# Wrecked my 6D today, what a POS



## ontarian (Jul 27, 2013)

So I got over my initial dislike last year of a few of the corners Canon took with the 6D (like 1/4000 max shutter speed) because the image quality was on par with my 5D3. Today shooting the Collingwood Ontario Elvis festival in the rain with a EF 400mm 2.8 IS on my 5D3 and a 14mm 2.8 II on my 6D and I was shocked to find that my 6D stopped responding after about 20 minutes in sporadic rain. I got home, opened things up to inspect and found felt-like material at all the seams rather than the expected rubber material that even my EF-S mount 2009 era 7D has. I'm sorry, but F$#%K you Canon, for my couple of grand I want you to not skimp out on maybe a dollar's worth of sealing material. My 6D is now in a bowl of rice in my cranked up to the max infrared sauna, I'll see if my hatred of Canon corner cutting sticks. No wonder I enjoy developing EOS mount solutions for 60's to mid 80's era Canon manual focus lenses, its before they started sucking like it was a sport.


Edit, a few hours later:

Well, the bowl of rice and a couple of hours in the dry sauna seem to have brought the body back to life thankfully. I'm thinking that the 6D problems had something to do with the fact that it was hanging mostly from my shoulder with the rear buttons facing the rain where my 5D3 was mostly top up since they look like they should both share the same "weatherproofing" levels.


-Ed Mika


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## distant.star (Jul 27, 2013)

.
I genuinely feel for you and hope everything gets dry and back to 100% usability, but....

I have to tell you, this really reads funny. I couldn't help but laugh. You're not laughing, I know, but believe me, I really am laughing WITH you!

Sincerely, hope all turns out well!


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## paul13walnut5 (Jul 27, 2013)

I hope you get things working again... but.

The 7D was rated as weatherproof (whatever that actually means).
The 6D is not.

Maybe you shouldn't have cut corners yourself.
Not suggesting you should have had to pay an extra grand for a 5D3 with weather sealing, but $60 on a kata jacket or even $5 on a throwaway rain cover...

My over-riding feeling is empathy, sympathy even, but you can't really blame canon. You made a bad call, but the punishment seems undue.


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## ontarian (Jul 27, 2013)

I agree, I did not double check Canon marketing to see if the weatherproof box was checked, I made an incorrect assumption and now I'm paying for it. I should have taken my 1D4 as a second body but it didn't look like rain when I left and I didn't want the 1.3 crop factor on either lens for the look I was going for. I already dislike what Canon is doing with cheapening everything down build-wise (but surprisingly not correspondingly cost-wise) particularly in lenses and this certainly doesn't do much to change my sour opinion. I normally would not have purchased a bottom end 6D but I pretty much need 1 of everything for my lens conversion development work for interference testing.



paul13walnut5 said:


> I hope you get things working again... but.
> 
> The 7D was rated as weatherproof (whatever that actually means).
> The 6D is not.
> ...


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## Sporgon (Jul 27, 2013)

paul13walnut5 said:


> I hope you get things working again... but.
> 
> The 7D was rated as weatherproof (whatever that actually means).
> The 6D is not.



Not sure that's entirely true. On the spec sheets Canon rate the 6D, 7D and 5DIII all the same as '= to the EOS 1n'. 

Of course that camera didn't soley comprise of sophisticated electronics packed into a portable box. I'm wary of this level of proofing: I wouldn't use any of them in rain without protection. 

Interesting that the 6D has felt proofing as opposed to the rubber gaskets in the 7D.


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## brianboru (Jul 27, 2013)

Don't forget to throw a silica-gel pack in the battery compartment. 

My s95 was inadvertently left out overnight, on the ground and went through storm that dumped an inch of rain in 30 minutes. It was in a leather case that prevented the rain from directly striking the camera but acted as a big sponge. I popped the battery and card, dried it off, and put it in a brown paper bag with rice and the silica-gel pack in the battery compartment for two days. I didn't apply heat as I didn't want to drive moisture further into it - especially the lens. It seems to have survived, and since it was face down, the lens doesn't seem contaminated.


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## brad-man (Jul 27, 2013)

I've never opened up the body of either my 7D or my 6D to check internal waterproofing, but they both share the same "foam/rubber" weather sealing on the battery door.


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## ontarian (Jul 27, 2013)

Karlos said:


> noobs blaming their own errors on canon.. you have to love it.
> 
> i have shoot with a 550D in rain.. no problem.
> what where you doing scuba diving? ;D




Noob eh? Yeah, I was going to say something back but I've changed my mind.


