Canon R5 II R5 MkII Waterproofing

[paulr5]

I have had my R5 MkII almost a month now. It's been great. But recently I got caught in a bit of rain. Nothing that would have worried my old 5D MkI. But to my horror, the R5 locked up. Could not get it to do anything. Turning it on and off did not help. I got back to the car, dried it off and removed the battery. When I put the battery back in, thankfully it started up as normal and has been fine ever since.

But I started to think about the camera strap I use. It attaches to the bottom of the camera, meaning the camera is carried upside down. Although I have no real evidence of what really happened, I am wondering if carrying it upside down is not the smartest idea in bad weather, given those large heat vents in the base of the camera. It's quite possible that some of the rainwater flowed down my jacket and into those vents. Anyways, I sure hope it never happens again.

 

[Dean Wilson]

Waterproof?

Nope!

Advanced User Guide: Handling Precautions ~ Camera Care

• This camera is designed to be dust- and drip- resistant, in order to help prevent sand, dust, dirt, or water that falls on it unexpectedly from getting inside, but it is impossible to prevent dirt, dust, water, or salt from getting inside at all. As far as possible, do not allow dirt, dust, water, or salt to get on the camera.

I highlighted the Key word in this caution.

 

[jcass]

To my understanding, the vents do not allow access to the interior of the camera. Perhaps someone can confirm. They are a passive cooling mechanism that allows airflow closer to the interior of the camera, but not within the internals of the camera itself. There are other places where water can get in. The battery compartment and card cover are two that come to mind when carrying upside-down.

I've been out in light rain with my R5II and not had a problem. Basically, I figure if I can handle the rain without a raincoat, then the camera can as well, though I do shield the camera somewhat with my body or drape a small towel over it. If I'm wearing a raincoat, I cover the body of the camera while carrying. In moderate to heavy rains, I shoot from shelter.

 

[ctitanic]

As far as I understood the vents allow air to go in and if that's the case water can also go in.

 

[paulr5]

To my understanding, the vents do not allow access to the interior of the camera. Perhaps someone can confirm. They are a passive cooling mechanism that allows airflow closer to the interior of the camera, but not within the internals of the camera itself. There are other places where water can get in. The battery compartment and card cover are two that come to mind when carrying upside-down.

I've been out in light rain with my R5II and not had a problem. Basically, I figure if I can handle the rain without a raincoat, then the camera can as well, though I do shield the camera somewhat with my body or drape a small towel over it. If I'm wearing a raincoat, I cover the body of the camera while carrying. In moderate to heavy rains, I shoot from shelter.

Thanks. I tend to agree that the battery compartment door and/or card cover are more likely to be the problem. It was only light rain, and it was only once. Other people were out in it without even an umbrella, but my camera locked up within about 30 seconds. I was surprised at how quickly it died, but I will protect it better in the future, and perhaps not carry it upside down in rain.