New Canon 5D died on my after 20 mins in the rain

[dhansak79]

First trip out with my brand new 5D at the weekend and it dies on me after around 30 shots. I couldn't take any shots, get into any menus, take pictures or anything. The camera would go on and the display in the top of the camera seemed to be working but that's it. None of the buttons worked at all. I tried different lenses and CF cards and had no luck.  I only use Sandisk cards and Canon L lenses so wouldn't expect problems.

Useless!

The camera then went on to not actually powering up at all and was basically dead as a dodo.  I took it back and got a refund so that I could consider what I wanted to do next.

I used the camera in some slight rain and can only assume that this is what killed the camera.

I have just taken delivery of a used Canon 1Ds instead.

Michael's field report mentioned the comments regarding the 5D being 'leaky'.  I can only concur with this assumption and warn prospective buyers of this limitation.

Daniel

[Dasher]

The 5D is not listed as being water-proof like the 1 series. The lenses might be sealed, but the rest of the body isn't.

[phopia]

Here it has been raining for 81 days now, ....and my 5D is still working.....and it's still raining...

[dhansak79]

Here it has been raining for 81 days now, ....and my 5D is still working.....and it's still raining...
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The fact that my 5D died on me may or may not be due to the rain.  I'd be interested to hear what other users expect from their 5Ds, if they've used them in the rain and if they've had any problems.

Whilst I know that the 5D is not weather sealed I have used a 350D anc countless other cameras in wet conditions without problem.  Are there some samples of the 5D that perhaps aren't sealed as well as they could be?  I assume some level of sealing is implemented even though the camera is not officially weather proofed?

Am I being unrealistic in expecting to be able to use an £1800 camera in the rain?  I don't think so but some may disagree.

Cheers

Daniel

[phopia]

I haven't had any problems using the camera in wet conditions, on the other hand I try to protect it from the weather, keeping it under my jacket and so on. All electronics are sensitive an d everone can be unlucky. So far I never had any trouble with cameras and rain for the last 30 years...The most trouble has been with the bellows on a Arca Swiss.  A camera is not useless because it malfunctions, it's probably only bad luck....

Best wishes

Hans

[dhansak79]

I haven't had any problems using the camera in wet conditions, on the other hand I try to protect it from the weather, keeping it under my jacket and so on. All electronics are sensitive an d everone can be unlucky. So far I never had any trouble with cameras and rain for the last 30 years...The most trouble has been with the bellows on a Arca Swiss.  A camera is not useless because it malfunctions, it's probably only bad luck....

Best wishes

Hans
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I guess I was probably unlucky.  Having said that, I would have been scared to use the camera in the rain having had this problem and, to me, that would severely limit the camera's appeal.  I suppose it's all to do with my faith in the product being seriously shaken.

The 1Ds gives me the piece of mind that I can go out in bad weather and not worry.

I think it's valuable to other 5D users for me to share my experience though as I found 1 page on the internet where a 5D user had water get into his camera through the viewfinder and was charged $1000 by Canon for a repair.

So I'd have to say that although Michael says in his 5D field report that you can use cameras in terrible weather I'd be wary of taking this advice based on my own experience with the 5D.  With the 350D, however, I had no such problem.

[Jonathan Wienke]

Michael's field report mentioned the comments regarding the 5D being 'leaky'.  I can only concur with this assumption and warn prospective buyers of this limitation.

If you are going to shoot in the rain, you either need a weather-sealed camera, or else an external rain shroud to keep the camera & lenbs dry. THe 5D was never marketed as being waterproof; only the 1-series bodies have all of the seals and gaskets necessary to shoot in wet weather without protection. You bought the wrong tool for the job, and were quite fortiunate to get a refund.

[jorgedelfino]

Electronics and water don't mix very well, get a nikonos if you want to get your camera wet.

[dhansak79]

Electronics and water don't mix very well, get a nikonos if you want to get your camera wet.
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It would seem that I incorrectly assumed that although not classified as being 'weather sealed' that at least some level of protection might be in place to prevent water getting inside the camera.

I had read Michael Reichman's views (as part of the 5D field report) and to be honest that article put me at ease with using a camera other than a 1 series in the rain. Also my own personal experiences of using cameras, including the 350D, in far worse conditions than my 5D experienced without problem contributed to this feeling.

The 5D didn't get really very wet at all and certainly a lot less than other equipment I have used extensively in the past.

The bottom line is that whilst not being weather sealed I would expect Canon to do their best to make the 5D as resilient as possible given it's price. I don't feel that they have done this given that mine failed after being in the rain for a few minutes.

As also said before, we are only guessing that this is in fact what happened and all of the above views are based on this assumption.

Thanks

Daniel

[dhansak79]

In addition to all of this my friend used a 350D in the same conditions with a non L lens and had no problems whatsoever.  He continued shooting for another 3 hours in the rain whilst I had to revert to my Leica film camera.

[picnic]

In addition to all of this my friend used a 350D in the same conditions with a non L lens and had no problems whatsoever.  He continued shooting for another 3 hours in the rain whilst I had to revert to my Leica film camera.
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Well, the 2 then may not be related.  I've shot in misty conditions over the last year with my 5D--and I know others that have done the same--with no problems whatsoever.  I wouldn't shoot in a downpour with any camera--even the 1 series.  