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## photonius (Jul 27, 2013)

paul13walnut5 said:


> I hope you get things working again... but.
> 
> The 7D was rated as weatherproof (whatever that actually means).
> The 6D is not.
> ...



6D and 5DIII should be the same according to Canon:

http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/tech/report/2012/10/
"Greater reliability

The EOS 6D passed 100,000 cycles in shutter durability tests. Dust and drip proofing protection around control buttons and along outer cover seams has been upgraded from the EOS 5D Mark II and is equivalent to the protection on the EOS 5D Mark III."


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## TAF (Jul 27, 2013)

ontarian said:


> So I got over my initial dislike last year of a few of the corners Canon took with the 6D (like 1/4000 max shutter speed) because the image quality was on par with my 5D3. Today shooting the Collingwood Ontario Elvis festival in the rain with a EF 400mm 2.8 IS on my 5D3 and a 14mm 2.8 II on my 6D and I was shocked to find that my 6D stopped responding after about 20 minutes in sporadic rain. I got home, opened things up to inspect and found felt-like material at all the seams rather than the expected rubber material that even my EF-S mount 2009 era 7D has. I'm sorry, but F$#%K you Canon, for my couple of grand I want you to not skimp out on maybe a dollar's worth of sealing material. My 6D is now in a bowl of rice in my cranked up to the max infrared sauna, I'll see if my hatred of Canon corner cutting sticks. No wonder I enjoy developing EOS mount solutions for 60's to mid 80's era Canon manual focus lenses, its before they started sucking like it was a sport.
> 
> -Ed Mika



I definitely sympathize.

If you have access to a bell jar and vacuum pump, such a setup works better than rice.

Perhaps this is an opportunity - get a scrap AE-1 off eBay, and put the Fd mount right on the 6D body. Develop some way to trip the diaphragm lever, and you'd have the perfect conversion - the one Canon should have provided in the 1980's.


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## jdramirez (Jul 27, 2013)

paul13walnut5 said:


> I hope you get things working again... but.
> 
> The 7D was rated as weatherproof (whatever that actually means).
> The 6D is not.
> ...



I was shooting professionally around July 4th and the forecast called for rain. I was shooting with a bunch of guys and when I put my rain sleeve/condom on my 5D mkiii, I got some cross eyed looks... and they asked... is the mkiii not weather proof... and I explained it was, but I wasn't going to risk water damage when I don't make enough professionally to replace it in a day. Better safe than sorry. 

It didn't rain during the event... and as soon as it was over, down came a sheet of rain that was bucket sized droplets... The mkiii was safe and sound in my condom and I wasn't concerned... so maybe a few dollars to protect your gear when you know it might rain might be well worth the investment... regardless of weather proofing or not.


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## bdunbar79 (Jul 27, 2013)

Karlos said:


> noobs blaming their own errors on canon.. you have to love it.
> 
> i have shoot with a 550D in rain.. no problem.
> what where you doing scuba diving? ;D



Well yeah true, but like, you're better than us, so, ya know...


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## neuroanatomist (Jul 27, 2013)

ontarian said:


> Karlos said:
> 
> 
> > noobs blaming their own errors on canon.. you have to love it.
> ...



That's ok, I will. 

The OP, Ed Mika, is the guy who makes the excellent adapters to use high-end Canon FD and FL lenses on EOS bodies. He breathes new life into old superteles and fast primes (55/1.2, for example). 

Karlos, what are your esteemed contributions to photography? Your 7 posts here, most of them insulting to a lesser or greater degree? Thoroughly unimpressive. Or maybe you have a lot more than 7 posts here, but just as other users who were banned? If so, get a life, and I expect the mods will catch up to you sooner or later...


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## ontarian (Jul 27, 2013)

Thanks for the kind words neuroanatomist. My EOS adapter solution index has grown quite a bit and includes the following lenses. 




EdMika Adapters July 25 2013 by Ontarian, on Flickr



I think it might even perhaps be time I update the Canonrumors article on the conversions.


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## distant.star (Jul 27, 2013)

.
If you're right, this is surely the first sighting of a "noob" using a $10,000 lens.

Pretty extraordinary observation -- did you get a picture of it with your 550D?




Karlos said:


> noobs blaming their own errors on canon.. you have to love it.
> 
> i have shoot with a 550D in rain.. no problem.
> what where you doing scuba diving? ;D


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## rumorzmonger (Jul 28, 2013)

distant.star said:


> .
> If you're right, this is surely the first sighting of a "noob" using a $10,000 lens.



