What Does "Weatherproofing" Really Mean?

Tucumcari Towing, Tucumcari, New Mexico (click to enlarge)

Recently, while out photographing, it started to rain.  That got me to thinking whether or not the camera and lens I was using at the time were in any danger from the weather.  Was the camera subject to short circuit if rain hit it?  Would the lens get wet on the inside under light rain?  I knew that both my camera and lens were touted as being in some way as weather resistant, but I didn't know what that meant.

Manufacturers of photography gear often tout that their cameras and/or lenses are "weatherproofed" or sealed in some way. That got me to then wonder exactly what does "proofing", "resistant"  and "sealing" mean when it comes to photography gear?  Is there a standard, industry accepted definition?  Is it different for lenses than for cameras?  Do different manufacturers have different concepts of what constitutes weatherproofing?  I wanted to find out.

I read about the terms "weatherproof," "water proof," dust proof," "freeze proof," "weather sealed", "dust sealed," "weather resistant," dust resistant," and the like.  

In looking for meaning, I haven't found any manufacturer that will clearly spell out what their touted gear protections really mean.  I haven't found any manufacturer that has released test results and definitively say how much water, dust, moisture, etc., the gear can resist.  The most easily found and most definitive statements, however, are on the cameras that can be used below the surface of water. It seems most manufacturers will give some recommendations as to how deep those cameras can be safely immersed.

I found two examples on Nikon's site. They are "...various points of the body are effectively sealed to attain superior dust-prevention and weather-resistant performance..." and "Connected parts and various points are securely sealed, achieving high weather-resistant and dust-prevention performance..." But what does it mean?  What are the results of their tests so us, as consumers, kind of know what to expect?

On Olympus' site, I found they wrote about the E-M1 that it is "dust, splash, freeze proof..." Okay. Great. What does that mean?  Is splash proof better than being rained upon?  I don't know.

On Canon's site, about the 5D Mark III, they write, "dust and moisture-resistant design with improved gaskets and seals. Although not quite as weatherproof as an EOS-1D-series camera, the EOS 5D Mark III does feature improved weather resistance over the EOS 5D Mark II model." Wow! Wonderful! What does it really mean?  And, does it mean they weren't really serious about the weather resistance of the 5D Mark II? Was it just so-so?  They don't tell us anything definitively either.

Those three examples highlight what I mean in manufacturers really not telling what we want and need to know about the expensive cameras and lenses we buy.  Next time you go out to photograph and the weather may be threatening, I would have some sort of rain cover for your gear, even if the manufacturer says the gear is "weather, dust, splash, moisture, rain" resistant/sealed/proof or whatever.  I'm just sayin'.

If you have seen a site that has test results from manufacturers or statistical information in which each manufacturer defines their terminology, I wish you would pass it on.  I think we can all benefit from that knowledge.

Thanks for looking.  Enjoy!

Dennis Mook

Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com.  Please pay it a visit.  I add new images regularly.  Thank you.


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