7D #1 Weather Sealing
December 3rd, 2009 | Author: admin
Canon 7D in a snow blizzard on South Georgia Island, November 11.
TYPE OF TEST: CFR-2 (What does this mean?)
One issue I´ve been very interested in regarding the new 7D, is how well it performs under tough weather conditions. Some of my assignments and expeditions take me to extreme parts of the world, where cold temperatures, snow, rain, sand, or a mix of fine sand, rain and a splash of sea water are the norm. On my recent expediton to Antarctica I had a great opportunity to really test how well sealed and rugged this camera actually is. The other two cameras in my camera bag were the Canon 5D Mark II and 1DS Mark III.
This trip was almost the same 3.5 week photo expedition to Antartctica as last year, where I had a 50D and Canon HF10 HD video camera for testing. On that trip I destroyed the video camera on my first day at South Georgia, and the 50D camera had a one day “hangover” after a wet landing. After a few days I put the 50D away because it was not suited to those conditions. 3-4 photographers with Canon 30Ds and 40Ds broke their cameras during last year’s expedition. NB: My workhorse, the 1DS Mark III worked flawlessly, even after 2 “baths” in cold sea water. After these experiences, I wasn’t sure if the 7D and 5D Mark II would survive for the duration of the expedition this year.
Weather resistant
When I´m shooting I’m very focused on my subject and technique. The cameras and equipment experience extremely hard use. When shooting wildlife I´m usually laying on my stomach, with the camera in direct ground contact. This works great with most cameras if the ground is dry, but in Antarctica the ground is almost always wet, muddy or covered with snow or sand. On my recent expedition it snowed almost every day, and at times wet snow, which is worse than rain.
Rough weather conditions = rough images. This Antarctic Fur Seal was photographed with 7D and 300/2.8L on South Georgia.
I always use the 7D with the attached battery grip because it gives me a much better grasp of the camera. Some 5D Mark II users who use the battery grip have reported some problems with water leaking between the camera and battery grip. The battery grip for 7D is new and seems tighter and better sealed. In my case the 7D had absolutely NO problems with snow, rain and water (sea spray). This was just as I had hoped. I’ve also used the 7D on rainy days in Norway, without any problems. The 7D easily passed the rain and wet conditions test.
My 7D in heavy rain.
Wet snow in South Georgia. These conditions might destroy cheaper cameras after a few hours. I used a ThinkTank “raincoat” for my 300mm, but nothing over the camera.
So, what about the two other cameras?
My 1DS Mark III is built like a tank and is heavily weather sealed. I didn´t drop it into sea water this year, but used it without worry or protecting it from bad weather. It worked as expected, without problems.
The big surprise was the 5D Mark II. I used this camera as hard as (but not as much) the 7D and it performed superbly. I didn´t use any protection from rain or snow. The camera was used without the battery grip, which might have helped. The 5D Mark II has been on 2 expeditions to Svalbard (Arctic – 80° North) and one recent expedition to Antarctica without problems, so the weather sealing is robust enough for most conditions.
Conclusion
All three cameras performed very well for the whole Antarctica expedition. The 7D performed as I had hoped, surpassing 10,000 exposures without a problem. I must admit that the 5D Mark II surprised me as well with its build quality. The 1DS Mark III camera is the most rugged and best weather sealed, but the 7D and 5D Mark II (without battery grip) performed 100% in my opinion.
I have not tried to drop the 7D or 5D Mark II “by accident” into salt water, but I don´t expect them to survive as well as the Mark III / IV cameras. It will be interesting to hear your opinions regarding your use of these cameras (especially the 7D) in extreme weather. Have you had any different experiences, or mostly the same as mine?
OJL
Thanks to Bob Baillargeon for copy-editing!