I doubt it... the price tag on the gear has little to do with an owner's level of expertise (or common sense), I'm afraid.

Granted, I too would have expected the 6D to hold up better than that.


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## oscaroo (Jul 28, 2013)

My 6d stood upto quite a few hours of rain before the rear buttons started malfunctioning, but it luckily never stopped working

I rice bowled it and after a day or so all seemed fine. Except one button at the back didn't recover. I took it to warranty with the, "I dunno?! This button won't work?" attitude and they replaced the rear board 

I'm defo getting extended warranty.
At the time I read as much as I could find out about the 6d and didn't see anywhere any claim to its weatherproofness. Next time, i'll stay out in the rain but i'll wipe the water off the rear panel before it all builds up behind the buttons. I think the rear buttons aren't too water tight but the rest may be, dunno, shrug.

However, the 8-15 fisheye worked marvellously in the face of rain/seaspray. Not a single glitch.


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## Pandypix (Jul 28, 2013)

Memo to self buy a raincoat for my camera. I don't intend to be out in rain but on the law of averages I will get caught one day. I am also thinking that when the surf is running big and I get the chance of photos at the lighthouse a raincoat may be a good thing to use against accidental spray.


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## jdramirez (Jul 28, 2013)

Pandypix said:


> Memo to self buy a raincoat for my camera. I don't intend to be out in rain but on the law of averages I will get caught one day. I am also thinking that when the surf is running big and I get the chance of photos at the lighthouse a raincoat may be a good thing to use against accidental spray.



http://www.amazon.com/OP-TECH-USA-Rainsleeve-18-Inch/dp/B000PTFDYO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374980790&sr=8-1&keywords=slr+rain+cover

I got this and I thought it was more than adequate for the price.


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## Snook (Jul 28, 2013)

I used my 6D out in pretty heavy rain a few days ago. It was a spur of the moment shoot and I didn't have much with me so I pulled the old plastic bag trick. I covered up the camera and stuck my 24-105 out the front and it worked perfectly. It wasn't stylish by any means, but functionality is much more important.


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## Jack Douglas (Jul 28, 2013)

jdramirez, is that bag capable of going over a 6D with a 300 2.8 lens do you think?

Jack


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## jrista (Jul 28, 2013)

ontarian said:


> Edit, a few hours later:
> 
> Well, the bowl of rice and a couple of hours in the dry sauna seem to have brought the body back to life thankfully. I'm thinking that the 6D problems had something to do with the fact that it was hanging mostly from my shoulder with the rear buttons facing the rain where my 5D3 was mostly top up since they look like they should both share the same "weatherproofing" levels.
> 
> ...



Well, congrats on reviving it. I guess that says something about Canon's durability...to get drenched, then keep on ticking, is pretty nice. 

Out of curiosity...is the 6D weather sealed? If so, is it supposed to be rated the same as the 5D III or 7D? I guess, at the very least, I would suspect some corners to be cut in order to support the built in WiFi and GPS. The nice heavy-duty magnesium frame needs to be adjusted a bit to allow large enough holes for those signals to get through...wonder if that may also impact weather sealability...


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## BPLOL (Jul 28, 2013)

Well, not only this site has it stated (http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/tech/report/2012/10/), as someone said, but we get this illustration found in this other site (http://imagesandcameras.com/canon-eos-6d-dslr-camera):







Where did they get this from, I dunno, but I beleive they got it from a Canon press release or something like that.

But the truth is that no camera is safe. Read this: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3371529


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## shashinkaman (Jul 28, 2013)

"...my EF-S mount *2009 era* 7D..." ???


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## Pandypix (Jul 28, 2013)

jdramirez said:


> Pandypix said:
> 
> 
> > Memo to self buy a raincoat for my camera. I don't intend to be out in rain but on the law of averages I will get caught one day. I am also thinking that when the surf is running big and I get the chance of photos at the lighthouse a raincoat may be a good thing to use against accidental spray.
> ...



Thank you for showing this I checked the postage and it is twice the cost of the covers so I will try to get something local but I have bookmarked Amazon it might mean I get something else sent at the same time and combine the cost.


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## cocopop05 (Jul 28, 2013)

So the weather sealing on the 5D Mark III is not very good or dependable? This makes Canon look even more silly that for less money Nikon released a camera with an extra 14MP, similar noise leves in RAW, better weather sealing but for less money.

Having said all that, I love my 5D Mark III to bits.


