# Does using the Canon BG-11 maintain the 5D mk III weather sealed capability?



## gshocked (Mar 15, 2014)

Hi all,

I just purchased the Canon BG-E11 for the Canon 5D mk III and I'm wondering if using it maintains the 5D mk III weather sealed capability?
The only reason why I ask is because on the battery door of the 5d3, there is a foam (or fabric) lining to "seal" the body. However when using the battery grip, there is not seal that I can see? Do anyone share this concern?

Any thought would be appreciated.

Thanks!


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 15, 2014)

The sealing is not maintained, although if you keep the camera+grip upright, gravity keeps water out of the battery compartment. 

I don't really understand why Canon doesn't either put the body seal on the body rather than the door, or add a foam strip to the grip.


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## gshocked (Mar 17, 2014)

neuroanatomist said:


> The sealing is not maintained, although if you keep the camera+grip upright, gravity keeps water out of the battery compartment.
> 
> I don't really understand why Canon doesn't either put the body seal on the body rather than the door, or add a foam strip to the grip.




Thought so... That's a massive oversight!


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## mackguyver (Mar 17, 2014)

Canon's 5DIII brochure shows a diagram of the body+grip saying it's weatherproof - I guess because of the "high-precision alignment of seams and high-density structure". I love the grip and it's by far and away the best accessory grip Canon has ever made.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 17, 2014)

mackguyver said:


> Canon's 5DIII brochure shows a diagram of the body+grip saying it's weatherproof - I guess because of the "high-precision alignment of seams and high-density structure". I love the grip and it's by far and away the best accessory grip Canon has ever made.



I'm skeptical. The body has sealing. The grip itself has sealing. I'm not convinced the combo is sealed. 'Seams' are integral to an assembled piece. The battery doors on both body and grip have foam. Is there foam on the body door opening or the grip where it contacts the battery compartment? There wasn't on the 7D or 5DII. There's play between the body and the grip, so I don't see how a 'high precision alignment' sealed seam can be formed.


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## Drizzt321 (Mar 17, 2014)

neuroanatomist said:


> mackguyver said:
> 
> 
> > Canon's 5DIII brochure shows a diagram of the body+grip saying it's weatherproof - I guess because of the "high-precision alignment of seams and high-density structure". I love the grip and it's by far and away the best accessory grip Canon has ever made.
> ...



Here's my bet as to what they mean:



> We used high precision CAD tools to design these two parts fitting together so water's natural surface tension would make it unlikely it will get in between and sneak up into the battery compartment.


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## mackguyver (Mar 17, 2014)

I just took a look and the grip has a raised lip around the battery area of the body and then another raised lip area where the battery compartment is - and this body / grip combo is much different than previous ones (note the cost). It's magnesium & engineering plastic just like the body and there is little if any play between the body and grip. I wouldn't trust it in a tropical storm, but I think it would be just fine in light rain.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 18, 2014)

Drizzt321 said:


> Here's my bet as to what they mean:
> 
> 
> 
> > We used high precision CAD tools to design these two parts fitting together so water's natural surface tension would make it unlikely it will get in between and sneak up into the battery compartment.



They state, "The camera is protected…," not the camera + grip. 



mackguyver said:


> I just took a look and the grip has a raised lip around the battery area of the body and then another raised lip area where the battery compartment is - and this body / grip combo is much different than previous ones (note the cost). It's magnesium & engineering plastic just like the body and there is little if any play between the body and grip. I wouldn't trust it in a tropical storm, but I think it would be just fine in light rain.



Neither lip appears continuous to me, and looking at the sealing diagram I don't see a green line extending around the the junction of grip and body. There's one around the bottom of the camera, another around the top of the grip.

I agree that it would be fine in light rain…in fact, I pretty frequently see people shooting with Rebel/xxxD bodies in light rain. I actually think it would be fine in heavier rain, as long as you keep the gripped camera upright.


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## gshocked (Mar 18, 2014)

mackguyver said:


> Canon's 5DIII brochure shows a diagram of the body+grip saying it's weatherproof - I guess because of the "high-precision alignment of seams and high-density structure". I love the grip and it's by far and away the best accessory grip Canon has ever made.



Thanks Mackguyver & Neuroanatomist.

I agree that might be ok In light rain. Just wish there was foam around the battery door and behind the lip of the camera grip.


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## Marsu42 (Mar 18, 2014)

mackguyver said:


> Canon's 5DIII brochure shows a diagram of the body+grip saying it's weatherproof - I guess because of the "high-precision alignment of seams and high-density structure".



Well, their marketing department has to come up with some nice reasons and sketches to explain away the price difference to 3rd party grips  ... I wonder: are there any similar brochures available for Canon lens caps and hoods? :->


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## mackguyver (Mar 18, 2014)

Marsu42 said:


> mackguyver said:
> 
> 
> > Canon's 5DIII brochure shows a diagram of the body+grip saying it's weatherproof - I guess because of the "high-precision alignment of seams and high-density structure".
> ...


Yep, gotta love the marketing guys and their fancy diagrams  The grip is really well made, however, but I stick with using a rain cover if I'm out in the weather.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 18, 2014)

mackguyver said:


> The grip is really well made, however, but *I stick with using a rain cover if I'm out in the weather*.



You're a wise man... 

For an unforeseen rain shower or a water ride at an amusement park, I just go with it. But when I know in advance that I'll be out shooting in the rain, which is usually when I've blocked out time to shoot birds and the weather isn't cooperative, I use a LensCoat rain cover.