190 Responses to “7D #1 Weather Sealing”
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1st June – Sandwich Terns
30th May – Avocets
I’m looking forward to part 4 of your review because I have been extraordinarily disappointed with the 7D’s image quality and actually written to Canon suggesting that the camera is unusable for commercial photography, the image detail is terrible, so soft and ‘mushy’, the files have a completely different feel to the 5dmkII and the 1dmkIII that I am used to using. The build quality, handling, functions and customisation options are all fantastic but I have had a single good sharp image out of the 7D yet. (I’m still waiting for a reply from Canon about my suggestion that they recall it)
Is that seal trying to eat your tripod!?… Brilliant!!
Great article, thanks. Tweeted it
( @gtvone )
Sime
Hi Sime
Yes, the Elephant Seals came quit close and was very interesting in my camera gear..
Hello Nick
Part 4 will hopefully come around next weekend. I think there might be at least one solution to your problems…
Thanks for your experience report. Seems like the 7D is very well prepared for even those very though conditions. The most severe condition I had my 7D in up to now was a wet gorge with constant fine spray covering camera and gear. It performed flawlessly – as well as all my previous double digit EOS bodies so I didn’t even gave a second thought.
That elephant seal gnawing on your tripod leg… priceless
[...] The 7D in Antarctica: part 1 of 4, very promising so far (Canon Field Reviews) [...]
Thanks for the experience report about the 7D …and btw: Amaaaaaazing pics!
Be careful with your tripod on the last picture
I have that same matter of opinion as Nick. When using the Mark II the images are some much richer in detail and color. I believe that Canon has successfully balanced noise, speed and image detail on a 18MP APC camera but the loss in dynamic range which I feel is whats missing has left images look dry and flat. Although I shoot mostly jpegs during sporting events, the image quality from this camera as a walk around is disappointing to say the least. I’m seriously considering to sell it and buy a 1D Mark III and your review is helping me weigh in on my decision. That last shot is GREAT by the way.
[...] vous êtes comme moi, lisez donc (en Anglais) celui de l’EOS 7D en Antarctique (lire la partie 1 ici, le reste suivra). En attendant que j’écrive le mien, pour compléter cette première prise [...]
Really looking forward to the rest of the review.
Nice review!
Nice that you mention other cameras too, which one did make or break the weather.
LOL images are really cool, what a great camera in terms on weather sealing.
Would not dream about putting my camera through that. My wife would kill me, and I dont have the cash to break it. I wonder if extra insurance at Elkjøp/JapanPhoto would cover weeks in snow.
How do you clean youre camera after getting sea, not fresh, water to get rid of all the salt. With 7D I guess you do not drown it in fresh water ?
I have a Canon 70-200 4L IS would you clean sea water from it the same way as 7D ?
Is it a Canon Speedlite 580EX II on image with tripod eating seal(amazing timing) ?
cool.. thrilling review…
great review…just what i needed to know…
great shot with the sealion biting the tripod haha
Thanks for the review
Nice review.
I’m probably never going to use a camera in such harsh conditions but it is nice knowing it will survive.
Oh and dear Nick Turpin, if Canon doesn’t want to recall it, I might.
great stuff. I about fell out of my chair when I realized the OOF seal was about to chomp down on some carbon fiber.
Thanks for sharing, I’m uber jealous of your experience on the island. Maybe one day!
I should be getting my 1D MK4 this week. Sold me MK3 a few weeks ago so I had to rely on the 7D as a wildlife camera for now. The 7D’s AF is making me long for my MK3. IQ is so-so. I am tempted to blame the 7D for ‘bad’ photos but I will reserve the harsh judgment because I am not without faults when it comes to settings under challenging situations. 7D is not even half the performance of a 1D MK3 but the price is only about 40%. That’s the price I paid for both when I bought them new.
The seal gnawing on a tripod leg in the foreground of “Wet snow in South Georgia” cracked me up !
What about the impact of extremely low temperatures on battery life ? I have had rather bad experiences with that in the distant past. Has battery technology improved enough to make that a non-issue ?