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## thgmuffin (Jul 28, 2013)

ontarian said:


> Thanks for the kind words neuroanatomist. My EOS adapter solution index has grown quite a bit and includes the following lenses.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Awesome stuff! I might jump on that 55mm F1.2 on Craigslist...


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## Canon1 (Jul 28, 2013)

Jack Douglas said:


> jdramirez, is that bag capable of going over a 6D with a 300 2.8 lens do you think?
> 
> Jack



Jack,

Yes, this will go over a 300 f2.8.

I will add that when I sold my 300 and bought a 500 f4, this rain sleeve was not longer big enough. I ended up getting a Lens Coat Rain Jacket and absolutely love it! Knowing what I know now I would have spent a little more back then and bought the lens coat for my 300. It is so much nicer to use and if you are trying to protect a $4k lens then whats the difference between $6 and $100?

But yes, this op/tech will work just great on a 300 f2.8.


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## Dr.Jones (Jul 28, 2013)

I feel greatly sorry for you. No matter how much you asked for it yourself it is always a sad thing you gear starts malfunctioning. 

If it's okay with the OP I'dd like to ask you all for some advice in what to do in my own situation. I have a 5D Mark III which is currently in for repair by water damage. Canon has opened up the camera and found several spots where water has damaged multiple parts of the camera.. My problem however is not whether or not water has damaged my camera as canon have already sent me pictures of the internals of my camera. My problem is that this damage has happened over night where i was sleeping in a tent. The camera what functioning perfect when i went to sleep and not at all when i woke again. Therefor i suspect the camera to be damaged only by moisture and condensation, which i find to be less than satisfying.. Another thing to add is that my 5D Mark II was right next to it and it suffered no malfunctions. 

I am very disappointed with this. And of course the bill that followed, which right now I'm refusing to pay... 
I live in Denmark, if that is of interest for anyone. In Denmark the price for a 5D mark III is just about 4000$ and the cost of the repair is 2800$... Almost 3/4 of the price of a new one... 

So if anyone can provide some help in any way i would be more than thankful also pictures like the one of the 6D's sealing would be nice to have. Thank you all in advance!


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## Marsu42 (Jul 28, 2013)

paul13walnut5 said:


> The 7D was rated as weatherproof (whatever that actually means).
> The 6D is not.



No camera is weatherproof, and they are not marketed as such just like there is no bulletproof glass, just "resistant". Of course Canon has no problem with customers "misreading" their sealing diagrams and specs. If you want affordable real bad weather capability, ask Pentax :-\

This has been debated a lot, and my consequence is that only 1d camera bodies are meant for shooting in the rain, for everything else you have to be more or less lucky. With my 60d (~6d sealing it seems to me) I avoid water that directly hits the sealing points, i.e. I only shoot in snow or very light rain for short periods of time and remove water on my camera while shooting and afterwards with a towel.


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## expatinasia (Jul 28, 2013)

I was at a major int. sporting event not that long ago and was on the pitch with the other photographers when it started raining. Everyone, immediately put on the rain coats to protect their equipment - most of them 1D Xs with Canon's official rain cover, and a few Nikons. Everyone that is, but this one westerner. He acted almost as if he was showing off that "hey my equipment is weather proof", which was silly because everyone had pretty much the same gear. Point is, that if it is your employer's gear, protect it. If it is your gear, protect it - possibly even more.

I used to use the op-tech plastic cheap covers but now I have all three sizes of Canon's own rain covers and they are great, much stronger and well made.


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## K0ttie (Jul 28, 2013)

Hi, long time reader etc. My personal 7d survived a few light downpours with the 24-70 mk1 attached. While shooting some sea spray in Israel in a spot where it wasn't apparently reaching : I got caught out big time. Now I instinctively turned my back to shield the camera but I think the splash hit mostly on the rear display and buttons. The camera started to malfunction straight away. It had a Sigma 50 attached so I immediately checked the lens seal, not a drop. Battery compartment fine, but water was defiantly leaking out of all top and rear control buttons when I pushed them. To its credit it came back to life for 6 months or so before the corrosion ate its soul, occasionally I slip a battery into it hoping for the miracle. Misdirected seaspray + most cameras= Brick


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## Jack Douglas (Jul 28, 2013)

Thanks Canon1 for good advice. Doesn't make sense to penny pinch.

http://www.lenscoat.com/lenscoat®-raincoat-p-2088.html?osCsid=7b36aa5b86b495795b7c6feebd730496  

My idea was to avoid the rain but I experienced my first small sprinkle a couple days back and realized that I was incapable of avoiding this eventuality unless I was prepared to severly restrict my outings - and I'm not! 