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## ajfotofilmagem (Mar 18, 2014)

Marsu42 said:


> mackguyver said:
> 
> 
> > Canon's 5DIII brochure shows a diagram of the body+grip saying it's weatherproof - I guess because of the "high-precision alignment of seams and high-density structure".
> ...


Canon needs to convince me that the original lens hood worth paying 5 times more than generic.  Maybe they do a marketing campaign showing how the lens hood genuine is extremely sexy, and beautiful women will get hypnotized by it. :-* : Ah, makes sense. ??? Women will see my original lens hood, and think that if I have money to burn on overpriced accessories in would give them an unlimited credit card.


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## mackguyver (Mar 18, 2014)

neuroanatomist said:


> mackguyver said:
> 
> 
> > The grip is really well made, however, but *I stick with using a rain cover if I'm out in the weather*.
> ...


I try to be...and on the Gulf Coast in Florida, we don't typically have any such thing as light rain, so the rain cover (I ended up buying the Kata) comes with me most of the time and kept my 5DII + 24-70 f/2.8 or 135 f/2 safe (but not totally dry) during two separate tropical storms, one of which happened to coincide with this shoot (I don't need to mention what happened directly after this moment) and with a 5DII it took many shots at 3.9FPS to get a decent one:


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 18, 2014)

mackguyver said:


> I don't need to mention what happened directly after this moment



I didn't mean shooting from a distance with a telephoto lens…I meant right in the middle of the action.


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## mackguyver (Mar 18, 2014)

neuroanatomist said:


> I didn't mean shooting from a distance with a telephoto lens…I meant right in the middle of the action.


Great shot and yes, that's definitely in the thick of it! I got plenty wet where I was standing when the waves hit, though!


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## viggen61 (Mar 18, 2014)

I don't know for sure about the 5D3 & its grip, but my 7D and BG-E7 are NOT a sealed combo together.

First, you can see light through the seam at the bottom of the camera and grip.

Second, I had it out in the lightest of rainshowers (no, really!), and I started getting all sorts of problems with the camera and grip. It led me to replace the coin cell (likely needed anyway, but not the root cause), swap batteries, remove the grip, etc.. Putting the main battery in the camera got it all working, but as soon as I put the grip back on, it might go for a couple shots, but then it would stop. No error, just black.

I took the grip off for a few weeks and let it dry out, and now it seems to work fine 80% of the time. The other 20%, the portrait shutter release won't release, though it WILL work at half-press... And, of course, only when I really need it...

Not sure it's worth getting a new BG-E7 at this point, with a 7D2 "around the corner" (it's a long, street, though...).


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## Drizzt321 (Mar 18, 2014)

neuroanatomist said:


> Drizzt321 said:
> 
> 
> > Here's my bet as to what they mean:
> ...



I guess my sarcasm was too subtle and failed :-[


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## BLFPhoto (Mar 19, 2014)

Here's what I think. I think we own several thousan dollars of equipment and if we're going to be shooting in conditions where rain, waves, sand storms, etc are likely, that a $50-$150 weather cover is not too much to ask and well worth the investment to take the guesswork out of whether our gear will survive. I shoot often in inclement weather and always keep a rain cover in my bag. 

That said, most people are far too delicate with their gear, if the forums are to be believed. The stuff is pretty solid and not nearly as wilting daisy weak as some seem to think. I would shoot my gripped 5D III in light rain any day if I thought I had images worth capturing.


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## Marsu42 (Mar 19, 2014)

BLFPhoto said:


> I think we own several thousan dollars of equipment and if we're going to be shooting in conditions where rain, waves, sand storms, etc are likely, that a $50-$150 weather cover is not too much to ask and well worth the investment to take the guesswork out of whether our gear will survive.



This is exactly what I'd be arguing in a marketing leaflet for original oem equipment... of course circumventing any kind of or definite specs or warranty on sealing, it's still guesswork, just on a more expensive level.

The value for the customer should have nothing to do with the value of the physical value of the parts but of the most pressing needs of the customer (safety, peace of mind, status with original brand gear) and the satisfaction he gets from a purchase... that's why you can sell tiny frozen yoghurt cones for €5 in summer.

Still, personally I always feel the tie between the production (included r&d) value and resulting price, that's probably why I wouldn't want to have myself as a customer


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## JPAZ (Mar 25, 2014)

Maybe seal it with "Polygrip" denture cream?

 : 

Sorry, couldn't help myself!


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## adhocphotographer (Apr 8, 2014)

I don't worry when it is light rain, if it is heavy and I am going to be out in it for a while and i am caught unplanned I use a plastig bag i keep in my bag(s) for such occasions. 

Cut a whole in the bottom, plonk your lens through it and secure it with you lens hood. boom... a small, disposable, recycled, cheap make-do rain cover. It can also double a bin! 

I let my 'weather sealing' do the rest!


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## Timmurdz (Apr 10, 2014)

Just noticed on the Canon HK site that there is a small disclaimer at the bottom saying:
"#Not recommended to use in the rain"

http://www.canon.com.hk/en/product/catalog/productItemDetails.do?prrfnbr=200314 

I think that pretty much clears it up.


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## gshocked (Apr 10, 2014)

Timmurdz said:


> Just noticed on the Canon HK site that there is a small disclaimer at the bottom saying:
> "#Not recommended to use in the rain"
> 
> http://www.canon.com.hk/en/product/catalog/productItemDetails.do?prrfnbr=200314
> ...



Great eye! I love the contradiction:

"The battery compartment with improved dust and water resistance# design, together with a rugged magnesium construction same as EOS 5D Mark III, ensures reliable performance even under tough outdoor environment."

Footnote:

"#Not recommended to use in the rain"


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