely weatherproof?

it depends on what you mean by weather proof - being a canonite i can't speak for nikon but on canon only the 1D and 1DS series cameras are fully weather sealed, but the 20/30/40 D and 5 (and presumably 7) D cameras are as weather proof as their comparable pentax counter parts - ive had my 20D out in truly horendous weather including maritime storms and salt spray and its been fine but - with the exception of underwater cameras like the nikonos - any camera has its limits and generally full imersion in water (particularly salt water which is what happened to my 10D) will kill it

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by eeyore

it depends on what you mean by weather proof

How does this one score?



Jim

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Jim Ford

How does this one score?



Jim

that depends on how useable it was afterwards - i presume thats a marketing shot and we all know they are set ups. ( I remember seeing someone applying wood varnish to a cooked quiche for promo photography once and camera marketing is no different in its lack of honest portayal )

note also that they are pouring the water onto the top of the camera which in every model is completely sealed being one piece of ABS plastic (or alloy in some cameras) - wheras in real life the issue will be with spray/rain/mud/snow etc coming at the front (ie the lens mounting) with the wind/ slipstream behind it

that said in the real world I wouldnt subject any make of camera to that level of abuse

[RichBrew]

I agree with Pete on this one. Cameras touted as weatherproof are only designed to be exposed to adverse conditions for short periods. Water on a camera body, or lens, under pressure, will penetrate the seals before too long.
As mentioned in his post, the Nikonos cameras and lenses are the only ones available designed to be submerged, and are truly water tight (within specified limits). They perform just as well in dusty environments as they do in the sea.

RichBrew

[Elean0r]

Originally Posted by Jim Ford

How does this one score?
[... snip ...]

There's the promo of the E-3 taking pictures over the side of a canoe, and plenty of videos on youtube showing it getting extremely wet. Cameralabs makes reference to the weathersealing in their written review, and I've seen pictures of it being used at the bottom of a swimming pool.

Water will penetrate any seals given time, it depends how good the seals are, and I'm not qualified to comment on that, only what I've seen and from what other people have told me.

a couple of quotes from a professional photography site "Luminous Landscapes" re anti-vibration. From a personal viewpoint I prefer it in-body as all lenses benefit

I think that's a valid point especially when choosing a new camera or a new system. If you've already got standard lenses and can get a new camera body with inbuilt IS (or whatever the manufacturer calls it) I think it's quite an important thing to consider, because you can benefit from it even if you use older slr compatible lenses.

The thing is, really, when you first buy a dslr most people choose the one that fits them best, taking into account all sorts of things - weight, price, price of lenses, where the buttons are and so on. It's only later on that you realise you're buying into a brand.

I don't think there are any "bad" digital cameras, each has its strengths and most have their weaknesses.

My camera's main weakness it its' age!

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Elean0r

The thing is, really, when you first buy a dslr most people choose the one that fits them best, taking into account all sorts of things - weight, price, price of lenses, where the buttons are and so on. It's only later on that you realise you're buying into a brand.

I don't think there are any "bad" digital cameras, each has its strengths and most have their weaknesses.

thats certainly true - a camera is just a tool , it is the photo that is the product - and i'll use whatever tool suits me best for the job at hand

arguing between brands is pointless.