The seal biting the tripod is awesome!
I’m very pleased to know my new camera can handle this extreme conditions. Obviously the 1D has a step forward about weather resistence but the 7D comes at a fraction of the price… not bad!
Thank you very much for the review. Great job and very interesting assignment.
I LOVE that tripod eater ! haha
We have to go to Yakutsk (East Siberia)this month with a Canon EOS 7D. We will face temperatures around -40 to -50 º C. Somebody there (last october at -23 ºC) told me that in winter the camera wont even make “click” it wont work. Please, I need some advice about. We wont face dampness or rain, there is very very dry.
Do I have to warm the camera inside my coat and only take out at moments?
What temperatures have you faced with your cams?
Thank you very much.
Simon
Zaragoza, Spain.
I assume it’s a “weather seal” that’s chewing on the tripod, right?
I’m impressed by both the 7D and you, who work under these conditions. big respect!
and of course the tripod eater!!! lol
I dropped my Canon 5D MK 2 into the ocean and it was underwater for about 10seconds. It didn’t survive at all, water and sand got into the camera. My 24-105 lens also was totally destroyed, there was visible sand inside the lens. However, I was using the battery grip which may not be as weather sealed as the normal battery door on the body (just a guess for my observation). So for all you guys wondering if the Canon 5D MK 2 is weather sealed enough to survive a drop in the ocean the answer would be NO.
I’m surprised and happy to hear how good the 5DM2 performed since is what I use and I never knw about getting it wet.
That 7d really looked like passed the test too! Why did you cover then lens I wonder…was it because it’s way more expensive than the 7D or do you actually know that for a fact that it needs to be covered? What lens was it, a 300 2.8?
Looks like the tripod needs to weather the seal instead of weather sealing!
Thanks for a most amazing review on a camera – you hear the term weather sealing bandied about, but your article puts it in a new perspective.
Could you elaborate on some of the other experiences you’ve had – you mentioning dropping your 1Ds3 into salt water – twice!?!
And the tripod eating seal is hilarious. Especially in an article about weather-seals
Brad
[...] camera was put through it’s paces-to say the least. Below are some images from Part 1 of the 7D Field Review Antarctica. The 7D’s weather seals survived the frozen, snowy Christmasy [...]
Great shots and review! Would love to hear more about 7D pic quality. As with the rest of your fans, am fascinated by that ‘pod-munching seal!
I love the picture with the hungry seal.
First of all, who in their right mind goes out in cold like that?!
My comment is about the weather sealing of the 1D Mark III. I too have had mine out in pouring rain here in San Francisco as well as Paris. Since this was my first pro level camera, I was initially hesitant about taking it out in rain, but Bryan at The Digital Picture gave me the real 411 on the weather sealing, so I gave it a go. I also have fallen forward while trekking up a muddy hill photographing Mavericks. I had the 24-105 on the Mark III and was happy when I discovered that although mud had completely clogged my lens hood, lens and the front part of the camera. The only thing hurt was my chest from the Mark III slamming into my body. Was really glad the 500mm was strapped to my back in a messenger bag or I would have looked like a martini olive!
Never tried the salt water trick, so I’m wondering now if I really need an underwater housing when I go down to Mexico next week….!
wow, amazing pictures and good to know these bodies can take such extreme treatment. I feel like I’m doing harm to them at the beach but not anymore.
As someone else mentioned it would be really fantastic if you could share some tips or an article about cleaning gear in such extreme conditions. I would love to hear your worst and best lens change story in rough weather.
Can you give the brand and model of the tripod?
The 5D mark ii certainly doesn’t survive a little dip in salt water. Mine was fried (it was on when it happened), I sent it to Canon, and they sent me an estimate that was 20% higher than buying a new camera
My 24-70mm L lens was also fried, but that was fixed by Canon for $300.
