How "waterproof" is the 1Ds ?

[JasonStoller]

Chuck, I really appreciate what you have said here, but I wish you would pass it down to your service people. I tried to call you once because my 1D quit during a light rain during a football game I was shooting with it and the 70-200IS lens last year. It was the first time my 1D had ever been exposed to any type of Rain at all. I called service and was told to send in the body. After the body got there I was informed by an employee( whom I understand has recently retired) that my 1D body had corrosion in it on the PCB board and another electronic board, and they would have to be replaced and my warranty would not cover it. When I asked him to send me pictures and how long he thought the Corrosion had been there he told me he thought from the color that it had been more than a month. I assured him that I had only had the body a very short time and this was the first time the camera had ever been exposed to any type of rain, so I found this quite impossible to believe, but he would not budge on the warranty issue. He stated the Canon 1D was Weather and Dust Resistant but not weatherproof. I had formally been a Nikon shooter, and one of the reasons I had purchased the 1D was because I shoot sports and wildlife, and Canon advertised the way the body was sealed as one of its features.

To make a long story short, My wonderful dealer told me to pull the 1D out of service, and send it to them. They replaced my body with a new one. If it had not been for my Dealer and had I been forced to continue to fight with the service center I would most likely not be shooting Canon today. Since that incident I went out an purchased a Raincoat that fits over my 1D body and 70-200IS just to make sure my equipment is protected. I wanted to pass this on to you Chuck just so you are aware of some of the problems that some of us run into. I am now afraid to risk exposing my 1D to the elements and I wanted you to be aware of it. I think you know I have written you recently and have continued to invest money in high end lenses because of what I shoot. I do love my 1D but I hope you can get the message down to service in regard to the policy on how weather resistant the 1D/1Ds should be. Also I would like to see Canon clearly state in their advertising, what the words Weather and Dust Resistant really mean instead of leaving it open to interputation.


Thanks for reading my Rant.

Jason Stoller

[Micheal_Hall]

I took one of my 1D bodies and a 16-35 L into a downpour in Utah over the summer. Nary a problem.

Exposure to the elements (time wise) was minimal and I wiped the body down when I cam back inside, but I thought I would just point out that I didn't have a problem

Additionally, Phil Aksey (of dpreview) tested the 1D and 70-200 IS by spraying them directly with a hose and letting the water sit on the camera for 15 minutes, wiping them down and inspecting them. He found no water intrusion.

I think Canon has done a good job in the weather sealing department - I don't know what the deal was with your camera though. Sounds like a bum deal - good on your dealer for stepping up and helping you out.

Regards,
Micheal