Chuck Norcutt wrote:
> It doesn't sound very auspicious that light rain caused so much camera
> mortality... "There were a couple of 1D MKII and 5D's" and "Three Canon
> 5D's died that day..." Sounds like 150% failure rate. Notable perhaps
> that the Nikon D200's survived and they have environmental seals like
> the E-1. However, six 1Ds Mark II's also died along with a number of
> "L" lenses. All of these things are bristling with rubber seals
> including the lenses which have O ring seals. Must be the rain in the
> Falklands is corrosive and eats rubber seals.
>
Michael isn't the deepest analytical thinker, and his casual attribution
of the C failures to simple statistics doesn't really hold up. The
proportion idea is too simple. There's not enough data here to say for
sure, but I suggest further possible explanations.
- I would bet that age and use are at the bottom of the 1D(s) failures.
Anybody who hasn't had to replace o-rings in faucets, valves, hose
reels, etc. etc., please hold up your hand. Hmmm, no takers. Weather
sealing of these cameras depends heavily on o-rings. These are cameras
used mostly by pros and others who use them heavily.
O-rings in places that move, like zoom rings, lens mounts, etc. get
worn. Their sealing abilities decline with age and use. Cold puts extra
strain on the material on the rings, making them less elastic, so leaks
at the flat spots are even more likely.
The average age of the D200s will turn out to be much less than the pro
D1(s)s, simply because they are a much newer camera. Likewise, they will
have taken many fewer frames, on average. AT a guess, they will more
likely belong to amateurs who simply use them less heavily than the pros
with 1D(s)s.
How many think any of the 1D(s) users who experienced failures lubed
their mount o-rings for the trip, et along had the umpteen frame O-ring
replacement service?
Anybody who doesn't expect more failures from a car with 10,000 miles on
the clock than one with 200,000?
- The 5D and XTis need no explanation. They are not intended for use in
the rain and clearly say so. So now those who didn't believe the specs
and instructions now know they were wrong. I don't work well in the
rain, so I think my 300D and 5D are safe.
> I was thinking about a rain cover a few months ago. Maybe I'll think
> about it a little more. I've been lucky so far. Never had to shoot in
> any rain beyond a 5 minute sprinkle.
>
Plastic bags and rubber bands in the camera bag. Lens goes through hole
made in bag. Rubber band holds bag on lens. Hands work camera inside
bag. Not rocket science, doesn't cost anything. Hassle if front of lens
rotates, but guess what, most AF lenses don't.
Moose
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