How water-resistant is the T2i?

[Scott Wilkinson]

This is a kind of tangent on my other thread called "The T2i is plenty strong enough for me..."

Over in the 7D forum, several guys have talked about how water-resistant the 7D is. A few people said they have actually shot with the body UNCOVERED in pouring rain for an hour...and the camera worked fine.

So I'm curious...has anybody here actually gotten their T2i wet? (e.g. shot in the rain). Did it seem fine?

The way the 7D people talk, the T2i would explode if a drop of water got on it...which I doubt! LOL

Any firsthand reports?

Scott

[Colin Rowe]

Who the hell would want/need to shoot in the pouring rain for an hour !!??. The 7D has a far superior build quality to the 550D/t2i. And is sealed against water, the 550D/t2i is not. Would you take out your £5000 video camera in the rain without a rain cover, broadcast cameras are covered in the rain, if not, they all go bang. I should imagine the 550D/t2i could withstand some light rain, but I am not going to try it out on mine, as with all equipment, when it gets damp, bring out the covers.

[Chris Hurd]

The EOS 7D is weather sealed, but the Rebel T2i most definitely is not -- and I doubt anyone is going to try it on purpose.

[James Donnelly]

Worth bearing in mind that not all lenses are weather sealed.

My understanding is that most (not all) L series lenses are weather sealed but most (maybe all) non L lenses are not.

Here is someone else's list, but I can't vouch for it's completeness:

List of weather sealed lenses | Canon 5D tips

[Scott Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Colin Rowe

Who the hell would want/need to shoot in the pouring rain for an hour !!??.

I agree! And I didn't start this thread because I *want* to shoot in the rain. I'm just wondering if the T2i's lack of "weather sealing" (whatever that means) means the camera is as good as dead if it gets wet? (Because again, that's the implied message from 7D/5D owners, who seem to use weather sealing as a prime criterion for selecting those cameras over the T2i.)

Scott

[Bryan McCullough]

I don't think people see it as a "prime" criterion, it's just one of many that when added up *might* cause someone to feel the price difference is justified.

I really think it comes down to what you shoot. If you're in controlled environments all the time: offices, studios, sets, etc., then I don't know how critical the build quality difference is. But if you're shooting outdoors all the time, maybe even if you shoot a ton of handheld stuff where the risk for dropping is greater, then I can see the build quality being important to that person.

There's no question that the 5D and 7D are of stronger construction, but admitting that doesn't make the T2i made from tissue. I think the bottom line is that, if you ran tests, the 7D would hold up to damage better than the T2i. But if you never drop it or shoot in harsh conditions, then it doesn't matter.

[Bill Sparkes]

I recently photographed local firemen at a wildland fire where a strong wind blew quite a lot of spray from a nozzle operating at full force. I made an effort to keep my camera dry but a fair amount of water landed on it. I kept shooting intermittently for about 5 minutes. I returned to my vehicle and carefully wiped body and lens dry.
That was about 10 days ago and I have had no problems.
It would seem the camera will operate in these conditions but it is not as sturdy or weather sealed as more expensive cameras. (You get exactly what you pay for...)

[Bryan McCullough]

Of course, if you consider the T2i and 7D equal in all other respects, you could shoot in crappy environments all you want and if/when the camera finally does give up the ghost, buy a new one and you're still ahead from buying a 7D. :D

[Kin Lau]

I've had the Rebel series from the 300D, 350D and 400D out in winter, cold, light rain, and they've all survived. I won't let it get soaking wet tho.