Jack


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## David Hull (Jul 28, 2013)

I think it is sort of stupid to take any piece of expensive electronics out in the "wet". Who knows what "weatherproof" means? It is not defined anywhere. If this stuff were indeed "rain proof" there would be a specification in the spec list telling you so. Something that reads like "Guaranteed to withstand rainfall at 1 inch per hour for 3 hours on any incident on any axis" or just simply something like "Designed for compliance with MIL-STD-883" or something like that. NONE of this stuff says anything like that so to assume that it is rain proof is taking a risk on your part, regardless of what the marketing glossy or folklore heresy says. The word “weatherproof” or “weather sealed” is meaningless w/o a specification.


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## RMC33 (Jul 28, 2013)

David Hull said:


> I think it is sort of stupid to take any piece of expensive electronics out in the "wet". Who knows what "weatherproof" means? It is not defined anywhere. If this stuff were indeed "rain proof" there would be a specification in the spec list telling you so. Something that reads like "Guaranteed to withstand rainfall at 1 inch per hour for 3 hours on any incident on any axis" or just simply something like "Designed for compliance with MIL-STD-883" or something like that. NONE of this stuff says anything like that so to assume that it is rain proof is taking a risk on your part, regardless of what the marketing glossy or folklore heresy says. The word “weatherproof” or “weather sealed” is meaningless w/o a specification.



Well, 6d isn't weather rated. Never had an issue with my 5d2/3 and 1Dx. I just spent a few days shooting surfing in LA, on the beach, in the rain/wind/seaspray and have no issues. Canon does rate their cameras as well, 5 series is rated for light rain and high humidity, while the 1 series can resist rain, humidity and all sorts of nastiness (1dx spent a night in 2ft of snow and worked fine). I will find the specifics and post them when I get home.


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## K0ttie (Jul 28, 2013)

Now when I say sea spray it was an exaggeration :-\ More like a water dump. I am not surprised the 7D stopped working in hindsight but it would be good to know exactly what these weather ratings mean.


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## Aditya (Jul 28, 2013)

Earlier this spring I purposefully went out in light rain for 30-40min with a 5D MKIII and 100mm 2.8L so I could shoot the cherry blossoms here in Seattle in their native habitat (rain) and luckily didn't encounter electo-issues afterwards. Made sure to dry everything off afterwards and kept it under a towel until shooting. That said, it was probably a bad idea to risk hundreds of $ in repairs for a few shots.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aditya-g/8681812357/#in/set-72157633339010129/

I don't have a rain guard but probably should get one, is the OpTech one most people's choice? I bought a Snug-it Batman suit from Delkin but returned it because the buttons became too difficult to press with my limited hand function.

I also thought about a LensCoat for my 70-200 2.8, mostly to avoid being 'that guy,' with the big white lens, but thought it wasn't really worth it, how do you like yours Jack D?


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## photonius (Jul 28, 2013)

Dr.Jones said:


> I feel greatly sorry for you. No matter how much you asked for it yourself it is always a sad thing you gear starts malfunctioning.
> 
> If it's okay with the OP I'dd like to ask you all for some advice in what to do in my own situation. I have a 5D Mark III which is currently in for repair by water damage. Canon has opened up the camera and found several spots where water has damaged multiple parts of the camera.. My problem however is not whether or not water has damaged my camera as canon have already sent me pictures of the internals of my camera. My problem is that this damage has happened over night where i was sleeping in a tent. The camera what functioning perfect when i went to sleep and not at all when i woke again. Therefor i suspect the camera to be damaged only by moisture and condensation, which i find to be less than satisfying.. Another thing to add is that my 5D Mark II was right next to it and it suffered no malfunctions.
> 
> ...



this link, posted twice already, states that the 5DIII sealing is better than the 5D II.
http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/tech/report/2012/10/
I presume there may be other tech reports on that site, which have other little tidbits.
As to your particular case, it's rather difficult to judge what has been going on. Even though one camera is dead, and the other not, maybe even small differences in location may have done it, i.e. one underneath the other, liquid going down, etc. Also, did it rain during the night, was the tent waterproof, i.e. a little water dripping here or there exactly on the one camera, but not the other, while you were sleeping.