[...] field tester Ole Jorgen Liodden took a Canon 1Ds Mark III, a Canon 5D Mark II, and a Canon 7D to Antarctica to do some field testing and all three came out on top, handling the weather and the extreme [...]
Do the seals enjoy the carbon legs more than aluminum? (-:
Thanks for sharing your feedback with us – My personal experience using the 5DMk2 in Siberian Russia supports your comments. With the small exception of needing to be sensible to avoid condensation issues, these Canon bodies are exceptionally robust and allow the photographer to focus on the task at hand without being too precious with equipment (tripod legs aside)……
Wow! The 7D looks to be as good as the 5D MkII and the 1D and 1Ds eh?
I have used my 5D MkII in heavy tropical rain many times. It survived without any problems and I use it in the rain regularly with no protection whatsoever. In fact the photos below were taken when I used the 5D MkII with a 3rd party battery grip and I had no problems with water leaking in between the grip and camera. I’ve since changed it to an original BG-E6 which should be even better in the rain.
http://ianho.blogspot.com/2009/11/eos-5d-mkii-weather-proof.html
Thanks for your great article on the 7D! Nobody I read takes their cameras into environments as severe as you do.
And that tripod nomming seal… rofl. Shot of the year.
Amazing !!! SO COOL!!!
BTW, what’s the brand of memory card you used?
Hi Alex
I use Sandisk Extreme III and IV, and soon the PRO-series for memory cards..
Hi Ian
I have never tested the 7D as hard as my 1DS Mark III, but both the 5D Mark II and 7D performed great in Antarctica!
Hi Kaveh
The only camera that survive 30-60 seconds in salt water is the Canon 1D / 1DS Mark III cameras (and now maybe the Marki IV ??). I have tested it 2 times…
Hi Jason
When I get some $$ back for my work with the reviews on CFR I can start with reviews like cleaning gear etc. This is one of the topics in my teaching book in Nature Photography, which is now translated into english…
PS: Everyone can support this site, through the Paypal-link in the top right.
Hi Brad
If you look at the image I also have one Elephant Seal under my tripod, so these guys are really interesting in photography. I have also experiences this with Antarctic Seal-lions.
Hi Pompo
I´m also very surprised regarding the 5D Mark II.
I cover the lens of my 300/2.8 Mainly because it is better to handle a dry lens for hours that a wet and cold one, and of course to protect it from rain / wet snow.
Hi Jasard
Thanks for your comment. Now I don´t need to test the 5D Mark II with the salt water test!!
But, 24-70/2.8L survive both salt water and fresh water a few second. I have tested it (by accident)….
Hello
NEVER put your camera under your coat or into warm conditions = CONDENSATION and you will get real problems in the cold!!
Store your BATTERIES work, and take of your batteries during transportation. Store your camera equipment in a photo bag, but don´t take this bag inside warm conditions. See picture at: http://canonfieldreviews.com/about/ how I have attached a small camera bag with 5D Mark II and 70-200, during an assignment in Svalbard in -30 degrees. Canon 1DS Mark III and 5D Mark II with -30 is NO problems!!
I was in Alaska 13 years ago in -40 degrees with 2 T90 bodies. I made a kind of insulating armor to cover some parts of the camera bodies, but NEVER took the cameras into warm conditions..
Hi Jean.Marc
The batteries for Canon 5D Mark II and 7D performs excellent in -30 degrees. This has surprised me!
Hi Viking
Im not sure about the insurance…
I clean salt water from ALL my camera equipment with an almost dry towel with fresh water. The dry it with a dry towel.
Yes, I use a 580EX II wich are more weather sealed.
The most extreme test I did on my 5D Mk II was yesterday.
I was at the zoo, about 5 degrees C outside, and then I entered the butterfly garden. Basically a tropical greenhouse. No protection at all. (I had a 70-200 2.8L IS on it)
The glass fogged up and also the lens and body themselves got wet. But that was it.
Has anyone tried similar but more extreme versions of this “test”?