Diane

[Paul Kay]

"The bottom line is that whilst not being weather sealed I would expect Canon to do their best to make the 5D as resilient as possible given it's price."

When the 5D was announced and its specifications published alongside the 1D series it was quite clear that the 1D series are designed with waterproofing as an aim (I think water resistant is a better description) whilst the 5D was quite clearly not - as its spec showed. I remember noting this at the time and it decided me to stick with the 1D series despite their weight.

That said, it looks like you were unlucky as I too have used cameras which were not waterproofed, in heavy rain in the past with no problems. I have also seen a 1D become so waterlogged that it would not operate until it had been left on a radiator overnight (this was due to torrential rain and prolonged use - more than I was prepared to subject my cameras too) after which it worked as normal again! But I don't think that you can blame Canon for the 5D's demise if it was due to rain as they do make it clear that whilst the 1D series are protected from water ingress, the 5D is not.

[Ken Tanaka]

Daniel:  What's done is done, so this note is rather pointless.  But you've made the assumption that the cause of your 5D's failure was rain.  That's a fair sized assumption, given that it was right out of the box.  The true nature of the problem could have been entirely unrelated to rain.  

Personally, I've not had a problem with my 5D in the rain but I've not exposed it to torrential conditions.

Good luck.

[to-mas]

I was shooting with 5d+24-70+550flash in normal rain for few hours and didnt have any problem.

I know many photojournalist who used 20D/30D in rain and didnt have any problem.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

The only time my 10D had a problem with rain was on a long hike during substantial rain, with no rain cover. The hike was so beautiful (in the Canadian Rockies) that I kept shooting, until something shorted out and the camera went dead. At about the same time, my backup film camera (a Canon Elan 7NE) also quit. Back at the lodge I opened everything up as much as possible a few feet from the fireplace and dried everything out. Next morning both cameras were fine (with fresh batteries.)

I've now had a 5D for about six months, and it has never been bothered by weather. I do try to provide some protection if it is raining, snowing, or in a sand storm. I strongy suspect your 5D was defective from the start.

[Steve Kerman]

I'm in the electronics business.  When we build electronic assemblies, part of the manufacturing process is to wash them by immersion in water-based cleaning solutions.  My point being, electronics aren't inherently destroyed by water.

If a bit of water leaking in caused the problem with your 5D, I would expect it to return to normal funtioning after it had a chance to dry out.  A day or two would probably do it; certainly it would be completely dried out within a week, unless you're storing it someplace extremely humid.

If it doesn't return to normal function, it's almost certainly because of something other then the effects of a little moisture on the elctronics.

I would certainly return it for a warranty claim.

[PTeeCee]

I have hiked in snow followed by rain resulting in so much water pooling in my camera bag that I stood my camera lens down with the hood on so as to lift it out out of the resulting bilge in the bottom of the case. On arrival at the next outpost of civilization that supported a general store I bought some rice and a large Zip-Loc bag. Camera and rice into bag overnight resulted in a functioning system which is still good years later. Peter

[GregW]

Electronics and water don't mix very well, get a nikonos if you want to get your camera wet.
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NIKONOS camera's are underwater camera's.  I think the original poster was refering to environmental sealing on a regular SLR.  A Canon 1D or Nikon D200 or D2Xs would have been good examples of camera's with environmental sealing.

[gochugogi]

I've used my 9 month old 5D in light rain, dizzle, salt spray and high humidity many times. However I take the shot and tuck in my bag, taking care to dry off water drops with a microfiber cloth. If I need to use a tripod, I hold an umbrella over it. Most of my cameras have not been sealed and, with the before mentioned precautions, I've not had any problems the past 30 years.

[pathfinder]

I know of two episodes of temporary failure with a 5D due to drizzle and rain.

My experience was two weekends ago in Missouri, when I was out of doors shooting in the drizzling rain in sub-freezing temperatures.  I did not leave the camera out in the rain, except only briefly enough to make the exposure and then back inside my car.  After a few hours and about 30-40 frames I began to see severe vignetting on two corners only of the image - this vignetting was recorded in the RAW files and was NOT seen through the lens!  After drying the camera out overnight, it was back in action without the vignetting.   I was shooting with a 24-105 f4 IS L  and it remained clear without any fogging, and any lens vignetting would involve all four corners, and be MUCH less subtle than what I experienced - about 25% of the frame areas on two corners diagonally were completely black.  

A friend of mine, John Ruttenberg, was shooting in the rain with his 5D last winter, and it ultimately quit working entirely with a very distorted appearance to some image frames before quitting.  Again, a thorough drying out overnight, and it resumed working properly.  It seems to have suffered no long term defects as he is still using it to shoot the Boston Ballet company.

  I was aware of John's story, so I was trying to be rather careful with my 5D, and did not treat it any differently than I have treated my 20D.  But my 20D never quit like that.  I should have taken my 1DsMkll, but did not need files that large, nor a camera that heavy that weekend, and when I left for Missouri it had not started raining.

  So my experience is that the 5D really does not fare well in cold, wet weather.  It is a great camera and works very nicely when used properly, but it will not tolerate very much cold, damp weather.  I'll use my 1series body in a similar weather next time.