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## David Hull (Jul 28, 2013)

RMC33 said:


> David Hull said:
> 
> 
> > I think it is sort of stupid to take any piece of expensive electronics out in the "wet". Who knows what "weatherproof" means? It is not defined anywhere. If this stuff were indeed "rain proof" there would be a specification in the spec list telling you so. Something that reads like "Guaranteed to withstand rainfall at 1 inch per hour for 3 hours on any incident on any axis" or just simply something like "Designed for compliance with MIL-STD-883" or something like that. NONE of this stuff says anything like that so to assume that it is rain proof is taking a risk on your part, regardless of what the marketing glossy or folklore heresy says. The word “weatherproof” or “weather sealed” is meaningless w/o a specification.
> ...



I would be interested in seeing a real specification if they have one. I know they did print something in a press release once but I never saw it again. 

Looking at the 5DIII manual for specifications, this is the extent of their environmental specification list:

Working Temperature: 0C to +40C, 32F to 104F
Humidity: 85% or less

I didn’t look at the 1Dx, what does it say?

Maybe I am extra paranoid but IMO, if they don't put it in the spec list, then they haven't tested it and don't really know what it does or doesn't do.


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## neuroanatomist (Jul 28, 2013)

Lots of retailers carry LensCoat products, but worth noting that if you buy a RainCoat (except the smallest one) direct from them, they'll throw in a RainCap for free ($20 value).

I was out shooting in moderate rain for ~1 hr last week with the 1D X + 600 II. No issues, but I think I'll pick up a RainCoat for next time...


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## J.R. (Jul 28, 2013)

Trouble is that Canon raw the weather sealing on both the 5d3 and the 6d to be equivalent to the EOS 1N film camera ... Whatever that means. I wasn't shooting film with the EOS 1N (which was released almost two decades back so would request someone to throw some light on this rather confusing statement by Canon.


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## Jack Douglas (Jul 28, 2013)

Jack D doesn't have a lens coat but I've wondered about getting one. I'm pretty careful walking in the trees etc. but it only takes one wrong move. Not really nuts about that camoflage look. However, I'm giving hints to my kids re. Christmas .

I see rain as a more pressing and serious issue but would like to hear what others think of coats in general.
This topic is similar to buying a watch and then going swimming with it on - I wouldn't. 

Jack


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## brad-man (Jul 28, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> Lots of retailers carry LensCoat products, but worth noting that if you buy a RainCoat (except the smallest one) direct from them, they'll throw in a RainCap for free ($20 value).
> 
> I was out shooting in moderate rain for ~1 hr last week with the 1D X + 600 II. No issues, but I think I'll pick up a RainCoat for next time...



I was/am considering this. The _LensCoat RainCoat Standard_ can be bought from Amazon, B&H, etc for $80 w/free shipping. If you buy it from Lenscoat, you will receive the cap for "free", but it will cost about $12 for shipping and insurance. So, is the cap worth $12 or will a sandwich bag suffice?


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## brad-man (Jul 28, 2013)

Jack Douglas said:


> Jack D doesn't have a lens coat but I've wondered about getting one. I'm pretty careful walking in the trees etc. but it only takes one wrong move. Not really nuts about that camoflage look. However, I'm giving hints to my kids re. Christmas .
> 
> I see rain as a more pressing and serious issue but would like to hear what others think of coats in general.
> This topic is similar to buying a watch and then going swimming with it on - I wouldn't.
> ...



They come in four versions of camo, but are also available in black, blue or green.


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## Chuck Alaimo (Jul 28, 2013)

paul13walnut5 said:


> I hope you get things working again... but.
> 
> The 7D was rated as weatherproof (whatever that actually means).
> The 6D is not.
> ...



EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK yikes. While I want to say, you take your risks with your gear when shooting in conditions like that, and when you do it you best make damn sure that the benefits outweigh the risks. But in reality, I take the other course way too often, forget the weather and go for it!!! a bunch of times so far this summer - hiing the trails at watkins glen, storm moved in, nothing we could do about it other than hike back. I will say my thinktank bag is why that ended up not going horribly south for me. 2nd one I got real lucky - shooting the tragically hip, this deep dark black cloud ominously moving in. The skies were intense and the images were great...but wow - you know how it goes - you get your 3 songs in the press area and thats that...so I do the 3 songs, talk to the other phtographers for a moment, and start waling to the car. Half way there i felt a sprinkle. And 10 steps away from my car it unloaded on us, freaking torrential downpour. If the Hip had come on 5 minutes later --- yikes. As it was, --- for the Tragically Hip, ---- ALL their gear was destroyed by the storm!!!!!

Thats the 2 most memorable. I take the weather for granted because of my mk3, but often forget that the 6d isn't quite as rugged.... I gotta watch that!!!! 

On another note --- 2 years ago, event shooting in clubs --- had a full beer spilled on my 7d - on the backside. I dried it off with a rag and it was fine to shoot with for the rest of the night. I no longer own it, but, sold it to a buddy who took it to africa - it survived that and did admirably. When he got back, he had 1 month left on the B&H extended warranty (3 year plan, so that camera is doing quite awesome). He sent it in, the replaced the shutter, cleaned the sensor real good and replaced some other gaskets and stuff. That camera could last him another 3 years unless he wants to upgrade.


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## neuroanatomist (Jul 28, 2013)

brad-man said:


> I was/am considering this. The _LensCoat RainCoat Standard_ can be bought from Amazon, B&H, etc for $80 w/free shipping. If you buy it from Lenscoat, you will receive the cap for "free", but it will cost about $12 for shipping and insurance. So, is the cap worth $12 or will a sandwich bag suffice?



Only about $9 to ship the RainCoat Pro to me (arrival in 2 days), so I'd say the cap is worth that. In fact, I just ordered it.


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## brad-man (Jul 28, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> brad-man said:
> 
> 
> > I was/am considering this. The _LensCoat RainCoat Standard_ can be bought from Amazon, B&H, etc for $80 w/free shipping. If you buy it from Lenscoat, you will receive the cap for "free", but it will cost about $12 for shipping and insurance. So, is the cap worth $12 or will a sandwich bag suffice?
> ...



It does seem to be a very effective solution. The only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger is this nagging feeling that I won't have it when I need it. I very rarely _intend_ to shoot in inclement weather. It's a little large to always carry, as I like to travel as light as possible.


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## jrista (Jul 28, 2013)

I've used the RealTree version of LensCoat's RainCoat for a while...since winter. It is definitely worth the investment if you shoot in any kind of weather. You never really can tell how save your gear will be when its exposed...having the ability to slip on the rain coat when you need to gives you that extra peace of mind.

I will say that with smaller lenses, it is much more difficult to use. It is designed to work with long lenses, so on something shorter, like the 100-400, you get a lot of bunched up material, particularly at the camera end. It works much better on the 600mm f/4, as it stretches out more appropriately and gives you more freedom at the camera end. It is also easier to balance on a longer lens than on a shorter lens (the bunching tends to be erratic, making it possible to unbalance a lens on a gimbal just by shifting the rain coat material around during use.)


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## brad-man (Jul 28, 2013)

jrista said:


> I've used the RealTree version of LensCoat's RainCoat for a while...since winter. It is definitely worth the investment if you shoot in any kind of weather. You never really can tell how save your gear will be when its exposed...having the ability to slip on the rain coat when you need to gives you that extra peace of mind.
> 
> I will say that with smaller lenses, it is much more difficult to use. It is designed to work with long lenses, so on something shorter, like the 100-400, you get a lot of bunched up material, particularly at the camera end. It works much better on the 600mm f/4, as it stretches out more appropriately and gives you more freedom at the camera end. It is also easier to balance on a longer lens than on a shorter lens (the bunching tends to be erratic, making it possible to unbalance a lens on a gimbal just by shifting the rain coat material around during use.)



Are you speaking of the regular version or the pro? The pro is rated for 300 f/2.8 and above, while the regular is for the 100-400 and below.


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## expatinasia (Jul 29, 2013)

The three rain covers I have are the:

EOS Rain Cover ERC-E4S, ERC-E4M, and ERC-E4L. (only difference is the size: small, medium and large, depending on your lens).

This is the large in the Canon US shop:

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/product-accessories/eos-digital-slr-camera-accessories/eos-tripods-other-accessories/eos-rain-cover-large-erc-e4l

I am very happy with their quality, and am confident they will help protect my gear when things get wet.


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## kaihp (Jul 29, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> brad-man said:
> 
> 
> > I was/am considering this. The _LensCoat RainCoat Standard_ can be bought from Amazon, B&H, etc for $80 w/free shipping. If you buy it from Lenscoat, you will receive the cap for "free", but it will cost about $12 for shipping and insurance. So, is the cap worth $12 or will a sandwich bag suffice?
> ...



Have anyone used the ThinkTank Hydrophobias rain covers? - any comparison between LensCoat and the ThinkTank?
The TTP's are a fair bit more expensive


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## RLPhoto (Jul 29, 2013)

I've had to shoot my 7D + 50L in the rain. It worked flawlessly and I'd feel comfortable doing it with a 5D2. It's crazy why on earth canon would skimp alittle on some gaskets for 6D.


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## gmrza (Jul 29, 2013)

BPLOL said:


> Well, not only this site has it stated (http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/tech/report/2012/10/), as someone said, but we get this illustration found in this other site (http://imagesandcameras.com/canon-eos-6d-dslr-camera):
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Note the term "*DRIP PROOF*" *grin*


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## dgatwood (Jul 29, 2013)

gmrza said:


> Note the term "*DRIP PROOF*" *grin*



There you have it. A rainstorm is nothing more than a series of drips.


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## Marsu42 (Jul 29, 2013)

RLPhoto said:


> It's crazy why on earth canon would skimp alittle on some gaskets for 6D.



No, it isn't, because word gets around when people read threads like this and then Canon gets $1000 more selling 5d3 instead of 6d bodies - imho Canon cut corners all they could on the 6d to be able to lower the price much more than it currently is.


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## RLPhoto (Jul 29, 2013)

Marsu42 said:


> RLPhoto said:
> 
> 
> > It's crazy why on earth canon would skimp alittle on some gaskets for 6D.
> ...



Not really. 5d2 was weather sealed.


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## BillH (Jul 29, 2013)

I know its a bit late for you now, and your 6D seems to have survived OK thank goodness, but I always carry a plastic Wal-mart carrier bag in my pocket when it looks as if it might rain. I has saved my 40D a few times!


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## Marsu42 (Jul 29, 2013)

BillH said:


> I know its a bit late for you now, and your 6D seems to have survived OK thank goodness, but I always carry a plastic Wal-mart carrier bag in my pocket when it looks as if it might rain.



+1, there's no urgent need for "professional" bags, in Berlin there are a lot of pro photojournalists around and I'm often seeing *them* to what amounts to a "do it yourself" bag sealing solution ... which imho proves they are professional, they're interested in the result and not the looks.


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## jrista (Jul 29, 2013)

brad-man said:


> jrista said:
> 
> 
> > I've used the RealTree version of LensCoat's RainCoat for a while...since winter. It is definitely worth the investment if you shoot in any kind of weather. You never really can tell how save your gear will be when its exposed...having the ability to slip on the rain coat when you need to gives you that extra peace of mind.
> ...



I didn't realize there were two versions. At the time, the only one I found was the Pro version.


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## Dr.Jones (Jul 29, 2013)

photonius said:


> Dr.Jones said:
> 
> 
> > I feel greatly sorry for you. No matter how much you asked for it yourself it is always a sad thing you gear starts malfunctioning.
> ...



It didn't rain at all. And just for the sake of it, the tent was waterproof anyway. Though I get your point in regards of small differences in location might have done the trick, i still don't understand as they were just beside each other. 

As to the part of the 6D pictures I wasn't looking for the 6D pictures or links for them, but rather similar pictures of the 5D mark III


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## Pandypix (Jul 30, 2013)

I can't get rin cot locally o I m going to go really budget for the next trip away a large size zip lock bag will suffice for now. Hoping for sunshine as we are heading north for surf and catch up with family. Queensland we are coming 8)


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## Snook (Aug 1, 2013)

Attached is a iPhone photo of my 6D I took after a spontaneous sunset shoot. It was raining heavily and this bag was all I had. It worked perfectly and kept my camera dry. I personally would never use my 6D exposed to harsh elements. This just goes to show that in a pinch, a clear plastic bag can do the job.


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## AprilForever (Aug 1, 2013)

ontarian said:


> So I got over my initial dislike last year of a few of the corners Canon took with the 6D (like 1/4000 max shutter speed) because the image quality was on par with my 5D3. Today shooting the Collingwood Ontario Elvis festival in the rain with a EF 400mm 2.8 IS on my 5D3 and a 14mm 2.8 II on my 6D and I was shocked to find that my 6D stopped responding after about 20 minutes in sporadic rain. I got home, opened things up to inspect and found felt-like material at all the seams rather than the expected rubber material that even my EF-S mount 2009 era 7D has. I'm sorry, but F$#%K you Canon, for my couple of grand I want you to not skimp out on maybe a dollar's worth of sealing material. My 6D is now in a bowl of rice in my cranked up to the max infrared sauna, I'll see if my hatred of Canon corner cutting sticks. No wonder I enjoy developing EOS mount solutions for 60's to mid 80's era Canon manual focus lenses, its before they started sucking like it was a sport.
> 
> 
> Edit, a few hours later:
> ...



The 7D rules!!! 8)


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